Taiwan Millions Tournament 11 in full swing; Yu Kai Wang wins first Mystery Bounty event in Asia; over US$320K already paid out; first half results inside

It’s that time of the season once again for the prized Taiwan Millions Tournament. Now on its 11th season, the popular homegrown festival has been underway at the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association Taipei (CTP Club Taipei) since January 4 and will run through January 24. A total of 69 tournaments populate the roster highlighted by the first ever Mystery Bounty tournament in Asia and the NT$5 Million guaranteed MAIN EVENT.

During the first nine days, 27 trophies were awarded and over US$ 320K in cash was paid out. Here are the list of winners, upcoming games, and an update on the Player of the Series race.

Festival results

Featured events prize pool: NT$ 7,305,895 (~US$ 263,920)
Daily Deepstack prize pool: NT$ 631,160 (~US$ 22,800)
Nightly events prize pool: NT$ 961,140 (~US$ 34,720)
Total entries: 3,535
Largest event payout: Yu Kai Wang – NT$ 325,800 (~US$ 11,77)
Multiple wins: 3 players – Li-Ta “Leon” Hsu, Chia Lin Huang, Chan Lok Ming

Event 3: Kick-Off Mystery Bounty – YU KAI WANG – NT$ 325,800 (~US$ 11,770)

One of the most sought after events in the United States is the thrilling Mystery Bounty tournament, and for the first time in history, it was staged in Asia at TMT 11. Instead of the usual bounty reward for every player eliminated, only those that qualified into Day 2 were given a bounty chip. The more bounty chips a player collected, the more chances to draw the biggest prizes. After 8 starting flights, its debut was a smashing success with 1,374 entries for a prize pool of NT$ 2,280,840 (~US$ 82,392). To date, this was both the largest field and pot of the festival.

Out of the 98 players that advanced to Day 2, emerging victorious was Yu Kai Wang for his first major win. Wang carried in the third biggest stack then took it all the way to the finish line to collect a career high NT$ 325,800 (~US$ 11,770). This achievement alone doubled his total live earnings to nearly US$ 22K.

While the champion has been crowned, the largest mystery bounty prizes have yet to be claimed. On January 15, five players will return, each one hoping to draw the top mystery bounty prize money of NT$ 100K.

Date: January 5 to 9
Buy in: NT$ 2,500 (~US$ 90)
Entries: 1,374
Cash prize pool: NT$ 1,593,840 (~US$ 57,575)
Bounty prize pool: NT$ 687,000 (~US$ 24,817)
ITM: 127 places

Final table payouts

Event #7: Giant Stack – HSU HUANG – NT$ 260,400 (~US$ 9,406)

The three day Giant Stack event came out with a burly NT$ 1 Million guaranteed pot. After two starting heats, 215 entered to exceed the guarantee in exchange for a richer NT$ 1,096,500 (~US$ 39,610) prize pool. Out of the 24 players that dipped in the money jar, Hsu Huang scooped up the most worth NT$ 260,400 (~US$ 9,406) for his victory.

This was Huang’s third ever TMT title having won his first at the 2018 TMT Bubble Rush event and second at the TMT Season 8 High Roller event. This boosted his total live earnings to US$ 82K.

Date: January 10 to 12
Buy in: NT$ 6,000 (~US$ 217)
Guarantee: NT$ 1,000,000 (~US$ 36,124)
Entries: 215
Prize pool: NT$ 1,096,500 (~US$ 39,610)
ITM: 24 places

Final table payouts

Event #2: Warm Up

Date: January 4
Buy in: NT$ 2,000 (~US$ 72)
Guarantee: NT$ 250,000 (~US$ 9,031)
Entries: 288
Prize pool: NT$ 478,080 (~US$ 17,270)
ITM: 31 places
Winner: TE WEI CHUNG – Taiwan – NT$ 113,400 (~US$ 4,096)

Event #5: Knockout Bounty NLH

Date: January 9
Buy in: NT$ 3,500 (~US$ 126)
Guarantee: NT$ 250,000 (~US$ 9,031)
Entries: 168
Prize pool: NT$ 415,800 (~US$ 15,020)
Bounty prize pool: NT$ 84,000 (~US$ 3,034)
ITM: 18 places
Winner: CHUAN CHING CHEN – Taiwan – NT$ 102,400 (~US$ 3,700)

High Roller winners

Among the completed games were two High Roller tournaments with buy ins of NT$ 22,000 each. Taiwanese pro Li-Ta “Leon” Hsu shipped High Roller 1 just days after winning the Nightly Event Pot Limit Omaha Turbo. Hsu became the first player to win two events and is currently ranked 3rd in the Player of the Series leaderboard.

Event #4: TMT High Roller 1

Date: January 9
Buy in: NT$ 22,000 (~US$ 795)
Entries: 52
Prize pool: NT$ 1,040,000 (~US$ 37,569)
ITM: 7 places
Winner: LI-TA “Leon” HSU – Taiwan – NT$ 317,700 (~US$ 11,477)

Event #10: TMT High Roller 2

The High Roller 2 event was bagged by another familiar face, local pro Kuang Hung “Luke” Lee, for his first ever TMT title. He adds this to his long list of achievements amounting to US$ 250K.

Date: January 12
Buy in: NT$ 22,000 (~US$ 795)
Entries: 46
Prize pool: NT$ 920,000 (~US$ 33,234
ITM: 6 places
Winner: KUANG HUNG “Luke” LEE – Taiwan – NT$ 303,400 (~US$ 10,960)

Player of the Series update

The TMT Player of the Series title is up for grabs with the top three in points at the end of the festival awarded TMT packages worth NT$ 20K + Trophy (1st), NT$ 15K (2nd), and NT$ 10K (3rd). As of January 12, local player Wu Chiayun leads the race with a healthy 70 point distance from his closest competitor Hong Kong’s Chan Lok Ming. Wu’s impressive performance consists of 8 cashes of which 7 were final tables, and one Nightly Event victory. The next three down the rung are Li-Ta “Leon” Hsu, Philip King Chung Wang, and Chia Lin Huang.

Other festival results

Event #1: Freezeout Shot Clock 1

Date: January 4
Buy in: NT$ 4,000 (~US$ 144)
Entries: 45
Prize pool: NT$ 153,000 (~US$ 5,527)
ITM: 6 places
Winner: CHIA LIN HUANG – Taiwan – NT$ 53,400 (~US$ 1,929)

Event #6: Freezeout Shot Clock Turbo

Date: January 9
Buy in: NT$ 2,500 (~US$ 90)
Entries: 62
Prize pool: NT$ 131,750
ITM: 8 places
Winner: WILSON YEH – Taiwan – NT$ 38,300 (~US$ 1,383)

Event #8: 5-Card Pot Limit Omaha

Date: January 10
Buy in: NT$ 8,000 (~US$ 289)
Entries: 52
Prize pool: NT$ 353,600 (~US$ 12,775)
ITM: 6 places
Winner: CHENG CHAO TING – Taiwan – NT$ 123,500 (~US$ 4,460)

Event #9: Bubble Rush 1

Date: January 11
Buy in: NT$ 2,500 (~US$ 90)
Entries: 41
Prize pool: NT$ 87,125 (~US$ 3,147)
ITM: 5 places
Winner: CHIH HSUAN CHANG – Taiwan – NT$ 33,800 (~US$ 1,221)

Event #11: Monster Stack Turbo

Date: January 12
Buy in: NT$ 3,000 (~US$ 108)
Entries: 104
Prize pool: NT$ 265,200 (~US$ 9,580)
ITM: 11 places
Winner: CHING WEI CHEN – Taiwan – NT$ 69,500 (~US$ 2,510)

Daily Deepstack winners

#1 – Kuan Wen Chen
#2 – Yunsheng Xu
#3 – Wei Fan Chen
#4 – Xiao Chen Xie
#5 – Chih Ying Liang
#6 – Chi Jen Chen
#7 – Chan Lok Ming

Nightly Event

#1 – NLH Turbo – Yih Chia Shaw
#2 – Pot Limit Omaha Turbo – Li-Ta Hsu
#3 – NLH Turbo KO Bounty – Chunhsiang Yang
#4 – PLO Turbo KO Bounty – Chan Lok Ming
#5 – NLH Turbo – Chung Hsien Lee
#6 – Pot Limit Omaha Turbo – Chia Lin Huang
#7 – NLH Turbo KO Bounty – Wu Chiayun
#8 – PLO Turbo KO Bounty – Wu Hunghsiang
#9 – NLH Turbo – Ting Wang

Upcoming featured events

More games and trophies to be claimed. Here are some of the key events to mark down:

MAIN EVENT: January 18 to 24 – NT$ 5 Million guaranteed – NT$ 8,000 buy in
Mini Main Event: January 13 to 15 – NT$ 2 Million guaranteed – NT$ 4,000 buy in
PLO High Roller Deepstack 6-Max: January 14 – NT$ 33,000 buy in
Super High Roller 6-Max: January 19 – NT$ 54,000 buy in
Megastack: January 23 – NT$ 500K guaranteed – NT$ 6,000 buy in
Super High Roller 2: January 24 – NT$ 86,000 buy in

Stay tuned to Somuchpoker as we bring you updates on the ongoing Taiwan Millions Tournament Season 11.