Singapore's Shixiang Khoo Wins Record-Breaking Main Event for VND 3.9BN (~$165K)

Ben Wilson / 30 Jul 2023

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Singapore's Shixiang Khoo Wins Record-Breaking Main Event for VND 3.9BN (~$165K)

APT SUMMER SERIES DA NANG 2023 SCHEDULE | OFFICIAL RESULTS | IMAGES | WINNERS | PLAYER LISTS

DA NANG, VIETNAM, July 29, 2023 – The richest Vietnamese Main Event in APT history has crowned a champion, with Singapore's Shixiang Khoo claiming the lion's share of the monster VND 20,624,625,000 (~USD $866,360) prize purse.

Playing out at the Ariyana Convention Centre – located at the luxurious five-star beachfront Furama Resort Da Nang – just nine players out of the 675-strong VND 35,000,000 Main Event field returned for the fourth and final day.

Each shared the same goal with the nonad all looking to claim the coveted golden lion APT Summer Series Da Nang, Vietnam 2023 Main Event trophy.

However, there could be only one winner, and that proved to be Khoo, who defeated Japan's Shinya Maeda after a short 17-hand heads-up battle which the Singaporean came into with over a 2-to-1 chip lead he did not relinquish.

In the final hand, Maeda check-raised the flop with an open-ended straight draw and opted to gamble to even up the stacks when Khoo moved all-in with second pair.

Blanks on the turn and river saw Khoo claim his maiden tournament title, with his victory worth a staggering VND 3,935,285,000 (~USD $165,280)!

I just got very lucky," Khoo stated modestly in his post-match interview immediately after the win.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the money, most probably invest it or something like that," Khoo confided when asked about his plans for his newfound wealth.

MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE RESULTS

  • 1st: Shixiang Khoo (Singapore) – VND 3,935,285,000
  • 2nd: Shinya Maeda (Japan) – VND 2,429,580,000
  • 3rd: Daiki Shingae (Japan) – VND 1,736,590,000
  • 4th: Yu-Chung Chang (Taiwan) – VND 1,330,290,000
  • 5th: Nguyen Khac Cuong (Vietnam) – VND 1,053,920,000
  • 6th: Hung Manh Nguyen (Vietnam) – VND 820,860,000
  • 7th: KoangHo Lee (South Korea) – VND 598,110,000
  • 8th: The Naing (Singapore) – VND 408,780,000
  • 9th: Tran Duc Tuan (Vietnam) – VND 323,810,000

It took 150 hands played out over eight 60-minute levels for the Singaporean to lift the trophy.

While Khoo came into the final table with the chip lead and got off to a great start, taking first blood and sending Vietnam's short-stacked Tran Duc Tuan to the rail in ninth place, it was not all plain sailing.

The Singaporean had to navigate some choppy waters with an increasingly active Daiki Shingae scoring the next two eliminations, with the Japanese player sending both Singapore's The Naing and South Korea's KoangHo Lee to the rail in quick succession.

Then Taiwan's Yu-Chung Chang made his play for the top spot, sending South Korea's KoangHo Lee to the rail in sixth and seizing the chip lead.

Shingae took his turn as the tournament top dog after busting Nguyen Khac Cuong in fifth place, with Khoo dropping down to second in the pecking order, then third before finding his second wind and eliminating Chang in fourth to bring himself back into contention.

Khoo then clashed in a huge pot with Shingae to end the Japanese player's tournament after the latter ran his pocket sevens into the Singaporen's pocket tens. This gave Khoo a lead he would maintain for the duration.

You can read a full recap of the Day 4 action and follow Khoo's journey to the Main Event title via the APT Blog.

You can also watch the action as it played out via the APT Final Table Live Stream using the below links:

Youtube Twitch Facebook

For Main Event Results please CLICK HERE

Japan's Takao Shimizu Leads Final 25 Players in APT High Roller VND 5BN GTD With VND 11.2BN (USD $474K) in the Prize Pool

APT High Roller Day 1 chip leader Takao Shimizu.jpg Japan's Takao Shimzu bagged the chip lead after Day 1 of the APT High Roller

All the lion-taming action was not exclusive to the Main Event, with the third of the Series' flagship trophy events – the VND 80,000,000 APT High Roller – kicking off at 12:30pm local time.

Boasting the second largest buy-in on the schedule and with the coveted bronze lion APT High Roller trophy on the line, Day 1 saw a field of 161 entries comprised of 91 unique players assembled.

This generated a sizable VND 11,244,240,000 (~USD $474,680) prize pool – the largest of the Series outside of the Main Event – more than doubling the VND 5 billion (USD $210,000) prize pool guarantee!

For APT High Roller Prize Pool & Payout Information please CLICK HERE

Day 1 saw players battle over eighteen 40-minute levels, with notables in contention including Main Event finalist Yu-Chung Chang, Single Day High Roller champions Pham Duy Anh, and Gavin Flynn, and double Series High Roller champion Joshua Mccully, with Japanese rockstar Gakuto "GACKT" Oshiro sprinkling in that bit of extra stardust.

Both previous APT High Roller lion-taming champions were in attendance, with APT Taipei winner Phachara Wongwichit, and APT Summer Series Hanoi winner Ngoc Dai Nguyen looking to claim a second bronze lion trophy.

Australia's Julian Warhurst and Taiwan-based Malaysian Shung Er Sua were also in the mix and looking to find a playmate for their pewter lion APT Super High Roller trophies.

When the clock ticked into the red after the eighteen 40-minute levels played out, just 25 players were left in contention, with Takao Shimizu sitting atop the counts with a stack of 1,870,000.

Shimizu, who boasts over USD $580,000 in live tournament wins, is on the hunt for his maiden APT title.

However, the Japanese player still has to contend with Vietnam's Terry Nguyen, who bagged the second-largest stack of 1,230,000.

Shung Er Sua concluded play third in the counts, and his prospects of claiming a second flagship lion trophy in as many Series are very real.

APT HIGH ROLLER DAY 1 TOP TEN STACKS

  1. Takao Shimizu (Japan) – 1,870,000
  2. Terry Nguyen (Vietnam) – 1,230,000
  3. Shung Er Sua (Malaysia) – 1,170,000
  4. Xiaosheng Zheng (China) – 1,050,000
  5. Yohei Kitazato (Japan) 1,035,000
  6. Sili Zhang (China) – 1,015,000
  7. Gakuto "GACKT" Oshiro (Japan) – 1,000,000
  8. Tran Trung Hieu (Vietnam) – 945,000
  9. Trung Quan Nguyen (Vietnam) – 840,000
  10. Julien Tran (Vietnam) – 760,000

APT Phu Quoc Main Event runner-up Julien Tran (760,000) is still in with a shout, and Julian Warhurst (520,000) is other sole remaining player in the field who can pair his APT flagship lion tophy after both Wongwichit and Ngoc Dai Nguyen came up short of a Day 2 spot.

Other notables still in the running include India's Anuj Yadav (450,000), and Ashish Munot (425,000), and the UK's Grant Gardner (295,000).

Yu-Chung Chang (290,000) may also get his chance to tame a lion this Series after coming within touching distance in the Main Event.

The remaining 25 players are just two spots off the money when Day 2 resumes at 12:15pm local time on Sunday, July 30, with the tournament playing down to a champion.

For APT High Roller Day 2 Draw please CLICK HERE

You can follow all the APT High Roller Day 1 action via the APT Blog.

All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.

The UK's John Bonadies Takes the Title in Event #44 Double Stack; Wins VND 536M (~USD $22.6K)

Event #44 Double Stack champion John Bonadies.jpg The UK's John Bonadies earned his first APT title in Event #44 Double Stack

Playing out concurrently with the Main Event, the second and final day of the two-day VND 14,000,000 Event #44 Double Stack - VND 2,000,000,000 GTD saw 46 survivors out of a combined field of 318 return to action to play it out for a share of the sizable VND 3,886,596,000 (~USD $163,980) prize pool.

All returning players were already guaranteed a payout of VND 22,280,000 (~USD $940), but it was the top prize, trophy and title all were aiming for.

It was start-of-day chip leader John Bonadies the man to take all the accolades after cutting a four way ICM deal with opponents Archit Khandelwal, Haisheng Qiu, and Ming Huang.

Huang, who held the chip lead when the deal was made, locked up a VND 500,700,000 (~USD $21,135) share of the prize pool, with Bonadies guaranteed a payout of at least VND 463,800,000, Archit guaranteed VND 455,100,000 and Qiu guaranteed VND 409,700,000.

The four then played it out for the trophy, title, and a further VND 72,866,000 in cash.

It was Bonadies and Khandelwal who ended up heads-up, with the Brit clinching the deal for a VND 536,666,000 (~USD $22,655) top prize and his maiden APT title, with the rest of the final table paying out as follows:

DOUBLE STACK FINAL TABLE RESULTS

  • 1st: John Bonadies (United Kingdom) – VND 536,666,000
  • 2nd: Archit Khandelwal (India) – VND 455,100,000
  • 3rd: Haisheng Qiu (China) – VND 409,700,000
  • 4th: Ming Huang (China) – VND 500,700,000
  • 5th: Jingwei Guo (China) – VND 231,410,000
  • 6th: Uten Ungchusak (Thailand) – VND 176,680,000
  • 7th: Sutipong Popitukkuk (Thailand) - VND 129,770,000
  • 8th: Younggeun Kim (South Korea) – VND 95,370,000
  • 9th: Dang Chien Duong (Vietnam) – 78,180,000

Other notables to make deep runs but come up short of a place in the final nine included India's Sumit Sapra (12th for 57,850,000), Malaysia's Gabriel Lim (14th for VND 51,990,000), Mystery Bounty finalist Junam Lee (16th for VND 46,120,000), Single Day High Roller champion Pham Duy Anh (20th for VND 40,260,000), and the Netherland's Joris Michl.

All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.

China's Haisheng Qiu Leads Mini Main Event Event - VND 1.5BN GTD - With VND 2.8BN (~USD $122K) in the Purse

Chip leader Jisun Jung.jpg China's Jisun Jung topped the Flight A chip counts of the Mini Main Event

Boasting almost the exact same structure as the Main Event and a VND 1.5 billion (~USD $63,000) guarantee the last of APT Summer Series Da Nang marquee events – the VND 11,000,000 Mini Main Event – kicked off at 12pm local time, with the opening Flight A drawing 192 entries.

Flight B got underway at 6pm and saw another 109 entries enter the action, bringing the total field up to 301 entries (189 unique), generating a VND 2,890,503,000 (~USD $122,020) prize pool, with the eventual winner will walking away with a VND 579,903,000 (USD $24,480) top prize.

For Mini Main Event Prize Pool & Payout Information please CLICK HERE

Flight A played out over twenty 30-minute levels, with 27 players making the Day 2 cut and China's Jisun Jung topping the counts with a stack of 615,000.

Hong Kong's Sau In Wong (591,000), and Vietnam's Nguyen Duc Thanh (547,000) round out the top three Flight A stacks, with the top ten as follows:

MINI MAIN EVENT FLIGHT A TOP TEN STACKS

  1. Jisun Jung (South Korea) – 615,000
  2. Sau In Wong (Hong Kong) – 591,000
  3. Nguyen Duc Thanh (Vietnam) – 547,000
  4. Eric Kois (United States) – 528,000
  5. Kai Yi Sun (China) – 525,000
  6. Minh Tri Phan Huu (Vietnam) – 479,000
  7. Paul Kiem (United States) – 449,000
  8. Shun Hong Ng (Singapore) – 393,000
  9. Dao Quoc Cuong (Vietnam) – 379,000
  10. Thanh Nguyen (Vietnam) – 347,000

For Mini Main Event Flight A Survivors please CLICK HERE

Chip leader Haisheng Qiu.jpg China's Haisheng Qiu will be returning with the overall chip lead after topping the Flight B counts

Flight B played out over slightly faster 20-minute levels; it took twenty-two of these for a further 15 players to lock up a place for Day 2.

It is China's Haisheng Qiu who will be returning with the overall chip lead for the second and final day after bagging up a stack of 746,000.

Qiu was the only player in the tournament to bag over 700K and finished the day's play with considerably more than the next closest rival Chengting Li, with the Singaporean ending the action on a stack of 460,000.

Vietnam's Tran Tuan Anh (429,000) rounded out the top three Flight B stacks, with the top ten as follows:

MINI MAIN EVENT FLIGHT B TOP TEN STACKS

  1. Haisheng Qiu (China) – 746,000
  2. Chengting Li (Singapore) – 460,000
  3. Tran Tuan Anh (Vietnam) – 429,000
  4. Tran Huy Phong (Vietnam) – 425,000
  5. Amit Kaushik (India) – 421,000
  6. Armon Van Wijk (Australia) – 372,000
  7. Jacob Johnston (Canada) – 266,000
  8. Wonchul Bae (South Korea) – 242,000
  9. Hua-Wei Lin (Taiwan) – 208,000
  10. Robert Nemeskeri-Kiss (United States) – 208,000

All 42 survivors are guaranteed a payout of at least VND 16,960,000 (~USD $715) when action resumes at 12:15pm local time, with the tournament playing down to a champion.

For Mini Main Event Flight B Survivors please CLICK HERE

For Mini Main Event Day 2 Draw please CLICK HERE

SIDE EVENT ACTION

South Korea's Hyun Woo Jeong Wins Event #48 Turbo

Event #48 Turbo champion Hyun Woo Jeong2.jpg South Korea's Hyun Woo Jeong claimed his maiden APT title in Event #48 Turbo

Playing out in the early hours of Saturday morning, the VND 7,000,000 Event #48 Turbo saw a field of 60 entries (55 unique) fighting it out over twenty-one fast-paced 15-minute levels.

With VND 366,660,000 (~USD $15,470) in the prize pool and only the top nine positions paying out, players fought tooth and nail for a place in the money.

It was South Korea's Hyun Woo Jeong who showcased his turbo talents, seeing off all comers to take the VND 106,880,000 (~USD $4,500) top prize.

Jeong – making his second final table appearance of the Series – defeated Thailand's Wipat Udomkanjananan heads-up to clinch his maiden APT title, with Udomkanjananan receiving VND 77,000,000 (~USD $3,250) for his runner-up finish.

Natural8 Ambassador Phachara Wongwichit rounded out the podium, taking VND 50,050,000 (~USD $2,110) for third place, with the tournament paying out as follows:

TURBO RESULTS

  • 1st: Hyun Woo Jeong (South Korea) – VND 106,880,000
  • 2nd: Wipat Udomkanjananan (Thailand) – VND 77,000,000
  • 3rd: Phachara Wongwichit (Thailand) – VND 50,050,000
  • 4th: Sili Zhang (China) – VND 37,770,000
  • 5th: Minh Trung Tran Dac (United States – VND 29,330,000
  • 6th: Chun Chieh Liu (Taiwan) – VND 22,730,000
  • 7th: Aliaksandr Piatrouski (Belarus) – VND 17,970,000
  • 8th: Hyunmi Na (South Korea) – VND 13,930,000
  • 9th: Yinglei Chen (China) – VND 11,000,000

For Event #48 Turbo Results please CLICK HERE

All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.

The Netherlands' Martijn Gerrits Scores Second Series Title in Event #49 NLH - Lazy Rivers - Hyper Turbo

Event #49 NLH - Lazy Rivers champion Martijn Gerrits.jpg The Netherlands' Martijn Gerrits scored his second Series title in Event #49 NLH - Lazy Rivers - Hyper Turbo

Another of the Hyper Turbo side events playing out in the early hours of Saturday was the VND 4,000,000 Event 49: NLH - Lazy Rivers (Individual River Card Face Up) - Hyper Turbo.

This interesting take on No Limit Hold'em sees each player in a hand receive an individual river card, dealt face up.

The tournament attracted 49 entries (38 unique) who waded through twenty turbocharged 10-minute levels in a bid to stake a claim to the VND 174,600,000 (~USD $7,370) prize pool.

It was seasoned APT regular Martijn Gerrits who successfully forded the river, defeating South Korea's Hosung Jang heads-up to take the VND 54,990,000 (~USD $2,320) top prize.

The Dutchman – making his seventh final table appearence of the Series – became the sixth player to score a double title victory this Series and also claimed his sixth APT title in the process.

Jang took VND 39,720,000 (~USD $1,676) for second place, with Huynh Quoc Bao rounding out the podium and collecting VND 25,320,000 (~USD $1,070) for third place.

A total of seven players made the money, with the tournament paying out as follows:

NLH LAZY RIVERS HYPER TURBO RESULTS

  • 1st: Martijn Gerrits (Netherlands) – VND 54,990,000
  • 2nd: Hosung Jang (South Korea) – VND 39,720,000
  • 3rd: Huynh Quoc Bao (Vietnam) – VND 25,320,000
  • 4th: Keita Minami (Japan) – VND 19,210,000
  • 5th: Kai Yi Sun (China) – VND 14,840,000
  • 6th: Hayato Kitajima (Japan) – VND 11,350,000
  • 7th: Ish Agarwal (India) – VND 9,170,000

For Event 49: NLH - Lazy Rivers (Individual River Card Face Up) - Hyper Turbo Results please CLICK HERE

All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.

OMAHA ACTION

Denmark's Michael Lindstrom Scores Second Series Omaha Title in Event #52 PL Omaha - High

Event #52 PL Omaha - High champion Michael Lindstrom.jpg Denmark's Michael Lindstrom scored his second Series Omaha title in Event #52 PL Omaha - High

Prior to this Series, the frequency of players winning multiple titles in an APT festival was not all that high.

However, Denmark's Michael Lindstrom has become the seventh player to win a second Series title – and the eighth player to win multiple titles this Series when you include triple Series title winner Jia-Ming Zhang.

Lindstrom claimed his second Series Omaha title in the VND 12,000,000 Event #52 PL Omaha - High, seeing off challenges from the 41-strong field (29 unique) and defeating Vietnam's Nguyen Ha Bac heads-up to claim the VND 146,026,000 (~USD $6,160) top prize.

This win gave the former 2014 APT Cambodia Main Event winner his third APT title, and his second of the New Era.

Bac collected VND 100,940,000 (~USD $4,260) for his runner-up finish, with Hong Kong's Tsz Wang Chevan Tin completing the winners' triumvirate and taking VND 64,430,000 (~USD $2,720) for third.

A total of six players made the money, with the tournament paying out as follows:

PL OMAHA HIGH RESULTS

  • 1st: Michael Lindstrom (Denmark) – VND 146,026,000
  • 2nd: Nguyen Ha Bac (Vietnam) – VND 100,940,000
  • 3rd: Tsz Wang Chevan Tin (Hong Kong) – VND 64,430,000
  • 4th: Lukasz Jankowski (Poland) – VND 49,390,000
  • 5th: Bruno Brusch (Switzerland) – VND 38,660,000
  • 6th: Manh Hung Dinh (Vietnam) – VND 30,070,000

For Event #52 PL Omaha - High Results please CLICK HERE

All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.

DRAW POKER ACTION

The Netherland's Joris Michl Celebrates Birthday with Event #53 Limit - Badugi - Triple Draw Win

Event #53 Limit - Badugi - Triple Draw champion Joris Michl2.jpg The Netherlands' Joris Michl celebrated his birthday by winning his second APT title, and first of the New Era

The VND 3,000,000 Event #53 Limit - Badugi - Triple Draw drew a field of 26 entries (24 unique), generating a VND 68,094,000 (~USD $2,870) prize pool.

Fittingly, it was birthday boy Joris Michl whose wish came true, with the Dutchman finally claiming his first title of the Series after two prior runner-up finishes in Event #14 5 Card PL Omaha - High and Event #33 NLH - 2nd Best Hold'em - Hyper Turbo.

Michl showcased his Badugi skills, defeating China's Li Fang heads-up to take the VND 28,594,000 (~USD $1,200) top prize, claiming his second APT title in the process.

Fang received VND 19,070,000 (~USD $800) for his runner-up finish, with Japan's Kyohei Yabe collecting VND 12,260,000 (~USD $520) for third place.

The Netherlands' Martijn Gerrits made his eighth final table appearance of the Series, and scored his ninth cash, taking VND 8,170,000 (~USD $350) for fourth place.

LIMIT BADUGI TRIPLE DRAW RESULTS

  • 1st: Joris Michl (Netherlands) – VND 28,594,000
  • 2nd: Li Fang (China) – VND 19,070,000
  • 3rd: Kyohei Yabe (Japan) – VND 12,260,000
  • 4th: Martijn Gerrits (Netherlands) – VND 8,170,000

For Event #53 Limit - Badugi - Triple Draw Results please CLICK HERE

All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.

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