Wooseok Kim and Dohang Na

Day 1 of the inaugural APT Teams Championship was fun to the hilt with friends, railbirds, couples, you name it, all coming together at Red Space, Taipei to attend the most spirited event on the roster. With the unique format forcing teammates to switch seats at every level while preserving their individual stacks, the pressure to keep two stacks in play proved immense.

Out of the 124 players that entered - 62 teams in total at TWD 60,000 per team - a majority saw one partner fall in the course of the twelve levels of play that by bagging time, only 49 players remained. Out of that thinned field, only 11 teams kept both stacks alive and remained squarely in the hunt for the coveted 20 percent Last Team Standing bonus payout.

Talking numbers, that premium slice is TWD 642,816 (~USD 20,600) or TWD 321,408 (~USD 10,300) per teammate, out of a total event prize pool of TWD 3,214,080 (~USD 103,015).

Kitty Kuo and Frank Cucchiara

Among the teams still in contention for the bonus were last minute entry teams Kitty Kuo-Frank Cucchiara, Julian Warhurst-Anton Lu, and Jun Li-Rishi Mehra.

Teams Shun Ping Wang-Chi Fan Hsu and Tossapat Chunharas-Phachara Wongwichit were among those that entered earlier in the day and survived. For the former, Hsu scooped up a monster pile before bagging time, and for the latter, they were nearly down to just one stack when Wongwichit spiked a two-outer to escape elimination.

Dohang Na

Of all the remaining teams Wooseok Kim and Dohang Na have the best chance of going the distance and claiming the TWD 374,782 (~USD 12,010) top prize having bagged the largest of 228,500 in chips. During the last hands called, Na shipped the biggest pot of the day on a stone cold bluff. However, they do not have shot at the bonus as they were down to just one stack.

When play resumes on Friday, November 28 at 11:15 AM, the teams will return with their sights set on the money. Only nine teams are guaranteed a payout before the race continues toward the coveted APT Teams Championship Lion Trophy.

For the full list of survivors, Click here.

For the payouts, Click here.

Make sure to follow along on the Final Day as the APT Blog team will be providing fresh updates until the champions are crowned.

Play has now concluded for the night, and the players are bagging up their chips.

Stay tuned for a recap of the day and full surviving players chip counts.

Heads up to the river with over 120,000 sat out in the middle.

The board read 5 K Q 6 7 and John Ward checked to Chi Fan Hsu, who bet out enough to put Ward all in for about 27,000.

Ward went deep into the tank and pushed in all his time banks for the dealer to pull in. Just as the last of these was pulled in and the clock was about to expire, he tossed in the call.

Hsu tabled Q Q for a flopped set and was a light year ahead of Ward and his A T and Wards was sent to the rail.

Dohang Na

During the last hands called, Dohang Na and Chien-Hung Chi were engaged in a tense battle for a pot that ballooned to around 120,000 by the turn 3 5 Q J .

Chi checked from the big blind then faced a 111,000 bet from Na on the button. Chi tanked until he used up one time-bank then opted to hold on to his chips.

Na boasted by showing his K 9 bluff while dragging in the massive pot that sent his team to the top of the counts.

Kuan Han Lee

Dohang Na kicked things off from under the gun with a 4,000 open, only to see Chien-Hung Chi three-bet 11,000 two spots over. On the button, Eisuke Katsuren - Team Okinawa’s other half and hanging on their last lifeline - went all-in for 12,500. Action then moved to the small blind Kuan Han Lee, who called, while both Na and Chi also topped up to see the flop.

When the board ran A 3 6 , Lee led out 16,000 and only Na called, creating a side pot. The turn J saw checks from both players, for a free river 4 . Action resumed with a shove from Lee which was enough to earn him the side pot without a fight.

For the main pot, Lee revealed A Q for the nut flush, crushing Katsuren’s A K to end Team Okinawa’s Teams Event run completely.

Ka Ki Pang

Ka Ki Pang and Jacky Jiang had built a pot of 24,000 by the time the board had completed 5 K Q 9 7 . With a flush showing, Pang checked from the big blind then tanked for a long time when middle position Jiang shoved with a covering stack.

After spending a couple of time-banks, Pang hero-called and it was the right decision with Jiang turning over J 7 bluff to play the board.

The table gasped in shock when Pang revealed A 6 , her lone small diamond giving her the higher flush and a well-earned pot.

The floor has now paused the clock and announced that the players will be dealt five more hands for the night before bagging up their chips.

Those who bag will return tomorrow for the final day to fight it out for the title and prize pool.

N8 Ambassador Kitty Kuo

Heads up to the turn with the board of 6 K K 8 spread out across the table and over 26,000 sat in the middle.

N8 Ambassador Kitty Kuo checked to Chiuan Chao Lin who bet out for 15,000. Kuo made the call.

The action went check-check on the 4 river and Kuo tabled J J and was pushed the pot as Lin mucked his cards.

A pot of 9,500 was already in the middle and two players were vying for it with the flop showing A J 5 .

Out of the big blind Junseok Oh checked, button player Naohiro Arita bet 2,500, Oh answered with a re-raise to 7,500, Arita threw it back with another raise to 13,500, and Oh jammed for a total of 30,000.

This sent Arita into the think tank, and though he had enough to cover it, he used up one time-bank before he reluctantly called.

Junseok Oh: K T

Naohiro Arita: 8 8

Arita was ahead but Oh had plenty of outs to overtake. The turn J was not one of them while the river was with the K gracing the felt.

Instantly Oh stood up and celebrated "OK! OK!" then sat back down to collect his winnings.

For the second time, Kitty Kuo pushed her stack on top of Yoshihiro Makihawa's 3,000 raise and while he quickly folded the first time, this time around he tanked. He eventually called for his tournament life and saw he was far behind.

Yoshihiro Makihawa: A J

Kitty Kuo: K K

The board brought no bad beat of any kind, running 6 4 Q 7 6 to send Kuo the pot as Makihawa left the scene.