Dhanesh Chainani
Main Event finalist Dhanesh Chainani has put his name in the APT history books after claiming victory in the record-breaking TWD 11,000 Micro Main Event.
Chainani overcame a record field of 635 entries (393 unique) to take the lion's share of the TWD 5,967,984 (~USD 187,260) prize pool.
The Singaporean defeated the United Kingdom’s Gregory Campbell in the final heads-up duel to claim a third career APT title, and his first of the new era, claiming the silver lion trophy and a TWD 1,154,984 (~$36,240) top prize – the largest this tournament has ever awarded.
While the result is not Chainani's largest APT score — that came with his fifth place Main Event finish — this result represents his largest career title win, and grants the Singaporen some measure of redemption after coming into the APT Main Event Final Table as the chip lead.
Chainani scored in the crucial hand with a jack-four diamond draw against Campbell's king-eight flopped top pair, with all the chips going in on the flop. The Singaopean spiked his flush on the turn to claim the win and send Campbell to the payout desk with TWD 714,000 (~$22,400) for his runner-up finish.
Final Table Results
Day 2 got underway with 90 players, and it was the UK's Percy Chao who led the pack with 859,000 chips on hand after Flight A & B yesterday, but he did not keep up the momentum.
Chao ultimately busted in 16th place and banked TWD 52,000 (~$1,630) with his ace-ten, which wasn’t enough to compete with the pocket eights of third place finisher Chao Kun Liao.
The final table set a high pace from the get-go, with Japan's Ruiko Mamiya sent to the rail early in ninth place with a payday of TWD 95,000 (~$2,980); Mamiya’s king-five was crushed by Natural8 India Ambassador Kunal Patni’s ace-five, with an ace on the flop sealing the Japanese players fate.
Action slowed eight-handed before Patni became the next casualty, jamming pre-flop from under-the-gun with ace-jack and finding a caller in Chainani in the big blind with queen-eight. Chainani spiked an eight and sent Patni out in eighth with TWD 120,000 (~$3,765) in his pocket.
Tirajad Sirimueanphong
Ace-jack worked out better for Campbell, who found it to send Tirajad Sirimueanphong to the rail in seventh place after the Thai player was forced all-in from the blinds holding queen-four. Campbell made a straight to end Sirimueanphong's tournament, with the Thai collecting TWD 176,000 (~$5,536).
The next bust out came quickly afterward, with Japan's **Yasuhiro Waki** moving all-in from the small blind for the last of his chips with three-deuce and running into Chainani's pocket kings. Chainani lassoed the pot with a clean runout and Waki headed to the cash desk to collect a purse of TWD 241,000 (~$7,560).
Taiwan's Cian You Huang quickly followed, his ace-deuce unable to overcome Campbell’s eight-five after Huang was forced all-in from the blinds. Despite flopping two pair, Huang departed in fifth place after his British opponent rivered a straight, banking TWD 310,000 (~$9,730).
Mao-Lun Yu
Mao-Lun Yu followed his compatriot to the rail minutes later, running king-six into Chainani's pocket jacks in a battle of the blinds. Yu took TWD 391,000 (~$12,270) for fourth.
Despite winning some pots following Yu's exit, Taiwan's Chao Kun Liao was unable to ladder up further, falling at the hands of Chainani. The two clashed in a hand that saw Liao move all-in with middle pair on a two club flop, with his Singaporean opponent calling with top pair and the flush draw, improving to trips on the turn to take play heads-up. Liao exited in third for a TWD 510,000 (~$16,000) payday.
Heads-up between Chainani and Cambell lasted just a single hand; the Brit hit top pair holding king-eight on an eight-high double diamond flop and moved all-in, with Chainani calling with a diamond draw and an overcard with jack-four. A diamond on the turn crowned Chainani champion, with Campbell receiving TWD 714,000 (~$22,462) for his runner-up finish.
Congratulations to Chainani for walking away with the top prize of TWD 1,154,984 ($36,240)!