APT HANOI BILLIONS SCHEDULE | OFFICIAL RESULTS | IMAGES | WINNERS | PLAYER LISTS
HANOI, VIETNAM 2023, December 3, 2023 – The action is showing no signs of slowing as the APT Hanoi Billions 2023 enters its third day.
Running December 1-10 at the iconic Hanoi National Convention Center (NCC) in partnership with Vietnam Series of Poker (VSOP), the Asian Poker Tours' largest poker festival continues to pull in some incredible numbers.
In addition to the two Day 2s of the record-breaking marquee events playing out – the APT Super High Roller and Mystery Bounty Hunter which you can read about in more detail below – every single one of Sunday's four scheduled tournaments set a new APT event record.
Of course, the largest portion of the prize money awarded came in the VND 120M APT Super High Roller, with the 30 survivors of the 156-strong record field returning to battle it out for a share of the event's largest-ever VND 16,947,840,000 (~$697,750) prize pool.
It was Nozomu Shimizu whose lion-taming skills were to prove most effective, with the Japanese player claiming a VND 3,940,430,000 (~$162,225) top prize – the fourth largest of his poker career.
But then the Shimizu has had a fair bit of practice, finishing runner-up to Serbia's Milos Petakovic in this very same event just over three months ago at the APT Incheon 2023.
Shimizu would not be denied a second time, although heads-up opponent and start-of-day chip leader Hon Cheong "Ivan" Lee made him work for it.
The Japanese player came into heads-up with over a 3-to-1 chip lead, but an early double-up for Lee brought him back into contention, and he seized the lead five hands into the match.
However, Shimizu battled back with aggressive all-in plays, which saw the Japanese player win five of the next six hands to edge back in front.
The match was over three hands later, the two players committing all the chips on an ace-high two-diamond flop. Shimizu had flopped the best of it with jack-five, pairing his jack on the flop, and just needed to fade Lee's diamond draw.
A five on the turn saw the Japanese player improve to two pair, and the non-diamond seven river card saw Shimizu claim the largest APT Super High Roller first prize ever to be awarded, winning his maiden APT title in the process.
Lee also cashed for a career-best score, earning a VND 2,669,280,000 (~$109,890) windfall for his runner-up finish, with the final table paying out as follows:
APT SUPER HIGH ROLLER FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- 1st: Nozomu Shimizu (Japan) – VND 3,940,430,000
- 2nd: Hon Cheong Lee (Hong Kong) – VND 2,669,280,000
- 3rd: Taago Tamm (Estonia) – VND 1,779,520,000
- 4th: Anthony Cierco (France) – VND 1,457,510,000
- 5th: Song Xue (China) – VND 1,169,400,000
- 6th: Jingxuan Zhu (China) – VND 906,710,000
- 7th: Seunghun Ko (South Korea) – VND 671,130,000
- 8th: Nguyen Anh Minh (Vietnam) – VND 493,180,000
- 9th: Vincent Huang (New Zealand) – VND 393,190,000
For APT Super High Roller Results please CLICK HERE
APT SUPER HIGH ROLLER FINAL TABLE
APT SHR Final Table Back Row (l-r): Jingzuan Zhu, Xue Song, Nguyen Anh Minh, Anthony Cierco. Front Row (l-r): Seunghun Ko, Vincent Huang, Taago Tamm, Hon Cheong "Ivan" Lee, Nozomu Shimizu
Seven out of the 30 returning players would depart empty-handed, including Natural8 Ambassador Punnat Punsri, but it was China's Mengqi Chen whose departure on the second level played guaranteed all remaining players a VND 196,590,000 (~$8,800) payday.
Notables to cash but come up short of the final table included APT Summer Series Da Nang Super High Roller champion Julian Warhurst (21st for VND 196,590,000), APT Incheon Superstar Challenge champion Jun Hao Wu (17th for VND 237,270,000), Natural8 Ambassador Eric Ting-Yi "Six Poker" Tsai (15th for VND 262,690,000), and the Netherland's Martijn Gerrits (12th for VND 288,110,000).
You can rewatch the action as it happened via the Asian Poker Tour APT Super High Roller Live Stream using the following links:
You can also read about all the Day 2 APT Super High Roller action via the APT Blog
Singapore's Jereld Sam Wins Record-Breaking Mystery Bounty Hunter - Sponsored by Natural8
Singapore's Jereld Sam made a career-best score and claimed his maiden APT title in the tours largest ever Mystery Bounty
Just 157 players out of the 1,115-strong record-breaking field returned for Day 2 of the VND 11M Event #9: Mystery Bounty Hunter (Top Bounty VND 500,000,000 GTD) - Sponsored by Natural8.
With VND 7,027,845,000 (~$289,330) in the prize pool, and an additional VND 3,679,500,000 (~$151,480) in the bounty pool, all remaining competitors were already guaranteed a payday of at least VND 11,780,000 (~$485).
Of course, Day 2 is when the excitement really starts, with the mystery bounties coming into play.
With a top bounty of VND 1 billion bounty (~$41,170) up for grabs, plus two more valued at VND 500 million (~$20,600) apiece and another 154 assorted payouts on offer, players had a great incentive to collect some scalps.
It was Jereld Sam whose detective skills proved up to the task. The Singaporean defeated Malaysia's Kun Kiet Wong after a short heads-up battle to claim the VND 1,273,625,000 (~$52,430) top prize, plus a further VND 165,000,000 (~$6,800) in bounties after collecting 10 scalps.
This win marks the pinnacle of Sam's poker career to date, more than doubling the next best result on his resume, and awarding him his maiden APT title.
Wong – who came into heads-up with a narrow 3-million-chip 6 big blind lead – will be disappointed to have been unable to convert this into the win, and the Malaysian was forced to settle for the VND 765,080,000 (~$31,500) on offer for second place, plus an additional VND 80,000,000 (~$3,300) in bounties.
Vietnam's Duc Hieu Nguyen rounded out the podium, claiming bronze and the VND 538,730,000 (~$22,180) on offer for third, plus an additional VND 60,000,000 (~$2,475) in bounties.
It was Thailand's Sakan Dhangwatnotai the man to claim the largest VND 1 billion bounty, with Vietnam's Tuan Anh Quach, and Pham Quan claiming the two VND 500 million (~$20,600) bounties, although none of the trio made the final table, which paid out as follows:
MYSTERY BOUNTY HUNTER FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- 1st: Jereld Sam (Singapore) – VND 1,273,625,000
- 2nd: Kun Kiet Wong (Malaysia) – VND 765,080,000
- 3rd: Duc Hieu Nguyen (Vietnam) – VND 538,730,000
- 4th: Weihang Chen (China) – VND 404,750,000
- 5th: Nguyen Hoang Duy (Vietnam) – VND 309,560,000
- 6th: Jason Lau (Malaysia) – VND 226,350,000
- 7th: Nguyen Dang Lam Hong (Vietnam) – VND 169,940,000
- 8th: Rungrot Nuannoi (Thailand) – VND 121,640,000
- 9th: Ken Tan (Singapore) – VND 94,840,000
Notables to cash but come up short of the final nine included the UK's Oliver Biles (12th for VND 90,580,000), the Philippines' David Erquiaga (18th for VND 69,430,000), APT Incheon Sunday Super Stack champion Bastien Joly (VND 41,160,000), Australia's Matthew Bevin (64th for VND 18,690,000), India's Nishant Sharma (83rd for VND 55,650,000), and Hong Kong's Alan Lau (114th for VND 14,100,000).
You can follow all about the Mystery Bounty Hunter action as it played out via the APT Blog.
For Mystery Bounty Hunter Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Event #9: Mystery Bounty Hunter tournament page
South Korea's Junghyun Lee Leads Final Five in Record-Breaking Sunday Super Stack
South Korea's Junghyun Lee leads largest-ever Sunday Super Stack
The VND 7.5M Event #16: Sunday Super Stack - VND 2,000,000,000 GTD proved the most popular draw of the day, attracting a sizable 555-strong field (522 unique) and setting a new field-size and prize pool record for the event.
That makes it the largest single day event in APT history. Ironically, the field was so large that an additional day had to be added to accommodate the size of the field.
The prize pool stands at VND 3,640,410,000 (~$149,870), with just five players remaining in contention for the VND 697,192,500 (~$28,723) top prize, with a total of 79 players making the money.
It is Junghyun Lee the man leading the final five, and the South Korean player will be returning with a sizable stack of 19,875,000 – valued at 33 big blinds when play resumes at 12pm local time on Monday, December 4.
SUNDAY SUPER STACK FINAL FIVE STACKS
- Junghyun Lee (South Korea) – 19,875,000
- Shailesh Patel (India) – 11,050,000
- Van Phu Nguyen (Vietnam) – 9,000,000
- Aman Parakh (India) – 8,100,000
- Cheng Zhang (Cambodia) – 3,550,000
Notables to make the money but come up short of a spot on the final table include Vietnamese APT regular Dinh Van Tien (33rd for VND 17,080,000), the UK's John Bonadies (39th for VND 17,080,000), India's Dhaval Mudgal (63rd for VND 13,450,000), and Norway's Kjell Ove Dyb (73rd for VND 12,360,000).
For Sunday Super Stack Player List please CLICK HERE For Sunday Super Stack Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Event #16: Sunday Super Stack tournament page
India's Vishal Ojha Leads Largest-Ever Single Day High Roller
India's Vishal Ojha will return with the chip lead in the APT's largest-ever Single Day High Roller
The third of the series high roller tournaments, the VND 50M Event #18: Single Day High Roller - 8 Max was the second most popular event on the day's schedule, drawing the largest-ever Single Day High Roller field in APT history.
By the time registration closed at 5:30pm local time, a total of 271 (210 unique) entries had entered the action, generating an impressive VND 11,829,150,000 (~$486,995) prize pool.
Again, due to the size of the field an extra day has been added to the event, with the action restarting at 12pm on Monday, December 4.
Six players remain in contention for the VND 2,371,730,000 (~$97,729) top prize, with a total of 39 players making the money.
It is India's Vishal Ojha returning with the chip lead and a stack of 7,340,000 (29 big blinds) when play resumes with 11 minutes on the clock on level 29, with blinds of 125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 Big Blind Ante.
SINGLE DAY HIGH ROLLER FINAL SIX STACKS
- Vishal Ojha (India) – 7,340,000
- Yuzhu Wang (China) – 5,790,000
- Changhwan Lee (South Korea) – 4,745,000
- Jin Zhou (China) – 4,325,000
- Viet Tien Nguyen (Vietnam) – 2,975,000
- Nguyen Duc Hoa (Vietnam) – 1,950,000
Notables to cash but come up short of the final table included Singapore's Jun Hao Wu (11th for VND 207,010,000), former Main Event champion Dicky Tsang (15th for 163,240,000), Spain's Raul Gallego (18th for VND 127,750,000), Hong Kong's Vincent Li (24th for VND 104,100,000), and the USA's Robert Kiss, and Peter Kiem (28th & 31st for VND 92,270,000 each),
For Event #18: Single Day High Roller - 8 Max Player List please CLICK HERE For Event #18: Single Day High Roller - 8 Max Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Event #18: Single Day High Roller - 8 Max tournament page.
SIDE EVENT ACTION
UK's Craig Cooper Collects Fourth APT Title in Event #17: Nine Game
The UK's Craig Cooper claimed his fourth APT career title in Event #17: Nine Game
First introduced at August's APT Incheon, the VND 5M Event #17: Nine Game (NLH, Stud, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, PL Omaha, L Hold'em, NL 2-7, Stud Hi-Lo, 2-7 Triple Draw) - 7 Max improved on its debut performance, drawing 54 entries (49 unique).
These mixed game enthusiasts fought it out over twenty-nine 20-minute levels, all looking to claim a share of the VND 235,710,000 (~$9,700) prize pool.
It was the UK's Craig Cooper showcasing his mixed game skills to the best effect, defeating Taiwan's Yu Tang Wang heads-up to claim the VND 70,700,000 (~$2,910) top prize.
This win gives Cooper his fourth career APT title, all of which the Brit has won this year, and all of which have come in multiple poker variants.
Wang received VND 51,150,000 (~$2,105) for his runner-up finish, with Hong Kong's Jeffrey Lo completing the winner's triumvirate and taking VND 33,000,000 (~$1,360) for his third-place finish.
A total of eight players made the money, with the tournament paying out as follows:
NINE GAME RESULTS
- 1st: Craig Cooper (United Kingdom) – VND 70,700,000
- 2nd: Yu Tang Wang (Taiwan) – VND 51,150,000
- 3rd: Jeffrey Lo (Hong Kong) – VND 33,000,000
- 4th: Kyle Diep (United States) – VND 24,990,000
- 5th: Christin Maschmann (Germany) – VND 19,330,000
- 6th: Hanh Tran (Austria) – VND 15,090,000
- 7th: Pavel Shiriaev (Russia) – VND 12,020,000
- 8th: Mark Kavaleu (Belarus) – VND 9,430,000
For Event #17: Nine Game Player List please CLICK HERE For Event #17: Nine Game Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Event #17: Nine Game tournament page
Iran's Mahdi Rasouli Claims Maiden APT Title in Event #19: PL Omaha High - 5 Card - 8 Max
Iran's Mahdi Rasouli claimed his maiden APT title in Event #19: Pl Omaha High - 5 Card - 8 Max
The second of the series scheduled 5 card Omaha tournaments, the **VND 8M #19: PL Omaha High - 5 Card - 8 Max got underway at 1pm local time, drawing its largest-ever field of 58 entries (48 unique).
These eager Omaha enthusiasts battled it out at the baize over twenty 25-minute levels for a share of the VND 516,816,000 (~$21,275) prize pool.
It was Iran's Mahdi Rasouli who proved their 5 Card Omaha credentials, besting Russia's Natalia Rozova heads-up to claim the VND 142,116,000 (~$5,850) top prize and maiden APT title.
Rozova received VND 101,040,000 (~$4,160) for her runner-up finish, with Taiwan's Sin Ren Chen rounding out the winner's podium and taking VND 66,150,000 (~$2,720) for third.
A total of 11 players made the money, with the tournament paying out as follows:
PLO HIGH 5 CARD RESULTS
- 1st: Mahdi Rasouli (Iran) – VND 142,116,000
- 2nd: Natalia Rozova (Russia) – VND 101,040,000
- 3rd: Sin Ren Chen (Taiwan) – VND 66,150,000
- 4th: Hung Leuk Lo (China) – VND 50,910,000
- 5th: Alwin Rong (Singapore) – VND 40,310,000
- 6th: Tino Kratz (Germany) – VND 31,530,000
- 7th: Yixuan Dong (China) – VND 24,810,000
- 8th: Jake Chadwick (United Kingdom) – VND 19,380,000
- 9th: Anton Mazurin (Russia) – VND 14,730,000
- 10th: Zsolt Cserhati (Hungary) – VND 12,920,000
- 11th: Duong Thuy (Vietnam) – VND 12,920,000
For #19: PL Omaha High - 5 Card - 8 Max Player List please CLICK HERE For #19: PL Omaha High - 5 Card - 8 Max Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Event #19: PL Omaha High - 5 Card - 8 Max tournament page.