APT Kickoff - VND 1,000,000,000 GTD - Final Day

Leo Kay celebrating his win in the APT Kickoff

The VND 6,300,000 + 700,000 APT Kickoff has been won by Vietnam's Leo Kay. Kay finished top of the 287-strong field (192 unique) to take home VND 303,007,000 (~$13,030) and an all-new APT lion trophy to add to the mantlepiece. A deal was made between Kay and eventual runner-up Hoang Thinh in which the two adjusted the payouts and Kay was given the trophy and named the winner.

The final table was dominated by local players as six of the final nine, including the top five, were all Vietnamese and fighting for their share of the VND1,753,957,000 (~US$75,400) prize pool.

*Both players made a deal that adjusted the original payouts

Day 2 began with 42 players still in contention and it was Thailand's Kiwanont Sukhum who led the way at the start of play. It took eight thirty-minute levels to reach the final table with Amit Kaushik (40th), Jinlong Hu (32nd), Armando Cabardo (20th), and Sukhum (15th) being some of the notable players that didn't make it.

Eliminations came thick and fast on the final table bubble with Alberto Ahline (12th), Do Huy (11th), and Yiu Yeung Leung (10th) all being eliminated in a ten-minute window.

In one of the very first hands of the final table, the eventual winner and runner-up would clash in a pot that proved crucial. Kay held ace-ten and was all in against the king-jack of Thinh, with the latter flopping a jack that gave him the lead in the hand. Kay would find a way to survive by rivering a flush to take the pot away from Thinh, which set him on the way to the trophy.

Shung Er Sua

One-time chip leader Shung Er Sua, who has one APT title to his name from when he took down a Single Day High Roller event in Incheon, would be the first to fall from the Kickoff final table. Sua check-shoved the turn with both a flush and straight draw holding five-three and was called by the top pair of Minh Duc Vu, who held king-five. The river wouldn't help Sua and he finished ninth for VND 36,080,000 (~$1,550).

Xin Ke Tan would be the next casualty when she shoved ace-seven and ran into the pocket jacks of Nguyen Duc Cuong. Despite Tan turning two pair, Cuong had flopped a set to secure the pot and send Tan home in eighth for VND 44,010,000 (~$1,885).

Xin Ke Tan

Kay would score a huge double-up to send his stack soaring towards two and a half million when his ace-jack held against the ace-four of Quang Tuan Nguyen when both players had flopped top pair. Nguyen would never recover from that blow and joined the rail shortly after when his ace-six couldn't improve against the pocket jacks of Cuong, taking home VND 59,890,000 (~$2,570) for his run.

Tran Minh Thang made a big fold with just an eighth of a big blind in his stack as he wanted to make the next pay jump, knowing short-stacked Tao Cheng Chang would be all in very shortly. That fold proved to be effective as Chang would be eliminated next when his six-three ran straight into the pocket queens of Kay. Chang took sixth for a payday of VND 81,530,000 (~$3,500).

Moments after laddering up the payouts, Thang would finally fall at the hands of Thinh. Thinh held king-six and was dominated by the ace-six of Thang, but a king on the river sent Thang home in fifth for VND 106,790,000 (~$4,580).

Cuong lost a huge flip holding pocket eights to Vu's ace-queen, with the latter rivering a queen to stay alive and cripple Cuong. Moments later, Thinh would deliver the final blow that sent Cuong packing when his seven-four took down the six-three of his countrymate. Cuong finished just shy of the podium places in fourth for VND 135,470,000 (~$5,810).

Hoang Thinh

Play wouldn't stay three-handed for long as Vu risked his tournament life with king-jack but ran straight into the ace-king of Thinh. Vu wouldn't be able to hit any of his outs and took the bronze medal for VND 167,400,000 (~$7,180).

That hand would be the last to be played in the tournament as Kay and Thinh came to an agreement meaning Kay would be declared the winner and take the trophy, in exchange for giving up a chunk of the first-place prize money. Both players seemed happy with their success but it's Leo Kay who now has an APT title under his belt.

Join us tomorrow for the final day of the Mystery Bounty Hunter and see who will pull the biggest bounty! The action kicks off at 12:15pm local time and live updates will be posted right here.

After much deliberation, a deal has been made between the final two players, Leo Kay and Hoang Thinh.

The players agreed to stop play and Leo Kay would be our champion, but with the payouts slightly adjusted.

Originally, the payouts were as follows:

Provisionally, the final payouts for the final two look like this:

Full payouts will be confirmed soon and a tournament write up will follow shortly.

The clock has been paused momentarily while the two remaining players discuss a potential deal.

Minh Duc Vu

Minh Duc Vu has been eliminated in 3rd place for VND 167,400,000 (~$7,180).

Vu raised to 1,100,000 pre-flop, leaving himself just 10,000 chips behind. Hoang Thinh put in the call thinking Vu was all in, but was told he still has chips behind.

They got the last of the money in on the 9♠ Q♦ 6♦ flop.

Vu K♥ J♣ Thinh A♥ K♦

Vu was way behind but did have a gutshot straight draw. Any ten or jack would give him the pot and keep him alive.

Unfortunately for Vu, the turn 5♠ and river 6♠ were of no help and he takes third place.

Recently, new blue chips has been introduced into play, worth 100,000 each.

Leo Kay has most of them and he is eating away at the two shorter stacks and has over 6,000,000 now.

We are down to the final three players in the APT Kickoff, here are the chip counts.

Nguyen Duc Cuong

Nguyen Duc Cuong has been eliminated in 4th place for VND 135,470,000 (~$5,810).

After becoming the short stack, Cuong shoved his last chips in from the small bind with Hoang Thinh putting him at risk from the big blind.

Cuong 6♠ 3♠ Thinh 7♣ 4♥

Thinh would manage to hold on to the lead throughout the hand on the T♦ K♣ 4♣ 5♣ Q♠ board and Cuong was our fourth place finisher.

In another all-in pre-flop situation, Minh Duc Vu and Nguyen Duc Cuong got their stacks in.

Vu A♦ Q♣ Cuong 8♠ 8♦

Cuong looked good to score the elimination and bring us to three-handed play but Vu spiked a queen on the river with the board showing 6♦ 2♦ T♠ 5♣ Q♠ to earn him the pot.

Tran Minh Thang

Tran Minh Thang has been eliminated in 5th place for VND 106,790,000 (~$4,580).

Despite a dream of a comeback, Thang's Kickoff run has come to an end at the hands of Hoang Thinh.

Thang would get in A♦ 6♥ against both Minh Duc Vu and Thinh, with Thinh taking the pot with K♣ 6♣ on the Q♦ J♠ 9♦ 7♦ K♠ board.

The remaining five players, who are all from Vietnam, have agreed to cut the break short and get this show on the road.