The APT Summer Series Da Nang, Vietnam 2023 is officially the largest tournament schedule ever to be released by the Asian Poker Tour, with over 57-trophy events running over the ten-day tournament series, which takes place July 21-30 at the world-class Furama Resort Danang.
Outside of the usual Series highlights the festival boasts more tournaments and poker variants than ever before with an eclectic spread of games making their Asian debut.
A total of 25 tournaments comprised of eight assorted poker variants (including mixed games) are running over the course of the Series ranging from Pot Limit Omaha High and Hi-Lo – both four and five-card versions – to a mixed Omaha and Seven-card Stud Hi-Lo game, a Limit mixed Stud game, a Limit H-O-R-S-E (Hold’em, Omaha, Razz, 7 Card Stud, Stud Hi-Lo 8/B) tournament, a NL 2-7 Single Draw and a Limit Triple Draw Mix (A-5, 2-7, Badugi), a Short Deck tournament and a variety of Hold’em variants including Crazy Pineapple (Get 3, discard 1 post flop), Super Hold'em (3 Hole Cards, use 0,1,2,3 cards), NLH - Deuces Wild and a whole host of others.
If that sounds confusing, don’t worry, we’ve compiled a list of the various mixed games running and included a brief explanation of how each game plays:
Omaha Tournaments:
- Event 3: VND 3M (~$130) 5 Card PL Omaha - Hi-Lo (Big O) – Friday, Jul 21
- Event 8: VDN 14M (~$600) PL Omaha - High – Saturday, Jul 22
- Event 14: VND 5M (~215) 5 Card PL Omaha - High – Sunday, Jul 23
- Event 20: VND 14M (~600) PL Omaha - High – Monday, Jul 24
- Event 23: VND 3M (~$130) Limit Omaha Hi-Lo – Monday, Jul 24
- Event 27: VND 7M (~$300) PL Omaha - Hi-Lo – Tuesday, Jul 25
- Event 46: VND 5M (~215) PL Omaha - High - Lazy Rivers (Individual River Card Face Up) – Friday, Jul 28
- Event 52: VND 12M (~$515) PL Omaha - High – Saturday, Jul 29
- Event 57: VND 6M (~$260) Omahaholic (Omaha High - PL Pre / NL Post) - Sponsored by Natural8 – Sunday, Jul 30
With nine tournaments in the offering (including three Hi-Lo games), Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) is the second best-represented game at APT Summer Series Da Nang, Vietnam 2023. Players receive four hole cards (five in the Big O variant) and must make the best five card poker hand. All hands follow the standard poker hand rankings. Players MUST use two of their hole cards, unlike in NLH where they can use between zero and two.
The Hi-Lo variant plays slightly differently; a split pot game where aces play both high and low, if three or more cards eight or below are part of the five community cards dealt then the pot is split between the best high hand, and the best qualifying low hand. The best low hand is determined by the lowest two cards in a player’s hand, with the nut low being the A-2-3-4-5 wheel straight.
Stud, Badugi & 2-7 Tournaments:
- Event 30: VND 3M (~$130) Limit - Triple Stud (Razz, Stud Hi, Stud Hi-Lo) – Tuesday, Jul 25
- Event 53: VND 3M (~$130) Limit - Badugi - Triple Draw – Saturday, Jul 29
- Event 59: VND 3M (~$130) NL - 2-7 - Single Draw – Sunday, Jul 30
All draw poker games are 6-max, with the game changing every six hands in draw poker mixed games. Stud games are 8 Max with the game changing every eight hands in mixed stud games.
Stud
Before the days of NLH it was stud poker that was the popular variant. There are no community cards in a stud game, with each player dealt their own board. Players receive seven cards in total over the course of a hand should they stay in until showdown; the first two hole cards are dealt face down, with one dealt face up. Then there is a betting round. All players remaining in action following this receive another card dealt face up – with the betting and dealing action repeating until seventh street, which is dealt face down before a final round of betting.
The three variants of seven-card stud are showcased in the VND 3M Event 30 - Triple Stud (Razz, Stud Hi, Stud Hi-Lo):
Razz is a classic lowball game where flushes and straights don’t count, and the best hand is the previously mentioned A-2-3-4-5 wheel straight, with the second-best hand A-2-3-4-6 and the third best is A-2-3-5-6 and so on. Stud high follows the standard poker hand rankings. Stud Hi-Lo is like it’s split pot Omaha Hi-Lo counterpart where players chop the pot with the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand – if there is one. The trick to winning in Hi-Lo games is to play for the scoop where you draw to both the low and high side of the pot so are more likely to ‘scoop’ your opponent and win both pots.
Badugi
Badugi is a four card lowball draw poker variant where the object of the game is to make the lowest hand – in this case A-2-3-4 made up of four separate suits– so no duplicate cards of either rank or suit. The game follows the standard small blind, big blind and dealer button poker format, but there are no community cards; players are dealt four cards to start and can draw up to four cards over three betting rounds to make their best hand.
2-7
Deuce-to-Seven is a single draw poker lowball variant also known as Kansas City Lowball. Players each receive five hole cards and have one draw in which to make the best five-card poker hand. This being a lowball game aces play high, and the best hand is 2-3-4-5-7, followed by 2-3-4-6-7 and so on, with straights and flushes counting against you. So, if you were drawing to a low hand and ended up with 2-3-4-5-6 you would lose to all hands apart from a higher straight or a flush.
Mixed Games:
- Event 9: VND 3M (~$130) Limit - Omaha Hi-Lo / Stud Hi-Lo – Saturday, Jul 22
- Event 15: VND 3M (~$130) Limit H-O-R-S-E (Hold'em, Omaha, Razz, 7 Card Stud, Stud Hi-Lo 8/B) – Sunday, Jul 23
- Event 47: VND 3M (~$130) Limit - Triple Draw Mix (A-5, 2-7, Badugi) – Friday, Jul 28
There are three mixed game tournaments on offer over the Series, all coming in at a cheap VND 3M (~$130) price point. Draw poker mixed games play six-handed and the game changes every six hands. Stud and HORSE games play eight-handed with the game changing once per orbit.
NLH Variations:
- Event 5: VND 4M (~$170) NLH - Short Deck - Hyper Turbo – Friday, Jul 21
- Event 11: VND 4M (~$170) NLH - Win the Button - Hyper Turbo – Saturday, Jul 22
- Event 18: VND 4M (~$170) Super Hold'em (3 Hole Cards, use 0,1,2,3 cards) - Hyper Turbo – Sunday, Jul 23
- Event 22: VND 8M (~$345)Super Hold'em (3 Hole Cards, use 0,1,2,3 cards) - Double Chance – Monday, Jul 24
- Event 26: VND 4M (~$170) NLH - Deuces Wild - Hyper Turbo – Monday, Jul 24
- Event 33: VND 4M (~$170) NLH - 2nd Best Hold'em (2nd best hand wins) - Hyper Turbo – Tuesday, Jul 25
- Event 38: VND 4M (~$170) NLH - Double Board, Single Winner - Hyper Turbo – Wednesday, Jul 26
- Event 43: VND 4M (~$170) NLH - Rivers (Individual River Face Down) - Hyper Turbo – Thursday, Jul 27
- Event 49: VND 4M (~$170) NLH - Lazy Rivers (Individual River Card Face Up) - Hyper Turbo – Friday, Jul 28
- Event 55: VND 4M (~$170 NLH - Crazy Pineapple (Get 3, discard 1 post flop) - Hyper Turbo – Saturday, Jul 29
The most popular poker variant is NLH, but these ten tournaments all offer a little twist to the standard NLH tournament format.
Short Deck is played with all cards two through five removed from the deck for a 36-card deck instead of the standard 52. Flushes beat full houses as they are harder to make, and aces play both high and low, and with all cards below six removed from the deck a low-end straight is now A-6-7-8-9.
Win the Button tournaments give the player who won the last hand the button, other than that the game plays like standard NLH.
Super Hold’em and Crazy Pineapple are two of the more interesting NLH spin offs; players receive three hole cards in each. In Crazy Pineapple players must discard one of their three cards on the flop, with the game playing just like a standard NLH tournament post flop. Super Hold’em is even more action-packed, with all three of a player’s hole cards available for use throughout the hand so a player could have a potential flush with only two of a specific suit showing on the board or hold quads with trips in their hand and only the case card needed on the flop. Wacky stuff.
With buy-ins ranging from as little as VND 3M (~$130) to VND 5M (~$215) and all the way up to VND 14M (~$600) for some of the Omaha High events, there has never been a better time to dip your toe into the mixed game waters and expand your poker horizons so come on down to Da Nang and get mixing it up!