APT Main Event - Day 3 - VND 12,000,000,000 GTD

Shixiang Khoo

Day 3 of the VND 35,000,000 APT Main Event has come to a close and after seven levels of play it was Singapore's Shixiang Khoo that bagged up the most chips with a stack of 5,020,000. The event attracted a total of 675 entries that created a tour prize pool record in Vietnam with VND 20,624,625,000 (~USD $867k) up for grabs and a huge VND 3,935,285,000 (~$165,280) for first place.

Khoo came into Day 2 sixth in chips with 1,078,000 and continued his upward trend by eliminating Dinh Tien Thanh in sixteenth place. Khoo held pocket jacks and turned a set to leave Thanh's ace-king drawing dead which saw the Singaporean's stack shoot up to around two million. A later hand saw Khoo four-bet the turn against Quan Qiu with the Chinese player eventually letting his hand go which left Khoo well on his way to the final table.

Daiki Shingae was the Day 2 chip leader in the APT Summer Series Hanoi Main Event but failed to convert that into a final table. Things would go a lot smoother for the Japanese player this time around as he brings through 4,965,000 which is good for second in the counts. Shingae finished sixteenth in that Main Event for VND 156,200,000 and has already secured a career-best score with his run here but it's the trophy he will be eyeing along with the top prize.

Shinya Maeda

Shinya Maeda has the third biggest stack of 3,950,000 with most of them coming in a hand against Tran Duc Tuan. Tuan had made a huge bluff on the flop with just nine high holding eight-nine with Maeda making the right call after flopping a pair of aces holding ace-jack. The runout would be clean for the Japanese player which would send him up the leaderboard and onto the final table.

Yu-Chung Chang also managed to make the final table and will bring 2,470,000 chips into battle as he seeks his fourth APT title. Chang eliminated two players during the last two tables by sending China's Qiu and Japan's Junichi Nakagiri to the rail, the latter of which burst the final table bubble. Chang has almost $750,000 in live tournament earnings and will certainly be one of the favorites come tomorrow.

Koangho Lee also secures a spot at the final table and does so with 1,650,000 chips. Lee eliminated two dangerous plays in Kyle Bao and Joshua Mccully on his way to the final nine and he will be hungry for more as he hunts his first live tournament win.

Tran Duc Tuan

When play gets underway tomorrow the shortest stack will be Vietnam's Tuan with just 455,000 chips. Tuan's stack has been on a rollercoaster journey throughout the last two days with highs of close to four million. He did eliminate Amit Kaushik to boost his stack but the Vietnamese player may be rueing that failed bluff against Maeda.

Some of the notables to play Day 3 but fall short of the final table were Pham Duy Anh (46th), Kyle Bao (33rd), Daniel Brugman (32nd), Jiyoung Kim (26th), Gavin Flynn (21st) and Joshua Mccully (18th),

The final nine players and their stacks can be found below.

A full APT Main Event Payout List can be found by clicking here

And here is a look at the final table payouts.

Join us for the final table tomorrow from 12:15pm local time as we play down to a champion. Updates will be posted here throughout the day but you can also follow all of the action live (with a 30-minute delay) on stream by clicking through the following channels.

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See you tomorrow.

With that elimination, the day has come to an end because we are down to our final nine players!

A full write-up of the day's action will follow shortly.

Junichi Nakagiri

Junichi Nakagiri has been eliminated in 10th place for VND 264,000,000 (~$11,090).

Yu-Chung Chang had opened up the action with Junichi Nakagiri committing his last 375,000 chips to the pot. Chang did make the call to put Nakagiri at risk of being the final table bubble boy.

Chang J♠ 9♠

Nakagiri A♣ 4♠

Nakagiri was ahead but not by much as Chang had the type of hand you want to run down ace high.

The camera crews surrounded the table as the dealer put out a flop of 6♥ T♥ 7♦. Nakagiri was still ahead but Chang picked up a gutshot straight draw which improved to an open-ender on the Q♠ turn.

Nakagiri had a lot of outs to fade but didn't manage to dodge them as the 9♦ fell on the river to give Chang a pair and eliminate Nakagiri in 10th place.

Nopparat Kongjai

Nopparat Kongjai has been eliminated in 11th place for VND 264,000,000 (~$11,090).

Hung Manh Nguyen opened to 100,000 from the button and Kongjai defended his big blind.

On a flop of 8♣ 9♥ 4♦ Kongjai checked it over to Nguyen who fired a bet of 90,000. Kongjai showed a lot of strength by putting in a min-raise to 180,000 but Nguyen 3-bet shoved all in and Kongjai called it off.

Nguyen K♣ 9♣

Kongjai 4♣ 3♠

Kongjai was a non-believer but soon realized he was in serious danger of being eliminated here.

The 6♠ turn changed nothing with the K♥ giving Nguyen two pair and eliminating Kongjai in 11th.

Shinya Maeda

Tran Duc Tuan opened in the cutoff to 110,000 and was 3-bet by Japan's Shinya Maeda to 400,000. After the blinds folded, Tuan took out four of his white plaques and slid in the call.

The flop came A♠ Q♦ 5♥ and Tuan checked to Maeda who continued with a bet of 250,000. Action back on Tuan who shuffled slightly in his chair before announcing he was all in. The bet was for Maeda's remaining 1,200,000 chips.

As the cameras panned around to the action unfolding Maeda stayed focused thinking deeply over what to do. He threw in a few time extensions then called and was at risk for his tournament life.

Maeda A♦ J♣

Tuan 9♦ 8♠

Maeda had made the correct call. Tuan needed the miracle of all miracles to somehow win this hand.

The turn was K♥ and Tuan was drawing stone dead, the river J♥ gave Maeda two pair and he ships a massive pot as he hones in on the final table.

Nguyen Hong Dang Lam

Nguyen Hong Dang Lam has been eliminated in 12th place for VND 218,410,000 (~$9,170).

Hung Manh Nguyen opened up the action to 125,000 and Lam shipped all in for her last 180,000. It wasn't much more for Nguyen so he made the call to put Lam at risk.

Nguyen 4♠ 4♥

Lam 9♣ T♠

A flip for her tournament life but the flop left her drawing almost dead as Nguyen flopped a set on 4♦ 5♦ J♥. Lam would need running cards to stay alive but was drawing dead on the 9♦ turn. Nguyen improved to quads on the 4♣ river which was more than enough to eliminate Lam in 12th place.

Quan Qiu

Quan Qiu has been eliminated in 13th place for VND 218,410,000 (~$9,170).

Yu-Chung Chang opened to 100,000 and Qiu shoved all in for 565,000. The action folded back around to Chang who thought for a while before making the call to put Qiu at risk,

Qiu K♥ Q♥

Chang A♦ 6♦

Qiu would love the look of the 7♥ 5♥ Q♦ flop but was made to sweat a little on the 4♦ turn as Chang picked up a flush draw to go along with his overcard.

That extra equity proved to be decisive as the 3♦ hit the river to give Chang a flush and send Qiu to the rail in 13th

Pichai Rianjaroen

Pichai Rianjaroen has been eliminated in 14th place for VND 197,790,000 (~$8,320).

Rianjaroen was all in from the big blind with just 30,000 chips. Seeing as the big blind ante plays first it meant that Rianjaroen could not profit from this hand, he could only win his 30,000 chips back which we are sure didn't delight the Thai player.

The Naing made it 100,000 and Daiki Shingae called. Tran Duc Tuan then put in a 3-bet to 300,000 which only Shinya Maeda cold-called. Naing folded but Shingae made the call.

On the K♥ K♠ Q♣ flop all three players still with chips decided to check and see a turn card.

The turn brought an 8♠ and Maeda checked with Shingae betting 300,000. Tuan responded with a min-raise to 600,000 with Maeda quickly out of the way. Shingae, not looking too comfortable in this situation, did make the fold which gave the side pot to Tuan and left just 30,000 in the middle for Tuan and Rianjaroen to contest over.

Tuan 9♣ 9♦

Rianjaroen A♠ J♣

A brave move by Tuan that has paid off as he scoops the side pot but somehow Rianjaroen does have a chance to stay alive here with a river ace, queen, jack, or ten.

It wasn't to be for Rianjaroen as the 7♥ meant he was eliminated in 14th place.

Pichai Rianjaroen shoved all in for 570,000 and was called by Japan's Junichi Nakagiri. Nakagiri had 540,000 chips to start the hand so he was the at-risk player.

Rianjaroen 6♥ 6♦

Nakagiri K♦ K♣

It wasn't looking good for the player from Thailand and the dealer brought no help as the board ran out Q♠ 9♦ 2♥ A♦ Q♦ which left him with just 30,000 chips.

Players are now on a 15 minute break.