The Asian Poker Tour returns to Vietnam with the upcoming APT Summer Series Da Nang, Vietnam 2023 set to showcase some sizzling summer poker action.
With the previous Summer Series Hanoi, Vietnam 2023 awarding over VND 79BN (~$3.36M) in prize money and setting three new APT records expectations are high for another stellar Series.
Don’t forget the sunscreen, and summer shirts; this time the Asian Poker Tour is headed to the sun-drenched beaches of Da Nang with the world-class Furama Beach Resort playing host to Asia’s premier poker tour. You might not have time to work on your tan however, with the Series boasting the largest tournament schedule in APT history!
The gorgeous Furama Resort Danang
Running July 21-30, the ten-day, 57-trophy-event poker festival boasts more poker variants than ever before with an eclectic spread of games making their Asian debut such as 5 Card PL Omaha - Hi-Lo (Big O), Limit H-O-R-S-E, NLH - Deuces Wild, Limit - Triple Stud (Razz, Stud Hi, Stud Hi-Lo), NLH - Double Board Single Winner, and NL - 2-7 - Single Draw just some of the new variants and mixed game highlights on offer.
- Mixing it up: A Brief Guide to APT Summer Series Da Nang, Vietnam 2023’s Mixed Games Read here
Throw in over VND 26BN (~$1,100,000) in guaranteed prize money, and you have a recipe for one of the hottest poker tours of the summer, with the highlight of the action-packed series the VND 35M (~$1,500) buy-in Main Event with its VND 12BN (~$500,000) prize pool guarantee.
With so many tournaments offering such a diverse spread of games, deciding what to play will be one of the biggest challenges the Series poses so we’ve taken a close look at the schedule to highlight some of the marquee events you should be penciling into your diary:
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
APT Main Event (VND 12BN/~USD $500K GTD): VND 35,000,000 (~$1,500) Buy-in, Running July 24-29
The biggest draw will be the APT Main Event, which comprises four opening flights running Monday, July 24 to Wednesday, July 26, with the tournament concluding Saturday July 29. Players start with 40,000 chips. Flight A boasts the longest level length of 60-minutes, with Flight B (45-minutes) and Flights C & D (30-minutes) speeding up the action. Level length is 60-minutes from Day 2 onwards. It was Vietnam’s Dinh Duc Linh besting a 581-strong Main Event field at APT Summer Series Hanoi to claim the lion’s share of the VND 17.75BN (~$759K) prize pool and the coveted 24K golden lion APT Main Event trophy – earning a career-best score of VND 3.4BN (~$145.5K).
Summer Series Hanoi 2023 Main Event Champion Vietnam's Dinh Duc Linh
APT Kickoff (VND 1.5BN/~$63K GTD): VND 10,000,000 (~$430) Buy-in, Running July 21-22
The action gets underway at 12pm local time on Friday, July 21 with the two opening flights of the APT Kickoff, with the tournament concluding on Saturday, July 22. Players receive a 30,000 starting stack and compete over 30-minute levels (20-minutes on Flight B) to claim the first title on offer for the festival. The previous APT Summer Series Hanoi Kickoff attracted a 287-strong field and generated a VND 1.75BN (~$75K) prize pool, with Vietnam’s Leo Kay taking a VND 303M (~$13K) top prize.
Mystery Bounty Hunter Sponsored by Natural8 (VND 2BN/~$84K GTD): VND 11,000,000 (~$470) Buy-in, Running July 22-23
The thrill of a bounty tournament combined with a mystery payout for taking a scalp once play reaches the money, the Mystery Bounty Hunter boasts two starting flights: running Saturday, July 22 at 12pm and 6pm local time with the tournament concluding on Sunday, July 23. Starting stack is 30,000 with 30-minute level length (20-minutes on Flight B). The Summer Series Hanoi Mystery Bounty saw 320 entries compete for a 1.83BN (~$78K) prize pool – and a further VND 960M (~USD $40.8K) in bounties – with Singapore’s Alex Lee claiming the VND 359M (~$15K) top prize.
APT Super High Roller 8-Max: VND 120,000,000 (~$5,150) Buy-in, Running July 22-23
With the first of the APT flagship tournament trophies of the Series on the line, the APT Super High Roller attracts the cream of the Asia poker scene. Players receive a 250,000-chip starting stack and compete over 40-minute levels. It was Taipei-based Malaysian player Shung Sua the man to triumph over the 59-strong APT Summer Series Hanoi Super High Roller field and claim the lion’s share of the VND 6.4BN (~$275K) prize pool – in addition to the coveted pewter lion APT Super High Roller trophy and the VND 1.92BN (~$82.7K) top prize. Who will tame the lion this time around?
Summer Series Hanoi 2023 Super High Roller Champion Malaysia's Shung Er Sua
Sunday Super Stack (VND 1BN/~$42K GTD): VND 8,000,000 (~$340) Buy-in, Running July 23
A fast-paced event with a decent structure that plays out in a day, the Sunday Super Stack is perfect for those weekend poker warriors looking to test their mettle. Players start with a 100,000-chip stack and compete over 25-minute levels. It was Chile’s Tomas Molina the man to triumph over the record-setting 318-strong field at the recent APT Summer Series Hanoi, claiming largest slice of the 1.94BN (~$82.7K) prize pool and taking home a VND 313M (~$13.3K) top prize. Will Da Nang set a new record? Come and find out…
Superstar Challenge: VND 150,000,000 (~$6,450) Buy-in, Running July 24
Boasting the largest buy-in on the schedule, the Superstar Challenge does not attract the biggest field, but it does draw some of the Asia-Pacific’s best who compete for one of the largest prize pools outside of the Main Event. The previous Superstar Challenge set a new prize pool record for the tournament, with Australia’s Alan Pham the man to claim the biggest portion of the VND 5.83BN (~$248K) prize purse and the sizable VND 1.98BN (~$84K) top prize.
Zodiac Classic Sponsored by Natural8 (VND 1.5BN/~$63K GTD): VND 20,000,000 (~$860) Buy-in, Running July 27-28
First introduced at APT Taipei 2023, the Zodiac Classic attracted a 386-strong field on its debut with South Korea’s Younghee Park claiming the lion’s share of the TWD $6.7M (~$219K) prize pool and taking home the TWD $1.3M (~$42.5K) first prize. Players start with 40,000 in chips and compete over 30-minute levels. The most recent Zodiac Classic at the APT Summer Series Hanoi saw 152 players compete for a VND 2.65BN (~$114K) prize pool, with Japan’s Sho Saika winning the VND 636M (~$27.4K) top prize.
Double Stack (VND 2BN/~$84K GTD): VND 14,000,000 (~$600) Buy-in, Running July 28-29
Rebranded from the Monster Stack for APT Taipei 2023, the Double Stack drew 390 entries on its relaunch generating a TWD $ 5.1M (~$166.6K) prize pool, with Hong Kong’s Ho Yi Chau taking a TWD $991K (~$32.3K) top prize. The latest outing of the Double Stack at the APT Summer Series Hanoi attracted a record-setting field of 428 entries, who competed for a VND 3.73BN (~$159.5K) prize pool, with Vietnam’s Duc Trung Vu the man to take the VND 721M (~$30.8K) top prize.
Mini Main Event (VND 1.5BN/~$63K GTD): VND 11,000,000 (~$470) Buy-in, Running July 29-30
Boasting almost the exact same structure of the Main Event but at only one third the cost, the Mini Main Event still awards some serious prize money. The latest edition of the tournament at APT Summer Series Hanoi saw 308 entries compete for a VND2.15BN (~$91.6K) prize pool with Vietnam’s Tran Minh Thang taking the maximum payout of VND 429M (~$18.2K).
APT High Roller (VND 5BN/~$210K GTD): VND 80,000,000 (~$3,440) Buy-in, Running July 29-30
The third of the Series flagship events – the two-day APT High Roller – closes out the festival with Asia’s top players competing for the coveted bronze lion APT trophy. It was Vietnam’s Ngoc Dai ‘Mr Big’ Nguyen who proved to be king of the jungle on the tournament’s previous outing, defeating a 166-strong field to claim the lion’s share of the VND 11.5BN (~$493.7K) prize pool and the VND 2.69BN (~$114.8K) top prize, with Vietnam taking two out of three flagship titles. Which nation will prove to be tournament top dogs in Da Nang?
Summer Series Hanoi 2023 High Roller Champion Vietnam's Ngoc Dai Nguyen
Come and join us for a summer of shove and some red-hot poker action and mix it up with the largest selection of mixed games the APT has ever run – see you on the beach!