Series Awards VND 62BN (~$2.61M) In Prize Money, Aigars Plivcs Claims Second APT High Roller Title and VND 2.191BN (~$92K) Top Prize

Ben Wilson / 13 Feb 2023

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Series Awards VND 62BN (~$2.61M) In Prize Money, Aigars Plivcs Claims Second APT High Roller Title and VND 2.191BN (~$92K) Top Prize

APT HANOI SCHEDULE | OFFICIAL RESULTS | IMAGES | WINNERS

HANOI, VIETNAM, February 12, 2023 – The first Asian Poker Tour Series of 2023 is in the books, with the APT Hanoi 2023 – partnered with the Vietnam Series of Poker (VSOP) – pulling in some great numbers and showcasing some scintillating poker action.

Playing out at the tournament tables of the VSOP Poker Club, the ten-day, 34-event APT Hanoi 2023 saw 667 unique players from 37 countries compete for a mouthwatering ₫62,078,725,000 (~$2,619,500) in prize money.

You can see a breakdown of prize money and player numbers HERE

Just over a quarter (25.5%) of the series prize money was awarded in the Main Event, which saw 350 unique players from 34 different countries compete for a ₫15,859,500,000 (US$666,099) prize pool.

For a breakdown of the Main Event by Country/Region please CLICK HERE and you can see a graphic HERE.

Aigars Plivcs Claims Second APT High Roller Title and VND 2.191BN (~$92K) Top Prize

Event #32 High Roller 2.JPG Latvia's Aigars Plivcs claimed his second APT High Roller title

The 204-strong APT High Roller field had been whittled down to a more manageable 59 runners, who returned to action for the second and final day, all looking to stake their claim to the sizable ₫9,894,000,000 (~$415,548) prize pool.

It was popular poker Twitch streamer Jargo Alavali the man returning in the box seat with the chip lead.

It took seventeen grindy 40-minute levels to find a champion, and while the Estonian managed a deep run and dominated a great deal of the final table action, the poker gods threw a spanner in the works when play reached three-handed.

Alavali took a nasty beat and then a huge cooler to crash out in third place; Latvia's Aigars Plivcs finding pocket aces at the perfect time to usher Alavali out of the tournament and take play heads-up against South Korea's Seungmook Jung.

After two-hours of grueling heads-up play it would be Plivcs the man to claim the trophy and clinch his second APT High Roller title, denying Jung his third in the process.

In addition to the trophy and title, Plivcs also took the ₫2,191,510,000 (~$92,043) top prize – his largest live cash to date, almost double that of his previous High Roller win at the APT Vietnam Ho Chi Minh 2022 back in August.

Jung was left to rue what could have been, and had to settle for a consolation prize of ₫1,479,150,000 (~$62,124) – which should take the sting out a little.

A total of 27 players made the money, with the official eight-handed final table paying out as follows:

APT HIGH ROLLER FINAL TABLE RESULTS

  1. Aigars Plivcs (Latvia) – ₫2,191,510,000
  2. Seungmook Jung (South Korea) – ₫1,479,150,000
  3. Jargo Alavali (Estonia) – ₫1,018,090,000
  4. Tu Thanh Le (Australia) – ₫830,110,000
  5. Dennis Ng (Hong Kong) – ₫661,910,000
  6. Truong Toan Chan (Vietnam) – ₫508,550,000
  7. Jasven Saigal (India) – ₫370,040,000
  8. Quang Huy Dinh (Vietnam) – ₫268,130,000

The UK's Tom Alner squeaked into the unofficial nine-handed final table, cashing for ₫221,630,000 (~$9,308).

Other notables to cash but come up short of the final table included the USA's Peter Kiem (15th for ₫148,410,000), the UK's Grant Gardner (16th for ₫133,570,000), India's Kunal Patni (17th for ₫133,570,000), and Germany's Martin Finger (23rd for ₫108,830,000).

All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.

You read all the Main Event action as it played out via the APT blog, and follow the action as it happened via the APT Live Stream.

Hong Kong's Kelvin Tan Claims Maiden APT Title in Mini Main Event

Event # 35 Mini Main Event champion Kelvin Tang.jpg Hong Kong's Kelvin Tan took down the Mini Main Event to claim his maiden APT title

Just 36 players out of a starting field of 250 returned to action for the second and final day of the ₫8,000,000+800,000 Event #35 APT Mini Main Event, all guaranteed a payout of at least ₫15,080,000 (~$633) from the ₫1,946,600,000 (~$81,757) prize pool.

However, all were focused firmly on claiming the ₫389,010,000 (~$16,338) top prize, title and trophy.

It proved to be third time's the charm for Kelvin Tang, with the Hong Kong player making his third cash and second final table appearance of the series the one that mattered most.

Tang defeated the USA's Tayyab Inam heads-up to take the lion's share of the prize pool and claim his maiden APT title in the process.

Inam received ₫257,730,000 (~$10,825) for his runner-up finish. Vietnam's Thai Bao Vu rounded out the podium, taking ₫152,170,000 for third place, with the official eight-handed final table paying out as follows:

MINI MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE RESULTS

  1. Kelvin Tang (Hong Kong) – ₫387,630,000
  2. Tayyab Inam (United States) – ₫257,730,000
  3. Thai Bao Vu (Vietnam) – ₫188,510,000
  4. Vinh Phuc Dang (Vietnam) – ₫152,170,000
  5. Norbert Koh (Singapore) – ₫119,300,000
  6. Xiang Guang Chang (Malaysia) – ₫90,290,000
  7. Yoshihito Shijima (Japan) – ₫66,320,000
  8. Tran Huy Phong (Vietnam) – ₫48,730,000

German Bukharov scored his fifth cash of the series, coming up agonizingly short of making a fifth final table appearance. The Russian player finished in 11th place for ₫33,840,000 – bringing his total haul for the series up to over ₫805 million (~$33,825).

All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.

Jinlong Hu Takes Second Series Title in High Speed Main Event

Event # 38 High Speed Main Event champion Jinlong Hu.JPG Jinlong Hu claimed his second APT Hanoi VSOP series title in Event #38 High Speed Main Event

Another new addition to the APT tournament schedule for the new era, the ₫10,000,000+1,000,000 Event #38 High Speed Main Event drew 95 entries (71 unique), all competing for a share of the ₫921,500,000 (~$38,703) prize pool.

It was China's Jinlong Hu the man to take it down, claiming the honor of being crowned the inaugural APT Hanoi High Speed Main Event champion.

Hu and heads-up opponent **Lok Ching Li **cut an ICM deal when play reached two-handed, opting to leave ₫7 million and the trophy and title on the table to duke it out for.

Hu received a ₫222,390,000 (~$9,340) top prize for his efforts, claiming his second APT Hanoi 2023 series title and winning his third APT title in the process.

Li locked up ₫189,070,000 ($7,940) for his runner-up finish, with China's Xixiang Luo – making his third final table appearance and fifth cash of the series – claiming bronze and a payout of ₫111,960,000 ($4,702).

The Philippines John Tech made his second final table and third cash of the series, earning ₫88,000,000 (~$3,696) for fourth place.

A total of 13 players made the money, with the official eight-handed final table paying out as follows:

HIGH SPEED MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE RESULTS

  1. Jinlong Hu (China) – ₫222,390,000
  2. Lok Ching Li (Australia) – ₫189,070,000
  3. Xixiang Luo (China) – ₫111,960,000
  4. John Tech (Philippines) – ₫88,000,000
  5. Xue Jie Pang (Singapore) – ₫70,960,000
  6. Karolis Cekauskas (Lithuania) – ₫55,290,000
  7. Huy Thanh Le (Vietnam) – ₫43,770,000
  8. Hoai Anh Tran (Vietnam) – ₫34,100,000

All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.

SIDE EVENT ACTION

Manh Tuong Ha Claims Maiden APT Title In Event #40 Hyper Turbo

Event # 40 Hyper Turbo winner Manh Tuong Ha.jpg Vietnam's Manh Tuong Ha claimed his maiden APT title in Event #40 Hyper Turbo

The final two APT turbo side events saw one newly minted champion crowned, and a another player win a second series title.

It was Vietnam's Manh Tuong Ha the man to claim his maiden APT title in the ₫4,000,000+400,000 Event #40 Hyper Turbo.

Ha was laughing all the way to the bank after triumphing over the 59-strong (40 unique) field and claiming the largest portion of the ₫228,920,000 (~$9,615) prize pool.

The Vietnamese player received a top prize of ₫68,670,000 (~$2,884) after defeating South Korea's Woosuk Hong heads-up, with the latter having to settle for the ₫49,680,000 (~$2,086) on offer for second place.

Singapore's Calvin Tan finished third, receiving ₫32,050,000 (~$1,346) for his deep run. A total of eight players made the money, with the tournament paying out as follows:

HYPER TURBO RESULTS

  1. Manh Tuong Ha (Vietnam) – ₫68,670,000
  2. Woosuk Hong (South Korea) – ₫49,680,000
  3. Calvin Tan (Singapore) – ₫32,050,000
  4. Dinh Hai Le (Vietnam) – ₫24,270,000
  5. Aleksei Varashev (Russia) – ₫18,770,000
  6. Riyana Rasheed (India) – ₫14,650,000
  7. Sean Chuan (Singapore) – ₫11,670,000
  8. Jatuporn Kritwatthanakorn (Thailand) – ₫9,160,000

All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.

Kunal Patni Scores Back-to-Back Titles Winning Event #41 Hyper Turbo – 8 Max

Event # 41 Hyper Turbo 8 Max champion Kunal Patni.JPG India's Kunal Patni won his second APT title in as many days in Event #41 Hyper Turbo

Kunal Patni finished the APT Hanoi 2023 series on a high, winning back-to-back APT titles. After claiming his maiden title in the Event #36 Hyper Turbo – 8 Max the day prior, the Indian poker professional did it again in the ₫15,000,000+1,500,000 Event #41 Hyper Turbo – 8 Max.

Patni saw off challenges from a 29-strong field (24 unique), besting South Korea's Chanhee Yea heads-up to take the ₫156,110,000 top prize and bag his second trophy in as many days.

Yea collected ₫107,600,000 ($4,519) for his runner-up finish, with Morocco's Ahmed Ibrahimi rounding out the podium and collecting ₫68,570,000 ($2,880) for third.

In total, five players cashed for a share of the ₫421,090,000 (~$17,685 prize pool, with the tournament paying out as follows:

HYPER TURBO 8 MAX RESULTS

  1. Kunal Patni (India) – ₫156,110,000
  2. Chanhee Yea (South Korea) – ₫107,600,000
  3. Ahmed Ibrahimi (Morocco) – ₫68,570,000
  4. Masao Watanabe (Japan) – ₫49,580,000
  5. Dinh Tien Thanh (Vietnam) – ₫40,090,000

All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.

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