The VND 25 Billion GTD APT Hanoi Billions Main Event continued its streak of record-breaking attendance with Flight C, as Australia’s Michael James Sideridis soared to the top of the leaderboard. Amassing an impressive 275,600 chips, Sideridis leads a formidable field into Day 2.
Flight C witnessed a massive influx of 487 entries (409 unique), adding to the ever-growing excitement of the tournament. Of these, 223 hopefuls bagged chips for Day 2, scheduled for Thursday. The Main Event has now seen 1,905 entries, including 213 from Natural8 OnLive, with Flight D still underway.
Sideridis’ commanding performance places him at the forefront, but he’s closely trailed by Malaysia’s Shyh Chyn Lim with 248,600 chips. Lim’s strategic play and a crucial ace-high call against South Korea’s Sangyoon Kim propelled him up the counts.
Vietnam’s Van Tan Dong, with 234,100 chips, sits comfortably in fifth place. Dong, a finalist in the Superstar Challenge earlier in the series, is eyeing his first APT title.
Local player Nguyen Thi Bao An turned around a short stack into a respectable 121,700 chips, recalling her runner-up finish at the APT Summer Series Da Nang in the Mystery Bounty Hunter event.
Flight C saw 21 Indian participants in the mix, with a strong contingent of 12 advancing to Day 2. Leading this group was WSOP bracelet winner, the 2019 APT Vietnam Main Event champion Abhinav Iyer, who bagged up 193,400 chips, aiming to become a double APT Main Event champion.
Abishek Srivatsa (157,300), Daniyal Kazi (130,800), and veteran Raju Jaruplavath (128,900) were among the top Indian performers. Young Gun Gaurav Sood, India’s top-ranked online MTT player, also made it through with 105,600 chips.
Other notable Indian qualifiers included Adda52 Ambassador Arun Sriram (92,300), Young Gun Neel Joshi (88,400), Bhavik Khatsuria (70,500), Deepankur Gupta (61,500), Paawan Bansal (23,800), Pratibha Arya (10,500), and Young Gun Kanchan Sharma (2,000).
This strong showing brings the total number of Indian players advancing to Day 2 to an impressive 42.
Other global players who made a mark include Canada’s Brett Kennedy (239,600), Uzbekistan’s Viktor Yugay (230,300), Chen An Lin (120,200), Pimpat Vajresevee (96,300), and Kiwanont Sukhum (69,300). Former Main Event winner Hoang Hai Nam (39,300), Kristof Segers (35,000), and Vincent Li (30,600) also secured their spots for Day 2.
Top 10 Chip Counts at the End of Flight C
1. Michael Sideridis – 275,600
2. Shyh Chyn Lim – 248,600
3. Manh Hung Tran – 245,600
4. Brett Kennedy – 239,600
5. Van Tan Dong – 234,100
6. Tran Tuan Anh – 232,300
7. Tuan Anh Nguyen – 232,300
8. Viktor Yugay – 230,300
9. Nguyen Thanh Long – 214,700
10. Adones Carmona – 209,100
As the APT Hanoi Billions Main Event advances towards its final flight, the stage is set for an epic showdown. The unprecedented field size has set a new benchmark, and the competition promises intense poker action.
Stay tuned to PokerGuru for the latest updates and developments as this historic event unfolds.
