APL Da Nang: Vietnam’s Wu En Ching Wins High Roller Title to Close Out Smashing Series

Wu En Ching wins the High Roller
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  • Namita Ghosh December 23, 2019
  • 5 Minutes Read

The Asia Poker League (APL) is one of the fastest-growing tournament brands in Asia. The APL played out two editions in Vietnam this year, closing out its inaugural run at the Risemount Premier Resort in Da Nang last Saturday. The series flagged off on December 12 awarding 19 trophies and a massive VND 18 Billion in prize money!

One of the biggest events to play out towards the end was the VND 40 Million buy-in High Roller that attracted 119 hopefuls across two starting flights. The tournament eventually crowned a champion in Taiwan’s Wu En Ching who captured the top prize of VND 1,362,100,000!

The newly minted APL Brand Ambassador Sumit Sapra was a prominent presence at the stop and picked up two scores at the series that included an impressive fifth-place finish in the Main Event. Here is a complete rundown of the series.

 

Indian Participation at APL Da Nang

With December typically being a slow month on the live circuit, the APL Da Nang offered players a great value offering and that too at an exotic location. The series attracted a few Indian players, the most prominent among them was the newly inducted APL Ambassador Sumit Sapra. Sapra had opened his scorecard at the series with a 39th place finish in the VND 10 Million Kickoff (VND 16,300,000 – ₹49,959) but it was the Main Event 8 Billion GTD where he really excelled, advancing to Day 2 alongside fellow countrymen Vikas Sahni and Manish Lakhotia. Both Sahni (36th for VND 49,000,000 – ₹1.49 Lakhs), and Lakhotia (53rd for VND 41,500,000 – ₹1.27 Lakhs) fell out on Day 2 but Sapra stormed his way into the final table where he finished fifth for VND 477,900,000 (₹14.68 Lakhs).

Immediately after busting the Main Event, Sapra jumped into Day 1B of the High Roller but was unable to translate his efforts into a deep run.

 

Team India Scores at APL Da Nang

PlayerEventFinishPrize Money
Sumit SapraMain Event 8 Billion GTD 5thVND 477,900,000 - ₹14.68 Lakhs
Vikas SahniMain Event 8 Billion GTD 36thVND 49,000,000 – ₹1.49 Lakhs
Manish LakhotiaMain Event 8 Billion GTD 53rdVND 41,500,000 – ₹1.27 Lakhs
Sumit SapraVND 10 Million Kickoff 39th VND 16,300,000 - ₹49,959

 

APL Returning to Da Nang in December 2020

For the tournament organizers, the experiment at Da Nang proved to be hugely successful, enough to prompt them to announce a follow-up series at the venue next year.

Talking about the series, Executive Managing Director of Asia Poker League, James Kim said, “As with all new destinations and venues, everything is a challenge and the success of new joint ventures are never guaranteed. However, groups like the VSOP are exactly what we have been looking for. They understand Poker and are truly committed to the development of Poker not only in Vietnam but all of Asia as well.”

Kim added, “We would gladly return in December of 2020 and close out what looks to be a very busy 2020 for APL. And always big shoutouts to the players who continue to make APL an recognizable brand in the Poker Industry. Thank you players and we will continue to try and do our best.”

While we do not have the details of all the side event winners, the last two days at the series awarded several side event trophies and the list of winners featured names like Indian-origin player from Indian-origin pro Ceesvin Abhaham Abdulla (Deep Stack Turbo for VND 124,100,000), China’s Qian Xubo (NLH Turbo 2 for VND 146,600,000), Vietnam’s Nam Phong (KO Bounty 2 for VND 293,400,000), Vietnam’s Dinh Manh Hung (PLO for VND 108,600,000), Vietnam’s Nguyen Huu Duc (Freezeout for VND 196,900,000) and Korea’s Lee Jong Wook (Charity Event for VND 39,600,000).

 

APL Side Event Winners

PlayerEvent Prize Money
Nguyen Minh Tuan VND 20 Million Main Event VND 8 Billion GTD VND 2,026,500,000
Wu En Ching VND 40 Million High Roller VND 1,362,100,000
Nguyen Hoang Linh VND 10 Million KickoffVND 739,100,000
Trung NguyenVND 15 Million Super Deep StackVND 389,500,000
Im SanggukVND 3 Million High Roller – 1 DayVND 349,200,000
Nam Phong VND 11 Million KO Bounty 2 VND 293,400,000
Im Sung GokVND 10 Million Deep StackVND 285,500,000
Nguyen Huu Duc VND 16.5 Million Freezeout VND 196,900,000
Kim Jae Hwan VND 8.8 Million NLHEVND 160,700,000
Qian Xubo VND 7.7 Million NLH Turbo 2VND 146,600,000
Li Shin HungVND 6.6 Million KO Bounty TurboVND 142,400,000
Ceesvin Abdulla VND 8 Million Deep Stack Turbo VND 124,100,000
Dinh Manh Hung VND 7.7 Million PLO VND 108,600,000
AigarsVND 8 Million 6-Max TurboVND 94,300,000
Nguyen Huu DucVND 6 Million NLHE Turbo 1VND 83,500,000
Lee Jung WookVND 5.5 Million Hyper TurboVND 79,400,000
Kwon Hyuk JinVND 5.5 Million Hyper Turbo 2VND 69,500,000
Lee Jong Wook Charity Event VND 39,600,000

 

Wu En Ching Wins VND 40M High Roller

The VND 40 Million buy-in High Roller began proceedings with the first of its two starting flights playing out on December 18. Day 1A attracted 50 hopefuls, 16 of which qualified for Day 2. Another 63 runners signed up on Day 1B including India’s Sumit Sapra. Fresh off his deep run at the Main Event, Sapra made a strong bid for another deep run but fell out before the end of the day. Only 23 players made it out of Day 1B taking the total count of players returning on Day 2 to 39. Along with six late registrations on Day 2, the event logged in a total field size of 119 entrants.

A rapid pace of eliminations set the final table on Day 2 and the day ended with Taiwan’s Wu En Ching holding the trophy in his hands. Ching had to fend off stiff competition coming his way from the likes of Canada’s Nguyen Hong Kong but he defeated the latter heads-up to pocket the winner’s purse worth VND 1,362,100,000. Kong banked a runner-up payday worth VND 842,600,000.

The event paid out 15 places with a min-cash worth VND 103,900,000 and some of the notable scorers were Soo Jo Kim (7th for VN 175,500,000), Michael Falcon (12th for VND 120,000,000), Alex Lee (13th for VND 103,900,000) and Tobias Peters (15th for VND 103,900,000).

Wu En Ching Wins High Roller
Wu En Ching Wins High Roller

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Wu En Ching – VND 1,362,100,000
  2. Nguyen Hong Kong – VND 842,600,000
  3. Nguyen Huu Dung – VND 503,300,000
  4. Im Sangguk – VND 323,200,000
  5. Park Sung Chang – VND 244,700,000
  6. Nam Phong – VND 203,200,000
  7. Soojo Kim – VND 175,500,000
  8. Tran Hoai Linh – VND 154,700,000
  9. Nrak Lentphor – VND 136,200,000

 

Indian-Origin Ceesvin Abraham Abdulla Wins VND 8M Deep Stack Turbo

One of the final side events to culminate on the closing day was the VND 8 Million buy-in Deep Stack Turbo. The tournament drew 41 entries and culminated after Singapore-based Indian-origin pro Ceesvin Abraham Abdulla defeated Australia’s Anthony Abram heads-up to win the title for VND 124,100,000. Abram pocketed VND 72,200,000 for finishing second.

Ceesvin Abraham Abdulla wins Deep Stack Turbo
Ceesvin Abraham Abdulla wins Deep Stack Turbo

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Ceesvin Abdulla – VND 124,100,000
  2. Anthony Abram – VND 73,200,000
  3. Oh Sehoyu – VND 44,500,000
  4. Jang Jong Bea – VND 31,800,000
  5. Joe Zhang – VND 25,500,000
  6. Duy Ho – VND 19,100,000

 

Qian Xubo Wins the VND 7.7 Million NLH Turbo 2

A total of 60 players ponied up the VND 7.7 Million buy-in to enter the NLH Turbo 2, generating a prize pool of VND 407,400,000. Racing ahead of the rest was China’s Qian Xubo, who captured the title to take home VND 146,600,000.

Xubo defeated Korea’s Edgar Kim Eui Woong heads-up and the final hand between the two saw Xubo’s spiking two-pair on the board that dominated Woong’s .

Qian Xubo Wins the NLH Turbo 2
Qian Xubo wins the NLH Turbo 2

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Qian Xubo – VND 146,600,000
  2. Edgar Kim Eui Woong – VND 86,200,000
  3. Oliver Helm – VND 54,000,000
  4. Nguyen Tuan Anh – VND 36,700,000
  5. Sun Jianpeng – VND 28,500,000
  6. Chinnarut Tanprateep – VND 22,400,000
  7. Nasin Taweewattanakitborvon – VND 18,300,000
  8. Yuwen Pan – VND 14,700,000

 

Nam Phong Wins the VND 11M KO Bounty 2

Outlasting a field of 135 entries, Vietnam’s Nam Phong took down the VND 11 Million buy-in Knock Out Bounty 2. Phong beat Korea’s Hong Woo Suk to the finish line to capture the title and the winner’s cheque worth VND 293,400,000.

The event accrued a prize pool of VND 1,039,500,000 and paid out the top 17 finishers. Additionally, players earned VND 2,000,000 for every knockout.

Nam Phong wins the KO Bounty 2
Nam Phong wins the KO Bounty 2

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Nam Phong – VND 293,400,000
  2. Hong Woo Suk – VND 185,800,000
  3. Raiden Kan Yew Fatt – VND 110,200,000
  4. Ceesvin Abdulla – VND 67,600,000
  5. Nguyen Ngoc Anh – VND 51,500,000
  6. Pham Hoang Quan – VND 43,700,000
  7. Trinh Anh Dung – VND 37,900,000
  8. Kim Ji Young – VND 33,300,000
  9. Bazgar Marl Du Darius – VND 29,400,000

 

Dinh Manh Hung Wins the VND 7.7M PLO

The VND 7.7 Million buy-in PLO was the only PLO event on the schedule. The event drew 41 hopefuls to collect VND 278,400,000 in prize money and crowned a champion in Vietnam’s Dinh Manh Hung. Victory didn’t come easy for Hung who had to get past PLO specialist, Australia’s Anthony Abram heads-up. Defeating the latter, Hung snagged his first-ever live title along with a hefty payday of VND 108,600,000.

Dinh Manh Hung wins the APL Da Nang PLO
Dinh Manh Hung wins the APL Da Nang PLO

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Dinh Manh Hung – VND 108,600,000
  2. Anthony Abram – VND 64,000,000
  3. Tae Joon Cho – VND 39,000,000
  4. Lu Zheng Hao – VND 27,800,000
  5. Ku Yeong Seon – VND 22,300,000
  6. Jaegwang Kim – VND 16,700,000

 

Nguyen Huu Duc Wins the VND 16.5M Freezeout

The VND 16,500,000 buy-in Freezeout attracted 64 players generating a VND 931,200,000 prize pool. Only the final eight players could cross the money line and topping them all was Vietnam’s Nguyen Huu Duc. Duc defeated Korea’s Song Daewoong heads-up to pocket the top prize of VND 335,200,000. Daewoong earned a runner-up payout worth VND 196,900,000.

Nguyen Huu Duc wins the APL Da Nang Freezeout
Nguyen Huu Duc wins the APL Da Nang Freezeout

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Nguyen Huu Duc – VND 335,200,000
  2. Song Daewoong – VND 196,900,000
  3. Lee Seung Jin – VND 123,400,000
  4. Chang Hokeun – VND 83,800,000
  5. Pham Thanh Hai – VND 65,200,000
  6. Choi Inkyu – VND 51,200,000
  7. Thanapipat – VND 41,900,000
  8. Lee Deok-Yeong – VND 33,600,000

 

Lee Jong Wook Wins the VND 2.5M Charity Event

The VND 2.5 Million buy-in Charity Event was hosted as part of the series to collect funds for the Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children. The tournament attracted 63 entries and of the prize pool collected, 30% along with the add-ons amounting to a total of VND 47,300,000 was donated. The remaining VND 110,200,000 was awarded to the top eight finishers of the event. In the end, Korea’s Lee Jong Wook proved triumphant and walked away with the top prize of VND 39,600,000.

Lee Jong Wook wins APL Da Nang Charity Event
Lee Jong Wook wins APL Da Nang Charity Event

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Lee Jong Wook – VND 39,600,000
  2. Vu Vanh Manh – VND 23,300,000
  3. Duy Ho – VND 14,600,000
  4. Jack Liew – VND 9,900,000
  5. Linh Nguyen Duu Phuong – VND 7,700,000
  6. Tony Khoang – VND 6,100,000
  7. Tien Quyet Pham – VND 5,000,000
  8. Nguyen Thi Linh – VND 4,000,000

 

Content & Images Courtesy: Somuchpoker and APL

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