APT Phu Quoc 2024: China’s Jinlong Hu Champions Biggest-Ever APT Phu Quoc Main Event ($185,430); India’s Deepankur Gupta Finishes a Strong 7th (₹21.37 Lakhs)

The APT Phu Quoc 2024 Main Event was one for the books! After a tense final table battle that stretched over eight hours, China’s Jinlong Hu (cover image – left) was the last player standing, claiming the title and a staggering VN₫ 4.710 Billion (~$185,430) first-place prize – the biggest win of his career! Not only did Hu walk away with the lion’s share of the prize pool, but he also captured the award-winning 24K Gold Lion APT Main Event Trophy – a fitting reward for his incredible performance.

The final APT Main Event champion of 2024 has been crowned! A huge congratulations to Jinlong Hu from China for conquering the #APTPhuQuoc2024 Main Event and claiming the prestigious 24k Gold Lion APT Main Event Trophy along with a top prize of VND 4,710,000,000 (~USD 185k)! 🏆… pic.twitter.com/h3xFdER455

— Asian Poker Tour (@AsianPokerTour) November 16, 2024

This victory marks Hu’s third APT title, a remarkable feat for a player who only began his professional poker journey in 2018. He burst onto the scene with a final table appearance at an APT No Limit Hold’em Event in Vietnam and quickly followed that up by winning the NLH Single Day (Shot Clock Event #7) for VN₫ 165.15 Million (~$7,121) the very next year. Since then, Hu has been a force to be reckoned with on the APT circuit.

Hu’s dominance in the Main Event was evident from the start. He started Day 2 as the chip leader and maintained a strong position throughout, finishing Day 3 third in chips. With the third-largest stack of 4.74 Million chips (95 BBs) heading into the final table, he was clearly a top contender. Hu was a true predator at the final table, eliminating six of his eight opponents on his way to victory. In the final heads-up battle, he faced off against South Korea’s Junseok Oh, who put up a fight but ultimately fell short, taking home a personal-best VN₫ 2.865 Billion in second place.

Deepankur Gupta Flies the Flag for India

Among the finalists was India’s Deepankur Gupta (cover image – right), a seasoned poker pro with five live titles to his name. He came into the final table with his sights set on his first APT trophy, hoping to add to his two previous victories in Vietnam.

He entered the final table sixth in chips with 68 big blinds. Despite making some aggressive moves and navigating the swings of tournament poker, Gupta’s run ended in seventh place after a tough beat. However, he walked away with a respectable VN₫ 642.50 Million (~₹21.37 Lakhs) – his second-largest live cash.

Team India’s Main Event Journey

The Indian contingent made their presence felt in the Main Event, with 12 players battling it out on Day 2. Ten of these players had fought their way through the starting flights, while PokerStars India Ambassadors Neel Joshi and Siddharth Karia opted for direct entry.

Haryana’s Amit Kaushik led the Indian charge on Day 2 with a stack of 523,000 chips. Close behind were Flight A chip leader Deepankur Gupta (290,000) and poker coach Young Gun Shardul Parthasarathi (167,000).

With 119 players guaranteed at least VN₫ 56.25 Million (~$2,215), the Indian players showed their determination. Five of the twelve Indians made it into the money, with Kumar V C Kishor being the first to cash, finishing in 109th place for VN₫ 56.25 Million (~₹1.87 Lakhs).

Myron Pereira, a seasoned poker veteran from Goa, also had a deep run, finishing in 90th place for VN₫ 65 Million (~₹2.16 Lakhs). Unfortunately, both players were eliminated before Day 3.

Day 3 saw the Indian hopes pinned on Kaushik, Parthasarathi, and Gupta. Amit Kaushik made an early exit, and his elimination was particularly dramatic. In a four-way preflop showdown, Kaushik shoved with from the small blind, only to be joined by Bui Le Ahn (), Pham Ngoc Bao (,), and Wattana Luangsuwimon (). The flop came down , giving Bao the top set and Luangsuwimon a set of fives. The turn brought a flush draw for Ahn, but the river gave Bao a full house, aces full of fours, and sent the other three players to the rail. Ahn finished in 45th place, Kaushik in 46th, and Luangsuwimon in 47th, each earning VN₫ 87.50 Million (~₹2.91 Lakhs).

Shardul Parthasarathi followed Kaushik soon after, busting in 41st place for the same payout. With Kaushik and Parthasarathi out, it was up to Deepankur Gupta to carry the torch for Team India.

Gupta’s Final Table Push

With Kaushik and Parthasarathi out, Deepankur Gupta was the last Indian standing. He entered the final table with the fourth-shortest stack of 3.38 Million (68 big blinds). Gupta’s final table journey was a rollercoaster ride with some big swings in both directions. He managed to climb as high as fifth in chips with seven remaining, but his run came to an end when his ace-king was outdrawn by eventual champion Jinlong Hu’s ten-eight that made two-pair on the runout.

Despite the tough beat, Gupta finished in a respectable seventh place, earning a fantastic VN₫ 642.50 Million (~₹21.37 Lakhs) – his second-best live cash ever after his VIPT Hanoi win in April. This was his first cash of the series, and he certainly made it count!

APT Main Event Highlights

The APT Phu Quoc 2024 Main Event was a record-breaking success. With late registrations wrapping up on Day 2, the final tally reached an impressive 795 entries (400 unique)—a stunning 56% surge compared to last year’s 507 entries. While it narrowly missed the ambitious VN₫ 25 Billion (~$1 Million) guarantee, the turnout itself generated a massive VN₫ 21.57 Billion (~$906,000) —an astounding 46% increase from the APT Phu Quoc 2023 Main Event.

With 795 entries and a VND 25 billion prize pool (~USD 1M), the #APTPhuQuoc2024 Main Event is 56 percent larger and 41 percent richer than the 2023 tour offering. As Day 2 continues, the top 119 players are set to cash out, with the ultimate prize being VND 4.71 billion (~USD… pic.twitter.com/PQp1vcZv3v

— Asian Poker Tour (@AsianPokerTour) November 14, 2024

The Main Event kicked off with four starting flights, which saw 292 players survive. But the action didn’t stop there! Another 42 players, including two from India, jumped in on Day 2, bringing the total number of Day 2 contenders to 331. These players battled it out over ten 60-minute levels for a piece of the biggest Main Event prize pool in APT Phu Quoc history.

Several players who entered Day 2 with top stacks fell short of advancing further, including Noparat Kongjai, Angunsri Suchart, and Nevan Chang. Chang’s run ended in dramatic fashion, as he and Cao Tran Ngoc were eliminated simultaneously on the money bubble. The “double-bubble” bust-out saw Chang and Ngoc split the 119th place payout, with each pocketing a consolation prize of VN₫ 28.125 Million.

Day 3 of the Main Event began with 50 players, all with their eyes on the title. The day concluded with the elimination of South Korea’s Dongyeol Choi in 10th place, who took home VN₫ 288.75 Million (~$11,370). Choi’s exit set the stage for the official final table, where the remaining nine players would compete for the coveted APT Phu Quoc Main Event title.

From 795 entries, the #APTPhuQuoc2024 Main Event has been whittled down to the final 50 players. They'll battle it out on Day 3, with Nghiem Xuan Thieu from Vietnam holding the largest stack of 1,703,000.

The race to the final table begins at 11 AM local time.

Catch all the… pic.twitter.com/jA1nmVYNL9

— Asian Poker Tour (@AsianPokerTour) November 14, 2024

You can relive all the excitement of the Main Event final table by watching the replay on APT’s YouTube channel below.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. David Erquiaga – 5,470,000 (109 BBs)
2. Junseok Oh – 5,080,000 (102 BBs)
3. Jinlong Hu – 4,740,000 (95 BBs)
4. Do Tien Vu – 4,630,000 (93 BBs)
5. Minh Truong Thang – 3,900,000 (78 BBs)
6. Deepankur Gupta – 3,380,000 (68 BBs)
7. Hao Zhao Wang – 2,025,000 (41 BBs)
8. Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao – 1,965,000 (39 BBs)
9. Chu Hao Zhang – 515,000 (10 BBs)

The final 9 players of the Main Event at #APTPhuQuoc2024 are set to compete in the last main event of the year! Tune in to the live stream on our official channels.
Twitch: https://t.co/8k4MP6nKli
YouTube: https://t.co/GESv4tHwDu#poker #pokertournament pic.twitter.com/m59fuyWmoM

— Asian Poker Tour (@AsianPokerTour) November 15, 2024

Final Table Recap

The final table fireworks started early. Just five hands in, Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao moved all-in with , only to run straight into Jinlong Hu’s . After a quick glance at Bao’s stack, Hu made the call. The board ran out , giving Hu two pair, aces and queens, and sending Bao to the rail in ninth place.

The action didn’t slow down. Nineteen hands later, Chu Hao Zhang‘s couldn’t hold against Do Tien Vu’s . The board bricked for Zhang, and he was eliminated in eighth place.

India’s Deepankur Gupta came into the final table with 68 big blinds and a determination to make his mark. He was active from the start, but the cards weren’t falling his way. By Level 30, his stack had dwindled to 1.40 Million (12 big blinds), and after a short break, it slipped further to 1.10 Million (7 big blinds).

Gupta wasn’t ready to give up. He moved all-in twice, first for 770,000 on the 40th hand but found no callers and then for 1.10 Million two hands later. The second time, David Erquiaga called with pocket eights, but the board came , giving Gupta top pair and a crucial double-up to 3.10 Million (19 BBs).

Sadly, Gupta’s comeback was short-lived. On Hand #49, he raised to 320,000 from the cutoff with , and Hu, holding , shoved all-in for 6.50 million. Gupta called with his remaining 3 Million, putting himself at risk. The flop came , giving Hu a straight-flush draw. The turn paired Hu, and the river completed his two pair, tens and eights, sending Gupta to the rail in seventh place.

The eliminations continued. Hao Zhao Wang was the next to fall in sixth place 20 hands later when his couldn’t beat Vu’s , which made two pair on the runout .

Just three hands later, the start-of-final-table chip leader, David Erquiaga, was eliminated in fifth place. His was no match for Hu’s , which flopped a pair of queens on the board .

Hu was on a roll. On Hand #92, he opened from under the gun for 400,000 and called a shove from Minh Truong Thang (3.10 million) holding . Thang’s couldn’t catch up as the dealer laid out , giving Hu two pair of aces and eights, ending Thang’s run in fourth place.

Three-handed play was a tense affair, stretching across two levels and 52 hands. Finally, on Hand #128, Do Tien Vu raised on the button with , and Hu defended his big blind with . The flop gave Hu two pair. After some back-and-forth betting, Vu moved all in on the turn Hu snap-called, showing his two pair, while Vu was drawing to a straight. The river was a brick, and Vu was eliminated in third place.

The heads-up battle pitted Jinlong Hu, with a commanding 26 Million chips, against Junseok Oh, who started with 5.40 Million. Despite some valiant attempts by Oh to double up, Hu’s chip lead proved insurmountable.

The final hand of the tournament, Hand #160, saw Oh shove all-in on the button with . Hu instantly called with . The flop kept Hu in the lead while Oh anxiously awaited a miracle. The turn and river changed nothing, and Hu’s king-high was enough to win the pot and the tournament, sending Oh to the rail in second place.

Final Table Results (VND)

1. Jinlong Hu – VN₫ 4,710,000,000
2. Junseok Oh – VN₫ 2,865,000,000
3. Do Tien Vu – VN₫ 2,025,000,000
4. Truong Thang Minh – VN₫ 1,525,000,000
5. David Erquiaga – VN₫ 1,202,500,000
6. Wang Haozhao – VN₫ 902,500,000
7. Deepankur Gupta – VN₫ 642,500,000
8. Chuhao Zhang – VN₫ 445,000,000
9. Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao – VN₫ 352,000,000

Content and Images Courtesy: Asian Poker Tour

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