WPT Prime Cambodia: Vineet Kumar Finishes 7th in NagaWorld Superstack 50K; Zarvan Tumboli, Gaurav Sood & Alok Birewar Carry Top Stacks in Other Events

Friday marked Day 2 of the 2023 World Poker Tour Prime Cambodia, and it was far more eventful than the first. With three tournaments running simultaneously, there was a flurry of action, and Indians featured prominently in the day’s events.

The series-opener NagaWorld Supertsack 50K concluded with Vietnam’s Huyen Duc Luu lifting the first WPT trophy of the series. He struck a heads-up deal with Chi Ling Tsang and took home $11,227, a dollar more than the runner-up.

Among the 26 returning players on Day 2 of NagaWorld Supertsack 50K were two Indians. Vineet Kumar carried the second-largest stack on Friday and used the advantage to muscle his way into the final table, finishing seventh for $1,832 – his first score in the South Asian circuit outside India. The other Indian, Jasven Saigal, was the shortest stacked player in the field and couldn`t stage the turnaround he wanted, min-cashing $403 in 25th place.

Singapore-based Indian Dhanesh Chainani, a seasoned campaigner in the Asian tournament circuit, finished fourth for $3,360.

The multi-flight WPT Prime Cambodia NagaWorld Millions ran Day 1B on Friday, which fared much better than the opening flight, registering 182 entries that dwindled to 19 survivors. Taiwan’s Shen Syu Ho (541,000) emerged as the day-end chip leader.

Four Indians advanced from Day 1B, with the inaugural WPT Prime Vietnam Main Event champion, Zarvan Tumboli (473,000), leading the charge with the third-biggest stack. Young Gun Gaurav Sood (174,500) made it into the top 10 chip counts, while Abijith Cheruku (112,000) and Arun Sriram (101,500) advanced with average stacks.

The 2018 WPT India ₹25K Big Bounty champion, Alok Birewar (483,000), topped the Day 1 surviving field in Deepstack NLH Freezeout, headlining the 13 survivors from the 97 starters. Sameer Agarwal (74,000) was the other Indian to carry a stack to Day 2.

Vietnam’s Huyen Duc Luu Wins NagaWorld Superstack 50K; Dhanesh Chainani & Vineet Kumar Post Final Table Scores

The NagaWorld Supertsack 50K, the opening day crowd favorite, had a total of 202 entries, each buying in for $300, taking the prize pool to $53,884. After Day 1, the 26 survivors were each assured a min-cash of $403, with Kosuke Hanzawa, the only Japanese player left, leading the pack.

Day 2 witnessed an intense start, with several short stacks getting knocked out quickly. Among the early eliminations was India’s Jasven Saigal. Returning to Day 2 with the shortest stack, last year’s WPT Prime Cambodia Superstack 6-Max champion was eliminated in 25th place for $403, the first Indian cash in the series.

The other Indian player returning for Day 2 was Vineet Kumar. The domestic circuit reg started the day with the second biggest stack and reached the final table. He was eliminated by Chi Ling Tsang in seventh place for $1,832, his first score on the South Asian circuit.

Indo-Singaporean player Dhanesh Chainani – an experienced player in the Asian circuit with title victories in Macau, Manila, and Cebu under his belt, exited the tournament in fourth place for $3,360.

Vietnam’s Huyen Duc Luu lifted the first WPT trophy of the series after besting Chi Ling Tsang heads-up. The duo agreed to a heads-up deal that saw the champion pocket $11,227, one dollar more than the runner-up Tsang.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Huyen Duc Luu – $11,227*
2. Chi Ling Tsang – $11,226*
3. Kiale Matthews – $5,523
4. Dhanesh Chainani – $3,360
5. Kosuke Hanzawa – $2,594
6. Adrien Franck Berger – $2,150
7. Vineet Kumar – $1,832
8. Amir Abbas – $1,579
9. Kevin Clemot – $1,326

*denotes a heads-up deal

Taiwan’s Shen Syu Ho Leads 19 Survivors on Day 1B of WPT Prime Cambodia NagaWorld Millions; Zarvan Tumboli Headlines 4 Indians Advancing to Day 2

Day 1B of the WPT Prime Cambodia NagaWorld Millions attracted a much healthier field, with 182 players turning up for a piece of the $150,000 guaranteed prize money. The second flight turnout was significantly higher than the 33 players who participated in Day 1A.

By the end of the day’s play, 19 runners advanced to Day 2, with Taiwan’s Shen Syu Ho (541,000) leading the charge.

From India, the three-time WPT champion Zarvan Tumboli (473,000) finished third in the day-end counts.

Tumboli will be joined by Young Gun Gaurav Sood (174,500), who holds the tenth-biggest stack, along with Abijith Cheruku (112,000) and Arun Sriram (101,500).

After the completion of two starting days, a total of 215 entries have been recorded, and 23 players have advanced to the next stage, guaranteeing themselves a minimum payout of $1,100.

Two more starting flights remain, both scheduled for Saturday, March 11. Day 1C will begin at 1 PM (local time), with blinds increasing every 40 minutes. This will be followed by Day 1D (Turbo) at 7 PM (local time), with blinds increasing every 25 minutes.

Top 10 Chip Counts at the End of Day 1B

1. Shen Syu Ho – 541,000
2. He Zhou – 484,500
3. Zarvan Tumboli – 473,000
4. Eike Soren Strub – 439,500
5. Xianbing Zhang – 364,000
6. Xiao Qing Lu – 341,000
7. Kien Duc Tran – 234,000
8. Geun The Kim – 211,500
9. Adam Kaufman – 187,000
10. Gaurav Sood – 174,500

India’s Alok Birewar Chip Leads 13 Survivors to Day 2 in Deepstack NLH Freezeout

The third trophy event of the series, the Deepstack NLH Freezeout, saw 97 players pay the $300 buy-in, creating a $25,404 prize pool.

Day 1 of the tournament lasted only six and a half hours, with India’s Alok Birewar (483,000) bagging a commanding chip lead. The IPC Megastacks Highroller champion is aptly placed to take down his career-second WPT title, which will be his first title win since he shipped Event #13: NLHE 2 at APT Vietnam Hanoi last June.

Sameer Agarwal (74,000) was another Indian advancing to Day 2.

The elimination of Stephen Nathan in 14th place got the remaining 13 players into the money, bringing the day’s play to an end. The survivors will return on Saturday, March 11, at 1 PM (local time) to continue their battle for the WPT title.

End of Day 1 Chip Counts

1. Alok Birewar – 483,000
2. Tran Thi Xuan Ha – 279,000
3. Min Won Jong – 236,000
4. Mai Bien – 169,000
5. Sevvy Steenman – 156,000
6. Tyler Warken – 145,000
7. Tang Cheapty – 143,000
8. Sameer Agarwal – 74,000
9. Jason Wong – 72,000
10. Vincent Ferrafiat – 65,000
11. Jonathan Looi – 60,000
12. William Bolton – 46,000
13. Jung Hoon Choi – 13,000

Content & Images Courtesy: So Much Poker

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