WPT Prime Vietnam 2023: Team India Makes Early Impact; Dhaval Mudgal Finishes Runner-up in Deepstack NLH For VN₫ 49.25 Million

As the Asian poker circuit continues to sizzle with one tournament following another, the spotlight has turned to Vietnam following the conclusion of the APPT Cambodia 2023.

The inaugural day of the 2023 WPT Prime Vietnam, hosted at the Crown Poker Club, witnessed an overpowering performance from local participants, with Vietnamese players claiming victories in all three events. Notably, all 14 qualifiers from Day 1A of the VN₫ 2 Billion GTD WPT Opener were also homegrown talents.

Despite this pervasive dominance, Team India made its presence felt. Dhaval Mudgal, a well-known figure in the Indian poker circuit, clinched a runner-up finish in the VN₫ 4.40 Million Event #3: Deepstack NLH, earning a handsome VN₫ 49.25 Million in prize money.

Mudgal, a winner of the inaugural WPT Vietnam Main Event in 2018, came into this tournament fresh from his recent success in the 2023 APT Phu Quoc Event #20: VN₫ 11 Million Freezeout in March. Given Mudgal’s encouraging start to this series, marking India’s first entry on the scorecard, we can expect more impressive performances from him at the festival.

Event #3: Deepstack NLH was won by Vietnam’s own Vinh Nguyen, who secured his first WPT trophy and a grand prize of VN₫ 83.80 Million.

Other local champions on Day 1 of the series included Quan Trung Nguyen, who won the VN₫ 55 Million Event #2: Single Day High Roller, earning VN₫ 611 Million, and Thanh Hung Tran, who took down VN₫ 3.30 Million Event #4: Hyper Turbo NLH for VN₫ 32.65 Million.

The VN₫ 2 Billion GTD WPT Opener hosted the first of its three starting flights on Tuesday. Vietnam’s Tran Van Phuc (333,000) led the 14 survivors to Day 2 from a starting field of 112 entries.

Vietnam’s Vinh Nguyen Ships Event #3: Deepstack NLH For VN₫ 83.80 Million; India’s Dhaval Mudgal Finishes 2nd (VN₫ 49.25 Million)

Buy-in: VN₫ 4.40 Million

Entries: 52

Re-entries: 8

Prize Pool: VN₫ 232.80 Million

Places Paid: 8

Vinh Nguyen from Vietnam expressed his exhilaration after winning Event #3: Deepstack NLH, admitting, “I haven’t played much poker lately, so I am very happy to win this event.”

Nguyen triumphed over 60 entrants in the Deepstack NLH, besting India’s Dhaval Mudgal in the heads-up battle.

The decisive hand played out with Nguyen’s top pair prevailing over Mudgal’s on a board of , with all chips going into the pot on the turn. The superior kicker card solidified Nguyen’s win.

For his formidable performance, Nguyen clinched his inaugural WPT trophy and a substantial reward of VN₫ 83.80 Million. Mudgal settled for a runner-up payout worth VN₫ 49.25 Million, narrowly missing out on adding a second WPT trophy to his poker cabinet.

Complete Payouts (VN₫)

1. Vinh Nguyen – VN₫ 83,800,000
2. Dhaval Mudgal – VN₫ 49,250,000
3. Kyle Bao Diep – VN₫ 30,850,000
4. Thanh Tien Nguyen – VN₫ 20,950,000
5. Dinh Quang Xu – VN₫ 16,300,000
6. Chu The Dan – VN₫ 12,800,000
7. Chinh Duc Tran – VN₫ 10,500,000
8. Philip Nguyen – VN₫ 8,350,000

Vietnam’s Quan Trung Nguyen Nails Event #2: Single Day High Roller For VN₫ 611 Million

Buy-in: VN₫ 55 Million

Entries: 21

Re-entries: 7

Prize Pool: VN₫ 1.358 Billion

Places Paid: 4

Favor smiled upon Vietnam’s Quan Trung Nguyen, who lifted his first-ever WPT trophy after clinching victory in Event #2: Single Day High Roller. During the post-win interview, an ecstatic Nguyen shared, “I’ve only been engaged in poker for three months, yet I’ve already secured three high trophies! I couldn’t be happier.”

Nguyen dominated the final table, amassing a formidable chip stack well ahead of the heads-up play. The climactic hand saw him triumph over fellow compatriot Luu Danh Tuan with a set with against the latter’s , going all-in on the river with the board showing .

Nguyen’s convincing victory in the 28-player field earned him an impressive prize purse of VN₫ 611 Million. Tuan banked VN₫ 367 Million in second place.

Complete Payouts (VN₫)

1. Quan Trung Nguyen – VN₫ 611,000,000
2. Luu Danh Tuan – VN₫ 367,000,000
3. Dinh Tien Thanh – VN₫ 231,000,000
4. Anh Hoai Tran – VN₫ 149,000,000

Vietnam’s Thanh Hung Tran Wins Event #4: Hyper Turbo NLH for VN₫ 32.65 Million

Buy-in: VN₫ 3.30 Million

Entries: 20

Re-entries: 8

Prize Pool: VN₫ 81.48 Million

Places Paid: 5

In a speedy contest lasting under four hours, Vietnam’s Thanh Hung Tran emerged victorious in Event #4: Hyper Turbo NLH for VN₫ 32.65 Million. Tran demonstrated exceptional skill, clearing out his last three competitors single-handedly.

Despite a sizeable chip lead during the heads-up play, USA’s Trent Fechter‘s attempt for a double-up with fell short against Tran’s as the board ran . This marked Tran’s inaugural WPT victory, a significant achievement in his poker career. Fechter took home VN₫ 20 Million in second place.

Complete Payouts (VN₫)

1. Thanh Hung Tran – VN₫ 32,650,000
2. Trent Fechter – VN₫ 20,000,000
3. Minh Thai Bao Cao – VN₫ 13,850,000
4. Hung Viet Pham – VN₫ 8,980,800
5. Nguyen Minh Tuan – VN₫ 6,000,000

Vietnam’s Tran Van Phuc Leads 14 Survivors on Day 1A of the VN₫ 2 Billion GTD WPT Opener

The series-opener, VN₫ 2 Billion GTD WPT Opener, kicked off its first flight with a solid 112 entries, and 14 players progressed to the ITM round. Local player Tran Van Phuc dominated the day, bagging the largest stack of 333,000 (55 BBs).

Day 1B of the tournament, with a buy-in of VN₫ 8.80 Million, commenced at 11 AM (local time) on May 17. The action will continue later the same day with Day 1C, slated to begin at 4 PM (local time).

End of Day 1A Chip Counts

1. Tran Van Phuc – 333,000
2. MR LAK – 300,000
3. Nguyen Van Trung – 296,000
4. Nguyen Phuong Ngoc – 285,000
5. Minh Tien – 242,000
6. Tuan Tien Hai – 239,000
7. Vu Thai Bao – 219,000
8. Huynh Ngoc Cuong – 218,000
9. Do Quang Thuy – 168,000
10. Dinh Duc Linh – 130,000
11. Thien – 119,000
12. Nguyen Duc Hoa – 112,000
13. Nguyen Pham Thay – 92,000
14. Hui Tomy – 61,000

Content Courtesy: So Much Poker & World Poker Tour

Images Courtesy: So Much Poker & Crown Poker Club

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