WPT Prime Vietnam: Vishal Bajaj, Gaurav Sood & Kartik Ved Cash the WPT Opener

WPT Prime Vietnam - Vishal Bajaj, Gaurav Sood and Kartik Ved
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  • Namita Ghosh May 24, 2022
  • 5 Minutes Read

Back as part of World Poker Tour’s (WPT) first-ever WPT Prime, the 2022 WPT Prime Vietnam is busy making its inaugural run at Hanoi’s Crown Poker Club. Over the weekend, many events, including the WPT Opener, played to a conclusion.

The WPT Opener drew a guarantee-crushing 596 entries across three starting flights, and Day 2 ran on Sunday with 74 qualifiers. Making his way to the top was Vietnam’s Tu Phuong Nguyen, who earned a career-best live score of VND 745,000,000 (~$32,154). Nguyen struck a heads-up deal with Nam Le, winning the one-hand flip to claim the trophy.

Part of the WPT Opener Day 2 field were three Indian players – Young Gun Gaurav Sood and PokerGuru Ambassadors Vishal Bajaj and Kartik Ved. Sood had come into Day 2 with the sixth-largest stack from Day 1A, while Bajaj and Ved made it from Day 1B. All the three Indians cashed the WPT Opener, with Vishal Bajaj making it furthest. He placed fourth to bank a VND 34,000,000 (~₹1.13 Lakhs) payday, with Gaurav Sood (27th for VND 29,000,000 – ₹96,921) and Kartik Ved (44th for VND 21,000,000 – ₹70,184) also posting scores.

Ved, a former WSOP champion, was also part of the elite high roller crowd who joined the series’ most expensive event – the Super Stars Challenge Invitational. Also, the highest buy-in tourney ever held in Vietnam – the VND 210,000,000 (~$9,100) buy-in tourney drew 21 challengers, including 17 unique players. While Ved fell out, as did Philippines’ Mike Takayama, and Vietnamese stars Nang Quang Nguyen, Huu Dung Nguyen, and Trong Hieu Ngo, Philippines’ Florencio Campomanes lifted the trophy for a hefty VND 1,832,000,000 (~$79,067).

Philippines’ Christopher Mateo shipped Event #6: Bounty for VND 150,000,000. He also claimed 11 bounties worth VND 2 Million each to pocket a total of VND 172,000,000 (~$7,420).

Event #7: SuperStack was claimed by Bein Mai for VND 205,500,000 ($8,867) after he bested the 157-player field, eventually striking a deal with Ngo Minh Tien he eventually defeated.

Event #8: Single Day Highroller was championed by Vietnam’s Duy Thuc Nguyen for his first live title and a career-best VND 1,040,500,000 (~$44,900), following a heads-up deal with Dennis Ng. The 2019 WPTDS Vietnam Main Event champion Christopher Mateo (7th for VND 165,000,000) also FTed the event.

Event #10: Hyper Turbo made a turbo-paced run with 51 entries in the field. Vietnam’s Pham Quang Huy Pham eventually took it down for VND 55,000,000 (~$2,373), beating fellow countryman Vu Thai Bao heads-up.

Bao, who made his fourth final table appearance in the event, collected 225 POF points, taking up the top spot in the POF Leaderboard with 710 points.

The series has handed out nine trophies till now. On Tuesday, May 24, is Day 2 of Event #9 Mystery Bounty, Event #11 Max ME Warm-Up, and Event #12: Short Deck.

 

Tu Phuong Nguyen Wins Event #1: WPT Opener For VND 745,000,000

A total of 596 entries (Day 1A – 123, Day 1B – 185, Day 1C – 288) registered for the WPT Prime Vietnam Event #1 WPT Opener, collecting a massive VND 4,624,960,000 ($199,610) prize pool. Day 2 began with 74 qualifiers, all in the money for at least VND 13,500,000.

All the three Indian players who made it to Day 2, namely PokerGuru Ambassador Vishal Bajaj (24th for VND 34,000,000 – ₹1.13 Lakhs), Young Gun Gaurav Sood (27th for VND 29,000,000 – ₹96,921), and PokerGuru Ambassador Kartik Ved (44th for VND 21,000,000 – ₹70,184) made it past the money line but fell out through the proceedings.

Home players dominated the show, with Tu Phuong Nguyen making it to the top to pocket the VND 745,000,000 top prize. Nguyen had entered Day 2 with a substantial stack, and over the first two hours of play, he charged ahead of the rest of the field. He dispatched Bui Duc Thien in seventh place on the final table and Phil Nuygen in third place before making his way towards the heads-up match against fellow countryman Nam Le. The two players immediately struck a deal, and decided to play for the trophy by playing a one-hand flip.

Nguyen found his improve to trip eights to beat Le’s that had only made a pair on the board, and he pocketed a career-best live score of VND 745,00,000 (~$32,154).

Tu Phuong Nguyen wins WPT Prime Vietnam Event 1 WPT Opener
Tu Phuong Nguyen

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Tu Phuong Nguyen – VND 745,000,000*
  2. Nam Le – VND 745,000,000*
  3. Philip Nguyen – VND 395,000,000
  4. Van Hoang Nguyen – VND 282,000,000
  5. Terry Nguyen – VND 217,000,000
  6. Quang Minh Nguyen – VND 178,000,000
  7. Bui Duc Thien – VND 147,000,000
  8. Khac Thai Nguyen – VND 117,000,000
  9. Duy Ho – VND 87,760,000

*denotes a heads-up deal

 

Florencio Campomanes Wins Super Stars Challenge For VND 1,832,000,000

The largest buy-in tournament to have ever played in the country, the Super Stars Challenge Invitational featured a VND 210,000,000 (~$9,100) buy-in. The event locked 21 entries – 17 unique players and four re-entries, creating a prize pool of VND 4,074,000,000 (~$175,830). Some of the biggest Asian poker stars, including India’s Kartik Ved, Filipino poker pro Mike Takayama, were in attendance. While Ved fell out empty-handed, Philippines Florencio Campomanes triumphed over the star-studded field to claim the top prize of VND 1,832,000,000 (~$79,067).

Campomanes defeated fellow countryman Trong Hieu Ngo heads-up, boosting his live tournament winnings to $1.23 Million.

Both players jostled over the chip lead at six-handed play before Campomanes won a massive pot to climb onto the chip lead. He never gave it up from there, eventually beating Ngo’s with his that made a flush on the rundown.

Florencio Campomanes wins WPT Prime Vietnam Super Stars Challenge
Florencio Campomanes

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Florencio Campomanes – VND 1,832,000,000
  2. Trong Hieu Ngo – VND 1,019,00,000
  3. Quang Huy Nguyen – VND 7234,000,000
  4. Nang Quang Nguyen – VND 489,000,000

 

Christopher Mateo Wins Event #6: Bounty For VND 150,000,000

Philippines’ Christopher Mateo overcame a field of 141 entries (including 97 unique players) to win Event #6: Bounty. Mateo also collected 11 bounties worth VND 2 Million, including his heads-up opponent Quyet Tien “Teddy” Pham. While he earned the top prize of VND 150,000,000, the bounties added up to Mateo collecting a total of VND 172,000,000 (~$7,420) in the event.

The VND 6,600,000 (~$285) buy-in event generated a VND 538,620,000 prize pool, and a bounty prize pool of VND 282,000,000, while the top 18 finishers earned a cut of the prize money.

At the heads-up, Mateo shoved with only to be limp-called by Pham who had . Mateo was close to losing it, but he paired his ten on the board of to scoop the pot and collect his maiden WPT title.

Christopher Mateo wins WPT Prime Vietnam Event 6 Bounty
Christopher Mateo

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Christopher Mateo – VND 150,000,000
  2. Quyet Tien “Teddy” Pham – VND 95,000,000
  3. Van Trung Nguyen – VND 56,500,000
  4. Julien Melet – VND 34,000,000
  5. Coralie Nauder – VND 26,500,000
  6. Van Hoang Nguyen – VND 22,000,000
  7. Anh Tuan Hoang – VND 19,120,000
  8. Thai Bao Vu – VND 17,000,000
  9. Tien Trung Tran – Vietnam – VND 15,000,000

 

Bien Mai Wins Event #7: SuperStack For VND 205,500,000

The popular Event #7: SuperStack recorded 157 entries, including 120 unique players. The event guaranteed payouts to the top 20 finishers from the VND 913,740,000 ($39,428) prize pool.

After 11 hours of play, Bein Mai was jostling over the title with the Deep Cheap Freeze champion Ngo Minh Tien. The two players opted for one fast flip. Ngo held versus Mai’s . Mai was ahead, and he hit a winning straight on the board to capture his first-ever WPT trophy and VND 205,500,000 ($8,867) in prize money.

Bein Mai wins WPT Prime Vietnam Event 7 - SuperStack
Bein Mai

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Bien Mai – VND 205,500,000*
  2. Ngo Minh Tien – VND 199,500,000*
  3. Hanna Azimai – VND 94,000,000
  4. Manh Truong Nguyen – VND 57,000,000
  5. Vu Thai Bao – VND 44,000,000
  6. Son Lam Phu – VND 36,740,000
  7. Jin Hwang Yong – VND 32,000,000
  8. The Viet Nguyen – VND 28,000,00

*denotes a heads-up deal

 

Duy Thuc Nguyen Wins Event #8: Single Day High Roller For VND 1,040,500,000

Nguyen played against Dennis Ng for over a level before the duo struck a heads-up deal to lock their payouts and play for the trophy. It all lasted one hand, Ng holding versus Nguyen’s . The board of favored Nguyen who captured the trophy for his first known live victory and a personal-high live score of VND 1,040,500,000 (~$44,900)!

The event paid out the top 10 finishers and among those who cashed were the 2019 WPTDS Vietnam Main Event champion Christopher Mateo (7th for VND 165,000,000) and France’s Vincent Chauve (9th for VND 127,000,000).

Duy Thuc Nguyen wins WPT Prime Vietnam Event 8 Single Day High Roller
Duy Thuc Nguyen

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Duy Thuc Nguyen – VND 1040500000*
  2. Dennis Ng – VND 957,500,000*
  3. Vu Duc Trung – VND 455,000,000
  4. Thibaut Blondel – VND 308,000,000
  5. Chi Chung Ho – VND 234,500,000
  6. Van Tai Tran – VND 190,000,000
  7. Christopher Mateo – VND 165,000,000
  8. Peerathat Sukpaisarn – VND 145,000,000

*denotes heads-up deal

 

Pham Quang Huy Pham Wins Event #10: Hyper Turbo For VND 55,000,000

Event #10: Hyper Turbo attracted 51 players (38 unique, 13 re-entries) and made a fiery run to the finish line in under four hours. Eventually, Vietnam’s Pham Quang Huy Pham made his way to the top, denying fellow countryman Vu Thai Bao in the heads-up showdown to bank the trophy and the top prize of VND 55,000,000 (~$2,373).

Bao was onto his fourth final table at the ongoing series, and in the final hand of the tournament, he had against Pham’s that further improved to a straight on the rundown of .

Bao may have lost the title, but he collected 225 POF points in the tourney, bringing his POF tally to a leaderboard-topping 710 points.

The event featured a VND 3,300,000 (~$6,404) buy-in. Only the top seven finishers dug into the VND 148,410,000 (~$6,404) prize pool.

Pham Quang Huy wins WPT Prime Vietnam Event 10 Hyper Turbo
Pham Quang Huy

 

Final Table Results (VND)

  1. Pham Quang Huy – VND 55,000,000
  2. Vu Thai Bao – VND 32,500,000
  3. Kimoto Masayoshi – VND 20,000,000
  4. Maaku Tanaka – VND 14,100,000
  5. Trong Viet Hoang Nguyen – VND 11,200,000
  6. Ruel Jose – VND 8,900,000
  7. Ta Khanh Linh – VND 6,710,000

Content & Images Courtesy: So Much Poker

Keep following PokerGuru for all the latest updates from the 2022 WPT Prime Vietnam!

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