HomeAfter a grueling 10 hours of play on the final day, the Asian Poker Tour crowned its newest MAIN EVENT champion! Congratulations to Akshay Nasa for his victory! He pocketed his largest live tournament cash worth VND 1,486,560,000 (~USD 64,000). This was also his first major career title. 
Relive the final 8 race via APT Twitch and APT YouTube.
APT Vietnam 2019 – Main Event – ran from November 7 to 12 at host venue Pro Poker Club. Here’s a look at the final numbers.
Total entries: 436
Buy-in: VND 22,000,000 (~USD 1,000)
Prize pool: VND 8,458,400,000 (~USD 363,700)
ITM: 44 places
Full payouts —-> APT Vietnam 2019 results
Leading up to the final day, Akshay Nasa suffered a hit late in Day 1C to bring him down to half starting stack. Entering Day 2, 182 returned to the scene. As one of the bottom 10, Nasa had plenty of ground to make up. By the end of that heat, he sent several players tumbling to finish just one spot shy of the leader, Sofia Lovgren with 52 remaining.
At Day 3, Nasa delivered the bubble by knocking out Nguyen Thi Bao An with K♥ K♦ over A-K on a dry board. The day ended with the final 8 lineup. Vincent Chauve bagged up an enormous 30% of chips in play. Nasa was in fifth rank.
Day 3 recap and final 8 players
Main Event – Final 8 players
Final 8 payouts
1st Akshay Nasa – India – VND 1,486,560,000 (ICM made)
2nd Vincent Chauve – France – VND 1,544,200,000 (ICM deal made)
3rd Wilson Choi (Choi Eng Loong) – Malaysia – VND 842,780,000
4th Ankit Wadhawan – India – VND 608,730,000
5th Sofia Lovgren – Sweden – VND 455,230,000
6th Bien Duc Nguyen – Australia – VND 351,340,000
7th Cuong Nguyen – Canada – VND 279,000,000
8th Jaesh Balachandran – Singapore – VND 227,310,000
Main Event – Final 8 recap
The final 8 race to the throne ran a lengthy 10 hours with 218 hands tabled. Not much changed in the first hour except the rise of Akshay Nasa from fifth rank to second rank while Sofia Lovgren fell from second to sixth rank.
Hand #12: With blinds at 12k – 24k ante 24k, u+2 Wilson Choi raised to 50k, button Nasa three-bet to 165k, big blind Lovgren four-bet to 390k, Choi folded, Nasa called. On the flop 10♣ Q♥ 7♦, Lovgren c-bet 350, Nasa called. On the turn 2♦ both checked. The river card 3♥, Lovgren check-folded to Nasa’s shove.
By Hand #46, the first casualty arrived. Jaesh Balachandran was drained of chips and was forced all in on the big blind.
Jaesh Balachandran
Four hands later, Nasa took the lead after winning a pot against the leader Vincent Chauve. Blinds at 15k – 30k ante 30k, utg Chauve raised 65k preflop, bet 45k at the flop and 160k at the turn, bb Nasa check-called each time, then both checked the river. The board was 9♦ 3♠ 2♣ 7♣ 5♠. Nasa with J♦ J♥, Chauve J♣ 9♣. At hand #57, the next short stack tumbled out. Cuong Nguyen was railed by Nasa with A-K over A-Q.
Cuong Nguyen
Six-handed
The six-handed bout was a long one. During that time, Nasa amassed 46% of chips in play while Lovgren dropped to the shortest of 11 bbs. At hand #90, she doubled up with A♦ K♦ over Choi’s A♣ 9♣. She jumped up to 28 bbs while Choi plummeted to 7.5 bbs.
At hand #97, Choi landed his first of 8 big pots / double ups. He three-bet shoved with K♠ 9♣ and Chauve called with J♠ 10♣. The board bricked. Following that hand, Lovgren won a big pot against Nasa to return to second rank. She raised 125k preflop then bet every street – 125k, 150k, 400k. Nasa folded on the river on a board 10♦ Q♦ 8♥ 5♦ 7♣.
Wilson Choi
Hand #100 saw Choi double up with K-Q finding a king on the turn to overcome Nasa’s pocket tens. Four hands later, he double up again through Nasa with Q♥ 10♥ over 7♠ 6♠ on a board 4♣ 10♣ 5♠ 7♦ K♣. Nasa check-shoved at the flop and Choi snap-called. These two losses brought Nasa back to earth.
From there, the chip lead switched back and forth numerous times from Nasa to Chauve to Choi to Lovgren. Choi jumped out front at hand #113 by cracking Bien Duc Nguyen’s A♦ A♣ with 5♦ 5♥ improving to a set on the board. Nguyen was eliminated in 6th place.
Bien Duc Nguyen
Once again the chip lead could not be tamed. Chauve reclaimed it by calling out Choi’s bluff. It was hand #142 with blinds at 40k – 80k ante 80k. Choi on the attack, he raised 190k from cutoff and Chauve called. When the board ran out 10♦ 3♦ 2♦ J♣ 7♥, Choi triple barreled – 155k, 450k, all in – to send Chauve tanking. Chauve called for his tournament life and banked a huge doubled up with 10♥ 9♦ over Choi’s Q♠ 9♠ bluff. Choi plunged to below 4 bbs.
Vincent Chauve
Despite the drop, Choi literally had nine lives. He recovered in back to back double ups. Down to one big blind, he doubled up with K-10 against Nasa’s A-Q. The next one was A-3 over Chauve’s Q-5. But as quick as it came, he lost half of it to Ankit Wadhawan who doubled up with A-10 over K-8.
Ankit Wadhawan
Before the new level, hand #157, Chauve called off another bluff, this time it was Nasa attempting to steal the pot. It was a battle of the blinds. Sb Nasa limped and Chauve checked. When the board completed J♥ Q♣ 2♣ 9♦ 2♠, Nasa triple-barreled 80k, 240k, 420k, and Chauve called each time. Nasa had 7♣ 4♣, Chauve with Q♦ 3♦.
Wilson Choi doubles up
Start of the new level, Choi doubled up to 9 bbs through Lovgren with A-2 two pair over K-5. Two hands after, another one for Choi with Lovgren paying again. Choi’s 10♠ 10♦ held against her A♣ 9♥. Four hands later, Chauve rivered Lovgren to 5th place. Lovgren A♣ J♦, Chauve A♠ 2♦, the board 3♥ 3♠ 6♠ 8♣ 2♣. Twelve hands later Wadhawan fell in 4th place with Chauve executing again. Chauve’s A-J found an ace to overtake Wadhawan’s pocket fives. Chauve rose to 67% of chips in play.
Three players left. Choi and Nasa faced off with Nasa doubling up with K-Q over A-10 when a king showed up on the flop. Immediately after, it was the end of Choi. He called for his life holding K-5 that fell to Chauve’s pocket jacks.
Heads up
This brought about heads up with Chauve up 3:1 against Nasa. At heads up hand #7, Chauve won a big pot. Blinds were 60k – 120k ante 120k. Chauve limped, Nasa checked, the flop ran 10♠ 4♦ 9♥. Nasa check-called 120k. On the turn 3♣ no bets. The river 10♦, Nasa led for 250k, Chauve shoved, Nasa tank-folded.
Seven hands later, Nasa recovered some lost chips with a double up. Chauve shoved 6♠ 5♣ and Nasa snapped with A♣ 8♦. The board favored Nasa. Four hands later, Chauve won a big one to widen his lead again. He raised to 350k, Nasa called. On the flop A♦ 5♥ 2♦ Nasa check-called 200k. On the turn 6♦ Nasa bet 550k, Chauve raised to 1.3M, Nasa folded.
Nasa charged back and eventually found a spot to double up in with A♦ 3♦ getting full pay by Chauve’s K♦ 3♥. The players then reached an ICM deal:
Chauve VND 1,544,200,000
Nasa VND 1,395,600,000
The winner would also receive an additional VND 90,960,000.
Nasa went on to win it. He took the lead with A♣ 6♣ over 9♠ 8♠ with Chauve pushing on the button that got called. Then won with J♠ J♥ over Chauve’s K♣ 10♥ that missed the board.
