HomeThe tables have lit up here at the Grand Loyal Poker Club with the first ever Asian Poker Tour Vietnam Hanoi series underway! The 13-day festival welcomed in players with a VN₫ 1 Billion guaranteed Mystery Bounty tournament. This new bounty format has become extremely popular around the world. For today’s agenda, two flights are available; the first one set off at 12 noon with registration closing at 18:35. The second flight gets on the felt at 16:00. Both flights play to the end of Level 15.
Buy in: VN₫ 8,800,000 (~US$ 380)
Guarantee: VN₫ 1,000,000 (~US$ 43,125)
Starting stack: 25,000
Level intervals: 30 minutes
Starting blinds: 50 – 100
For players that sign up at the last second, you enter with 16 BB. Great news to all, at this time Flight A is up to 140 entries which means the guarantee has been cracked. Registration is still open for this heat.
At the conclusion of the two flights, players return tomorrow, Wednesday June 8 for the final day. Starting at noon, the qualifiers will race to the money and hunt down the biggest mystery prizes. Bounties only kick in once ITM is reached.
The inaugural APT Vietnam Hanoi Loyal features a lineup of 25 games highlighted by the MAIN EVENT VN₫ 5 Billion guaranteed (~US$ 216,610) which runs from June 9 to 14. This is the APT’s most highly revered tournament and it is the event everyone aims to conquer. This title is especially unique as it will be the first awarded by the APT in Hanoi.
For those new to the APT, the tournament’s deep stack structure with slow escalating blinds allow for plenty of playing time which ultimately rewards the more skilled. In mid April, Vietnamese player Hue Dang shipped the APT Vietnam Phu Quoc Main Event. She will likely be at the festival looking to bag her second title. Good news, the APT has extended Main Event registration an extra hour, closing at the end of Level 11 (previously end of Level 10), which is Sunday, June 12 at 2pm. Buy in is VN₫ 22,000,000 (~US$ 950) with three starting days. For players that sign up at the last second, you still have a decent 20 BB to start with.
Running back to back is the Championships Event VN₫ 4 Billion guaranteed (~US$ 172,488). Similar to the main in structure, its higher buy in of VN₫ 38,500,000 (~US$ 1,660) tends to draw a tight field of players with heavier bankrolls. Registration has also been extended, closing at the end of Level 11 which is Friday, June 17 at 3pm. For players that sign up at the last second, you also have a decent 20 BB to start with.
Speaking of heavier bankrolls, a third of the schedule is marked high rollers, which are eight in total. The most expensive event is the Super High Rollers with buy in of VN₫ 108,000,000 (~US$ 4,657), the two-day High Rollers events cost VN₫ 65,000,000 and VN₫ 86,000,000, and the High Rollers Single Day go for VN₫ 32,500,000 to VN₫ 43,000,000.
Other low to mid ranged events are Turbos, two-day and single day NLH, Head Hunter, Short Deck, Pot Limit Omaha, and crowd favorite Monster Stack which closes the series.
Venue
The Grand Loyal Poker Club is located on the second floor of the Grand Vista Hotel. The poker room has a cool vibe and can accommodate up to 20 tables. It also has its own kitchen, several massage chairs, and an RFID table for live streaming.
For the series, game are running in the ballroom, located one floor above, 21 tables are set up. As for the hotel, it is top notch providing a comprehensive list of amenities for staying guests such as a fitness center, hot tub, bar, indoor pool, massage services, 24 hour room service, and buffet breakfast (optional). During the event, players can avail of special rates however it is subject to availability. Foreigners sometimes have difficulty communicating due to the language barrier; at the hotel, seven languages are spoken namely Vietnamese, French, English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.
Tourist info
For international travelers, all border restrictions have been lifted however you do have to sign up to the local PC-Covid app for contract tracing during your stay. Once you arrive at the Noi Bai International Airport, the poker room is a one hour ride maximum. The currency is Vietnamese Dong. Exchange counters are available at the airport and at most banks. One more thing to take note of, it is rainy season in the country so make sure to pack a rain jacket.
In addition to playing poker, we do recommend spending time exploring the city on foot, especially the Old Quarter with its trademark narrow streets lined with vendors. Further out, a full day trip to Ha Long Bay is a must.