Championships Event down to the FINAL 8 players! A new champion will be crowned today

After ten hours of heated action at the CTP Club – Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association, the APT Taiwan 2019 – CHAMPIONSHIPS EVENT – closed Day 3 with the field knocked down from 45 players down to the Final 8. To say the battle was arduous was an understatement with everyone unwilling to give an inch. It took the unofficial final table of ten players three hours just to trim down to eight. You can read up on the detailed action via our Live Updates

Below are the finalists and a brief reviw. One of these players will lift their very first APT major title and the TWD 2,955,000 (USD  95,700) first prize. 

*Reminder: There will be no Live Updates today instead we will stream the Final 8 live on APT Twitch starting at 2pm local time. 

Championships Event: Final 8 review 

Chen Dong 

Chen Dong – China – 3,430,000 (chip leader)

Heralding in the final 8 players with the largest stack is China’s Chen Dong with 3,430,000. His young poker career is very impressive with deep runs in major tournaments around Asia. Days ago, Chen landed his first APT cash, finishing 4th at the High Rollers Single Day. To help Chen amass his stack, one of his biggest pots in Day 3 was shaving off over 500k from Filipino Richard Marquez during the final two tables. (Hand history). At the final table, Chen applied pressure on the short stacks, laying out big bets to claim pots. He also went head-to-head against Matthieu Lamangere a few times to steal the chip lead. 

Matthieu Lamagnere – France – 2,730,000

Matthieu Lamagnere

Second-in-chips is Matthieu Lamagnere with 2,730,0000. After the bubble burst, Lamagnere shipped a huge double up off Chi Jen Chu’s bluff. (Hand History). This brought him into the seven-digit range. From there, Lamagnere continued to climb and momentarily held the chip lead during the final ten after his trips out-kicked. (Hand History)

Alex Lindop – UK – 2,515,000

Alex Lindop

WSOP bracelet winner Alex Lindop is our third player down the rung with 2,515,000. He already has an APT Super High Roller title under his belt having won it back in January in Vietnam. Lindop held the chip lead very early on in Day 3, dropping players like dominoes starting with a cooler against Tomoharu Furuya whose aces were cracked by kings. At the final 10, Lindop went head-to-head against Lamagnere twice, lost the first one but doubled up on the second one with kings holding over big slick to slide back in the upper ranks. 

Pete Yen Han Chen – Taiwan – 1,855,000

Pete Yen Han Chen

Of all the players in the Final 8 lineup, Pete Yen Han Chen has had the most experience in the APT circuit with a few side event titles won through the years. He is a highly accomplished player, with an abundance of cashes and triumphs earned each year. 2017 was a particularly big year for Chen with three scores in six figures including a runner-up finish at a WSOP event. He is one of Taiwan’s highest ranking players and is looking to win his first-ever APT major title. To secure his seat, Chen bad beat Phachara Wongwichit in 9th place. (Hand history). He comes in fourth rank with 1,855,000. 

Jack Nai Yuan Hu – Taiwan – 1,245,000

Jack Nai Yuan Hu

Leading the bottom half of the chip count is Jack Nai Yuan Hu with 1,245,000. Hu is a familiar face in the APT news. At the start of the series, he won the Super High Rollers event, defeating a powerhouse lineup of 19 entries. He added a second cash to that at the High Rollers event. At the Championships Event, Hu stayed consistent throughout, always seen in the upper tier of the chip counts.

Jennette “Jay” Tan – Hong Kong – 1,035,000

Jennette “Jay” Tan

Jay Tan is the only female in the Final 8 lineup with 1,035,000 in chips. Going back to Day 2, Tan struggled with a short stack when one player got incredibly lucky on her set losing to a pair that improved to a crazy runner-runner full house. She started Day 3 with a below average stack then proceeded to claim sizable pots against several players pre-bubble round to near the million marker. She crossed over after winning a big pot against Gao Wen Ling with quad jacks. 

Wei Cheng Yin – Taiwan – 970,000

Wei Cheng YIn

Wei Cheng Yin already has two cashes at the ongoing series but what he is hunting for is what everyone in this list desires, the title. Last year in July, he finished 8th at this same event in Vietnam. Yin survived several shoves in Day 3 to secure his spot in the Final 8 with 970,000. He is also looking to score his first-ever major championship victory. 

En Hao Chan – Taiwan – 620,000

En Hao Chan brings up the rear with 620,000. Chan survived two shoves at the final ten elliptic to claim his spot into the Final 8. Chan is the most novice of the players with a handful of live tournament achievements earned all this year. No matter where he places, he is already guaranteed his largest score. 

Final 8 info

Total chips in play: 14,400,000
Average stack: 1,800,000
Opening level: resume level 25 blinds 25K-50K ante 50K with the clock counting down from 14:29

Remaining payouts
1st TWD 2,955,000
2nd TWD 1,970,100
3rd TWD 1,369,600
4th TWD 989,200
5th TWD 739,800
6th TWD 570,900
7th TWD 453,400
8th TWD 369,400

The Championships Event drew 288 entries for a prize pool of TWD 12,571,200 (USD 407,300). Only 29 players claimed portions with the Final 8 cuts to be awarded today. All of the finalists are hunting down their first-ever major APT title. Full results can be found here —> Event Results as soon as it concludes.