HomeAfter 11 days of nonstop poker action, we have reached the final day of APT Korea Incheon 2019 taking place at the luxurious Paradise City Casino. Today promises to be very exciting with several events wrapping up. For this article, we focus on the second highlight tournament of the series where one player will rise to the throne and become the newest APT CHAMPIONSHIPS EVENT winner.
Getting underway on August 9, the Championships Event attracted 219 runners at KRW 1,980,000 each to easily crush the guarantee for an APT Korea event record prize pool worth KRW 382,374,000 (~USD 314,700). At yesterday’s Day 3, chunks of the pot were shaved off starting at 22nd place. The largest cuts will be claimed today with the Final 8 players hunting down the coveted title and the KRW 95,082,000 (~USD 78,300).
Championships Event – Final 8 – Left to Right – Louis Bilodeau, Go Saito, Graeme Siow, Li-Ta Hsu, Kiichi Ogura, Chi Wai Law, Chi Chung Ho, Vincent Kwun Ngai Li
Final 8 chip counts (by rank)
Graeme Siow Wei Lik – Singapore – 2,625,000 (65 bbs)
Louis Bilodeau – Canada – 2,410,000 (60 bbs)
Li-Ta Hsu – Chinese Taipei – 2,090,000 (52 bbs)
Vincent Kwun Ngai Li – Hong Kong SAR – 1,205,000 (30 bbs)
Kiichi Ogura – Japan – 1,060,000 (26 bbs)
Go Saito – Japan – 835,000 (20 bbs)
Chi Chung Ho – Hong Kong SAR – 420,000 (10 bbs)
Chi Wai Law – Hong Kong SAR – 265,000 (6 bbs)
Tournament info
Total entries: 219
Buy-in: KRW 1,980,000
Prize pool: KRW 382,374,000 (~USD 314,700)
ITM: 22
1st prize: KRW 95,082,000 (~USD 78,300)
Total chips in play: 10,910,000
Average stack: 1,363,750
Opening blinds: 20K – 40K ante 40K
Time: 130pm (local time)
Remaining payouts
1st KRW 95,082,000
2nd KRW 63,388,000
3rd KRW 44,067,000
4th KRW 31,828,000
5th KRW 23,803,000
6th KRW 18,371,000
7th KRW 14,588,000
8th KRW 11,885,000
Final 8 players
Leading in the pack is Singapore’s Graeme Siow Wei Lik with 2,625,000 (65 bbs) in chips. Siow is having a great run at the series. He reached the final table of the Main Event and cashed out in 6th place which was the deepest APT major event placing of his career. Coming in as the largest stack of the final 8 contenders, Siow is well-equipped to go the distance.
In second position is Canada’s Louis Bilodeau with KRW 2,410,000 (60 bbs) in chips. Through the years, Bilodeau has cashed at the APT with his biggest wins earned in the Philippines earlier this year. At the ongoing series, he cashed once, just missing a title by one spot at the WeLoveSport turbo event.
Out of all the finalists, Chinese Taipei’s Li-Ta Hsu is the player to watch for. He entered Day 3 as the lowest on the chip rung then drove his stack to 2,090,00 (52 bbs) to earn third position in the final 8. Hsu is very hot on the hunt with four cashes already under his belt at this series. He nearly won two of them, finishing runner-up at the Pot Limit Omaha Hi #1 and No Limit Hold’em #1. Hsu currently leads the APT Player of the Series race.
Wedged right in the middle of the pack is a well known player from the Asian circuit, Vincent Kwun Ngai Li from Hong Kong SAR. Li racked up 1,205,000 (30 bbs) in chips. Days ago he nearly landed a title at the Super High Rollers event but fell in runner-up. Throughout his career, Li has cashed at a handful of APT events. This is the furthest he has gone at an APT major event.
The bottom four in the count is led by Japan’s Kiichi Ogura with 1,060,000 (26 bbs) in chips. Ogura is a newcomer to the APT and is already showing he is one of the toughest players out there. He entered Day 3 running fourth in chips and powered through to secure a final 8 seat. Wherever he finishes, it will be largest live tournament payout and deepest run in a major event.
Next in the lineup is another Japanese player, Go Saito, the recent APT Korea Seoul Main Event champion. Saito is the only contender looking to bring home a second major APT title but he will have his work cut out with only 835,000 (20 bbs) in chips to play with.
Two more players complete the roster and both are from Hong Kong SAR. Chi Chung Ho comes in with 420,000 (10 bbs) and Chi Wai Law with 265,000 (6 bbs). Both players are in the danger zone entering the final 8. They will need to boost their stacks early to have a more solid chance of laddering up.
Good luck to the finalists! Cards in the air at 130pm.
Day 3 fallen notable players
Day 3 kicked off with 34 players back on the felt. The plan was to reach the money of 22 places then secure a final 8 seat. Entering with the largest stack was New Zealand’s Tae Hoon Han who wasn’t able to bring it to the final table instead falling in 16th place. Japan’s Yuki Hirata was also up there in the count at the start of the day but was stopped in his tracks in 12th place.
There were three APT major title-holders in Day 3. Go Saito advanced to the final table while Chen Dong finished 17th and recently crowned APT Main Event champion Tsang Dicky Siu Hang took 21st place.
Full APT Korea Incheon 2019 results
APT Player of the Series standings
