HomeThe race to the first APT Main Event title of 2019 ends today! At 130pm the Final 8 players will return to Pro Poker Club to battle it out one last time. The title, the glory, the wicked new APT trophy, the APT Championship Ring, and of course the VND 2,269,092,000 (~USD 97,600) first prize money.
| Abhinav Iyer | India | 4,825,000 |
| Mai Te | China | 2,105,000 |
| Daiki Horikawa | Japan | 1,740,000 |
| Ming Yang Liu | China | 1,625,000 |
| Huu Tuan Nguyen | Vietnam | 1,235,000 |
| Mark Gruendemann | Ireland | 1,060,000 |
| Sim Kok Wai | Malaysia | 895,000 |
| Hak Do Kim | Hak Do Kim | 895,000 |
Players resume at Level 29: Blinds 30K-60K ante 60K – the clock counting down from 31:04. There will be no live updates today instead the Final 8 will stream live on APT Twitch and APT YouTube on a one hour delay.
Average stack: 1,800,000
Chips in play: 14,400,000
Final 8 payouts
1st VND 2,269,092,000
2nd VND 1,512,731,000
3rd VND 1,051,629,000
4th VND 759,571,000
5th VND 568,039,000
6th VND 438,408,000
7th VND 348,137,000
8th VND 283,642,000
Here’s a look at the Final 8 players:
Abhinav Iyer – India – 4,825,000
Abhinav Iyer (upper left) will be coming in as the overwhelming chip leader withe 4,825,000. He is in the best position to take this all the way with a dominating 80 bbs. Iyer was the bane of many players in Day 3 that included Duy Ho and Phan Dinh Nam. Iyer ended Huu Dung Nguyen in 11th place, denying the Vietnamese pro a bid for a second APT championship title. 2018 was a big year on the tournament arena for Iyer with various cashes around the globe. Kicking off strong in 2019, wherever he places, it will be his first-ever career APT cash. He is also looking to bag his first major international live tournament title.
Mai Te – China – 2,105,000
Mai Te has been one of the strongest contenders from the start. He topped Day 1C to carry the overall largest stack into Day 2. Entering Day 3, he ranked in the top ten, and though there were some scares along the way, he bagged up second-in-command for the Final 8. Te will be looking to score his first major live tournament title. This is his deepest APT run and first ever cash at the tour.
Daiki Horikawa – Japan – 1,740,000
Daiki Horikawa is the lone Japanese player remaining. Last year Horikawa missed the APT Main Event title by one spot in Korea. The year prior, he was also at the APT Main Event in Jeju finishing in 6th place. All of Horikawa’s five previous cashes were at the APT. To form the Final 8, Horikawa railed Alex Lee in 9th place.
Ming Yang Liu – China – 1,625,000
Ming Yang Liu is the second player representing China and he is running strong with a stack just under average. Ming ended the run of Hong Kong pro Alan King Lun Lau and later, he eliminated Vu Duc Trang in 10th place. This is Ming’s deepest run at any Main Event he’s cashed in. Wherever he places, it will be his first APT cash and his largest live tournament career score.
Huu Tuan Nguyen – Vietnam – 1,235,000
Unlike all other APT Vietnam Main Events, only one player will be holding up the Vietnamese torch… Huu Tuan Nguyen. Tuan may not have extensive live tournament experience but it doesn’t show with results consistently in the high ranks. Tuan entered Day 3 second-in-chips and was the first to cross into seven digits. It was only very late in the day where he was at risk. Tuan also finished second at the festival’s opening Monster Stack event. He is also on the hunt for his first major title.
Mark Gruendemann – Ireland – 1,060,000
Irishman Mark Gruendemann has attended APT events in the past but this is his deepest at the APT Main Event. Early in Day 3, Gruendemann jumped from mid ranking to the upper tier after a huge double up against Jeonggyu cho with pocket tens turned set. From there, he soared to over a million, dipped down, then back up after sending off Chul Ho Bae with another successful pocket tens.
Sim Kok Wai “Peter” – Malaysia – 895,000
Hak Do Kim – Korea – 895,000
The last two players in the list Sim Kok Wai “Peter” and Hak Do Kim (J88 Poker Team Pro) both have the same stacks of 895,000. No matter where they finish, both players are already guaranteed to pocket their largest live tournament career score. For Kim, a lucky river card against Huu Dung Nguyen saved him from elimination with 11 players remaining. As for Wai, he ended Lin Yusheng’s run in 12th place.
Good luck to all! Don’t forget to catch the final race action via our live feeds.