HomeAfter five days of Main Event action at the Asian Poker Tour Philippines 2016 in Resorts World Manila, Korea’s Seung Soo Jeon overcame a field of 180 entries to claim his second APT Main Event championship title!
APT Philippines 2016 Main Event Champion, Jeon Seung Soo
We were able to steal a quick few minutes with the champion before he dashed off to celebrate.
APT: Congratulations Jeon! This is your second championship! You must be feeling great!
Jeon: Oh my god! How do I explain? I am so so happy! Aaaaah! (throws his hands up in the air)
APT: Coming into the final table you were second in chips, did you have a game plan for today?
Jeon: Last night I was looking at all the players who made it into the final table and I felt I was the best player. I felt confident. On the previous days, I trapped many players, and today, that was also my plan. I was going to trap, trap, trap. Like when I busted one player out. I had ace-king and I just limped in because I wanted to trap him, and I did. He went all in with ace-jack. Also in the final hand, I had trips on the flop and I just checked. I waited for him to bluff all in and he did. Trapped! I trapped so many players today.
APT: At any point today, were you losing confidence?
Jeon: The Malaysian player (Kah Boon Teh), he was so lucky. Everyday of the event, he was lucky. He got lucky so many times today that I got scared. I’ve never seen anyone that lucky. That’s why when we were heads up, I asked him if we could make a deal. I know I can beat him but I was scared.
APT: What are your thoughts on this APT Main Event in regards to the higher buy-in and different structure?
Jeon: I loved it! It is better. There are many players from all over world because the buy-in is higher. I think more international players will come to the Philippines if the buy-in is high like this one. I hope more players from outside of the country will come here and play.
APT: How will you be spending your hard earned winnings?
Jeon: Savings. It is all about bankroll.
APT: Congratulations again Jeon! Will we be seeing you at the next APT event?
Jeon: Definitely! I like the APT, it is my favorite poker event.
Recap of the Final 8 and Jeon’s rise to the top
The Final 8 had to have been the wildest roller coaster day of the Main Event. It began with New Zealand’s Thomas Ward entering the day with the largest stack and eventual champion Jeon not far behind. After Jeon won a series of early pots, he delivered the first casualty of the day by eliminating Canadian player Michael Lee in 8th place with A♣ Q♥ defeating 8♥ 8♣ on a board that ran 2♥ 9♦ K♣ 3♣ A♦. Jeon jumped to an even bigger lead when he claimed a huge pot against Ward who bluffed on the river with Q♦ J♠ on a board of 7♦ 5♦ K♥ 8♦ 3♠. Jeon had K♠ Q♠.
The next player to fall was Canadian Zackary Lazarus in 7th place. This elimination came at the hands of Malaysian player, Kah Boon Teh. Lazarus went all in on a flop of A♣ 2♠ 8♣ 3♣ J♣ and Teh called. Lazarus had A♥ 7♦ and Teh had A♠ 10♦. The turn was a J♣ and the river was 3♣.
Then it was the rise of the short stacks. Australia’s Chris Edgar doubled up three times, crossing the six-digit chip mark with A♣ Q♠ against Teh’s K♠ 7♠. Guam’s Jim Bonanno also hit the million mark when he doubled up with his K♦ 4♠ big blind shove and was snap called by Filipino Czardy Rivera who limped in his small blind with 9♥ 9♦. A king landed on the board and Bonanno doubled up. Although Rivera’s stack plummeted, it was only momentary as he began winning multiple pots until he had enough to bounce the ailing stacked Ward in 6th place. It was a swinging hand with Ward holding A♦ J♠ and Rivera with K♣ K♥. The board gave Ward an ace on the flop, overtaking Rivera’s cowboys, but not for long as a king landed on the turn for a set to Rivera that held on.
Ward getting beat on the turn
Shortly after, one of Jeon’s traps found its victim. Rivera bluffed on a board of A♥ 8♠ 9♠ 9♥ J♦. Jeon check-called with his A♣ 10♣, exposing Rivera’s 4♥ 3♠. This sent Jeon’s chips flying high to around 3.7m and Rivera back in the dumps again. Then Jeon’s monster stack took a big hit when he couldn’t push out Edgar from a pot, giving up over 1.2m of his chips and mucking at the called river bet. Edgar now had the chip lead with 3.1m chips. Of course, that didn’t last long either because more craziness ensued. Edgar called Teh’s shove with Teh holding K♠ 9♠ and Edgar with Q♣ Q♥. The board ran 5♥ 7♣ 2♥ 2♦ and a booming K♦ on the river for a sick double up that stunned everyone.
It was now high time for Rivera to get back in the game. He bluffed all in against short-stacked Bonanno and lost with 9♥ 2♥ against A♠ 10♠. He earned a double up with his K♣ 3♣ against Edgar’s A♣ Q♦ with two pairs on the board but despite having worked back some chips, he was eliminated in 5th place in another insanely sick hand. Rivera and Teh were in a hand together with a massive pot brewing. The board was already at 4♠ 3♠ 8♣ 5♦ when Rivera shoved. Teh tanked for a long time and when he called, it was Rivera who was ahead with K♥ 8♥ and Teh with A♥ 5♥. When the 5♣ appeared on the river, the room erupted in disbelief again as Teh had trips.
Teh celebrating his trips over Rivera
Teh continued to soar, climbing to over 4.2m chips with pocket queens against Jeon and escalated further when he eliminated Edgar in 4th place in nothing less than dramatic fashion. Edgar had 7♥ 7♦ and Teh with A♠ 6♣. The board ran 8♣ 7♠ 10♣ giving Edgar a set, but with the turn of K♣ and river of 9♣, Teh won with a flush. Jeon climbed as well. He eliminated Bonanno in 3rd place with one of his traps. He limped in with ace-king, Bonanno shoved on the big blind with ace-jack, Jeon called, and won with two pairs.
At heads up, Teh was ahead in chips but Jeon grinded him down and then landed a massive pot with two pairs that Teh just could not get away from. The final hand saw Jeon trap Teh on a board of 3♦ 8♥ 8♠. He checked, then the turn of Q♠ was dealt. Teh bluffed all in and Jeon snap-called. Jeon had 8♣ 6♦ for trips and Teh was drawing dead with 9♥ 7♣.
Congratulations to Seung Soo Jeon! He now has two APT Main Event titles under his belt!
You can watch the video of the Final 8 at APT Twitch.tv and have a look back on the hand-for-hand live updates in the Live Reporting section of the website.