The Jin Bei Cup Is Officially Underway
The action for the opening event kicked off in time with some 25 players seated, two of which were non-Asian cash game players. It will be a fast-paced affair today with 20-minute levels and host venue for the tournament is the luxury Jin Bei Palace Hotel in the centre of Sihanoukville in Cambodia.
It is the first international poker event of the Jin Bei Group at the five-star entertainment complex and many of the local businessman from China are expected to join the action during the three days of the series. Live poker tournaments in the city at the coastline are an exception, though, the Asian Poker Tour visited four times since 2012 and three years in a row from 2014 to 2016 when the stop took place at the Queenco Casino and Hotel.
Since then, many casinos have been built in the city but they mostly cater to the high-stakes cash game action, which is also running concurrently as well. The city has become a hotbed for live poker cash game action in Cambodia while the capital Phnom Penh is more accustomed to host tournament action throughout the last few years.
In January 2017, the World Poker Tour visited Sihanoukville for the first and only time and the extensive schedule included the WPT National Cambodia Main Event, which was won by French player Benjamin Gonzva. Since then, all international competitions have, however, taken place at the NagaWorld Integrated Resort in the capital but this has now changed. Both cities are also connected by the busiest high-way in the country and it takes a mere two hours to make the trip.
The inaugural Jin Bei Cup may only contain three tournaments from May 7 to 9, 2024, but it caters to the high-stakes action with one of the largest guarantees in the history of Short Deck Poker. In the inaugural Jin Bei Cup Main Event Short Deck, players are competing for a share of the massive $5,000,000 guarantee and can buy-in for $53,000 to take their shot.
The Jin Bei Group has also secured the support of two stars in the international poker scene as Tom "durrrr" Dwan and Dan "Jungleman" Cates. Several other big names are expected to make the trip to Sihanoukville for what shapes up to be one of the most exciting Short Deck tournaments of the year.
Just to put the inaugural edition in perspective: The very successful Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju in nearby South Korea included four Short Deck tournaments including a $52,000 Main Event, which drew 34 entries and 33 re-entries for a prize pool of $3,350,000. The guarantee at the upcoming Main Event is significantly higher and showcases the ambition of the Jin Bei Group to provide live poker entertainment at a very high level.