APPT Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2023 APPT Cambodia
APPT Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2023 APPT Cambodia
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$623,322
Entries
476
Level
31
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
160,000
Entries
176
Players Left
41
Zhang and Mai Lead 41 Survivors After Day 1a of the 2023 APPT Cambodia $1,500 Main Event
Level 13
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
The return of the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) to the Kingdom of Cambodia appears to be set to sail past the $400,000 guarantee in the flagship tournament of the stop at the five-star NagaWorld Integrated Resort in the heart of the capital. A total of 176 entries in the first of three starting flights were recorded for the 2023 APPT Cambodia $1,500 Main Event. Upon completion of 13 levels of 40 minutes each, the field of survivors was cut down to just 41 contenders.
A duo sits atop the leaderboard in Taiwan's Cheng Zhang (399,000) and Bien Mai (394,000), who are both separated by a mere two big blinds for Day 2. Especially Mai has racked up several deep runs in major live poker events in the Asia-Pacific region and comes fresh off scooping a PokerStars spadie in Event #21: Turbo Freezeout one day prior.
Notables in the overnight top ten also include Chao-Ting Cheng (241,000), WSOP bracelet winner Abhinav Iyer (187,000), Hao Tian (173,000), and Hal Rotholz (172,000).
Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 1a
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds Day 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheng Zhang | Taiwan | 399,000 | 133 |
| 2 | Bien Mai | Vietnam | 394,000 | 131 |
| 3 | Riki Yokono | Japan | 282,000 | 94 |
| 4 | Chao-Ting Cheng | Taiwan | 241,000 | 80 |
| 5 | Seunghun Ko | South Korea | 194,000 | 65 |
| 6 | Sungrock Jung | South Korea | 188,500 | 63 |
| 7 | Abhinav Iyer | India | 187,000 | 62 |
| 8 | Ilia Miakishev | Thailand | 182,500 | 61 |
| 9 | Hao Tian | China | 173,000 | 58 |
| 10 | Hal Rotholz | United States | 172,000 | 57 |
Likewise among the survivors were Adrien Tantaro (164,500), Junnie Pamplona (139,500), Zong-Chi He (132,000), Anthony Cierco (82,500), 2022 APPT Cambodia Main Event finalist Yu-Chung "Nevan" Chang (77,500) as well as Aladin Reskallah (67,000). Their stack sizes are locked as players cannot participate in any further remaining flights once they bagged up chips unlike in other Asian live events where the bigger stack gets carried forward.
Mai was a threat on the tables throughout the day and consistently added chips to his stack, soaring to the top of the leaderboard after Quan Qiu ran with pocket kings into his pocket aces. Only a few minutes later, fellow big stack Zhang spiked an ace to crack the pocket kings of Eric Ceret to set up a two-horse race for the top spot.
Defending champion Alexander Puchalski and third-place finisher Renniel Galvez were among those to try and build a foundation for yet another deep run in the grand ballroom but both joined a long list of casualties throughout the day. Things started well for Puchalski with an early double with a flopped set but things didn't go as planned from there on.
The same also applied for Nang Quang Nguyen, Grant Gardner, Guy Taylor, Jenam Yu, Huu Dung Nguyen, Pete Chen, Guoliang Wei, Chien Chih Weng, Eric Wasylenko, and Valeriy Pak to mention just some of those who came and left without anything to show for.
Many of these well-known players are expected to take another shot at running up a stack in the two remaining flights on May 13, 2023, with a regular and a turbo heat scheduled. Day 1b is slated to kick off at 1pm with a level duration of 40 minutes each followed by Day 1c as of 8pm local time with 20-minute levels.
Both flights will complete 13 levels and the survivors advance to the penultimate tournament day. A single re-entry option is available in each Day 1 during the late registration period, which is open for the first ten levels.
Stay tuned for more live poker action from Cambodia as the PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor until a winner has been crowned on Monday, May 15, 2023.
Final Day 1a Pictures
End-of-Day 1a Chip Counts (full)
Level 13
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
399,000 | 49,000 |
|
394,000 | 34,000 |
|
282,000 | 282,000 |
|
241,000 | 41,000 |
|
194,000 | -26,000 |
|
188,500 | 103,500 |
|
187,000 | -33,000 |
|
182,500 | -2,500 |
|
173,000 | 28,000 |
|
172,000 | -3,000 |
|
164,500 | 14,500 |
|
163,000 | -37,000 |
|
143,500 | 103,500 |
|
141,500 | -2,500 |
|
139,500 | 19,500 |
|
139,000 | -96,000 |
|
138,000 | 33,000 |
|
|
132,000 | |
|
|
125,000 | -30,000 |
|
124,000 | |
|
118,500 | 118,500 |
|
|
114,000 | 54,000 |
|
98,500 | -61,500 |
|
|
98,500 | 53,500 |
|
|
90,000 | 90,000 |
Day 1a Completed
Level 13
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
An unofficial 42 players bagged up chips for the night and will return for Day 2 on Sunday, May 14, 2023, when the race to the money and nine-handed final table takes place.
Assorted counts and a recap of today's action are to follow.
Iyer Crusing; Cheng Jamming
Level 13
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Abhinav Iyer raised for Hao Tian to call and that led them to the A♣Q♣8♦ flop. The Indian poker pro continued for 9,000 and took down the pot. Both Iyer and Tian have comfortable stacks during the last hands of the night.
One table over, Chao-Ting Cheng jammed over the top of a bet worth 11,000 by Xiao Hua Fu on a board of 7♠6♣5♥8♠A♦. Fu tank-folded and Cheng claimed in table chat he had a set of aces.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
220,000 | 40,000 |
|
|
200,000 | 200,000 |
|
|
160,000 | -60,000 |
|
|
145,000 | -15,000 |
Tantaro Knocks Out Mueller
Level 13
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
In a four-bet shove and call situation before the flop, Sebastian Mueller had the best of it versus Adrien Tantaro to unleash the following showdown.
Sebastian Mueller: A♣Q♦
Adrien Tantaro: A♥J♥
The suited ace got there on the Q♥9♠4♥7♥ turn to render the 5♦ river meaningless.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
150,000 | 55,000 |
|
Busted |
Last Seven Hands Announced
Level 13
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
The clock was stopped with 15 minutes left in the level and the final hands of the night were drawn. Only seven more hands are to be played on each table with 42 players still in the mix.
Grant Gardner is not among them when his A♥10♣ came up second-best versus A♠2♠ on a board of J♣8♦7♦2♦6♣.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Late Night Counts in Final Level
Level 13
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
360,000 | 20,000 |
|
|
350,000 | 30,000 |
|
|
220,000 | 70,000 |
|
|
200,000 | 15,000 |
|
|
185,000 | 25,000 |
|
|
175,000 | 30,000 |
|
150,000 | 50,000 |
|
80,000 | 45,000 |
|
50,000 | -35,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Taylor Bows Out With a Bluff
Level 13
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Having defended the big blind against an early position raise by Chao-Ting Cheng, Guy Taylor jammed the K♣J♠8♣J♦K♥ river.
Cheng flipped over his K♠Q♣ immediately after making the call and Taylor replied "I had the blockers" while another player at the table remarked "show the bluff". Taylor flashed 10♥9♠ for a missed straight draw and hit the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
180,000 | 180,000 |
|
Busted |