Song Leads Stacked Field Heading into TLPT $20k Finale
The field has been trimmed to just 11 players in Event #11: TLPT $20,000 8-Handed, and after a long and turbulent Day 1 inside the Landing Casino at the luxurious Shinhwa World Hotel Jeju — a familiar name has topped the counts once again.
Stephen Song, continuing a dominant run at The Lord Poker Tournament that includes winning the $15k Main Event, bagged 1,315,000 to claim the top spot last night heading into Day 2. The path to victory won't be easy, however, as other top talents including Dominik Nitsche, Dan Cates, and Lei Yu remain in contention.
Day 2 Seat Draw and Chip Counts
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | Calvin Lee | United States | 470,000 | 31 |
| 2 | 4 | Istvan Birizdo | Hungary | 185,000 | 12 |
| 2 | 5 | James Mendoza | Philippines | 1,180,000 | 79 |
| 2 | 6 | Yisha Chen | China | 1,100,000 | 73 |
| 2 | 7 | Daniel Cates | United States | 400,000 | 27 |
| 2 | 8 | Lei Yu | China | 595,000 | 40 |
| 3 | 1 | Stephen Song | United States | 1,315,000 | 88 |
| 3 | 3 | Taylor Black | United States | 680,000 | 45 |
| 3 | 4 | Dominik Nitsche | Germany | 155,000 | 10 |
| 3 | 5 | Martin Nielsen | Faroe Islands | 120,000 | 8 |
| 3 | 6 | Gavin | China | 205,000 | 14 |
In addition to those mentioned, Song is sure face stiff competition from James Mendoza and Yisha Chen, who were the only other players to bag over a million in chips last night and only trail Song by a handful of big blinds.
Yesterday's 32 entrants generated a healthy $640,000 prize pool, with $242,000 reserved for the winner and only five players set to cash. With the money bubble looming and elite talent still in the field — all signs point to an intensely competitive Day 2.
TLPT $20,000 8 Handed Payouts
| Place | Prize ($USD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $242,000 |
| 2 | $162,000 |
| 3 | $101,000 |
| 4 | $75,000 |
| 5 | $60,000 |
Day 2 is scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. and play down to a winner. Play will resume on Level 13, which features blinds of 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 big blind ante. Levels will continue to last 45 minutes each and breaks will be held after every two levels.
To avoid stream spoilers, updates will be posted on a 30-minute delay to match the live stream, which can be found on the TLPT YouTube page here.
Stay locked in with PokerNews for all the key hands, bustouts, and big moments as we race toward the final table, money bubble, and eventual next TLPT Champion!