Keith Ong leads going to Day 2 of WPT Cambodia Kickoff Event

While on one hand, APT Vietnam is under rage, in Cambodia, for the very first-time in poker history the most prestigious World Poker Tour (WPT) commenced yesterday with the first event being the $440 Kickoff tournament. As we all know the Indian poker enthusiasts covering distance, swinging from one place to another and showcasing their poker skills in every possible sphere, so was the scenario yesterday!

The host venue Phnom Penh at NagaWorld is ready for 10 days long events lined up with 18 tournaments scheduled.The opening event is looked upon by numerous players to warm up before the Main Event. Day 1A of the Kickoff event attracted a good number of 108 players. After a 9-hour long haul and massive grinding, only 14 progressed to Day 2. Amassing the largest stack in the first starting flight was Singapore’s Keith Ong (picture above) with 485,000 chips now running to grab his first-ever live career win.

Quickly moving onto Day 1B, enticing another set of 104 players, each entering for a buy-in of $440. Another 9 hours into the competition ended with USA’s Michael Norman Wood (picture below) accumulating 324,000 chips and leading 13 others onto the next day. The entire tournament saw a total number of 212 players fighting against one another to book their places to Day 2, but only a handful of 27 progress. A prize pool of $82,256 was created to be shared among the top places with each receiving a min-cash of $615.

Coming closer to the end of the Asian Poker Tour in Vietnam, several Indians will surely look forward to South Asia. It is fascinating to note, a bunch of Indian countrymates to progress to Day 2 include Rajneesh Katoch with 238,000 chips, Raju Jaruplavath with 211,000 chips and Paawan Bansal bagging 58,000. The WSOP bracelet winner Abhinav Iyer (pictured below) also entered the previous day but unfortunately busted before the day ended.

Day 1A and 1B top 10 chip counts:

Ong Xun Keith – 485,000
Michael Norman Wood – 324,000
Trung Hieu Tran – 288,000
Rajneesh Katoch – 238,000
Kok Weng Beh – 235,000
Raju Jaruplavath – 211,000
Corbin Benjamin White – 209,000
Steffen Endres – 192,000
Lai Heng Foo – 173,000
Bin Mohammad Muhei – 161,000

Day 2 of the kick-off event will resume today, 17 November at 1 pm local time in Phnom Penh. For all latest updates on poker news and tournaments around the world, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com and stay tuned!

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Image Courtesy: SoMuchPoker