APPT Korea 2019: Takao Shimizu Leads 59 Main Event Day 1A Survivors; Miki Kobayashi & Pete Chen Win Side Events

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  • Attreyee Khasnabis April 12, 2019
  • 4 Minutes Read

Paradise City, Incheon has become the epicenter of some intense poker action since the star attraction of the 2019 Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Korea, the APPT Main Event commenced on April 11. Sporting a buy-in of ₩1,800,000, the event registered 222 entries (183 unique and 39 re-entries) on Day 1A, eclipsing not only last year’s record of 182 entries but also smashing the ₩300,000,000 guarantee set for the Main Event accruing ₩348,850,800 (~₹2.12 Crores) in prize money.

After 13 levels of play, the field had whittled down to 59 runners. Topping the list of survivors was Japan’s Takao Shimizu who amassed 281,000 and is followed closely by Malaysian superstar Michael Soyza (275,000).

Yasheel Doddanavar and Meherzad Munsaf were the Indian’s seen in action on Day 1A; however, both players were eliminated before the day’s proceedings concluded. With the second and final starting flight slated to begin later today, the Indian challengers still have a chance to qualify for Day 2.

The ₩300K NLH Knockout Turbo and ₩400K NLH Freezeout also ran alongside the Main Event. Japan’s Miki Kobayashi claimed her maiden live score of ₩5,859,000 (~₹3.56 Lakhs) and title in the former event, while Taiwan’s Pete Chen clinched his 12th PokerStars Live title in the latter and ₩9,902,000 (~₹6.02 Lakhs) in prize money.

 

1,800,000 APPT Main Event – Day 1A

The most anticipated tournament of the series was the ₩1,800,000 APPT Main Event which kicked off on April 11. The opening flight registered 222 entries (183 unique and 39 re-entries), obliterating last year’s Day 1A collection of 182 entries. A prize pool of ₩348,850,800 (~₹2.12 Crores) was generated on the opening day which has already smashed the ₩300,000,000 guarantee set for the tournament.

India’s Yasheel Doddanavar and Meherzad Munsaf jumped into the Main Event after busting out of the ₩10,000,000 APPT Super High Roller. Having already picked up a score in the ₩1M Short Deck Re-Entry event (3rd for ₩7.5 Million – ~₹4.58 Lakhs), Yasheel Doddanavar was looking to run deep in the Main Event. However, things did not go as planned, and during level 7, he lost a major pot to the eventual chip leader Takao Shimizu. With the board showing , Shimizu tabled for a rivered straight as Doddanavar mucked his hand and the latter’s stack dropped to 37,000. He was eliminated soon after that.

Yasheel Doddanavar
Yasheel Doddanavar

Doddanavar’s compatriot, Meherzad Munsaf was one of the early arrivals at the event, along with other well-known players like Yoshiya Agata, Tetsuya Tsuchikawa and Norihiro Otani. He earned an early double up on Day 1A when his got the better of his opponent’s with the runout bringing Munsaf quads. His stack doubled to 59,900. Unfortunately, Munsaf yet again failed to hold on to the momentum and busted before the day wrapped up.

Meherzad Munsaf

Japan’s Takao Shimizu topped the leaderboard with a count of 281,000. But Shimizu needs to be on his toes when he returns to the felts for Day 2 for just on his coattails is Malaysian pro and winner of the APPT Super High RollerMichael Soyza.

Takao Shimizu
Takao Shimizu

Soyza jumped into the action of the Main Event almost immediately after taking down the Super High Roller and narrowly missed being chip leader – instead bagging the second largest stack of 275,000.

Michael Soyza
Michael Soyza

Other notable stacks of the day included Ken Okada (189,000), Yue Liu (168,000), Yoshiya Agata (141,000) and Phachara Wongwichit (119,000).

Top 10 Chip Counts At the End of Day 1A

1. Takao Shimizu – 281,000

2. Michael Soyza – 275,000

3. Daisuke Ogita – 231,000

4. Mengdian Peng – 207,000

5. Tetsuro Tomita – 198,000

6. Ken Okada – 189,000

7. Lok Kin Yeung – 179,000

8. Jiabin Wang – 178,500

9. Yifan Zhang – 175,500

10. Tsun Ming Chan – 174,000

 

300K NLH Knockout Turbo

The ₩300K NLH Knockout Turbo was the 11th event of the series and attracted a commendable field of 127 entries, generating a prize pool of ₩26,911,300 (~₹16.36 Lakhs), which included an additional ₩6,350,000 in bounties.

Japan’s Miki Kobayashi became the second female player and the third Japanese player to win an event at the series. Kobayashi, who works as a dealer for Japan’s largest poker tournament series, defeated China’s Yue Liu heads-up, pocketing ₩5,859,000 (~₹3.56 Lakhs) in the process which also happens to be her first-ever live tournament score.

The other runners who also finished in the money but missed the final table included Kunimaro Kojo (10th for ₩672,300), Yueyang Zhou (11th for ₩538,000), Valeriy Fokin (12th for ₩538,000), Chi Chung Ho (13th for ₩404,000), Jianguo Chen (14th for ₩404,000) and Qi Xi (15th for ₩404,000).

Miki Kobayashi
Miki Kobayashi

Final Table Results (KRW)

1. Miki Kobayashi – ₩5,859,000

2. Yue Liu – ₩5,850,000

3. Xing Biao Zhu – ₩3,095,000

4. Takuya Kuramoto – ₩2,424,000

5. Kongzhi Hou – ₩1,885,000

6. Xiaobo Zhou – ₩1,613,000

7. Pete Chen – ₩1,343,000

8. Gang Wang – ₩1,075,000

9. Hiroki Moriuchi – ₩807,000

 

400K NLH Freezeout

Taiwan’s Pete Chen is a force to be reckoned with and sports quite a record at poker tournaments hosted by PokerStars. Already boasting of 11 PokerStars LIVE titles, Chen once again proved his mettle when he claimed his 12th title by taking down the ₩400K NLH Freezeout.

Chen has had an eventful time at the felts of late. Right after Chen final tabled the ₩300K NLH Knockout Turbo, finishing seventh for ₩1,343,000 (~₹81,677), he charged into the ₩400K NLH Freezeout where he decimated the 107-strong entry field. He locked in the most significant share of the ₩37,364,400 (~₹22.72 Lakhs) prize pool kitty and walked away ₩9,902,000 (~₹6.02 Lakhs) richer.

Besides the nine finalists, the other entrants who managed to cross the money line were APPT National champion Yan Li (10th for ₩933,400), Pengyu Lin (11th for ₩747,000) and Chunho Edward Yam (12th for ₩747,000).

Pete Chen
Pete Chen

Final Table Results (KRW)

1. Pete Chen – ₩9,902,000

2. Yu Guo – ₩6,726,000

3. Hiromi Sato – ₩4,484,000

4. David Sheperd – ₩3,550,000

5. Shoma Ishikawa – ₩2,802,000

6. Hiroyuki Yoshimura – ₩2,429,000

7. Yu Xiang Yeo – ₩2,055,000

8. Jiabin Wang – ₩1,681,000

9. William Chan – ₩1,308,000

Content & Images Courtesy: Asia Pacific Poker Tour & PokerNews

Keep following PokerGuru for the more exciting updates from the 2019 APPT Korea!

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