Another multi-billion prize pool is expected to be given out in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Prime Vietnam. This latest high-roller event is the 8 Max Main Event Warm Up which is offering a massive VN₫ 6,853,050,000 prize pool to a few lucky winners. The event has exceeded the festival expectations as 471 players have signed up for the preliminary rounds. This has made it the most-attended event of this tournament and even beats last year’s major event, the Billionaire Club High Stakes Challenge. This is not too surprising as the 8 Max Main Event Warm-Up has nearly tripled the prize pool. but while hundreds of players have signed up for the event, only a handful will get any of that money.
Details About the WPT Prime 8 Max Main Event Warm Up
Despite a hefty entrance fee of around VN₫ 16,500,000 (US$ 700), almost five hundred players signed up for the WPT Prime 8 Max Main Event Warm Up to try and win big rewards. These players were divided into two flights Day 1A which has 178 entries, and Day 1B with 293 entries. Despite how many people signed up for these events, only 60 players will advance from either group, numbering 23 and 37 entries respectively.
The winner of WPT Prime 8 Max Main Event Warm Up Day 1B was Hanna Azimai, an Austrailian player who has gathered a massive 617,000 chip stack which put her far ahead of the competition. These chips are the equivalent of 102 big blinds which will give her a huge advantage in the upcoming sounds. Among her success in the tournament, Azimai managed to eliminate another poker star, Anton Widjaya which allowed her to get most of her chips. Later on, she followed this success with another, beating Sang Nguyen and ending her day on a high note.
This final confrontation of the 8 Max Main Event Warm Up day 1B started slow with Nguyen playing it safe to preserve his small stack. He opened up with the Ace of Diamonds and the King of Clubs. However, Azimai wasn’t interested in playing safe and pushed her larger stack into the table. Unable to resist the challenge, Nguyen responded and placed his remaining 18.5 big blinds. To everyone’s surprise, Azimai’s hands were weak, having only the 9 and 2 of a diamond. However, she was lucky as when they revealed the community cards, Aimai paired off with some of the cards and eliminated Nguyen.
Unfortunately for Sang Nguyen, he was the last to be eliminated from the bubble, meaning he will have to go home empty-handed. This success has put Hanna Azimai at the top of the pack for the 8 Max Main Event Warm Up.
In contrast, the winner of the 8 Max Main Event Warm-Up was Vietnamese star Đinh Quang Huy. Although he also played incredibly well, he has only managed to get 93 Big Blinds, putting him in third place. This means that he has a lot of catching up to do if he hopes to overtake Azimai.
The lucky players who will return for the 8 Max Main Event Warm Up, are now in the bubble. That means they will receive part of the prize pool with the smallest share being worth around VN₫ 29,500,000 (US$ 1,255). But the competition is going to be fierce as all the players will want the title and the grand prize of VN₫ 1,330,000,000 (US$ 56,640).
WPT Vietnam is shaping up to be an exciting event for all players. While the 9 Max Main Event Warm Up is what’s happening now, the previous WPT was equally exciting.
To get all the details of what happened there, you can check our WPT Opener Update.