The Taiwan Millions Main Event has finally come to an end and with that conclusion, a new winner has been announced. From July 27 to 31, the Main Event is the crown jewel of the Taiwan Millions event, Taiwan’s most famous local poker tournament. This event had its largest showing yet, gaining a record-breaking 3,485 for the main event. But of those thousands of players, only one would emerge as the champion and that lucky star was Chia Yun Wu.
This local Taiwanese player shocked the world with his success. He had to compete against not only his fellow countrymen but also thousands of players worldwide for his cash prize of NTD 3,600,000 (USD 114,900), a career-best for the rising star.
Taiwan Millions Main Event Details
This Taiwan Millions Main Event marks the 14th edition of this prestigious poker event. The tournament received generous sponsorship from the renowned online platform, Natural8. Their support helped set the stage for this unforgettable tournament. This partnership allowed them access to the prestigious and new Asia Poker Arena and its advanced equipment.
The event began on July 14 and the prestige of the event as well as the spectacular setting helped get the word out. Soon poker players from all over the world flew in to take part in the dozens of events happening here. Of these events, the biggest was undoubtedly the Taiwan Millions Main Event which offered not a massive prize pool and trophy but also the title of the Taiwan Millions champion.
With such a huge event taking place, it was no surprise that the event boasted a guaranteed prize of NTD 10,000,000 or about USD 319,760. That was already a respectable prize but would grow with the sudden influx of players. Each contestant paid a buy-in fee of NTD 8,000 (USD 265) and that caused the prize pool to swell up to a massive NTD 22,987,100 (USD 733,700).
The outcome was that these 3,485 players would all compete for the prize money and the glory. For 3 intense days, players tested their skills against one another until only 9 players remained for the final table. Among them was Chia Yun Wu Win who advanced to the final day.
Chia entered the Taiwan Millions Main Event with a strong position, having the third most chips on the table. This also meant he was a target for other players during the tournament. He challenged Wei Kai Su but found himself outplayed and forced to fold, putting him nearly at the bottom.
With other players being eliminated, Chia seemed next to go. Remarkably, the player managed to maintain his position and even began clawing his way back to the top. In a bold move, he challenged Bing Yi Chen with a series of bold bets. If these won, he would double his stack, but if they lost this would mean elimination. With the King of Diamonds and the Jack of Hearts though, Chia was in a strong position and found himself back at the top of the Taiwan Millions Main Event.
This success sustained him throughout the tournament so that by the time it was just him and Wei Kai Su, Chia would have more than three times as many chips. Their first few hands were a series of back and forth with Wei closing the gap and Chia opening it up again.
It ended with Wei attempting to bluff Chia with his weak 8 of Diamonds and 3 of Hearts, but Chia was not fooled and called him out, revealing his Ace and 10 of Diamonds, securing his victory in the Taiwan Millions Main Event.
After this success, Chia Yun Wu had a few words to say.
“I am very very happy! This was the biggest tournament we’ve ever had with so many entries. I enjoy playing here, it is very competitive. The level of play is one of the strongest in Asia and the environment is really good.”
Chia Yun Wu, Taiwan Millions Main Event Champion.
This win was far from easy as the tournament was filled with intense competition. Even before the final table as many as 400 players had to compete against each other.
If you are interested in learning more details about this event, you can read our Taiwan Millions Main Event Day 1C Update.