Who Will Reach the Money and Final Table in the 2023 APPT Cambodia $1,500 Main Event
The second-ever PokerStars Asia-Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Cambodia $1,500 Main Event will play down to a winner throughout the next two days in the grand ballroom of the five-star NagaWorld Integrated Resort in Phnom Penh. Across three starting days, the flagship tournament of the stop in the Kingdom of Cambodia attracted 476 entries to surpass the guarantee by more than 50% and generate a prize pool of $623,322.
Only 132 players bagged up chips in their respective flights upon completion of level 13 and they will be hoping to finish inside the top 71 spots, which all guarantee at least $2,369 for the efforts. Advancing one more day would lock up a payday of $10,908 while the winner can look forward to a payday of $120,300.
The top three on the overall leaderboard are separated by just five big blinds and Vishal Ojha leads the way with 407,000, closely followed by Cheng Zhang (399,000), and Bien Mai (394,000). Notable big stacks in the top 10 also include Curtis Lim (316,500), Chao-Ting Cheng (241,000), Victor Chong (210,000), and Guoliang Wei (201,000).
Top 10 Chip Counts for Day 2
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vishal Ojha | India | 407,000 | 136 |
| 2 | Cheng Zhang | Taiwan | 399,000 | 133 |
| 3 | Bien Mai | Vietnam | 394,000 | 131 |
| 4 | Curtis Lim | Singapore | 316,500 | 106 |
| 5 | Riki Yokono | Japan | 282,000 | 94 |
| 6 | Chao-Ting Cheng | Taiwan | 241,000 | 80 |
| 7 | Victor Chong | Malaysia | 210,000 | 70 |
| 8 | Roman Kolotiuk | Russia | 209,000 | 70 |
| 9 | Guoliang Wei | China | 201,000 | 67 |
| 10 | Seunghun Ko | South Korea | 194,000 | 65 |
Defending champion Alexander Puchalski returns with 74,000 in chips while fellow 2022 finalists Renniel Galvez (90,000) and Nevan Chang (77,500) also aim to make it back-to-back final tables.
With a level duration of 60 minutes each, the opening stages of the penultimate tournament day will contain the race towards the money bubble. From there on, it will be a longer grind to reach the nine-handed final table after which the action will conclude for the night.
Returning blinds will be 1,500-3,000 with a big blind ante of 3,000 and that puts the average at around 37 big blinds.
As of Day 2, there is also a shot clock in play as well with 30 seconds to act on each street. Time bank extensions are available but will only be refreshed for the grand finale on Monday, May 15, 2023.
Stay tuned to find out who advances to the money stages and beyond right here on PokerNews.