In Ho Chi Minh City, the return of live poker events is in full swing. The Vietnam Poker Games (VPG) kicked off on November 1, 2024, at the Saigon Poker Room. So far, nearly ten tournaments and side events have taken place, reigniting the once-booming poker craze.
From the very beginning, the series has attracted a full house of participants, with most players coming from within Vietnam, along with a number of international competitors who have traveled to join the action. Let’s take a closer look at the current participation and some of the events that have already crowned their champions.
VPG Ho Chi Minh – Champion Player
The opening event of the VPG series, Event #1: Madness Kick-Off, featured a buy-in of VND 5,000,000. Over four days, a total of 1,073 entries joined the action, creating a massive prize pool of VND 4,684,580,000 (approximately USD 185,015). A total of 133 players reached the money, each guaranteed at least VND 937,000 in winnings.
Russia’s Ilya Timofeev and the United States’ Michael Truong finished in 11th and 10th place respectively, while six of the final nine players were local Vietnamese contenders.
From the international field, Vinh Manh Chau from Canada finished 8th, earning VND 88,990,000. Hee Su Kim from South Korea took 7th place with VND 105,380,000. On the podium, Nghia Dai Vu from Vietnam finished 3rd, taking home VND 329,730,000 (around USD 13,022), while Linh Trong Phan claimed 2nd place with VND 606,060,000 (around USD 23,936).
The champion title ultimately went to Yan Song Wu from China, who captured the top prize of VND 1,002,300,000 (approximately USD 39,585).
In the second event of VPG, Event #2: High Roller Open, the buy-in was VND 22,000,000, attracting a total of 68 entries and building a prize pool of VND 1,319,200,000 (approximately USD 52,101). A total of 11 players made it into the money.
Robert Nemeskeri-Kiss achieved his first-ever cash finish, and was one of five international players who reached the money in this event. The best-performing Vietnamese player was Tuan Anh Le Hoang, who finished 3rd and earned VND 151,710,000 (around USD 5,992).
The final heads-up battle was a Singaporean showdown between Jia Li and Alex Lee. Jia Li emerged victorious, claiming the championship title and VND 342,990,000 (approximately USD 13,546), while Alex Lee secured second place with VND 224,260,000 (around USD 8,857).
The Event #4: Super Star Challenge featured a buy-in of VND 55,000,000 (approximately USD 2,172) and attracted a total of 57 entries. Local Vietnamese players dominated the top six positions, while Chinese players claimed the remaining three payout spots. The total prize pool reached VND 2,764,500,000 (around USD 109,183).
Thinh Hoa Nguyen finished in third place, earning VND 345,560,000 (about USD 13,648). After a deal was made, Linh Hoang Do took home VND 586,120,000 (approximately USD 23,149), while Nghia Buu Le claimed the largest payout of VND 740,840,000 (around USD 29,259).
Other Event Champions
The third event of VPG, Event #3: NLH Turbo, had a buy-in of VND 3,400,000. This one-day turbo tournament attracted 28 entries, generating a total prize pool of VND 81,480,000 (around USD 3,218), with five players finishing in the money. Jeong Yun So from South Korea claimed the championship title, earning VND 35,040,000 (approximately USD 1,384), while Jordan Tan from Singapore also cashed in this event.
In the Funny Evening Side Event, which featured a buy-in of VND 1,200,000, there were 14 participants, and interestingly, seven of the winners shared the most common Vietnamese surname “Nguyen.” Dung Thuy Thi Nguyen took home the top prize of VND 22,680,000 (around USD 894). Another side event, Happy Morning, attracted 111 participants, with all 12 prize finishers being local Vietnamese players. Thinh Cong Ly won the top payout of VND 25,910,000 (around USD 1,023).
The High Roller Event held on November 3 had a buy-in of VND 22,000,000 (approximately USD 890) and drew 121 entries. A total of 19 players shared a prize pool of VND 2,347,500,000 (about USD 92,713). Well-known international players such as Hao Chen, Keita Minami, and Julian Warhurst were among those who cashed. Xialin Li from China finished in fourth place, taking home VND 199,530,000 (around USD 7,880).
The top three spots were all claimed by Vietnamese players — Cuong Manh Le, Linh Van Vu, and the champion Dat Minh Dang, who earned the top prize of VND 563,380,000 (approximately USD 22,250).
In VPG Event #5: DeepStack Turbo, a total of 44 players joined the competition with a buy-in of VND 3,400,000. The top six finishers shared a total prize pool of VND 128,040,000 (approximately USD 5,057). Denis Semerenko from Russia was the first player to cash, while the remaining winners were all Vietnamese players. The champion, Cong Quoc Huynh, earned VND 46,090,000 (around USD 1,820).
The Event #7: Sunday Hold’em featured a buy-in of VND 6,000,000 (about USD 237) and attracted an impressive 127 entries, building a prize pool of VND 665,219,000 (around USD 26,272). The top two players took home the majority of the winnings — Nikolay Babushkin finished runner-up, earning VND 137,589,000 (around USD 5,434), while Phuong Tan Nguyen from Vietnam claimed the championship with VND 147,000,000 (around USD 5,806).
In the VPG Ladies Event, Wen Jie Ren from China defeated Chi Lan Do from Vietnam, taking home VND 16,762,000 (approximately USD 662). Later that day, the Event #9: NLH Turbo drew 77 participants, where Korean players dominated, sweeping all top three spots. Beom Jun Seo, Suk Sim, and Wonil Jang finished first to third, respectively, with Wonil Jang winning VND 61,610,000 (around USD 2,433).
At the Saigon Poker Club, more champions are yet to be crowned as the series continues until November 11, 2024. The schedule features both low-stakes and high-stakes events, culminating in the much-anticipated VPG Ho Chi Minh Main Event, which begins on November 7. The Main Event carries a buy-in of VND 16,500,000 (approximately USD 662) and boasts an impressive guaranteed prize pool of VND 6,000,000,000 (about USD 236,967), marking the highlight of the festival.
Red Dragon Poker APP Officially Launched
The long-established tournament brand Red Dragon Cup has now released its own app — “Red Dragon Poker.”
The Red Dragon Cup is a well-known Asian poker brand with a strong reputation across the region. Originating in Macau, it quickly became one of the most influential poker events in Asia. Red Dragon Poker tournaments regularly attract players from all over the world, offering massive fields and impressive prize pools.
For those interested, we highly recommend downloading the “Red Dragon Poker” app to join more exciting tournaments.