GOP Taipei To Crown First Main Event Champion; 11 Players Return

After four entry days that drew 556 entries and a grueling Day 2 battle, the inaugural Gods of Poker Taipei Main Event is down its final day with 11 players returning to CTP Asia Poker Arena for the last stretch to glory. 

Final Day - 11 Players

When they return on Saturday, January 17, at 12:30 PM, each one is guaranteed a share of the NT$ 21,617,280 (~US$ 684,000) prize pool. The minimum payout is now NT$ 352,400 (∼US$ 11,000), which is a sizable return given their initial buy-in investment of NT$ 45,000. The pursuit will of course be on capturing the top prize of NT$ 4,323,180 (∼US$ 136,800) and the coveted GOP Black-and-Gold Gauntlet. 

Remaining Payouts

Final Day Leaders

Lin Wei Kai

The final day will open with Lin Wei Kai at the helm  with 62 big blinds. Lin amassed a large portion of his stack when he landed quads and got value off Shen Bo Yu. Lin would have closed out the heat with a lot more had he not lost an expensive flip against Juhyung Son during the last hands of the day. Due to this, Son catapulted and will enter the final day ranked second in chips with 50 big blinds. 

Juhyung Son

Locking up the third spot is Taiwanese high roller Chihwei Fan with 46 big blinds. Fan zoomed up the ranks early in the day on a three-way cooler, then during the last hour of play, he caught Seung Hyuk Jung on a bluff.

Chihwei Fan

The last player to leap up the ranking was Yao Hou Chun with a pocket pair that dodged overcards on the final hand of the night. Chun will start his final day with 46 big blinds. 

The final table will stream live on Gods of Poker FB page and CTP Twitch. 

Day 2 Recap

Day 2 kicked off with 77 players back on the hunt led by Hogyun Kang who topped the final flight. Kang's day was not as successful falling in 26th place after losing two all in situations. Shen Bo Yu delivered the final blow with pocket aces dusting queen-ten. 

The day's early movers were Billy Alfonso and Gemmy Tue An, both players on a knockout spree. Hao Lin and Lavonne Watkins also amassed big stacks. At the start of Level 14, the day's biggest pot came down with Juhyung Son jumping to a massive lead after a double up through Alfonso with a higher pocket pair.

Son's lead, though overwhelming, was also fleeting when another big pot was tabled. It was a three-way cooler with Fan's pocket aces knocking out Yi Ho Chung. 

The feature table saw momentum swing throughout the day, with Taiwanese vlogger Andy Tsai commanding the chip lead in the middle of the day before Yu Yeh Chun climbed to top the later session. 

Among the numerous players that fell on bad beats and nasty coolers, one of them was Thailand's Nirunrut Rachburom who enjoyed a rise in chips after winning a three-way shove with pocket kings. Later, she was down to crumbs when her ace-queen top two pair was behind Yao Hou Chun's set of aces.

Down to two tables, vlogger Gemmy Tue An suffered a hit to her stack to eventually fall in 12th place. And as the flight was about to wrap up, both Son and Chun were saved by last second winning flips. 

Day 2 wrapped up at the end of Level 19. Read up on the action via the Live Reports.

For the payouts, click here.

GOP Taipei Links: 

Schedule
Photos: GOP Taipei
Photos: Champions