Vietnamese poker pro Ha Duong made history as the first ever winner of the APT Asian Series Cambodia after taking down Jan-Eric Schwippert of Germany and a total field of 122 players to take home the $30,200 first place money. Duong’s win was from a cinch as the main event stretched on for four days. It was a true test of mettle and endurance, and Duong was up to the challenge, thus earning himself a place in Asian Poker Tour history as the maiden winner of the APT Asian Series Cambodia.
While Duong’s main event triumph was understandably the highlight of the week-long poker festivities, a number of other poker pros also made a name for themselves with impressive wins of their own. A veteran of the APT circuit, Slovenian Casey Kastle, once again proved that he’s one of the tournament’s most heralded players by taking down the $220 Head Hunter tournament. The third place finisher at the 2009 APT Manila Main Event took home a steady $2,020 plus another APT trophy to presumably display at his home.
Meanwhile, Canadian Linh Tran ended up as the biggest winner in the entire series outside of Duong after winning the $2,500 PokerAce High Rollers event, a tournament that drew a respectable field of 21 players. In addition to the trophy he’s taking back to the Great White North, Tran also pocketed an impressive $20,100.
Not too bad for a day’s worth of poker action, right?
But of all those in attendance who won tournaments during the series, the biggest winner is without question the Asian Poker Tour itself. Not only did they succeed in running an overwhelmingly successful tournament, they did so in a country that’s only beginning to be a hotbed for poker. The tournament also caps off what has been a successful 2012 Asian Series, one that made stops in Cebu, Philippines, Goa, India, Mauritius, Manila, and now, Cambodia.
From here, the APT is set to return to Goa for their final tournament of the year, the Asian Poker Tour India, which will be held onboard the Casino Carnival anchored on the Mandovi River in Panjim, Goa, India from December 3 to 9, 2012.
