The 100,000 Short Deck Ante-Only Main Event at the Triton Super High Roller series in Vietnam saw Michael Zhang as the chip leader after Day 1. It's been an impressive run for Zhang, who was the Day One chip leader in the 50,000 short deck event as well. He came to Vietnam after the hold'em portion of events was over, and he's proving that he may be one of the best short deck tournament players on the planet.
Aaron Zang is second in chips, with a 208 ante stack. He got a big chip-up when he limp-overcalled the all-ins of Isaac Haxton and Kiat Lee preflop with his jack-ten offsuit, which is a more powerful hand in short deck than long deck. The board ran out with two eights and two tens, and Zang's full house scooped the pot.
Michael Watson late registered for the event – he was busy winning the 50,000 short deck that was happening simultaneously. He continued his torrid play, finishing Day One of the 100,000 Main Event sixth in chips.
Zhang, Chiu, and Watson all went from Sunday afternoon's final table right into the top of the leaderboards in the Main Event.
There is still plenty of play left for Monday. Rebuys will be allowed until the start of the first level on Day Two, and payouts will be finalized at that point as well.
The remaining contestants will resume play on Monday at 1 p.m. local time, playing down to a winner.
HOW TO PLAY SHORT DECK POKER: Origin, rules & basic strategy from high stakes pro Linus Loeliger
100,000 Short Deck Ante-Only leaderboard after Day 1
Field remaining: 17/45
Places paid: TBD
Average stack: 793,000 (132 antes)
Ante level at end of day: 6k/12k
| Place | Name/Country | Chips | Antes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Michael Zhang (United Kingdom) | 1,839,000 | 307 |
| 2. | Aaron Zang (China) | 1,250,000 | 208 |
| 3. | Phil Chiu (Hong Kong) | 1,051,000 | 175 |
| 4. | Mikita Badziakouski (Belarus) | 950,000 | 158 |
| 5. | Karl Chappe-Gatien (France) | 877,000 | 146 |
| 6. | Michael Watson (Canada) | 805,000 | 134 |
| 7. | Sam Greenwood (Canada) | 783,000 | 131 |
| 8. | Seth Davies (USA) | 781,000 | 130 |
| 9. | Daniel Dvoress (Canada) | 760,000 | 127 |
| 10. | Elton Tsang (Hong Kong) | 754,000 | 126 |
Other notable stacks
| Place | Name/Country | Chips | Antes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | Jason Koon (USA) | 716,000 | 119 |
| 14. | Rob Yong (United Kingdom) | 490,000 | 82 |
| 16. | Isaac Haxton (USA) | 353,000 | 59 |
Payouts for 100,000 Short Deck Ante-Only Event
Total prizepool: TBD