This article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2015 issue of WGM.
After an unforgettable week at the inaugural event in May, APT Vietnam is returning to the beautiful Ho Tram Resort Casino in November. We take a look at what players can expect from Asia’s newest poker destination.
For the second time this year, the Asian Poker Tour is off to Vietnam! It’s not often that an established poker tour visits the same venue twice in a season but such was the success of the inaugural APT Vietnam in May – and so positive the feedback from players – that the opportunity to return was simply too good to refuse.
Set in the stunning surrounds of the luxurious Ho Tram Resort Casino, APT Vietnam 2 will run from 16 to 25 November 2015 with the Main Event kicking off on Friday 20 November. It also represents a significant milestone for the APT as the first 10-day event in the tour’s history.
The tentative schedule has something for everyone with a whopping 19 events over the course of the 10 days and buy-ins ranging from just US$110 to US$2,200 for the High Rollers. They include the popular Monster Stack No Limit Hold’em, 6-handed Turbo and Head Hunter Bounty as well as a new Ante Only Turbo and two separate teams events. All tournaments other than satellites and the Rebuy + Add-On allow for re-entry before the start of Level 7.
The inaugural APT Vietnam attracted 155 players from 36 different countries with 119 entries in the Main Event, but that number should grow considerably this time around now the players know what awaits them at Ho Tram.
Many of those who made the trek in May took quite the leap of faith in heading to a new poker room at a new property and in a country brand new to live tournament poker, but any doubts were quickly washed away.
The Ho Tram Poker Room, which opened in April just a few short weeks before APT Vietnam 1, is working hard to establish itself as the number one poker destination in Asia with the level of service and catering provided to the players far above anything found elsewhere in the region.
Asian casinos have typically treated poker players as second class citizens, but Ho Tram Resort Casino has bucked that trend by giving their poker guests everything they could need and more. In November, that will include free drinks and canapés whenever players are on the main gaming floor as well as three different player functions – Welcome Cocktails on the first day, Closing Cocktails on the last and of course the official Players Party on Saturday 21 November.
Those arriving early will also have the opportunity to play in “Bluffers at The Bluffs 2″ at Ho Tram’s Greg Norman designed golf course The Bluffs on Friday 13 November. This fun and light-hearted event sees players split into teams of four and adopts an Ambrose format to ensure players of all ability – or lack thereof – can enjoy a round on one of Asia’s finest courses, followed by an evening BBQ on the clubhouse deck.
For the record, The Bluffs was voted one of the world’s top eight new courses in 2014 by Golf magazine and will host a leg of the Asian Golf Tour, with a hefty US$1.5 million prize pool, for the first time from 3 to 6 December.
It was ultimately this effort to provide players with a truly memorable experience that set the inaugural APT Vietnam apart from other events and locations, but the busy schedule and generous structures the APT is renowned for also make it a great option for those happy to keep their focus on the tables. Either way, it is an event not to be missed.
