It’s been a pretty decent start to the 2014 World Series of Poker for Asia and Asia-Pacific as a whole with a bracelet and a number of strong finishes.
It all began with Event #1 of this year’s WSOP – US$500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em – which was won by the Philippines’ Roland Reparejo. Now living in the Unites States where he plays poker part time, Reparejo beat a field of 876 players to pocket US$82,835 and the prized gold bracelet.
Roland Reparejo
Also coming close to bracelets were Vietnamese-born poker pro JC Tran and Japan’s Iori Yogo. Tran, who reached the final table of last year’s WSOP Main Event, reached the semi-finals of the US$25,000 Mixed Max No Limit Hold’em for a handy US$290,622. The event was eventually won by Vanessa Selbst.
Yogo, the reigning ANZ Player of the Year and a regular at the tables in Macau, finished third in the US$1,000 PLO event for US$79,611. Yogo is incredibly consistent on the local tournament scene so there is every chance he will make his presence felt again over the coming two months.
Ioro Yogo
We could also be witnessing another historic moment in the career of Phil Hellmuth. At time of writing, Hellmuth – who boasts a record 13 career bracelets – was heads-up for number 14 with fellow veteran Ted Forrest in the US$1,500 Seven Card Razz event. We’ll update you on how he went later in the week right here on wgm8.com.
