Latvia's Aleksejs Ponakovs leads the 15,000 No Limit Hold'Em Eight-Handed event after Day 1 at the Vietnam Triton Poker Super High Roller Series.
Ponakovs enjoys a narrow lead over Argentinian veteran Nacho Barbero in another record field of 172 entrants, while other notable players in the top five include Michael Watson and Linus Loeliger.
WATCH: Triton Poker Vietnam 2023 LIVE stream: 15,000 No Limit Hold'Em Eight-Handed event
With 37 players remaining and 23 places paying a total prize pool of 2.58 million, several stars have short stacks, including Stephen Chidwick, Steve O'Dwyer, Adrian Mateos, and Sam Greenwood.
MORE: Triton Poker Vietnam 2023: GG Super Millions results, champion, leaderboard, prizemoney
A swag of big names has already been eliminated from the event, including Jason Koon, Michael Addamo, Erik Seidel, Isaac Haxton, Fedor Holz, and Patrik Antonius.
Click here to see payouts for the 15,000 NLHE Eight-Handed event
15,000 No Limit Hold'Em Eight-Handed leaderboard after Day 1
Field remaining: 37/172
Places paid: 23
Average stack: 943,000 (31BBs)
Blind level at end of day: 15k/30k/30k
| Place | Name/Country | Chips | BBs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Aleksejs Ponakovs (Latvia) | 2,385,000 | 80 |
| 2. | Nacho Barbero (Argentina) | 2,240,000 | 75 |
| 3. | Tan Xuan (China) | 2,170,000 | 74 |
| 4. | Linus Loeliger (Switzerland) | 2,140,000 | 71 |
| 5. | Michael Watson (Canada) | 1,550,000 | 52 |
| 6. | Artur Martirosian (Russia) | 1,395,000 | 47 |
| 7. | John So (Hong Kong) | 1,300,000 | 43 |
| 8. | Phachara Wongwichit (Thailand) | 1,245,000 | 42 |
| 9. | Le van Dien (China) | 1,215,000 | 41 |
| 10. | Kim Hyun SUP (South Korea) | 1,200,000 | 40 |
Other notable stacks
| Place | Name/Country | Chips | BBs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25. | Stephen Chidwick (UK) | 640,000 | 21 |
| 28. | Steve O'Dwyer (Ireland) | 500,000 | 17 |
| 33. | Adrian Mateos (Spain) | 355,000 | 12 |
| 37. | Sam Greenwood (Canada) | 100,000 | 3 |
Notable eliminated players
| Finish position | Name/Country | Prizemoney |
|---|---|---|
| 44th | Daniel Dvoress (Canada) | Nil |
| 45th | Erik Seidel (USA) | Nil |
| 56th | Isaac Haxton (USA) | Nil |
| 67th | Michael Rocco (USA) | Nil |
| 74th | Jason Koon (USA) | Nil |
| 75th | Fedor Holz (Germany) | Nil |
| 84th | Nick Petrangelo (USA) | Nil |
| 83rd | David Peters (USA) | Nil |
| 89th | Patrik Antonius (Finland) | Nil |
| 90th | Jonathan Jaffe (USA) | Nil |
| 93rd | Mikita Badziakouski (Belarus) | Nil |
| 94th | Sam Grafton (UK) | Nil |
| 96th | Michael Soyza (Malaysia) | Nil |
| 103rd | Wiktor Malinowski (Poland) | Nil |
| 106th | Dan Smith (USA) | Nil |
| 108th | Timothy Adams (Canada) | Nil |
| 109th | Chris Brewer (USA) | Nil |
| 113th | Michael Addamo (Australia) | Nil |
Payouts for No Limit Hold'Em Eight-Handed
Total prizepool: 2,580,000
| Position | Prizemoney |
|---|---|
| Champion | 600,000 |
| 2nd | 406,000 |
| 3rd | 271,000 |
| 4th | 222,000 |
| 5th | 178,000 |
| 6th | 138,000 |
| 7th | 102,100 |
| 8th | 75,000 |
| 9th | 60,000 |
| 10th-11th | 50,300 |
| 12th-13th | 43,900 |
| 14th-15th | 39,900 |
| 16th-17th | 36,100 |
| 18th-20th | 32,500 |
| 21st-23rd | 30,000 |