Emerging as the champion of the biggest WPT Prime Championship event ever, Jereld Sam from Singapore has triumphed in a landmark World Poker Tour (WPT) event. Held at the CTP Asia Poker Arena in Taipei, the tournament attracted 1,666 entries, marking a historic occasion on the poker calendar.
As participants fought for the coveted title, the event’s last day was exciting with expectancy. Following over 10 hours of fierce play, Sam grabbed the top spot and guaranteed a career-best prize of TWD 8,065,000 (about USD 250,700) in addition to the much sought-after WPT trophy.
Sam’s First Big Win
After his victory, Sam said, “Well, this is my first six-figure win, and it’s the Main Event, the prestige, a WPT Prime in a country I love, Taiwan.” I have visited here quite a few times; it feels strange. Thinking about approaching the final table, he said, “It was my tournament to win. I stood as the little stack. I was only chasing the win; I had nothing to lose.
Besides his significant cash award, Sam got a $10,400 spot for the WPT World Championship set for December. He was excited about the forthcoming tournament and said, “I am most looking forward to visiting Vegas. First I will take a rest. Let all things calm down following the celebration.
Highlights from Final Day
With Jereld Sam spearheading the attack, just thirteen players returned to the field on the last day of the WPT Prime Taiwan Championship. Following almost three and a half hours of play, the final table was established, with Japan’s Yuya Arito first leading, followed closely by Sam.
The last table activity was aggressive. Paul Hong of New Zealand was the first victim; he was eliminated when Arito’s pocket aces matched his nines. Local player Wei Chun Cheng was next to go since his pocket nines lacked a match for Sam’s pocket queens. Arito kept stacking, using his own set of queens to drop Tomoyuki Yoshimiya in seventh place.
The Argument for the Title WPT Prime
Six players left, and play carried on. Ka Shun Tsang sacked Junya Yamaguchi when Tsang’s kings routed his jacks. Kosei Ogiri’s ace-king outplayed Arito’s all-in with ace-jack, ending his run. With almost 60% of the chips in play, Ogri dominated the last four. Sam started to move first, eliminating Tsang and then Jun Li, guaranteeing third and fourth place, respectively. Sam and Ogiri engaged in a fiercely head-up fight. Though Ogiri had a 5:1 chip lead and an initial advantage, Sam made a stunning comeback.
The Ultimate Challenge
Resilience paid off for Sam in the last hand. On a board of 2c3d3s4d5s, he outplayed Ogiri’s QcJd with KcJc, guaranteeing his triumph and the WPT Prime Taiwan Champions.
Tournament Overview
- Dates: August 15-19, 2024
- Buy-in: TWD 35,000 (~USD 1,080)
- Guarantee: TWD 32,276,500 (~USD 1,000,000)
- Prize Pool: TWD 51,054,436 (~USD 1,611,293)
- Entries: 1,666
In The Money (ITM) Positions: 208
- Day 1A: 421 entries, 53 qualified
- Day 1B: 535 entries, 67 qualified
- Day 1C: 710 entries, 88 qualified
- Day 2: 206 players, 13 qualified
WPT Prime Taiwan Championship Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Flag | Prize (TWD) | Prize (USD) |
| 1 | JERELD SAM | Singapore | 8,065,000* | $250,700* |
| 2 | KOSEI OGURI | Japan | 5,390,000 | $167,540 |
| 3 | KA SHUN TSANG | Hong Kong | 3,995,000 | $124,180 |
| 4 | JUN LI | United States | 2,990,000 | $92,940 |
| 5 | YUYA ARITO | Japan | 2,260,000 | $70,250 |
| 6 | JUNYA YAMAGUCHI | Japan | 1,720,000 | $53,460 |
| 7 | TOMOYUKI YOSHIMIYA | Japan | 1,325,000 | $41,180 |
| 8 | CHENG WEICHUN | Taiwan | 1,029,500 | $32,002 |
| 9 | PAUL HONG | New Zealand | 810,000 | $25,180 |
