Chen Yanhan Takes Huge Lead into WPT Beijing Final Table

Photo:  Chipleader Chen Yanhan

Thanks to an aggressive style and some big hands, Chen Yanhan has a pretty substantial lead heading into the first-ever WPT Beijing final table.

Okay, more than just substantial. This chip lead is massive. He has over half the chips in play and four times as many chips as his next closest competitor, Zhang Wenbin. Even with the big stack though, nothing is for certain and the action has been contentious with this group on Day 3.

The day began with 27 players, including OurGame pro Eddy Liang and Poker King pro Wenling Gao. Those two were some of the early casualties and stacks fluctuated as the field condensed, seeing players like DaPeng Mu go from chip leader to out in 14th place.

End of Day 1 chipleader Liu Guifang made it to the final table, but she exited in ninth place after running jacks into Zhu Xingbiao’s kings. She was the last woman remaining in the field after we began today with three.

The end of Day 3 chipleader Bryan Huang is still alive, but the shortest stack left in the field with 820,000. The all-time money earner for Singapore has experience on his side though. With over $1 million in career tournament earnings and multiple final table appearances on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), he is far and away the most experienced player at the table.

Even though he has been at final tables with more money on the line, Huang says the chance to be part of WPT history is what motivates him.

“It’s a really prestigious event and winning it is worth ten times more than what the money is worth [to me],” he explained. “In Asia, building a brand a is good for anyone.”

Huang realizes that in the Asian market, it is all about who won, so the chance to win the first-ever WPT Main Tour title in China would be a huge boost to an already solid poker resume. He and a friend journeyed here from Singapore because they heard how much the WPT has been growing in China and they wanted to be a part of the event.

Though he is short, Huang is still a player to watch out for with his experience. He admits that the competition is not the same as he is used to when playing in more international events, but therein lies the challenge.

“It’s a very diverse final table,” Huang said of his competitors. He pointed out the aggressive nature of Chinese players makes them tough to play against. Plus, with a generally less experienced group, some decisions are trickier than they may appear.

“There is more guesswork to be done. Ranges aren’t so easily narrowed down, so it will be a challenging final table.”

Huang has an uphill battle in terms of the chips, but even if he does not make it on the Champions Cup, the appearance at a WPT final table is certainly something worth celebrating.

Huang, Chen, and the rest of the final table will be back in action at 12pm local time on Wednesday and will not stop until we crown the first-ever WPT Beijing Main Tour champion.

Photo:  Bryan Huang