The poker scene at the beginning of the year is vibrant, not only within the Vietnamese community but also worldwide. Tournaments are happening simultaneously. The first stop of the EPT this year is in Paris from February 14th to February 25th. It's a place that saw 1606 registrations for the main event in 2023. The winner of the $1,170,000 prize that year was Razvan Belea. He advanced through the PokerStars online qualifiers, claiming the lion's share of the total €7,708,800 prize pool after defeating Peter Jorgne of Sweden in the heads-up match. The EPT Paris 2023 marked one of the six largest events in the history of the Europe Poker Tour brand. This location is trusted to kick off 2024 with expectations from the BTC of a year poised to break many records.

Alongside these events, the HSOP (High Stakes Open Poker) held at the Grand Loyal Poker Club will kick off the Year of the Tiger. The event will take place from February 19th to February 25th with a total guaranteed prize pool of 10 billion. Particularly, the organizers have designed a diverse High Roller structure to accommodate the preferences of most players, as well as to allow truly skilled competitors to assert themselves.

Here is the detailed schedule of the High Roller in the HSOP

  • #2: mini HR 8 Max (Buyin: 11M - GTD: 300M)
    Starting: 100,000 chip. Level: 30 minutes
  • #5: HR Single Day 8 Max (Buyin: 22M - GTD: 600M)
    Starting: 200,000 chip. Level: 30 minutes
  • #8: SHR 8 Max. (Buyin: 44M - GTD: 1.2B)
    Starting: 250,000 chip. Level: 35 minutes
  • #10: HR Deepstack 8 Max. (Buyin: 33M - GTD: 1B)
    Starting: 300,000 chip. Level: 30 minutes
  • #13: HR Single Day 8 Max (Buyin: 22M - GTD: 600M)
    Starting: 200,000 chip. Level: 30 minutes
  • #18: Last Chance HR 8 Max (Buyin: 33M - GTD: 1B)
    Starting: 200,000 chip. Level: 30 minutes.

Also during this time, the 2024 Champions Club Winter Poker Open is underway with Day 1 flights, offering a guaranteed prize pool of $1 million for the Main Event. Thai Ha from Vietnam has advanced to Day 2 after successfully navigating Day 1B with 262,000 chips. Prior to this, he had already secured victory in Event #1, taking home a prize of $21,000. Now, he continues his quest for further victories.

The poker movement is spreading vigorously and creating a significant allure within communities, not only in Vietnam but also across the globe. With the development of major tournaments and the concentration of players from all corners, nothing can hinder the surge of the poker movement in the near future.