Cambodia To Cherokee: Hai Ha Tran & Tuyen Dieu Claim Glory in Poker Main Events

The poker world recently witnessed two thrilling finales. Vietnam’s Hai Ha Tran and rising newcomer Tuyen Dieu each captured their maiden live tournament titles in a dramatic fashion. 

Tran triumphed at the APPT Cambodia 2025 Main Event, turning a strong final table performance into a $155,225 payday and a coveted PokerStars trophy. Meanwhile, over in the United States, Dieu shocked the field at the WSOP Circuit Cherokee Main Event, claiming his first gold ring and a massive $287,230 prize.

Here is a quick recap of the APPT Cambodia and WSOP Circuit Cherokee Main Events, and the victory of Hai Ha Tran and Tuyen Dieu. 

Hai Ha Tran Wins the $1 Million APPT Cambodia 2025 Main Event

Vietnam’s Hai Ha Tran won his first-ever live tournament after taking down the coveted APPT Cambodia 2025 Main Event, earning a life-changing $155,225 first-place prize, a prestigious PokerStars trophy, and a $3,500 APPT Championship package. With the victory, Tran pushed his lifetime poker earnings past $200,000, establishing himself as one of the rising stars of the Vietnamese poker scene.

The $1 million guaranteed Main Event drew an impressive 643 entries, each paying the $1,750 buy-in to meet the guarantee. The top 95 finishers shared the seven-figure prize pool. The final table was formed on Day 3, but the remaining six players returned on Day 4 to battle for the trophy. Team India’s Somashekar Kurkhepally Nahadeva led the final six, with Hai Ha Tran holding the third-largest chip stack.

Vietnam’s Ngoc Minh Le finished in third place, taking home $85,300, while Nahadeva and Tran faced off in heads-up play. Before the duel concluded, the two agreed to an ICM deal, confirming equal payouts of $155,225. However, they continued playing for the prestigious PokerStars LIVE trophy and the official title.

It took 27 hands to crown Hai Ha Tran as the champion. In the final hand, Tran moved all-in with a jack-seven of diamonds and was snap-called by Nahadeva, who held pocket sevens. Despite being behind preflop, Tran flopped a straight on a board of 10♥-5♦-8♦-2♥-9♣, securing the win and leaving Nahadeva to settle for a career-best payout of $155,225.

Team India 

Apart from Somashekar, several other Indians made deep runs in the event. Abhishek Paul reached the final table and finished in 8th place for $22,970, while Amit Kaushik placed 11th and earned $13,654. Also finishing in the money were Sumit Sapra, Umang Kakarania, Abhijith Cheruku, Pranav Bathija, Arjun Dhingra, Sameer Agarwal, and Anil Adiani.

Final Table Payouts

Tuyen Dieu Ships the WSOP Circuit Cherokee Main Event

The World Series of Poker Circuit Cherokee Main Event crowned a new champion as newcomer Tuyen Dieu outlasted a competitive field and overcame seasoned pros to capture his first WSOP Circuit gold ring along with a life-changing $287,230 payout.

The $1,700 buy-in event at Harrah’s Cherokee attracted 1,224 entries, generating a prize pool of $1,854,360 distributed among the top 176 finishers. Of the nine players who returned on the final day, Joshua Palmer was the most experienced, with one WSOP Circuit ring and over $150,000 in career WSOP earnings. Palmer ultimately finished in third place, earning a personal-best $134,584.

Toby Boas, who previously finished third in this same event in 2018, improved on that performance by finishing runner-up for $191,474. This latest score brought his total live tournament earnings close to $2.5 million.

The final hand between Boas and Dieu was dramatic. Boas held queen-ten and flopped trips when the board brought two tens. However, Dieu, who held pocket aces, spiked an ace on the turn to complete a full house and seal the victory. With this impressive win, Dieu marked his Hendon Mob debut and locked up a career-best payday of $287,230.

2025 WSOP Circuit Cherokee Main Event Final Table Payouts

Keep following PokerProNews for the latest updates and results from live poker tournaments. 

Sources: SMP and WSOP