Minwei Wu Leads 66 Survivors as TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E Wraps

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Recap
Zoe Chang
Zoe ChangAuthor
Zoe has covered major poker series across Asia, including APT and the Players Series. With solid experience as a live reporter, she now joins SoMuchPoker to deliver in-depth coverage and share her insights from the tables.

The TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E delivered another strong performance at the Taiwan Millions Tournament (TMT) 19 in Red Space, as players battled through a long and competitive flight toward Day 2 qualification. From the first levels, the field saw intense action with multiple all‑in confrontations, steady chip builds, and dramatic river cards capping off the night. Throughout the session, players fought hard to grind past the money and into the coveted seats that would carry them forward in this deep‑stacked event.

TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E
TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E

In the midday of TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E, the TWD 30,000,000 (~USD 1,000,000) guaranteed prize pool was shattered early, and players battled through a long series of pivotal hands and bubble moments as the field fought for a spot in Day 2.

At the moment registration closed for Day 1E, the fifth starting flight had drawn a field of 815 entries, awarding 123 players a share of the prize pool and sending 66 survivors through to Day 2. When Day 1E concluded, Day 1F also finished with a 1,049-entry field, bringing the total turnout to 4,794 entries, showing no slowdown in players’ commitment to pursue ultimate glory.

TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E
Minwei Wu

At the top of the TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E leaderboard was Taiwan’s Minwei Wu, who finished the night in fashion with a commanding 927,000 chips, putting him well ahead of the rest of the field as the Main Event moves forward.

Wu catapulted to the chip lead with the final hand of the day by eliminating Taiwan’s Chihwei Chen, adding more ammunition to his stack and positioning himself well for Day 2. Wu’s impressive performance gives him a strong platform as he heads into the next stage alongside the other qualifiers from this flight, with all eyes now on the remaining opening flights as the tournament heads toward its record-chasing finish.

TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E Top Ten Chip Counts

Pos.PlayerCountryChip Counts
1Min Wei WuTaiwan927,000
2Kaiwei LiuTaiwan905,000
3Jacob ShadowHong Kong861,000
4Changwon SongKorea645,000
5Cheng Chieh ChenTaiwan616,000
6Chae SeungminKorea596,000
7Brendan McmanusIreland562,000
8Jeong In JaeKorea540,000
9Chieh Chun TsaiTaiwan514,000
10Cheuk Hin HoHong Kong500,000

Hot on Wu’s heels is Taiwan’s Kaiwei Liu , who also bagged a hefty 905,000 stack. Rounding out the top three is Hong Kong’s Jacob Shadow with 861,000.

Day 1E Drama Hands

As the day progressed, the pressure ramped up around the bubble, with several big confrontations deciding who would secure a share of the payout and who would fall just short. The late stages saw momentum swings increase as the blinds climbed and players jockeyed for position.

TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E
In Jae Jeong

One player demonstrated an unstoppable late-night surge, In Jae Jeong of South Korea. After the money bubble, Jeong delivered an unplayable double-up against his tablemate and scored back-to-back knockouts.

Jeong open-shoved with pocket deuces and ran headfirst into Yun Li’s big slick. Li paired an ace on the flop and looked poised to claim an elimination; however, the turn revealed a dramatic deuce, giving Jeong a set to crack Li’s pair, forcing Li to swallow the double-up.

TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E
Yun Li

In the very next hand, Jeong called a shove from Po Wei Fang. Jeong’s ace-five clashed with Fang’s pocket queens. Once again, fortune smiled on Jeong as the turn delivered a straight, crushing Fang’s queens. Jeong took down Fang’s stack and added another knockout to his arsenal.

Day 1E Bubble Time

When the field was down to 125 players remaining, hand-for-hand play began. During the soft bubble, many players leveraged their stacks, applying pressure to their opponents and trying to build their stacks further. However, some were left short-stacked during this critical stage.

TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E
Changjun Kim

Among them was South Korea’s Changjun Kim , who got involved in a hand against his countryman Jin Jyu Ham . Kim tried to take down the pot with a hefty river bet , leaving just two blue chips behind. Nonetheless, Ham flopped a set and had no way to fold, so he called. Just like that, Kim was left short-stacked with only 10,000 chips. Despite the setback, Kim managed to survive throughout the bubble and secured a share of the prize pool at the end of the night.

At the stone bubble, it was South Korea’s Changwon Song who won a pivotal hand and secured a share of the prize pool for the remaining players. Song was involved in a hand against the big blind, who was forced all in with his last 6,000 chips. In a classic coinflip, Song’s pocket deuces held strong, sending the big blind out of the tournament.

TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E
Changwon Song

As action resumed, the field was whittled down to 67 players within 30 minutes, triggering hand-for-hand play once again. Just a few hands later, the chip leader of the day, Minwei Wu, collided with Chihwei Chen, who shoved preflop with king-high and found his tournament life on the line after Wu called with ace-high. With the deck running a clean board, Chen hit the rail as Day 2’s bubble boy.

That concludes TMT 19 Main Event Day 1E, a thrilling flight filled with high-stakes confrontations, dramatic flips, and memorable late-night surges. With 66 players surviving to Day 2 and Taiwan’s Minwei Wu leading the field with 927,000 chips, the stage is set for another exciting chapter of the tournament.

As the remaining opening flights continue, players will battle for position, aiming to claim a share of the massive prize pool and etch their names into TMT history.