WPT Cambodia Championship Day 1A: Mitchell Leads; Abbasov Wins $400 Deepstack

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.

Updated: 2026.02.05

The intensity at WPT Cambodia 2026 inside the NagaWorld reached new heights today as the centerpiece of the series, the $3,500 WPT Cambodia Championship, officially got underway. Day 1A set a high bar for the flagship event, attracting a formidable field and crowning Australia’s Christian Mitchell as the early pace-setter among a star-studded group of survivors.

While the Championship took center stage at WPT Cambodia 2026, the side event action remained equally fierce, culminating in a gritty victory for Khayal Abbasov in the $400 Deepstack. From the first cards dealt in the main event to the final trophy presentation of the night, here is your comprehensive look at the latest results from Phnom Penh.

Khayal Abbasov Claims WPT Cambodia $400 Deepstack Title

Khayal Abbasov won the $400 Deepstack event at WPT Cambodia 2026 after 11 hours of play, earning $6,843 and the trophy from a field of 66 entries that generated a $22,810 prize pool.

Abbasov is a prominent professional poker player from Azerbaijan who has established a significant presence on the international live tournament circuit, particularly within the Asian region. Currently ranked 10th on the Azerbaijan All-Time Money List according to the Hendon Mob,

His career reached a major milestone in May 2025 when he secured his best live cash of $116,500 by winning the Won Poker Cup III Main Event in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Known for his consistency across various formats, he has recorded numerous final table finishes and deep runs in prestigious series such as the World Poker Tour (WPT), Asian Poker Tour (APT), and the U Series of Poker (USOP) across venues in Vietnam, Taiwan, and Cambodia.

Khayal Abbasov

The competition was intense from the start, with Abbasov successfully moving through high-pressure situations and a stacked field to reach the final table.

Final Table

Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize (USD)
1	Khayal Abbasov	Azerbaijan	6,843
2	Joseph Hebert	United States	4,334
3	Praveen Tammana	India	2,851
4	Santiago Sanchez	Spain	2,167
5	Aleksei Bessarab	Russia	1,768
6	Amir Abbas	Australia	1,540
7	Peteris Enders	Latvia	1,312
8	Weixuan Wang	China	1,083
9	Ali Bagci	Turkey	912

Final Table Eliminations

The final table began with Joseph Hebert holding the early lead, but Abbasov slowly chipped his way up through a combination of timely aggression and well-timed calls. Ali Bagci was the first to fall in 9th place after Abbasov held pocket aces against Bagci’s king-nine. Weixuan Wang exited in 8th place when his overpair could not hold against Santiago Sanchez.

Peteris Enders and Amir Abbas suffered brutal eliminations in 7th and 6th, leaving Abbasov, Hebert, and Praveen Tammana as the last three contenders. Tammana eventually bowed out in 3rd after Abbasov dominated with ace-king over Tammana’s king-queen, seizing the chip lead heading into heads-up play.

Heads-Up

The final battle against Hebert was a high-drama affair filled with multiple doubles and swings, but Abbasov remained patient and eventually won the final hand with Ten-Six after flopping two pair.

Abbasov solidified his reputation as a resilient grinder with this win at WPT Cambodia 2026, while runner-up Joseph Hebert took home $4,334 and third-place finisher Praveen Tammana earned $2,851.

Praveen Tammana & Khayal Abbasov

The event served as a showcase for Abbasov’s strategic discipline and timing, highlighting the specific skills required to outlast a competitive field in a long-format tournament.

Christian Mitchell Leads 70 Survivors in WPT Cambodia Championship Day 1A

The $3,500 WPT Cambodia Championship officially kicked off today at WPT Cambodia 2026 inside NagaWorld in Phnom Penh, drawing an impressive field for its opening flight. Day 1A of the flagship event attracted 210 entries, contributing significantly toward the ambitious $1,500,000 guaranteed prize pool. By the end of eleven levels of play, only 70 players managed to secure their chips for Day 2, representing a survival rate of exactly one-third of the starting field.

Leading the pack at the conclusion of the day was Australia’s Christian Mitchell, who bagged a massive stack of 477,500 chips. Mitchell maintained a dominant presence throughout the later stages of the flight, establishing himself as the overall pace-setter. He is followed closely by Indian poker veteran Aditya Agarwal, who finished the day with 423,500 chips, and fellow Australian Daniel Neilson, who secured the third-largest stack with 382,000 chips.

Top Ten Chip Counts

Pos.	Player	Country	Chip Counts
1	Christian Mitchell	Australia	477,500
2	Aditya Agarwal	India	477,500
3	Daniel Neilson	Australia	382,000
4	Kunal Patni	India	301,000
5	Darius Samual	United Kingdom	275,000
6	Yannick Jobin	Switzerland	255,000
7	Michael Joseph Allen	United Kingdom	253,000
8	Andre Marcano	United States	244,500
9	Pang Kok Yong	Malaysia	233,000
10	Cesar Da Silva	Brazil	222,000

The top of the leaderboard remained highly international, reflecting the global draw of the WPT brand. Notable stacks were also bagged by India’s Kunal Patni (301,000), the United Kingdom’s Darius Samual (275,000), and Switzerland’s Yannick Jobin (255,000). Other professional players successfully navigating the field included Malaysia’s Pang Kok Yong with 233,000 and Brazil’s Cesar Da Silva with 222,000.

These 70 survivors will now have a short break while the remaining starting flights play out to determine the final Day 2 field. With the guaranteed prize pool well within reach, the action is expected to intensify as more of the world’s elite players arrive in Cambodia to vie for the prestigious Championship title.

With 70 players already through to Day 2 of the Championship and the massive $1.5 million guarantee well within sights, the momentum in WPT Cambodia 2026 is only just beginning. The success of veterans like Aditya Agarwal and Daniel Neilson on the opening flight suggests a highly competitive road ahead for anyone eyeing the title. As the focus shifts to the upcoming starting flights and more high-stakes side events.