Macau
APPT Macau: High Roller paving path to poker excellence
It takes time to build tradition in any sporting event. Imagine if The Masters suddenly appeared on the PGA circuit a few years ago and the organisers started handing out green jackets to the winners. It would hardly be a big hit.
But having established more than 80 years of history and stories of triumph and heartbreak, The Masters stands the test of time as an event as relevant today as ever.
In poker, the World Series of Poker built on a tradition established by a core of former Texas road gamblers and is today recognised as the pinnacle of success in tournament poker.
It will take time for similar traditions and legends to be established in Asia with tournament poker in its formative stages, but the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour High Roller event has stolen a march on any challenger that may one day claim the title as most prestigious poker event on the continent.
For the second year in a row, the HKD $150,000 buy-in APPT High Roller event (already one of the world’s highest buy-in regularly scheduled tournaments and guaranteeing a prize pool of HKD $10,000,000) attracted a list of the world’s best players – 61 in all.
There were established tournament pros like WSOP main event winners Johnny Chan, Mansour Matloubi and Team PokerStars Pros Joe Hachem.
There were WSOP bracelet winners including Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein, J.C. Tran, Quinn Do, Dan Schreiber, John Phan, John Juanda and David Chiu.
There were some of the stars from the online world like Mike timex McDonald, Will cutiepie314 Ma, Tony bond18 Dunst, Shaun shaundeeb Deeb and Team PokerStars Hevad RaiNKhaN Khan.
And there were scores of accomplished tournament players including Team PokerStars Pros Isabelle “No Mercy” Mercier, Lee “Final Table” Nelson and Bertrand “ElkY Grospellier; last year’s APPT High Roller champion Eric Assadourian, fellow PokerStars Sponsored players Emad Tahtouh, Van Marcus, Terrence Chan, Ivan Tan and Celina Lin; Harry Demetriou and Nam Le.
Also making a re-appearance just hours after finishing runner-up in the APPT Macau main event was Charles Chua – albeit two hours late.
Any great event needs intrigue, drama and surprises. The 2008 APPT Macau High Roller did not disappoint in this regard.
Early in the first level, players had barely had a chance to put a dent in their start stack of 20,000 when Celina Lin found herself on the rail, her aces cracked by Russian young gun Yevgeniy Timoshenko.
In contrast, David Steicke (the third-placed finisher in this event last year), picked up where he left off after finishing 10th in the APPT Macau main event.
By day’s end, Steicke was the talk of the room as he’d charged to 160,000 and a big chip lead over Mike McDonald (95,400) and defending champion Eric Assadourian (90,500). Other players in the 28 to progress included Quinn Do, Nam Le, Van Marcus, Terrence Chan, Johnny Chan, Charles Chua, Ivan Tan and two Team PokerStars Pros – Barry Greenstein and Joe Hachem.
But there was no clue of the drama to come on day two. In last year’s APPT High Roller event in Macau, it took five hours to eliminate the last six players before the final table line-up was decided.
Play gradually slowed once the field was split between two tables but, curiously, all 10 players agreed to converge to a single table with the field one short of the TV and money bubble of nine.
Those 10 players – Eric Assadourian, Van Marcus, Ivan Tan, still chip leader David Steicke, Andrew Scott, Johnny Chan, Nam Le, Quinn Do, Will Ma and Charles Chua – turned on an enthralling session that lasted four hours until Nam Le claimed the scalp of Assadourian, who was gutted to fall short of successive APPT High Roller final tables.
The final table started with Marcus, Chan, Chua and Tan all short-stacked and under pressure – only Chua had the answers and clawed his way back as the other three became the first victims at the final table.
Will Ma, a 20-year-old from the same small Canadian town as Team PokerStars Pro Steve-Paul Ambrose and Mike timex McDonald, bowed out in sixth while Steicke’s remarkable run ended in fifth; the fearlessness that saw him lead for most of the event proved his undoing.
It would be more than two and a half hours before Charles Chua was KOed by Nam Le, ending a remarkable week for the Malaysian-based Australian in which he finished second in the main event and fourth in the High Roller.
Scott was always going to find it tough against the combination in seats one and two but progressed to the heads-up duel when he took out Quinn Do. He entered the contest against Nam Le trailing 2:1 but the final table experience of a player whose won more than USD $4 million in tournament poker proved telling.
Steadily chipped away, Scott made his final shove with J-10, but Nam Le’s K-2 connected on the board to secure the HKD $3.7 million first prize.
Assadourian, Le – already an impressive list, but one sure to include more of the game’s brightest stars as the tradition continues.
PokerStars.net APPT Macau High Roller event
1 Nam Le (USA) HKD $3,700,000
2 Andrew Scott (Australia) HKD $2,100,000
3 Quinn Do (USA) HKD $1,200,000
4 Charles Chua (Malaysia) HKD $900,000
5 David Steicke (Hong Kong) HKD $700,000
6 Will Ma (Canada) HKD $500,000
7 Johnny Chan (USA) HKD $400,000
8 Ivan Tan (Singapore) HKD $300,000
9 Van Marcus (Australia) HKD $200,000
• On behalf of Jeremy, Jenn, Ted, Joe, Mad and JP, thanks for following our coverage of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau from the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino. We’ll be back on September 26 for the PokerStars.net APPT Seoul main event from the Walker-hill Casino in Seoul, South Korea.
All photography © Joe Giron/IMPDI
APPT Macau: High Roller final table live updates
2.05am: Andrew Scott eliminated in second position (HKD $2.1 million)
Andrew Scott’s great run in the PokerStars.net APPT Macau high-roller tournament has come to an end at the hands of Nam Le. Scott began the heads-up battle with a 2-to-1 chip disadvantage, and saw that ratio only increase in his disfavour. Le expertly whittled away at Scott’s stack until his opponent had little more than 100,000 in front of him, compared to Le’s own 1.1 million. At this point, after another button raise from Le, Scott took a stand holding JT of clubs to the American’s K2 of the same suit. As the media gathered around for the board to be dealt out, Scott’s friend, David Steicke joined him on stage. “Apart from a ragged ace, this is the best hand I’ve had this whole heads-up session,” Scott told his fellow Australian.
However he did not discount Le’s performance, giving the American credit for not allowing him back in the contest… all this before the board cards were dealt. When they did arrive, the board cards showed 6s-Jd-Ks-As-9d, unfortunately not providing Scott with the lead on the hand… despite the “suitedness” of his cards. The HKD $2.1 million (USD $269,230), Scott has earned for his performance at the APPT Macau high roller tournament, is his best ever finish at a major poker tournament.
12.50pm: Quinn Do eliminated in third place (HKD $1.2 million)
Quinn Do’s brave run at the PokerStars.net APPT Macau high roller event has come to an end. Following a fold from Nam Le on the button, Do limped from the small blind, and then came-over-the-top of Andrew “Suited” Scott’s raise. Scott sat there and started chatting away to Do, although it was evident from his opponent that no reaction or response would be forthcoming. Scott was talking quite animatedly, mostly to himself, but then stood up, and moved all-in. Do called and turned over TcTd, while Scott tabled a “Suited” AT (hearts).
David Steicke, who finished fifth earlier last night, approached the table at this point to lend a supporting good luck charm to Scott; as they are good friends outside of poker. Do went to stand his support group of J.C. Tran, Liz Lieu, and Steve Sung. They watched the flop appear 6c-8s-Qc, which was no help to the Australian, but an Ad on the turn meant Do only had one out, the Ts, to stay alive in the high roller event. However, a Kd was dealt, meaning Do leaves Macau with increased credibility as a poker player, and HKD $1.2 million (USD $153,846).
12.15am: Charles Chua eliminated in fourth position (HKD $900,000) – after finishing runner-up in the APPT Macau main event, Chua’s brave run in the APPT High Roller ended after he pushed all-in from the small blind in response to Nam Le’s raise to 29,000, with Le making the call.
Chua showed jacks, but Le held the edge with queens. The board ran out 3d-Ac-7h-Ad-2d, sending Chua on his way. We’re down to three players – Nam Le (808,000), Quinn Do (245,000) and Andrew Scott (175,000), with the blinds at level 18 (5000/10,000 with a 1000 ante).
Watch APPT Macau 008: Nam Lee on PokerStars.tv
11.45pm: Charles Chua’s “Chuck Truck” obviously has a return service operating, as he has just given 110,000 of the chips he won from Quinn Do, back to the Vietnamese-born American.
With the blinds and antes becoming more expensive, at 5,000/10,000/1,000 respectively, Do moved his remaining chips into the middle with pocket sevens, and was called by Chua’s pair of fives in-the-hole. The board gave some chance of a split when it turned 9h-Th-Qh-Jd, but a black 2 on the river kept Do in the 2008 APPT Macau high roller tournament.
11.25pm: Quinn Do has doubled-up Charles “Chucky” Chua once more. After Andrew “Suited” Scott and Nam Le folded to Do in the small blind, he raised it to 25,000. Chua re-raised it to 70,000 and Do came along with a call.
On the flop of 6s-3s-5s, Do sensed Chua may have been trying to steal the pot from position, and put him to the test with an all-in. Do’s read on this occasion was incorrect however, and Chua showed he wasn’t bluffing this time by showing pocket kings, including the Ks.
His opponent was going to need running cards, because his Ts9h were well behind. An Ad on the turn and the Js on the river completed “The Chuck Truck’s” loaded flush. Do is now down to 120,000 and is the short stack.
11pm: Charles “Chucky” Chua has just doubled-up thanks to an attempted squeeze play that went wrong initially, but turned out oh so right. Andrew “Suited” Scott raised it up first, was called by Quinn Do, and Chua, sensing opportunity knocking, moved all-in from the big blind.
The man in the black suit gave up his hand, but Do called, showing pocket eights. Chua rapped the felt: “nice call, Quinn,” and flipped over 10-4 offsuit. “Chucky” looked almost resigned to his fate, but PokerStars sponsored player, and last year’s winner of the APPT Macau High Roller tournament, Eric Assadourian, lent him some support: “you gotta want it Chucky,” he cheered, “call for that 10!”
“Gimme a 10 please, dealer,” Chua requested, and although the flop came 9x-2x-5x, when a 10 peeled-off on the turn, Chuck had ridden the “Luck Truck” once more to double-up land.
10.45pm: Andrew Scott has been wearing the same black, pin-striped suit for all three days of this tournament. When quizzed about it, Scott said that he feels lucky wearing it while playing, so it’s staying on until he’s eliminated … or wins.
So far Scott’s unchanging apparel is working like a charm, even if that “new suit smell” has worn off somewhat. His making the final four players of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau High Roller event, is the best performance of his short poker career. Imagine if Scott wins? He’ll probably never take it off and be forever known as Andrew “Suited” Scott.
Oh dear … we can already see some of the poor humour that could result from this… “Scott eliminated … at least he was suited…” *groan*
Watch APPT Macau 008: Andrew Scott on PokerStars.tv
9.45pm: Andrew Scott has just announced that it’s “all-out war” – only half-jokingly – between himself and Charles Chua and the players in seats one and two, Nam Le and Quinn Do.
“This end against that end,” he said with a big smile. Charles Chua seems to be on the same frequency as Scott. The current chip counts are Nam Le 436,500, Quinn Do 294,500, Andrew Scott 265,500 and Charles Chua 232,500.
9.30: David Steicke (Hong Kong) eliminated in fifth place (HKD $700,000) – “The Machine” has broken down. David Steicke, chip leader for almost two full days of this PokerStars.net APPT Macau High Roller tournament, has been eliminated by Nam Le.
Steicke, who was cruising at the top of the chip leader board only 30 minutes ago, went from chip-hero to chip-zero holding the same cards on both occasions. After losing the chip lead a short while ago with pocket tens against Charles Chua’s A-Q, Steicke again put it all on the line with the same holding against Le.
Le had raised from under-the gun for 17,000, folding Quinn Do, but Steicke came over-the-top for 51,000. The blinds folded and Le three-bet for another 100,000, making it 151,000 to go.
Steicke pushed all-in immediately, and Le insta-called, showing two kings in-the-hole. Things were not looking good for the Hong Kong resident, but some hope came with the flop, which showed Jx-9x-8x, providing Steicke with an up-and-down straight draw.
However an 8h on the turn and a 4d on the river ended an otherwise very good week for the trader. He earns HKD $600,000 (USD $89,743).
9.15pm: As a result of the recent carnage, the five stacks are all now remarkably even. Quinn Do leads on 315,000, Nam Le has 260,000, Andrew Scott is on 210,000, David Steicke is down to 210,000 and Charles Chua holds 200,000. Play has reverted to small pre-flop raises with very few flops as the chips are shuffled from player to player.
Watch APPT Macau 08: Final Table Verdice Lee Nelson on PokerStars.tv
9pm: The action has been running thick and fast between Steicke, Chua and Scott. Nam Le and Quinn Do are sitting back enjoying the action with little interest in getting involved – let alone playing a pot against each other.
Steicke has lost the chip lead for the first time in two days after he called Chua’s all-in with pocket 10s. Charles showed A-Q and spiked the Ad on the river to win a pot worth more than 300,000.
Chua hadn’t even stacked his chips when Scott pushed all-in from the big blind, Quinn Do folded and Chua called. Scott showed pocket jacks to Chua’s As-Qc, and the low board (9d-3d-2s-7c-2h) saw Scott’s stack back up to 200,000.
8.45pm: Andrew Scott was one of the players who spent time as the short stack when play went 10-handed last night. The Aussie is now under pressure again after losing a race with A-Q against Nam Le’s pocket sevens.
On the next hand, it was Steicke’s turn to double-up Nam Le when he pushed all-in with K-6 on a board of K-Q-3 only to find the 2006 WPT Shooting Stars champion holding K-Q. As quick as that, Nam Le is up to 260,000. But the roller coaster ride continues, with Le’s A-3 up against Andrew Scott’s A-9. Scott made a pair of nines on the flop, ensuring his stack received a much needed injection of%
APPT Macau: Countdown to High Roller final table
2pm: Players are completing their TV interviews, and there’s a real buzz around the TV final table studio ahead of the final day in the PokerStars.net APPT High Roller event.
Watch APPT Macau 008: Final Table Intro on PokerStars.tv
What a line-up, with two WSOP bracelet winners (dual main event winner Johnny Chan and Quinn Do), a WPT champion (Nam Le), four players who’ve featured at APPT final tables over the past two years (Charles Chua, PokerStars Sponsored players Ivan Tan and Van Marcus, plus David Steicke, who finished third in this event last year), a rising star of the game (Will Ma) and a genuine High Roller, who’s changed his focus from black jack to poker (Andrew Scott).
After last night’s marathon battle to decide the final table line-up, it was PokerStars Sponsored player Eric Assadourian who was the unlucky one to miss out. But the four-hour stint to eliminate the final player has left several players dangerously low on chips including Tan, Chan, Chua and Marcus.
Can Steicke hold off the world-class field to go further than last year? It promises to be an enthralling day as we conclude the nine-day carnival of poker that has been the 2008 PokerStars.net APPT Macau.
Seat 1: Nam Le, Los Angeles, CA, USA (107,000 in chips)
Seat 2: Quinn Do, El Monte, CA, USA (105,000 in chips)
Seat 3: David Steicke, Hong Kong (391,500 in chips)
Seat 4: Will Ma, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (186,000 in chips)
Seat 5: Johnny Chan, Las Vegas, NV, USA (47,000 in chips)
Seat 6: Charles Chua, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (61,000 in chips)
Seat 7: Zhong Wei ‘Ivan’ Tan, Singapore (60,500 in chips)
Seat 8: Andrew Scott, Australia (226,000 in chips)
Seat 9: Van sirens Marcus, Melbourne, Australia (43,000 in chips)
Blinds have been wound back one level, with the structure for today’s play:
Level 13: 1500/3000 (ante 500; 30 minutes)
Level 14: 2000/4000 (ante 500)
Level 15: 2500/5000 (ante 500)
Level 16: 3000/6000 (ante 1000)
Level 17: 4000/8000 (ante 1000)
Level 18: 5000/10,000 (ante 1000
Level 19: 6000/12,000 (ante 2000)
Level 20: 8000/16,000 (ante 2000)
APPT Macau: High Roller final table set … at last
It’s a day that will go down in the annals of PokerStars.net APPT history. A day that the APPT came of age, and the APPT Macau High Roller carved out a reputation as the region’s premier poker event.
More than 11 hours ago, 28 players took their seats for day two of the event (including Team PokerStars Pros Joe Hachem and Barry Greenstein), but the drama didn’t really begin until the clock ticked past 9pm when, inexplicably, the remaining 10 players all agreed to condense the two five-handed tables into one 10-handed table.
However, that decision resulted in the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse between the 10 combatants: PokerStars Sponsored players Eric Assadourian, Van Marcus and Ivan Tan; chip leader David Steicke, Andrew Scott, Johnny Chan, Nam Le, Quinn Do, Will Ma and Charles Chua.
After four hours, in which the short stacks of Johnny Chan, Ivan Tan and Van Marcus all came under threat, it was last year’s winner Eric Assadourian who was finally felted.
He moved in for his last 17,500 but Nam Le’s re-raise to 31,000 sounded a warning to Assadourian, and the other players who folded. The Aussie showed As-5s, while Nam Le revealed kings. The board ran out 9d-6c-9s-Jd-2h, and it was over. The final table comprises:
Seat 1: Nam Le, Los Angeles, CA, USA (107,000 in chips): One of the most successful tournament poker players of the past four years, the cousin of dual WPT main event winner Tuan Le has won more than $4.3 million. Underlining his consistency is the fact that he’s won only one major title in the time – the 2006 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars event, worth almost USD $1.2 million. He’s cashed 15 times at the WSOP including third in a $1500 No Limit Hold’em event at the 2007 WSOP. The 25-year-old also won the 2006 Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge II and most recently finished fourth at the 2008 WPT LA Poker Classic adding a further $411,770 to his burgeoning bank balance.
Seat 2: Quinn Do, El Monte, CA, USA (105,000 in chips): Born in Vietnam and raised in Seattle, Washington, this 33-year-old studied criminology at the University of Washington and once considered making a career as an investigator. Also a former restaurant owner, he turned his focus to poker in 2004 and within 12 months had won a WSOP bracelet (in the $2500 Limit Hold’em event). Other notable finishes on his tournament CV include second at the Bellagio Challenge Cup Championship in 2005 and most recently, a runner-up finish to Phil Ivey at the 2008 LA Poker Classic WPT Championship, worth just over USD $900,000. He is a good friend of Nam Le, who has also reached the final table of this event.
Seat 3: David Steicke, Hong Kong (391,500 in chips): A player who has made an indelible mark on the PokerStars.net APPT, he hadn’t played in a major poker tournament until last year’s APPT Seoul main event. Just weeks later, he charged through the field to finish third in the APPT Macau High Roller Event, winning more than USD $110,000. Since then, the 46-year-old trader has shown that he’s no one trick pony. He finished fourth in the $2000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2008 WSOP, winning USD $166,333. Originally from the South Australian town of Murray Bridge, Steicke went within a whisker of another final table when he took 10th in the APPT Macau main event that just concluded, taking home USD $16,209.
Seat 4: Will Ma, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (186,000 in chips): What is it with Waterloo in Ontario, Canada? The city of barely 100,000 residents continues to turn out world class players like Team PokerStars Pro Steve-Paul Ambrose, PokerStars EPT Dortmund winner Mike timex McDonald, Matt ch0ppy Kay (who made day two of this event) and now 20-year-old Will Ma. His online name cutiepi314 is a play that only a maths student would make (from pi = 3.14). Under that name, he’s won more than USD $250,000 in tournaments online, while his live CV is highlighted by victory in the 2007 €10,000 Grand Prix De Paris main event, worth €422,560 or more than USD $570,000.
Seat 5: Zhong Wei ‘Ivan’ Tan, Singapore (60,500 in chips): Last year, Ivan Tan decided to coincide a holiday with his wife with the inaugural APPT Macau tournament, and won a seat into the main event in a mega satellite. After three days, he’d outlasted all but one player to finish runner-up and pocket USD $129,536. Prior to last year’s event, he’d enjoyed the occasional cash game but had little tournament experience. Despite making his home in the emerging poker market of Singapore, the 27-year-old has developed a real affinity with Macau. He placed third in the recent HKD $9600 Red Dragon Tournament at PokerStars Macau.
Seat 6: Johnny Chan, Las Vegas, NV, USA (47,000 in chips): Born in China, the “Oriental Express” is rightly considered among the greats as underlined by his Poker Hall of Fame induction in 2002. Following his WSOP main event triumphs in 1987 and 1988 (the latter featured in the movie Rounders), Chan went within a whisker of hat-trick in 1989 but has since become one of only three men (with Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth) to win 10 WSOP bracelets. Chan was 11 when his family moved to the USA and gave up his studies to become a professional gambler at the age of 21. The first player of Asian descent to make his mark in tournament poker, he won his first WSOP bracelet in 1985 and two decades later, he celebrated his 10th in a $2500 Pot Limit Hold’em event.
Seat 7: Charles Chua, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (61,000 in chips): Last year, Liz Lieu earned a place in the APPT record books as the only player to reach the final table of both marquee events in Macau. Charles Chua joins Lieu having matched that impressive effort of reaching the final table of the APPT Macau Main and High Roller events. Chua won USD $291,761.54 for finishing runner-up to Eddie Sabat in the APPT Macau main event. The 31-year-old is now living in Malaysia but is well known to players in Australia where he lived before relocating last year. A law graduate, Chua has showed not only big-game experience over the past week but the ability to match it with the best table-talkers in the business.
Seat 8: Andrew Scott, Australia (226,000 in chips): A former professional blackjack player, this 39-year-old chartered accountant is a true “resident of the world”, but moves between bases in Hong Kong and Australia. He operates his own investments company but has seriously pursued a tournament poker career over the past two years and has featured in every APPT event played so far (plus three Aussie Millions main events, the 2007 WSOP main event and 20 events at the 2008 WSOP, cashing in one). This marks his first significant result for the popular Aussie, who documents his life and travels for numerous publications and websites including Bluff magazine in Australia.
Seat 9: Van sirens Marcus, Melbourne, Australia (43,000 in chips): An accomplished player with an excellent record in live and online play (he is a PokerStars Supernova), he has already final-tabled at one APPT event, finishing fourth at last year’s opening event in Manila. His standout result came at the 2007 WSOP when he finished third in the $1500 Pot Limit Omaha w/ rebuys event for more than USD $190,000. Over the past 12 months, the 25-year-old has continued the consistency that has been a hallmark of his tournament poker career, recording a seventh-place finish in the Canadian Open and was third in the AUD $3000 Pot Limit Omaha event at the 2008 Aussie Millions.
All photography © Joe Giron/IMPDI
APPT Macau: Chinese poker torture
We have now ticked past three-and-a-half hours of this 10 seated “imitation” final table. The larger stacks are no doubt regretting their decision to agree to redraw to a 10-handed game, when if the five-handed structure had been maintained, “on the balance of probabilities,” everyone would be tucked-up in bed by now.
Johnny Chan, short-stacked for most of this time, requested a new dealer at one stage, when he was dealt aces, but the second card released by the dealer, hit Chan’s tiny chip stack and flipped face up.
The two-time WSOP main event winner’s frustration was plain. Some 30 minutes later however, when Will Ma raised from the button, Chan moved-in from the small blind for his remaining 27,500. Ma felt he was priced-in and called with J-3. Chan showed a “lucky” pair of eights, and even a three on the flop presented no danger to the American, as a third eight also appeared, doubling him up to almost 60,000.
Andrew Scott quipped to Chan, “I thought we weren’t going to have to worry about you tomorrow, Johnny.” Chan responded: “It’s not me you have to worry about,” as he pointed to David Steicke, and then said quite loudly, “Sticky!” Everyone in the tournament enclosure laughed uproariously at this light-hearted moment.
APPT Macau: Slow boat to the final table
There is one heck of a lot at stake at this “unofficial” final table of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau High Roller tournament. The remaining 10 players have been foxing with each other for close to two hours; unwilling to put everything on the line, when the potential for much greater rewards lie only one elimination (and not theirs) away.
Players have been making small jabs at the blinds and antes from position, and often being quite happy to give up pots to small re-raises pre-flop.
The most action took place when Andrew Scott raised from early position, was re-raised by Will Ma on the button, and after some consideration, came back over-the-top for close to 50,000.
Ma played the “how much do you have?” game for a bit, before consigning his cards to the muck. “Why can’t you give me cards like you gave him?” Eric Assadourian asked the dealer, while indicating to Scott. The other players mumbled their agreement to the implication that the Australian had held rockets.
In another hand, David Steicke performed a delayed re-steal from the big blind, on Nam Le, who was on the button. After what seemed like the first flop we’ve seen in a whole Chinese dynasty, Steicke led out on the nine-high board for 10,000, forcing Le, who had only 70,000 chips, to fold his hand.
Steicke flashed a nine as he mucked his cards, eliciting another comment from the PokerStars Sponsored player Assadourian, “I’m giving you a new name … ‘Always Hits Steicke’.” Team PokerStars Pro, Joe Hachem, who was standing around at the time, responded immediately, “no, he’s The Machine”.
APPT Macau: Every rail has a Silverman lining
Steven Silverman has joined the railbirds on the other side of the ropes here at the Grand Waldo Casino. The American held the shortest stack for the majority of the time since Mike McDonald’s departure, and only had one move; all-in.
However, he had recently felt a bit more comfortable following a double-up courtesy of PokerStars Sponsored player, Van Marcus.
His larger stack was short-lived however, as continued aggression of the all-in kind, ran into the pocket aces of PokerStars Sponsored player Ivan Tan. Silverman had a pair of sevens, but their one-in-six chance to improve did not eventuate, leaving him gasping on 2200 in chips.
Next hand, Silverman’s small blind and ante ate up 1600 of those, so he committed the remaining 600 to the pot. Andrew Scott, found an ace and queen to take into battle against Silverman’s 7-5.
The board connected with neither player’s cards, seeing Silverman exit the PokerStars.net APPT Macau tournament area, three places short of the high-roller payouts. His elimination also saw the players redraw for a 10-handed final table, and play will continue tonight until one more player is out on the “official” final table bubble.
Meanwhile, David Steicke’s chip wall continues to block all-in-vaders (yes it’s bad, but it’s starting to get late …)
APPT Macau: Stop the clock … on Timex
The well-oiled machine that is David Steicke continues to hum, having just eliminated another player in Mike timex McDonald. Steicke, who continues to build a very long line of chips, that PokerStars Sponsored player Eric Assadourian calls the Great Wall of China, looked up timex’s all-in on a turned board of 5h-9s-7s-9h
Steicke showed pocket jacks, and McDonald turned over Ad-Kd, needing one of six cards to stay in the APPT Macau High Roller event. The river bricked with a 2s, and timex was stopped. Carve another victim up to Steicke.
Since then, the shortest stacks are Steve Silverman and PokerStars Sponsored player Ivan Tan second in this same event in 2007. Over the last 30 minutes or so, these two players have been taking it in turns to move-in all their chips.
Since both have stacks that can still significantly damage the other players, so far nobody has been willing to call them. Meanwhile at the same table, a bit of friendly banter has been taking place between Andrew Scott and Steicke.
Scott has renamed “The Machine’s” chip stack, “The Great Wall of Steicke,” and promised him he’d take it apart piece by piece … tomorrow. “I’ve got a plan for you, David,” the Australian said. Steicke, as usual, appeared unperturbed behind his well-constructed plastic edifice.
APPT Macau: Hachem clocks-off, thanks to Timex
The last Team PokerStars Pro in the APPT Macau High Roller event field, Joe Hachem, has been eliminated in 13th place.
Short stacked after losing a big pot to Andrew Scott, Hachem successfully committed his chips twice to scoop up the blinds and antes and was trying to make it three in a row when he pushed in for 10,000 in the small blind. But Mike timex McDonald called before Hachem’s chips had hit the felt, and showed Ad-10h to have Joe’s Ah-9h dominated.
Joe asked PokerStars Sponsored player Emad Tahtouh to call the flop, which came 5s-Qd-4c. The turn was the 3s and river 5c, sending Hachem to the rail just four spots short of the money.
All the action has been at table 20 where in the past level, PokerStars Sponsored player Van Marcus doubled through McDonald, then David Steicke lost a big pot to McDonald but recovered to put a huge dent in the stack of PokerStars Sponsored player Ivan Tan.
At table 14, Wei Will Ma is wielding his stack effectively. He recently overtook Steicke for the overall chip lead. Russian Yury Kerzhapkin has also been eliminated after moving all-in pre-flop with pocket nines and looked well placed against Nam Le’s pocket fours. But the board fell 5d-As-6c-3c-4h to give Nam Le a set on the river.
There are 12 players remaining and three more to be eliminated before the final table has been decided. Blinds are at level 11 (1000/2000) as the next break approaches.
Watch APPT Macau 008: Will Ma on PokerStars.tv
APPT Macau: Big stacks, good players, no hurry
In last year’s APPT High Roller event in Macau, it took five hours to eliminate the last six players before the final table line-up was decided.
The writing is also on the wall that the remaining 14 players are in no hurry to commit their chips as we tick into level 10 (800/1600 with an ante of 200) on day two of this year’s High Roller event at the Grand Waldo Casino.
After Danny Wong’s remaining 24,000 in chips went in with pocket jacks only to find Quinn Do with pocket aces, the 16 players were redrawn into two tables of eight.
At table 14 were PokerStars Sponsored player Eric Assadourian Quinn Do, Nam Le, Johnny Chan, Wei Will Ma, Yury Kerzhapkin and Charles Chua. The line-up at table 20 featured Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem, PokerStars Sponsored players Van Marcus and Ivan Tan, Steve Silverman, Julian Powell, David Steicke, Mike McDonald and Andrew Scott.
We’ve since lost one player from each table – Powell’s short stack went in with the worst of it holding Qh-8h against Tan’s As-Qs, and stayed behind with the board running out 6s-6c-10c-4s-4d.
Javad Abrahams’ hopes of reaching successive final tables (he was eighth in the APPT Macau main event) ended when he raised Johnny Chan’s bet of 10,000 on a board of 3c-10s-4d-Kd to 22,000.
Chan called, and showed pocket fours for a set, with Abrahams’ Kh-Jh needing help. However, the river came the 7h, and the impressive youngster from the UK was out in 16th position.
Then just before players took their break, Johnny Chan found himself in a pot with Wei Will Ma that would cost him most of his stack. With the board showing Kh-3c-4d-2c, Chan checked, Ma bet 12,000 and Chan called.
The river was the 10c, Chan again checked, Ma bet 20,000 and Chan stopped in his tracks. “I think you have ace-five,” he said before calling. Ma showed Kd-Jd for top pair, Chan mucked and stormed from the table.
There’s been little change to the leaderboard with David Steicke (177,000) narrowly ahead of Wei Will Ma (170,000), Charles Chua (140,000), Mike McDonald (121,000) and Quinn Do (120,000).