Friday, 29th March 2024 09:31
Home / Uncategorized / APPT Macau: Final table, level 21, 22 & 23 (12,000-24,000, 3,000 ante)

4.55pm: Level ends
That’s the end of level 23. 24 will be up without a break.

4.45pm: Brian Green out in 6th place for $572,900
After the early flurry of eliminations we slowed down until just now when Costa Rica’s Brian Green, a PokerStars qualifier, hit the rail.

Jeppe had limped and Green checked his option from the big blind to see a 2♦ 5♥ 8♥ flop. Green bet 100,000, Drivsholm re-raised to 500,000, Green moved all-in – call!

Green: 8♦ 9♠
Drivsholm: A♣ 8♠

Drivsholm had the better kicker, but the 7♠ turn added a gutshot straight draw for Green. But he bricked the Q♣ river, leaving us with five players remaining.

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Brian Green sees the bad news

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Jeppe Drivsholm collects the chips

4.40pm: Nielsen is here
Kenny Nielsen has been by far the quietest player at the final table. He took a hand a moment ago – then got involved in the very next pot. He opened for 55,000 and got a call from Chong Cheong in the big blind to see a A♦ K♥ Q♦ flop. Cheong check-called Nielsen’s 70,000 bet, then both checked down the 7♣ turn and 10♣ river.

Cheong had been trapping on the flop with A-K and then slowed down when the river got scary. Nielsen mucked.

4.35pm: Green takes one
Chong Cheong opened for 60,000 and Brian Green re-raised to 180,000. That sent Cheong into the tank. He scratched his head, adjusted his glass, stared out in to the distance. You could almost hear his brain ticking over. Then he counted out a call but put the chips back with the rest of his stack.

Eventually he mucked K♦ 10♦ face up and got a “good fold” from Green.

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Brian Green, right, waits for Chong Cheong to make his decision

4.20pm: Flush for Torres
Victorino Torres bet 75,000 and got a call from Jeppe Drivsholm. Drivsholm then called Torres’ 100,000 bet on the Q♥ 4♣ 4♥ flop. Both then checked the A♥ turn and the Q♦ river – and Torres’ 2♥ 8♥ for a small flush on a dangerous board was enough to take the pot.

4.15pm: Oops!
A small crash and a yelp reveals a floorman tumbling backwards off his chair from the raised seating area. Fortunately he was none the worse for his unwanted close inspection of the carpet.

4.05pm: Cheong through the two million mark
Chong Cheong called an opening 75,000 bet from Victorino Torres to see a Q♦ K♥ 6♣ flop. The man from Hong Kong wasted no time putting out a big bet of 250,000 – and Torres folded in a flash.

That sent Cheong over two million, and he picked up a few more next hand when he raised and got calls from Brian Green in the small blind and Kenny Nielsen in the big. All three checked the 8â™  4♣ 2♣ flop, but on the 8♣ river Green and Nielsen check-folded to Cheong’s 150,000.

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Chong Cheong

3.55pm: Cheong wins small battle of the blinds
Jeppe Drivsholm called from the small blind and Chong Cheong checked from the big. On the 7♥ 8♦ 9♥ flop Drivsholm check-called Cheong’s 25,000 bet, but he let it go when Cheong bet 50,000 on the 8♣ turn.

3.50pm: Off again
Cards are back in the air with blinds now at 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante. Here are the latest chips, which show Chong Cheong is well ahead of the other five:

Chong Cheing, 1,913,000
Jeppe Drivsholm, 1,403,000
Cole Swannack, 1,094,000
Kenny Nielsen, 951,000
Victorino Torres, 805,000
Brian Green, 516,000

3.35pm: Break
That’s the end of the level. Players are now on a 15-minute break.

3.33pm: Cheong increases chip lead
Chong Cheong takes a big pot of Cole Swannack. The board was showing J♥ A♦ Q♦ 8♣ 4♥ , and with 200,000 in the middle already, Swannack made a bet of 185,000. Cheong then made a big re-raise, 500,000 in total, which visibly deflated Swannack. He took a minute or so to count out his stack before electing to fold.

That little lot sent Cheong up to 1,800,000 – the clear chip lead – and left Swannack on around one million.

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Cole Swannack stares down Chong Cheong…

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… and agonises over his decision

3.25pm: State of play
With a few minutes left to go in this level, here are the latest chips, showing Brian Green. a PokerStars qualifier from Costa Rica, is the man currently with his work cut out:

Chong Cheong, 1,550,000
Jeppe Drivsholm, 1,400,000
Cole Swannack, 1,350,000
Kenny Nielsen, 850,000
Victorino Torres, 730,000
Brian Green, 600,000

3.15pm: Green caught ‘at it’
Brian Green opened for 55,000 and got a call from Jeppe Drivsholm in the small blind. On the 6♦ 9â™  2♣ flop Drivsholm checked, Green bet 110,000 and the Dane called. Both then checked the 4♥ turn, and on the 3♣ river Drivsholm, by far the most active player at the table, check-called Green’s 200,000 bet.

Green could only table Kâ™  8♣ for king high – but Drivsholm had a six for a pair. Green is now down to 500,000.

3.10pm: Back
Cards are in the air again.

3pm: Quick break
We’re on a short unscheduled break while the TV crew tighten up some nuts and bolts. Or something like that.

2.55pm: Kai Paulsen busts in 7th place for $445,600 HKD
Jeppe Drivsholm got back the chips he lost in the hand described below by busting Kai Paulsen in the very next hand. He opened for 65,000 and Chong Cheong called before Paulsen moved all in for around 300,000. Drivsholm made the call and Cheong got out of the way.

Drivsholm: A♥ K♥
Paulsen: Kâ™  7â™ 

The man from Norway, who won his entry money for this event by getting a straight flush on a Caribbean Stud table in the casino, was way behind and fell even further behind when Drivsholm flopped trip aces. There was no way back for Paulsen, and he left to give his exit interview for TV.

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Kai Paulsen congratulates Jeppe Drivsholm

2.50pm: Drivsholm sliding
Jeppe Drivsholm, one of the two big stacks at the start of play, is down to 600,000 after losing a large pot to Victorino Torres. On the 4♣ 6♦ Q♥ 3♠ board, Torres bet 60,000 and Drivsholm raised to by another 100,000. Call.

On the 8♥ river Drivsholm reached for more chips – 160,000 in total. Torres looked like he was about to fold, but summoned the strength for a call. He’ll be glad he did – his 8♦ 7♣ was enough to see off Drivsholm’s A♣ 9â™  . Torres up to 1.2 million, Drivsholm down to 550,000.

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Victorino Torres collects the loot

2.40pm: Big pot for Cheong to take chip lead
Brian Green kicked off a big pot by raising to 55,000. Jeppe Drivsholm called, but Chong Cheong from Hong Kong raised by another 140,000. Only Drivsholm called. Both checked the 2♥ 7♥ 2♦ flop, then on the 5♣ turn Drivsholm bet 265,000. Cheong wasted no time moving all in, and after getting a count the Dane let it go.

That put Cheong up to 1.6 million.

2.30pm: Swannack aggression
Cole Swannack open raised but was then re-raised by Victorino Torres for another 175,000. Swannack surveyed his stack, then eyed up Torres chips before deciding to move all in. He had Torres covered, and a win would mak him clear chip leader, but Torres did not want to play any more… and folded.

The final table here in the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino is attracting a lot of interest. Witness the crowd peeking over the barrier to get a good look at the set….

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2.24pm: Level up
We’re up to level 22. Blinds are now 10,000-20,000 with a 2,000 ante. Here’s are the latest chips:

Jeppe Drivsholm, 1,400,000
Chong Cheong, 1,100,000
Cole Swannack, 1,050,000
Brian Green, 950,000
Victorino Torres, 800,000
Kenny Nielsen, 770,000
Kai Paulsen, 600,000

2.15pm: Albert Kim out in 8th place for $350,100 HKD
After being pushed around by Jeppe Drivsholm in the hand described below, it was no surprise to see Albert Kim moving in soon after. Chong Cheong limped from under the gun, and when it was folded around to Kim he shoved for 234,000 more with A♣ 9♣ .

Cheong called, and he was ahead with 8♣ 8♥ . Kim needed help – but the board ran 2♦ 5♦ 4♦ 10♥ J♥ , and we’re down to seven players.

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Albert Kim does not like what he sees

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… but takes his elimination in good spirits

2.05pm: Drivsholm puts Kim all in
Not for the first time Jeppe Drivsholm puts his big stack to good use. Kai Paulsen opened for 37,000, called by Drivsholm. Albert Kim then raised to 116,000, but while Paulsen folded, Drivsholm moved all in. Kim was at risk, and took a minute or so before deciding he could find a better spot. He folded.

2pm: Torres take chunk from chip leader
Victorino flopped trip tens holding 10♠ A♣ to win a 300,000 pot from Jeppe Drivsholm.

1.50pm: Using the big stack
Jeppe Drivsholm, the chip leader, was in the big blind and called a button raise to 40,000 from Victorino Torres. Both checked the 9♠ 9♥ 6♥ flop, but on the 9♣ turn Drivsholm made it 55,000, forcing a fold.

Next hand he lost some to Albert Kim. Drivsholm called from the small blind and Kim raised by 40,000. Call. On the 2♣ 4♦ 8♥ flop, Drivsholm check-called Kim’s 50,000. Both then checked down the 8â™  turn and 4♥ river. Kim had an ace – and that was better than Drivsholm’s king high.

1.40pm: Keith Hawkins out in ninth place for $254,608 HKD
He was the shortest stack at the start of play and now Keith Hawkins from the UK is the first to bust from the final table. Victorino Torres had raised to 40,000 and Hawkins moved all in for around 100,000 more. Torres quickly made the call:

Torres: 7♥ 7♦
Hawkins: A♣ 3♣

Hawkins needed help, but the board of 2♦ 3â™  8â™  J♦ 4♣ failed to provide it. We’re down to eight players already.

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Keith Hawkins: all-in… and out

1.35pm: First big pot of the final
And it was the two chip daddies, Cole Swannack and Jeppe Drivsholm up against each other. Swannack opened with a raise to 36,000 and Drivsholm called from the button. The flop was 6♥ 5♥ 5♣ and the Dane called Swannack’s 44,000 continuation bet . On the turn Swannack slowed down to a check then called Drivsholm’s 110,000. Both slowed down on the 8♥ river. Showdown:

Drivsholm: 10♥ 10♣
Swannack: A♣ 7♠

Drivsholm took it down and seized the chip lead as a result.

1.23pm: We’re off!
Finally we get under way. Jeppe Drivsholm took the first pot uncontested with a raise to 36,000. Kenny Nielsen bagged the next after calling a Chong Cheong pre-flop raise to 46,000 and then betting the 9♠ 3♠ 3♦ flop.

1.20pm: No, really, I mean, any minute now
A few more little things have been sorted out, and now at last tournament boss Danny McDonagh is introducing the final table players. We’re about to begin… honest!

1.05pm: Any minute now
All nine players are in their seats. We’ve had the group photo, which you can see below, and now it’s the final duties to complete before we’re off – confirming chip stacks, signing TV release forms, instructions about the use of the mobile phones (ie you can’t use them), and no flash photography rules for the audience etc.

I reckon we’ll have cards in the air in five minutes. Jesse Drivsholm is taking the wait in his stride – he seems to have fallen asleep in his seat.

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Back row left to right, Victorino Torres, Kai Paulsen, Brian Green, Kenny Nielsen, front row left to right, Jeppe Drivsholm, Keith Hawkins, Albert Kim, Chong Cheong and Cole Swannack

12.50pm: Hope you’re not holding your breath
If you are, you’ll be an alarming shade of blue by now. We’re still not ready to go. That said, the chips have been brought to the table and are now stacked up neatly awaiting their owners. Jeppe Drivsholm is the first to take his seat, the others are also filing in.

The audience seats in the main stage area are also filling up fast – we can’t be far off.

Just a reminder… the winner today will walk away with $3,246,200 HKD (about $416,000 USD). That’s a lot of money.

11.55am: Nearly ready
Welcome back for day four (well, day six if you include the three day one flights) of the PokerStars APPT Macau season 4 Main Event. We were due to get under way at 12.15pm, but the television crews are just finishing their set up on the rather splendid-looking main stage, and they then have interviews and such to get through with the nine players as well.

One piece of news – as we finished last night half way through level 21, tournament boss Danny McDonagh has decided to rewind the clock back to the start of the level.

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The final table set

Current estimate for the start is 12.45pm local time. But you can amuse yourself in the meantime by catching up with the player profiles of our final tablists, review the payout page to see who has won the monies so far, then remind yourself of the story so far by looking back at each day’s wrap post:

Day 1A
Day 1B
Day 1C
Day 2
Day 3

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Getting ready for the players

PokerStars Blog reporting team in Macau: Simon Young (worn keyboard) and Joe Giron (polished cameras)

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