Only 14 players are left fighting for the APPT Korea Main Event trophy and Michael Soyza is leading the pack with 2,397,000.

Soyza has more than $1 million in live tournament earnings, including a Macau Poker Cup High Roller title, but now he’s in the hunt for his first APPT title. He’ll face some stiff competition though.

Team PokerStars Online’s Randy Lew, who won the APPT Macau Main Event for nearly $490,000 back in 2011, will come back tomorrow with 1,029,000. Taehoon Han, our reigning champ here in Korea, is also in the running, but he’s short with 297,000. And if that’s not enough, the blazing-hot Yuki Ko is still in this thing.

Ko has had an incredible run this APPT, even if it has been quite greedy. Not only did Ko win the National Championship and Single-Day High Roller, he did it in the same day. Then he hopped into the Main Event and made the final 14 with 392,000. Save some for the rest of Korea Ko.

If Ko wins tomorrow, he might legally own poker.

But these players are the minority. A total of 143 players started the day and most of them didn’t even cash. Only 54 players were supposed to make the money this event, but we had the rare double bubble that resulted in two players splitting a mincash.

Both Calvin Lee and our start-of-day chip leader, Scott Janik, found themselves all-in during hand-for-hand play. Lee was short-stacked and moved all-in preflop while Janik jammed on the river and got snap-called by Mitsuhiro Shiga. Lee’s hand played out first and his J♥ 8♥ couldn’t beat Andy Chen’s pocket queens.

Then Janik showed trips, but Shiga had him beat with a full house. Janik and Lee split 54th place and we had a total of 55 players cashing this event. Team PokerStars Pro Celina Lin was one of them. Lin nearly made it to the final two tables, but was eliminated in a massive pot. She flopped top-two against Soyza, but Soyza ended up hitting a runner-runner flush to knock out Lin in 20th.

Now Soyza will start tomorrow with the lead. Here’s how the rest of tomorrow’s field stacks up:

Join us tomorrow at noon as we play down to a champion.

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2:10am: Nut low bluff costs Ota
Level 22 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

Even though Tsuyoshi Ota busted in the third to last hand of the night, you got to give him credit for going out with style. He bluffed all-in with the nut low and ran in Randy Lew who picked him off with top pair.

Lew opened from early position and bet a 4♦ A♣ 9♦ flop. Ota defended his big blind and check-called his flop bet. Both players checked the J♥ turn before Ota jammed on the 10♦ river holding 3♥ 2♥ . Lew called with A♥ Q♦ and moved up to around 1.1 million (count tbc at bagging up). –MC

2:02am: Last three hands
Level 22 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

The clock has been paused for the last three hands, and it’s Michael Soyza who has the chip lead right now with 2.3 million.

He just won a small pot from Taehoon Han; although, in his mind, it should have been much bigger.

Soyza limped the small blind with no action in front of him and Han checked his option, bringing a 10♠ 9♣ 9♥ flop. It checked through to the 7♦ turn and Soyza now led out for 50,000. Han called.

The river was the 4♣ and Soyza checked. Han checked it back.

“Oh no!” said Soyza, annoyed that no more money had gone in the pot. He showed the A♦ 10♦ , and told Han he was planning to check-shove the river.

Han showed the 10♥ .

“Wow you checked back the river?” Soyza said, annoyed, but not really. Because, y’know, he has the chip lead and all. Han is pretty short, however, with just 265,000 remaining. –JS

1:45am: The poker gods don’t hold grudges
Level 22 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

The poker gods have clearly moved on from the Toru Wakamatsu slow-roll incident. He served his time and the next time he was involved in an all-in, he won the pot and eliminated Tzu Chieh Lo in the process.

Wakamatsu made his move for his last 596,000 from under the gun and Lo called all-in from the next seat.

Wakamatsu: A♦ Q♥
Lo: J♥ J♠

The board ran K♠ Q♥ 6♥ 2♦ 10♣ to pair Wakamatsu’s queen. Just 15 remain now. –MC

1:36am: Ying Tang out in 17th
Level 22 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

Having nursed a shorter stack for much of this evening’s play, and having demonstrated some excellent ninja skills with less than 20 big blinds, Ying Tang’s Main Event has now come to an end.

After Mitsuhiro Shiga limped in the UTG+1 seat, it folded to Tang in the cutoff who raised it to 80,000. Over to Bryan Huang in the big blind, he shoved to put both at risk. Shiga got out the way quickly, but Tang had a decision.

She glanced back at the large tournament clock while she deliberated. The screen showed no pay jumps, and 45 minutes left on the day.

Ultimately she decided to make the call, but her A♣ 8♦ was in bad shape against Huang’s K♣ K♠ . She’d need an ace but found no help on the 7♦ 5♣ 8♠ 9♣ Q♥ runout.

Huang is up to around 1.9 million now. –JS

1:33am: Huang takes out Nose
Level 22 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

Bryan Huang has moved up to 1.4 million after he eliminated the short-stacked Gen Nose. The chips went in preflop with Nose all-in for 216,000.

Huang: 8♦ 8♥
Nose: A♠ 9♠

The board ran a blank 5♣ J♣ 10♥ 4♣ J♦ . –MC

1:30am: Justice prevails as Nanonoko gets slow-rolled
Level 22 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)

There was some outrage on Table 1 as Toru Wakamatsu was accused of slow-rolling Randy Lew.

The PokerStars Online Team Pro moved all-in from early position and got through everyone until the action reached Wakamatsu in the big blind. He stood up, procrastinated and asked for a count. Lew broke down his stack and informed Wakamatsu that it was 341,000 to call. Then the call came.

Wakamatsu: Q♥ Q♦
Lew: 10♠ 10♣

Lew was in deep trouble but the poker gods came to his rescue as the board ran out 5♠ 8♦ 10♦ 7♣ K♠ to make Lew a set. Wakamatsu dropped to 640,000. –MC

1:20am: Togookhuu wins the classic
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

Erdemtsogt Togookhuu will be hanging around this one a bit longer. The man from Mongolia has just found a much needed double up through Tzu Lo.

Lo had opened to 35,000 from early position and Togookhuu jammed for 259,000 when it folded to him. Back to Lo, he made the call with the A♣ K♦ and was in a classic flip against Togookhuu’s Q♦ Q♥ .

The pocket ladies would hold after a 5♦ 4♦ J♣ 5♥ 7♦ runout, bringing Togookhuu up to 560,000 and Lo down to 675,000. –JS

1:10am: Final two tables
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

Here’s how our final 18 players stack up, and also how they’re arranged:

1am: Gruendemann leads High Roller as Day 1 ends

Taiwan-based Irishman Mark Gruendemann pipped Macau high holler Winfred Yu to lead as Day 1 of the High Roller came to an end. The top four players clear at the top of the counts heading in to Day 2 are:

Mark Gruendemann – 185,200
Winfred Yu – 165,000
Hidecki Izutsa – 146,000
Masato Yokosawa – 145,900

Over ₩200million is already in the prize pool as 47 players entered through the six levels of play. A total of 38 made it through to tomorrow where registration remains open for another six levels (approx. 4:20pm). We’ll fill you in on all the major talking points on the final within our live updates page. –MC

12:50am: Ryo doubles while Aritake exits
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

On one table, Randy Lew opened the hijack to 36,000 only for Erdemtsogt Togookhuu to shove on the button for 440,000. Tomita Ryo was in the big blind and he called off his last 250,000 or so, before Lee got out the way.

It was Ryo’s 10♣ 10♠ against Togookhuu’s A♠ Q♥ , and the 7♥ 9♥ 6♣ 2♦ J♦ board kept the tens in front.

Meanwhile, Teruhiro Aritake was tangling with Eric Wasylenko on another table in a hand that would ultimately see him exit in 19th. We missed it, however, to Wasylenko kindly walked us through the action.

Aritake had opened under the gun to 40,000 and Wasylenko called to bring a 6-3-2 rainbow flop. There was a 50,000 c-bet which was called, taking them to an ace on the turn. Aritake now checked and Wasylenko led for 105,000. Call.

The river was another three and when Aritake checked a final time Wasylenko set him all in for around 400,000. Aritake eventually called with pocket queens, but Wasylenko had the goods with ace-king. He’s up to 1.5 million now.

The final 18 are now redrawing for the final two tables. –JS

12:32am: Ota doubles with a hero call
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

There was already about 100,000 in the pot and a 4♥ 7♠ 6♣ flop on the board. Eric Wasylenko checked from the big blind and Tsuyoshi Ota bet 62,000 from under the gun. Taehoon Han then made it 162,000 from the button and Wasylenko folded.

Ota called and a K♦ came on the turn. That’s when Han put Ota to the test by moving all-in. Han had Ota covered and the reigning champ also had some street cred. Ota thought and thought some more. Someone called the clock and then Ota thought a little longer. Finally he announced the call and threw in lone chip.

Han showed 10♥ 8♥ for a bluff and Ota cheered and turned over 4♦ 5♦ for bottom pair with an open-ended straight draw. A J♥ came on the river and Ota doubled up to about 700,000 while Han dropped to 315,000. –AV

12:20am: Wasylenko chips up
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

Eric Wasylenko has been fairly active, and it seems to be paying off. He just won a nice pot off Seonghyun Suh.

Wasylenko opened the cutoff to 40,000 and Kojiro Mizukami called from the small blind before Suh three-bet squeezed it up to 116,000. Only Wasylenko called, and the two went heads up to a Q♣ 4♠ 8♦ flop. Suh continued for 100,000, and the Canadian didn’t budge.

The turn was the 3♠ and now Suh checked it. Wasylenko opted to take the betting lead for 160,000, and after some thinking that was enough to get a fold.

Suh drops to 850,000, while Wasylenko chips up to around 900,000. –JS

12:04am: Guess who’s back?
Level 21 – Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)

We are of course. Our final 19 players are back in their seats and ready to play the final two levels of the night.

11:55pm: Sumit Sapra flips his way to the PSPC at the PCA

Checkout the video below for the story of the flipout tournament that took place before play began earlier today, and an interview with the latest player – India’s Sumit Sapra – to win their way to the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) that will lead into the 2019 PCA. –MC

11:54pm: Break

Players are on their final 10-minute break of the day. They’ll come back and we’ll play two more levels before we bag and tag for the night.

11:50pm: Big double for Masaki, big regret for Shiga
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

Mitsuhiro Shiga was thinking about the call for some time, but folded instead. He quickly regretted his decision.

The flop came and Shiga realized he could’ve hit big. Shiga slammed his hands on the table, leaned back and then went to go dig his head in his friend’s shoulder.

The hand started off with Shiga raising to 25,000 from the hijack and then Bryan Huang three-bet to 90,000 from the small blind. Yuji Masaki re-raised all-in for 435,000 and that’s when Shiga’s dilemma began. After a bit of thought, Shiga decided it was best to fold. Huang called though and turned over A♠ Q♦ to Masaki’s dominating A♦ K♦ .

Then the flop came J♥ 8♦ J♣ . Shiga reacted strongly and mentioned he had folded a jack. The turn brought a 6♣ and then a 3♥ completed the board. Masaki doubled to 900,000 while Huang dipped to 1.2 million. –AV

11:43pm: Huge pot sends Lin out
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

While Masato Shimizu was being eliminated in 21st on one table, a far bigger pot was being played out between Celina Lin and Michael Soyza on another.

Soyza opened the button to 30,000 and the Team Pro defended her big blind to see a 9♣ 6♦ K♠ flop. Lin check-called a 28,000 c-bet, taking them to the 2♣ turn. Lin checked once more, and Soyza didn’t slow down, firing another 90,000. Call.

The A♣ completed the board, and when Lin checked a third time Soyza set her all in. She had 560,000 behind, making Soyza’s bet almost two times the pot. Lin had a tough decision on her hands, and she took her time to make it.

Then she called.

Soyza quickly rolled over the 3♣ 5♣ for a runner-runner flush, and Lin saw the bad news. She had the K♣ 6♠ for a flopped two pair, and all her chips were pushed Soyza’s way.

“I should have shoved the turn,” Lin said, as she departed in 20th place for ₩6M. Soyza is our chip leader now with 1.8 million. –JS

11:30pm: Blackjack
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

Zhyi Feng has fallen and we’re down to our final 21 players. Eric Wasylenko raised to 28,000 from the hijack and then Feng moved all-in for 240,000 from the button. Action folded back around to Wasylenko and he called.

Both players showed pocket pairs, but Wasylenko’s J♥ J♦ was better than Feng’s 9♥ 9♦ . Wasylenko then improved to a set on the turn of a 4♠ 10♦ 2♠ J♣ 5♠ board and Feng hit the rail.

Feng finished in 22nd while the pot put Wasylenko up to 900,000. –AV

11:23pm: Ota loses a lota
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

What a rollercoaster this day has been for Tsuyoshi Ota. He began as one of the big stacks, then found himself short, made it into the money, managed to double up, but he’s just lost a large chunk of his stack to Seonghyun
Suh.

The hand began with a limp from Ota and a cutoff raise to 43,000 from Suh. Ota made the call and the two went to a 4♠ J♣ 5♥ flop, on which Suh continued for 50,000 when checked to. Call.

The turn was the 10♠ and Ota checked again. Suh didn’t change his plan, firing again for 90,000. And again, Ota stuck around.

They saw the 5♣ complete the board and after another check Suh triple barreled for 185,000. Ota called quickly.

“Ayahh!” he groaned with disappointment when he saw that Suh had the 10♥ 10♦ for a turned set. Ota mucked and sees his stack fall to 350,000, while Suh is up to 800,000 now. –JS

11:15pm: Tang takes out Li
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

We’ve had another doctor of Shortstackology hit the rail. Yakai Li had been riding his short stack for some time, but finally got whittled down to 59,000 and moved it all-in from middle position.

Ying Tang then rejammed from the button and the blinds folded. Li turned over K♥ 5♦ and Tang was in the lead with A♠ 3♠ . Tang paired here three on the 4♦ 8♣ 4♠ 3♦ 6♥ board and she took down the pot. Li’s run came to an end in 23rd while Tang chipped up to 320,000. –AV

11:08pm: Motodate gone
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

Bryan Huang has claimed another victim in Koshiro Motodate. The latter found himself all in with the K♠ Q♦ versus Huang’s A♣ K♥ , which held up. –JS

11pm: Chip counts
Level 20 – Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 2,000)

Here’s how they all stack up:

10:55pm: Lin doubles through Ko
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Team PokerStrs Pro Celina Lin is up to about 670,000 after winning a flip to double up against Yuki Ko.

Lin started things off with a raise to 23,000 from early position and got two callers. Then Ko three-bet to 120,000 from the big blind. Lin moved all-in for about 300,000, forced a couple of folds and Ko called. Ko turned over 10♦ 10♥ and Lin was flipping with A♦ K♥ .

The J♠ A♠ 6♦ Q♠ 7♣ board fell in Lin’s favor and she doubled up to 670,000 while Ko dropped to about the same amount. –AV

10:47pm: Yum yanked out in 26th
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Players had barely settled at their new tables when a short-stacked Claudia Yum moved all-in from the middle position. Randy Lew called from the button and the rest of the table got out of the way.

Yum turned over K♠ Q♥ while Lew showed a dominating A♦ Q♠ . The 5♠ 5♣ 6♣ 2♣ 5♦ board brought all low cards and Lew took it down. Yum was eliminated in 26th place while Lew chipped up to 820,000. –AV

10:39pm: Final three tables as Hong and Nozaki depart
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

We’ve just rapid knockouts on two tables, bringing the field down to 26 and meaning the clock is paused for a redraw.

Hyunil Hong was the first to go in 28th. He was all in with the K♥ 10♦ against Tzu Chieh Lo’s 7♠ 7♣ , and the 4♦ Q♦ 8♣ A♥ 9♠ board kept the pocket pair in front.

While Hong was getting up, we heard commotion on another table and arrived just in time to see Shun Nozaki get outdrawn by Tsuyoshi Ota. All the money went in on the 3♠ 9♣ 10♠ flop, with Nozaki holding the Q♣ 10♣ against Ota’s 6♠ 5♠ flush draw. The K♠ hit the turn improving Ota, and the 2♣ river changed nothing.

Nozaki is our 27th place finisher, while Ota is up to 800,000 and Lo is on 650,000. We’ll have the final three table seat draw and rough chip counts shortly. –JS

10:35pm: 24 in the High Roller so far

Day 1 of the two-day ₩5,000,000 buy-in High Roller Event is in full swing over in the VIP area of the casino. They’re playing six 40-minute levels today, and unlimited re-entries are allowed all of today and for the first six levels of tomorrow too (up until around 4:20pm).

Linh Tran, Thomas Ward, Daniel Lee, Danny Tang, Daniel Damicki and Hiroyuki Noda are amongst the 24 entries so far, with 22 remaining. We’ll keep you informed as to how that tournament develops tonight and tomorrow. –MC

10:25pm: A pair of pocket aces picks off Chan
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Andy Chan’s tournament run is done after he kept running into pocket aces. The first was a preflop bonanza that ended in a double up.

Kojiro Mizukami started off that party with a raise to 25,000 and then Yuki Ko re-raised to 57,000 from the hijack. Chan four-bet to 145,000 from the button and then Mizukami moved all-in for about 245,000.

Ko folded, Chan called and players tabled their hands. Chan showed A♣ Q♦ while Mizukami tabled A♠ A♦ . The 3♦ 8♦ K♣ 7♣ 10♥ board brought no help for Chan and Mizukami doubled to 550,000 while Chan dropped to about 130,000.

Chan then moved all-in two hands later and Celina Lin rejammed. The rest of the table got out of the way and the two players chopped the pot after they both showed ace-nine offsuit. Chan then picked up jacks and moved all-in again. Unlucky for him Edward Mandel picked up aces. Chan’s tournament came to an end and he finished in 29th. –AV

10:13pm: Notable stacks
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

We’ve got some very familiar faces left in this field, including the only two Red Spades who played, plus the defending champ, and the winner of the National and Single Day High Roller (and Platinum Pass).

Here’s how the big and notables stack up. –JS

Bryan Huang – 1.2 million
Toru Wakamatsu – 1.2 million
Michael Soyza – 980,000
Mitsuhiro Shiga – 950,000
Eric Wasylenko – 845,000
Randy Lew – 720,000 (PokerStars Team Online)
Yuki Ko – 655,000 (National, Single Day High Roller, and Platinum Pass winner)
Taehoon Han – 440,000 (defending champ)
Celina Lin – 370,000 (PokerStars Team Pro)

10:06pm: Another KO for Soyza as Nakai’s denied
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Kohei Nakai jammed from the UTG+1 seat for around 75,000 and it folded to the big blind of Michael Soyza. He made the call with pocket jacks, which was ahead of Nakai’s king-queen offsuit. The board ran out with four clubs giving Soyza a flush and the KO.

Soyza is up to 980,000 now. –JS

10:04pm: Soyza slays Ohashi
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

We’re down to 30 players as the post-dinner bust boom continues.

Hideaki Ohashi raised to 30,000 from middle position in the most recent elimination and Michael Soyza called from the cutoff. Thomas Ward called from the big blind and the three players went to the 8♦ 5♣ 8♣ flop. Ohashi bet a smooth 100,000 when checked to and only Soyza called.

An A♣ came on the turn and this time Ohashi moved all-in for about 150,000. Soyza quickly called and showed 5♥ 5♦ for a set of fives while Ohashi tabled J♥ J♦ . A K♥ completed the board and Ohashi’s tournament while Soyza chipped up to 898,000. –AV

9:53pm: Yogo no more
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

It’s been a short return from dinner for Japan’s Iori Yogo. After Mitsuhiro Shiga opened to 50,000 under the gun, it folded around to Yogo in the big blind who shoved for 240,000 over the 5x raise. Shiga thought for a moment before calling.

Yogo – A♣ Q♠
Shiga – 9♣ 9♦

A flip of the coin would determine Yogo’s fate, and it didn’t go his way this time with the board running out 7♣ 5♦ 5♥ J♠ 8♥ . Shiga is up to 1.05 million now. –JS

9:45pm: Play resumes
Level 19 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

Just 33 players made it to the dinner break, and they’ve all now returned. Cards are in the air.

8:45pm: Dinner bell

Players are now on a 60-minute dinner break. Grab some grub yourself and then come back for more action at 9:45pm Korea time.

8:36pm: Up and out
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Ikmyung Choi was hoping for a rally, but he couldn’t get past the first double up.

A short-stacked Choi raised to 18,000 from middle position and left himself with about 20,000 behind. Action folded to Yuki Ko on the small blind and he raised to 28,000. Choi just called and left himself with just 10,000.

Ko then bet blind before the 10♠ 3♠ 4♦ flop hit the board. Choi called and both players showed a pocket pair. Ko turned over 2♠ 2♣ and Choi had 7♣ 7♦ . The board ran 10♠ 3♠ 4♦ Q♦ J♥ and Choi doubled up to 92,000.

That all went in the following hand and Michael Soyza snap-called from the big blind. Choi turned over A♠ 7♥ and Soyza tabled Q♣ Q♦ . Soyza improved to set of queens on the flop of a Q♠ 10♦ 3♥ 6♣ 5♠ board and Choi hit the rail. Soyza on the other hand chipped up to 350,000. –AV

8:25pm: Feng collects from Shiga
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Zhiyi Feng has increased his stack to 500,000 after winning a big pot from Mitsuhiro Shiga.

Feng opened under the gun to 17,000 and was called by Andrew An, before it folded to Shiga in the big blind. He made the call and the dealer spread a K♦ 6♥ 5♥ flop, which Feng continued on for 25,000 when checked to. An made the call, but Shiga decided to min-raise it up to 50,000.

Over to Feng, he thought for around a minute before pulling back his original bet. He then slid out another raise to 125,000, which shook off An but got Shiga’s attention. He leant forward to get a look at Feng’s chips behind (180,000), before making the call.

The turn then came the 4♦ , and when Shiga checked Feng instantly moved all in. Shiga would ultimately give it up, dropping to 775,000. –JS

8:10pm: An felts Tang
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Daniel Tang is our latest Main Event casualty, taking the field down to 43.

Zhiyi Feng opened to 17,000 in the hijack and Andrew An then shoved on the button for 87,000. Tang called in for around 70,000 in the big blind, and Feng called to put them both at risk.

“Does anyone have a pair?” Tang asked. “Because I have a pair.”

He did, y’know. The 8♠ 8♥ . And nobody else had one, with Feng showing the A♣ J♣ and An revealing the A♦ 9♠ . However, An would soon hit a better one on the 4♠ K♦ 9♦ flop, and the nines held after the 7♥ turn and 2♠ river.

An just about trebles up to roughly 230,000. –JS

8:05pm: Big stack showdown
Level 18 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)

Celina Lin did not get moved to Randy Lew’s table, but she did get seated between some monster stacks. They were even clashing when she arrived.

Shun Nozaki started that hand off with a raise to 20,000 from the cutoff and Bryan Huang re-raised to 53,000 from the cutoff. Action folded to Toru Wakamatsu on the big blind and he threw in a four-bet to 138,000. Nozaki quickly folded but Huang thought for a while.

Both Huang and Wakamatsu had giant stacks piled in towers of 40. Huang had about 760,000 on him while Wakamatsu was close to 900,000. Huang started thinking, should he go to war with the other giant? Not today fellow big stack, we have smaller fish to fry. Huang eventually folded and Wakamatsu showed him pocket aces.

Wakamatsu is now up to 980,000 while Huang is up to 760,000. –AV

7:55pm: Just five tables remain
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

We’re now down to just five tables and 45 players, with Celina Lin’s table breaking. Will she end up on fiance Randy Lew’s table? Stay tuned. –JS

7:45pm: The bustouts begin
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

We’ve already dropped down to 46 players, with the likes of Neil Sitenga, Jiafei Yu, and Masato Yokosawa hitting the rail.

You’ll find all the eliminations and their payouts here when we get confirmation of them.

Meanwhile, Iori Yogo just tangled in a pot against Mitsuhiro Shiga that sees the latter rise the chip counts further. Yogo opened the button to 17,000 and Shiga called from the small blind to see a 7♦ K♠ 4♥ flop. It checked to Yogo who continued for 20,000, and then Shiga clicked it back for 40,000. Call.

The 5♦ hit the turn and Shiga’s bet didn’t change. Yogo called the 40,000 once again, bringing the 7♥ on the river. Shiga now checked, and Yogo checked back quickly.

That’s not what Shiga wanted though. He’d rivered trips with his A♣ 7♣ , and Yogo mucked, dropping to 410,000. Shiga is up to 850,000 now. –JS

7:35pm: Double bubble
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Pop pop.

We had two eliminations in the same hand and we’re down to 53 players. One was a preflop short-stack shove and the other got a snap-call on the river.

The short-stack shover was Calvin Lee. Le moved all-in for 45,000 from the button and Andy Chan called from the small blind.

That action paused while another all-in was brewing one table over.

It had been raised preflop, checked on the flop and then Mitsuhira Shiga bet on the turn. There was one fold and a call from our start-of-day chip leader, Scott Janik. The river of the Q♣ 9♥ Q♦ J♠ 7♥ board came down and Shiga bet 50,000. Janik moved all-in and Shiga snap-called.

“That’s not what I wanted,” Janik said. He’d have to wait to find out what Shiga had since the other hand played out first.

The short-stacked Lee showed J♥ 8♥ and Chan was in the lead with Q♦ Q♠ . The board ran 9♥ K♣ 6♦ 9♦ 9♣ and Lee was out in 55th. There was still a chance he could split 54th place, actually, a really good chance since Janik got snap-called.

Action went back to that all-in and Janik turned over K♣ Q♠ for trip queens, but Shiga tabled 9♠ 9♣ for a full house. Janik was out as well while Shiga chipped up to nearly 500,000.

We’re now in the money. –AV

7:25pm: Lew doubles Hong, Motodate retakes lead
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Picking up the action on a K♠ 7♠ K♦ flop, Randy Lew led for 12,000 and Hyunil Hong called to see the 2♥ turn. Both checked, and when the J♥ river landed Lew put Hong all in for his last 63,000. Hong slammed down a call.

While they were waiting for all other hands to finish before showing their cards, it was clear that Lew reassured Hong, telling him he was bluffing. Eventually we saw what with: 8♥ 3♠ , while Hong doubled up to 160,000 with his Q♣ Q♥ . Lew was left with 530,000.

A big hand took place just before that too between former chip leader Koshiro Motodate and Eric Wasylenko. With a 7♥ 9♠ 9♣ A♦ board out and a heap of chips in the centre, Motodate led for 50,000 and the Canadian called to see the 2♦ river. Motodate fired again for 60,000, and after some thinking Wasylenko made the call. He’d muck with a sigh when he saw Motodate’s A♥ 3♥ .

Motodate is once again chip leader, up to 920,000 now, while Wasylenko is down to 170,000. –JS

7:15pm: Bubble time
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

It took a while to get down to the stone-cold bubble and we only got there because Iori Yogo hit quads.

There’d been plenty of all-ins since we got down to 56 players, but no calls. Then our first called all-in ended in doom for Ryuichi Saitoh. Saitoh raised to 25,000 from late position that hand and then Iori Yogo moved all-in from the button.

Saitoh only had about 140,000 behind and called all-in. While Saitoh had the smaller stack, he had the bigger hand with K♦ K♥ . Yogo showed a pair of tens with 10♦ 10♥ and then hit another pair of tens on the flip.

There was a 10♠ in the window and the whole table gasped. Then they erupted when the full 7♦ 10♣ 10♠ flop fanned out on the table to give Yogo quads. Only running kings could save Saitoh and the 8♦ on the turn left him drawing dead. Saitoh was eliminated in 56th place while Yogo chipped up to 490,000.

Hand-for-hand play is now in effect and only one more player will miss out on a payday. –AV

7:05pm: Miracles for Togooskuu and Yokosawa
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

In our 6:18pm post, we told you how Masato Yokosawa would need a miracle to make the money. He’d just lost almost all his chips in a cooler against Bryan Huang, and was left with just 10,000.

Well, we can report that he’s still in with 60,000 as we creep closer to the bubble!

Another player who just receieved a miracle is Mongolia’s Erdemtsogt Togookhuu. He open-shoved 56,000 from the hijack with the A♠ J♦ and was called by Yuji Masaki on the button with the A♥ Q♦ .

The board ran out 8♠ 9♠ 10♦ 4♥ 7♦ to give Togookhuu a straight and the double up, bringing his stack up to 130,000 and dropping Masaki to 265,000.

Still 56 remaining. –JS

6:50pm: Two away from the money
Level 17 – Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 1,000)

Unfortunately for him, Tatsuya Arai won’t be profiting from this Main Event.

He just got all his chips in with the K♥ Q♠ against Hidaeki Ohashi’s A♦ K♣ , and neither hand improved meaning the ace-high was best. Arai is gone in 57th, and we’re now to 56, two away from the money.

Ohashi is now up to 270,000. –JS

6:30pm: Break before bubble

The players are on their second 10-minute break of the day. The bubble should burst in Level 17 so stay tuned. –MC

6:25pm: Lew on a charge
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (ante 500)

“Hey Randy, looks like you may find a way to win a Platinum Pass this week after all!” needled Team PokerStars Pro Celina Lin to her fiancé Randy Lew after he won a huge pot. Lew lost heads-up for a Platinum Pass earlier today in the flipout tournament.

He and Junqiang Lyu had apparently tangled in some odd pots earlier on, but this one was a cooler, pure and simple. Lew told us he three-bet Lyu preflop before the rest of the chips went in on an 8♥ Q♣ 6♣ flop.

Lyu: K♣ K♠
Lew: A♦ A♠

The board ran out a blank 5♠ 8♣ . After a countdown Lew had 266,000, covering Lyu who had around 220,000. It’s been some level for Lew as he’s gone from 85,000 up to 600,000! –MC

6:18pm: New chip leader, and Huang’s close too
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (ante 500)

The pots are getting huge now, and as we’re so close to the bubble, they’re also becoming increasingly more valuable.

Our new chip leader is Toru Wakamatsu. We missed the hand, but he’d eliminated Daisuke Ogita in a massive pot which Eric Wasylenko briefly ran us through. Bryan Huang had opened from the UTG+1 seat, and was then three-bet by Ogita to 30,500. Wakamatsu then raised from the big blind, and ultimately the two ended up getting in their big stacks with Wakamatsu’s pocket aces versus Ogita’s pocket jacks. The rockets held, and Wakamatsu is now up to 700,000.

While we were waiting for Wakamatsu to stack his newfound riches (which took a while), another massive pot shot Bryan Huang up to a top-three stack.

Masato Yokosawa opened in the cutoff, and then called a three-bet by Huang to see a 9♦ 10♣ J♦ flop. Huang continued for 37,000, and Yokosawa then raised to around 150,000. We didn’t get an exact amount as Huang instantly announced all in for 277,500, and Yokosawa snap-called.

Huang – J♣ J♥
Yokosawa – J♠ 10♠

This cooler had seen Yokosawa’s top two pair against Huang’s top set, which held after the K♦ turn and 8♥ river. Huang now sits with a massive 620,000, while Yokosawa was left with just two big blinds. It’ll be a miracle if he makes it to the money now. –JS

6:11pm: Preflop pleasntries and river madness, down to 65
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (ante 500)

Things started out tame enough.

Carvey Horng raised to a modest 11,000 from early position and action folded around to Yuki Ko in the big blind. Ko called and then Horng bet a polite 9,000 on the 3♠ A♥ 6♣ flop. Ko called and there was a respectful pair of checks after the A♣ came on the turn. A 9♣ completed the board and it looked like the pleasantries would continue after Ko bet a mere 5,000.

But that’s when things went off the rails. Horng raised to 60,000 and then Ko moved all-in. Horng snap-called and everyone was wondering what had happened. Well, a full house over a flush happened.

Horng showed 4♣ 3♣ for the rivered flush while Ko tabled A♠ 9♥ for a rivered full house. Ouch. Horng hit the rail while Ko chipped up to a whopping 435,000. We’re now down to 65 players. –AV

6:04pm: Platinum consoloation
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (ante 500)

“At least you won the Platinum Pass bro,” someone shouted in the tournament area. They were talking to Sumit Sapra, who was walking out of the tournament area. He won’t win or cash this event, but he does get a $30,000 Platinum Pass as a consolation prize. –AV

6pm: The rich get richer
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (ante 500)

Koshiro Motodate has extended his lead at the top of the counts. He’s up to 650,000 after he won a flip to take out Shinji Sugeta. All the chips went in preflop with Sugeta the all-in player for around 80,000.

Motodate: 9♠ 9♥
Sugeta: A♠ Q♣

The board ran Q♠ 9♦ 5♦ 5♥ 10♣ . Sugeta made two pair but that was no match for Motodate’s full house. –MC

5:49pm: Count ’em
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (ante 500)

As we approach the bubble, here are some big and notable stacks from around the room. –JS

Koshiro Motodate – 530,000
Taehoon Han – 450,000 (defending champion)
Tsuyoshi Ota – 470,000 (Day 1B chip leader)
Tzu Chieh Lo – 450,000
Scott Janik – 346,000 (Day 1A chip leader)
Bryan Huang – 270,000
Yuki Ko – 240,000 (National, Single Day High Roller, and Platinum Pass winner)
Michael Soyza – 214,000
Thomas Ward – 200,000
Iori Yogo – 200,000
Celina Lin – 155,000 (PokerStars Team Pro)
Randy Lew – 85,000 (PokerStars Team Online)
Sumit Sapra – 27,000 (flipout Platinum Pass winner)

5:37pm: Staying afloat
Level 16 – Blinds 2,500/5,000 (ante 500)

Blinds are up again and a starting stack is now worth just six big blinds.

That’s just about what Hyunil Hong had when he moved all-in from the cutoff for 35,000. Kazayuki Tanemura was his only customer and he turned over 9♥ 9♣ to Hong’s K♠ J♠ .

“Coinflip,” Hong said, excited about his prospects. Things ended up going his way since he it a jack and doubled up to about 75,000. Tanemura on the other hand dipped to 155,000.

While Hong won his flip, several shorties out there have been hitting the rail. Mitsuhiro Shiga recently took one down with pocket queens and chipped up to about 350,000. That elimination brought us down to about 70 players and we’re quickly closing in on the money. Only 54 players will cash this event. –AV

5:28pm: Chua trebles up
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

Chun Chua moved all in on the button after action had folded to him. He had just 28,500 to his name, and found a caller in Zhiyi Feng in the small blind. However, Peter Chan woke up with something he liked in the big blind and moved all in for around 100,000. Feng got a count, but folded his 6♣ 6♦ face up to leave himself with 120,000.

Chua had the 9♥ J♦ versus Chan’s A♥ K♣ , which instantly improved on the A♦ 9♣ Q♣ flop. The 10♣ turn gave Chua more outs though, and he’d hit a straight on the 8♦ river to survive.

Chua trebles up and now sits with 85,500, while Chan is left with 67,000. –JS

5:25pm: Strong Twitter game. Very strong
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

Celina Lin and Scott Janik are having great fun at the same table here on Day 2. No other table is laughing more. The ever-chatty Danny Tang is in the mix too but he’s leaving the Twitter banter to the other two.

Their stacks right now:

Janik – 408,000
Tang – 158,000
Lin – 95,000
–MC

5:20pm: Ota going up
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

Tsuyoshi Ota finished yesterday as the Day 1B chip leader but then lost about half his stack early on in Day 2. Now he’s back on the rise and sitting with nearly 300,000.

Ota took some of those chips by putting Ichiyo Niwa at risk. Niwa raised to 12,000 from early position that hand and Ota called from the small blind. The big blind called as well and all three players went to the A♠ 5♠ 7♣ flop and Niwa bet 16,000. Only Ota called and a 10♠ came on the turn.

Both players checked that card and an A♣ completed the board. This time Ota took the initiative and bet 33,000, enough to put Niwa’s tournament life at risk. Niwa folded and was left with 30,000 while Ota chipped up to 300,000. –AV

5:10pm: Haven’t you won enough this week, Ko?
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

Yuki Ko’s triple dream is still alive. The Japanese winner of the National, Single Day High Roller and a Platinum Pass this week has moved up to 240,000 after winning a small pot off Hideaki Ohashi.

He was in the big blind and check-called a 15,000 turn bet. The final board read 7♥ 3♣ 10♠ Q♠ 9♣ and both players checked the river. Ko opened K♥ J♦ for a rivered straight and Ohashi mucked to drop to 89,000. –MC

5:03pm: Okada hits two-outer to double through Soyza
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

Ken Okada has been playing on PokerStars on his tablet all day. If he’s running as good online as he is live today, he’ll do just fine.

Michael Soyza had opened from the UTG+1 seat to 9,000 which got a call from Andrew An on the button. Roman Tsoyi came along from the small blind too, only for Okada to then jam for 94,000. Soyza isolated with a shove of his own, which shook off An. Tsoyi thought about it but eventually folded A♣ J♣ face up.

That hand was bad news for Okada though as he had the same one, albeit a different suit: A♥ J♥ . Soyza had the Q♥ Q♣ , and was in good shape with Okada having just two instant outs.

The flop came 2♠ K♥ 7♠ , changing nothing, but the 10♠ turn meant Soyza defintely didn’t want to see a queen. He also didn’t want to see an ace though, but that’s exactly what arrived: A♠ .

Okada now sits with 215,000, while Soyza drops to 230,000. –JS

4:55pm: Han holding strong
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

Taehoon Han lost one pot, but cracked aces the next and jumped back up to about 400,000.

Han had raised from under the gun during the dip and Tzu Chieh Lo joined him from the big blind. The flop came 6♥ 9♥ 2♣ and Lo bet 35,000. Han called and an 8♠ came on the turn. Lo fired again, this time for 42,000. Han thought for a bit longer this time but called as well. The 10♣ completed the board and Lo raised the stakes to 50,000.

That was too much for Han though. Han folded, but then knocked out Jason Park the very next hand. A lot of chips went in preflop, and the rest of them went in on the 8♥ 3♥ 7♣ flop. Park showed A♣ A♠ and Han tabled 3♠ 3♣ for a set of threes. A K♦ came on the turn and a 5♣ completed the board as well as Park’s tournament.

Han, the defending champ, is now near the top of the leaderboard with about 410,000. –AV

4:44pm: Janik rises again
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

Start-of-day chip leader Scott Janik may very well have just retaken the chip lead, having busted Tamon Nakamura.

The latter opened to 11,500 from early position and Janik just called two seats over. The two went to a 3♠ 8♦ 10♦ flop on which Nakamura continued for 11,000. Janik called.

The turn was the 4♥ and that slowed Nakamura down. He checked it, and Janik siezed the betting lead for 21,000. Nakamura didn’t budge though, and the dealer laid the 3♥ river.

Nakamura checked once again, and now Janik slid out a stack of 100,000, enough to put Nakamura all in for his last 50,000 or so. He began going through the hand in his head and doing the maths, and eventually he tossed in a single chip indicating a call.

Janik flipped his A♥ 10♥ for top pair, and it took a moment for Nakamura to compute. Eventually he realised his fate, tossing in all his chips and showing the K♠ 10♠ for top pair, worse kicker.

Janik is up to 442,000 now. –JS

4:33pm: Play time
Level 15 – Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)

Back. Blinds up, chips riffling, poker being played. Updates soon.

4:23pm: Break time

Players are on a ten-minute break. Back soon.

4:20pm: Brutal Barry
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 500)

You’ve got to feel for Olivier Ziegler right now. He was just in an amazing spot to win a massive pot, but instead a Barry Greenstein (ace on the river) meant he doubled up two players.

Niel Sitenga opened the pot by shoving from middle position for 44,800. It folded to Tzu Chieh Lo on the button, and he moved all in too. Ziegler was in the big blind and he asked for a count of Lo’s stack, which came to 116,100.

He’d make the call and table the K♠ K♥ . He got some good news when he saw that both Sitenga and Lo had the same hand (A♣ Q♠ and A♥ Q♥ respectively), meaning they cancelled out some outs.

The 10♠ 2♣ 3♥ flop was safe, as was the 5♣ turn – although a four would now give the ace-queens the wheel. Instead the river was the A♠ .

“Oh my God!” groaned Ziegler understandably. Meanwhile Sitenga and Lo were thrilled by the developments, again, understandably.

The pot needed to be split between the two correctly, and after all was said and done Sitenga was up to 75,000, Lo was up to 165,000, and Ziegler drops to 90,000. –JS

4:10pm: Kato takes a little off Huang
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 500)

Bryan Huang just lost a small chunk of chips to Hiroaki Kato. Huang had opened to 7,000 in middle position and when it folded to Kato in the small blind he shoved for 27,900. Ogita let his big blind go, and Huang made the call with the 7♥ 7♠ , flipping against Kato’s A♦ 10♥ .

Kato would win the flip, pairing his ace and eventually making broadway on the J♠ Q♦ 5♠ A♥ K♥ runout. He’s up to 60,000 now, while Huang drops to 80,000. –JS

4:05pm: Ogita fills up, takes out and ascends
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 500)

Daisuke Ogita has been skyrocketing. Ogita started the day with 127,400, but he’s now near the top of the leaderboard with almost 400,000.

Ogita got his most recent influx of chips after hitting a full house to eliminated Jaebok Ryu. Ryu and Ogita were on a 6♠ 6♦ 2♥ flop in raised pot and Ryu moved all-in for about 50,000. Ogita snap-called and turned over 8♠ 6♥ for trip sixes while Ryu turned over 7♠ 5♥ for…not much.

The turn and river both brought kings and Ogita filled up. Ryu hit the rail while Ogita’s stack grew to nearly 400,000. With Ryu’s elimination, we’re now down to about 100 players. –AV

4pm: Kojiro Mizukami crushing
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 500)

Kojiro Mizukami had a great Day 1 and is continuing his form on here on Day 2. He’s added another 100k to his stack, moving up to up to 355,000 after eliminating Kosaku Akashi.

The latter moved all-in for 26,100 from middle position and was called by Mizukami on the button.

Akashi: K♦ Q♠
Mizukami: A♦ 10♥

The board ran 6♠ 2♦ 4♣ A♥ 5♥ to send the pot Mizukami’s way. –MC

3:54pm: Slow, slow, quick from Chang
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 500)

Ying Chan has moved up to 245,000 after a big battle with his neighbour, Shigehiro Makino.

Chan led for 9,000 on a 7♠ 8♥ 5♠ flop and then tank called after Makino raised to 25,000 from the next seat. The turn was the 4♠ and Chan checked to face a bet of 30,000. Once more he tanked before making a call. A fourth spade came on the river in the form of the 3♠ and Chan sped up by making a quick move all-in for 106,700. Makino had around 130,000 to play with and decided to preserve them by folding. Chan told him he had aces with the A♠ . –MC

3:49pm: Li doubles through Chong
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 500)

Sheng Li started the day out strong with 200,000, but had an early dip and then found himself all-in.

The board read A♥ 4♠ 5♦ Q♥ 8♠ and there was about 60,000 in the pot. Victor Chong was on the big blind and checked. Li then moved all-in for his remaining 57,300 and Chong thought. Chong thought until he was almost not allowed to anymore. A player at the table called the clock and Chong finally threw in chips when they were counting down the final five seconds.

Li turned over A♦ 4♣ and took it down after Chong tabled A♠ 2♠ . The hand left Chong with 135,000 while Li doubled to about 170,000. –AV

3:42pm: Lin accumulating
Level 14 – Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 500)

Chalk up an elimination for Celina Lin.

The short-stacked Taro Kimura had no action in front of him and so shoved his last 23,000 in from the small blind with the K♠ 7♠ . Lin was in the small blind and the Team Pro reshoved, getting the big blind to fold. Lin had the 4♦ 4♠ , making it a flip.

The A♠ 10♠ 4♣ flop was certainly an interesting one. Lin had flopped a set, but Kimura had a flush draw. The 7♦ 3♦ turn and river ran out clean for Lin though, and Kimura said his goodbyes.

Lin’s up to 90,000 now. –JS

3:31pm: Han not-so-low
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 400)

Defending champion Taehoon Han is still alive and well in this one. The New Zealand resident came in as the sixth largest stack, and has now increased it to 230,000. Han looks set for another deep run, following on from his second-place finish in the National earlier this week.

While we were counting Han’s chips, a hand took place on his table. Neil Sitenga opened it from early position to 6,500, which was called in two spots by Kenji Hata and Jason Park (bb). The three went to a 5♠ 8♦ 2♣ flop, which Sitenga continued on for 10,000 when it checked to him. Hata got out the way, but Park called.

The turn was the Q♦ and when Park checked again Sitenga instantly tossed out another 10,000. Park wasn’t so quick to act this time, instead choosing to take his time and get a look at what Sitenga had behind (32,000). Eventually he’d lay it down, leaving himself 75,000 and taking Sitenga’s count up to just over 50,000. –JS

3:25pm: Too many outs for Shalaumov
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 400)

Sumit Sapra isn’t having it all his own way today. The Indian player started the day with bang, winning a Platinum Pass worth $30,000 in a Flip Out tournament, but his stack is on the slide in the Main Event.

Jeffrey Holbrook opened to 5,500 from second position and was called in one spot before Sapra squeezed to 16,500 off the button. Oleg Shalaumov cold called from the small blind and that was enough to scare off the other two opponents.

The flop fell 10♠ 6♠ A♦ and Shalaumov moved all-in for 25,800, which equated to about a third of his opponent’s stack. Sapra had nowhere to move and no hand good enough to call. He sighed and let his hand be swallowed up by the muck.

Holbrook bemoaned his luck, saying he folded ace-ten. Shalaumov said he made his move with K♠ 10♠ for a straight and flush draw. “Too many outs,” he smiled. –MC

3:10pm: A tale of two towers
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 400)

Our Day 1A and Day 1B chip leaders have taken different paths after the start of play. Tsuyoshi Ota’s stack has been halved and it looks like the culprit was the man sitting to his immediate left, Edward Mandel.

Ota is now down to to about 100,000 while Mandel’s stack is up to a formidable 270,000. Mandel recently added a little bit more to it too. Mandel raised to 6,000 from early position and action folded around to Tomomitsu Ono, the Japanese player with the song about the check-raise, on the big blind.

Ono called and the flop came down A♣ 2♥ 8♠ . Ono checked, but sadly did not check-raise. Mandel bet 7,000 and it was good enough to force the fold.

Scott Janik, on the other hand, has continued to rise and was up to about 360,000 before he lost a small chunk to Gen Nose. Nose raised to 7,000 from under the gun that hand and then Janik made it 20,000 from the hijack. Action folded back around to Nose and he moved all-in for 98,200. Janik thought for a bit, but decided to let it go.

Nose chipped up to 120,000 while Janik is still in the lead with 340,000. –AV

3pm: Double for Watanabe, Bluff for Shiga
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 400)

There’s a decent amount of Day 2 action right now, meaning it really comes down to how fast we can write this stuff down.

One one table, Jason Park had opened to 6,500 only for Yuto Watanabe to shove for 32,000. Park made the call with his 5♥ 5♠ , but was in bad shape versus the Q♥ Q♣ . Those ladies held after the K♦ 2♦ 9♠ J♣ 3♠ runout.

Meanwhile on the neighbouring table, Mitsuhiro Shiga had opened the button to 6,500, which was then three-bet to 22,000 by Eric Wasylenko in the small blind. Shiga would make the call, and the dealer spread an 8♣ 8♦ 5♦ flop.

Wasylenko made a 15,000 continuation bet, but Shiga had a trick up his sleeve. He raised it to 32,000, and Wasylenko gave it up. Shiga then showed the 10♠ 6♠ for a nice bluff, which got a tap on the table from Wasylenko.

Chip counts after that lot:

Jason Park – 80,000
Yuto Watanabe – 70,000
Mitsuhiro Shiga – 190,000
Eric Wasylenko – 65,000
–JS

2:50pm: Fresh start
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 400)

It’s hard to tell what’s a better way to start the day, a fresh cup of coffee or a double up. Ma Wanxin started her Day 2 with the latter. She’s now up to about 100,000 after doubling through Eric Wasylenko.

We didn’t see how the chips went in, but they were in and a 10♦ A♥ 4♣ K♣ 6♥ board was on the felt. Wasylenko’s cards were in the muck and Wanxin had a K♥ Q♣ out in front of her. The big pile of chips went here way while Wasylenko dipped to abou 116,000.

While Wanxin got her double up, several other shorties didn’t as we’re already down to 135 players. –AV

2:40pm: What’s up for grabs?
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 400)

Here’s a quick reminder of what they’re playing for. Just 54 players get paid. –JS

*Plus PSPC Platinum Pass worth US$30,000

2:37pm: Lin’s all in
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 400)

PokerStars Team Pro Celina Lin just found herself all in in an early hand here on Day 2.

We missed the action, but there was a 3♥ K♥ 7♠ Q♣ 10♣ board out alongside a 45,000 pot. Lin had an all-in triangle and 27,000 in front of her, and Daniel Tang was in the tank. He had 43,000 behind, so the shove was for a large portion of his stack too.

Tang would eventually give it up, but then the two started talking.

“You had ace-king?” Lin asked.

“Does that mean you had aces?” Tang said, answering a question with a question.

“Well, aces are only one pair…” Lin teased. I guess we’ll never know, but Lin is now up to around 75,000. –JS

2:27pm: Would Lew you believe it?
Level 13 – Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 400)

The flipout is now over and we have a new Platinum Pass winner! But who was it?

Well, amazingly, out of the 143 participants I can tell you that PokerStars Team Online’s Randy ‘nanonoko’ Lew got heads-up for the $30,000 package! He even made quads en route.

So sick I hit quads in the 2nd flipout! Heads up for $30k #PlatinumPass #onetime pic.twitter.com/RBRwlxs89u

— Randy Lew (@nanonoko) April 14, 2018

But alas, it wasn’t to be for Lew. Sumit Sapra from India is our latest Bahamas-bound player, and Lew (who is planning to play the PSPC anyway) couldn’t have been happier for him. We’ll have more info on Sapra later in the day.

Now let’s get down to the Day 2 action! –JS

2:05pm: Shuffle up and flip

Play has kind-of started. Cards are in the air, but the main event has yet to start. Tournament staff announced that we’ll be having a flipout for a $30,000 Platinum Pass.

One player from each table will win and then proceed to the final where they’ll all flip for the Platinum Pass. That’s quite a way to start the day. –AV

1pm: A whole day of excitement

In one hour, we’ll have a new Platinum Pass winner.

But don’t fret; the APPT Korea Main Event hasn’t come to an early end. It’s just that when all of the 143 Day 2 players return to Paradise City in Incheon today, there’s going to be a random draw and one of them will be heading to the Bahamas next year.

After that, the excitement continues with Day 2’s action: ten 60-minute levels. Day 1A chip leader Scott Janik is the overall man to beat. Check out the full chip counts here, but here’s a look at the top ten stacks coming in:

Play kicks off just after 2pm, once we’ve given out the Platinum Pass. Join us then. –JS

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PokerStars Blog reporting team on the APPT Korea Main Event: Marc Convey, Jack Stanton, and Alex Villegas. Photography by Manuel Kovsca. Videos for PokerStars by 23Digital.

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