There may not have been an abundance of big-name pros at the final table of the APPT Macau main event but that shouldn’t be a problem when the final nine players are decided for the PokerStars.net APPT Macau High Roller tomorrow.
A total of 61 players paid the HKD $150,000 buy-in (approximately USD $19,200) but after six 75-minute levels, the field had been reduced to 30.
After the dour nature of the final table, the big characters were back in force and light-hearted banter was the order of the day. And there are some familiar names at the pointy end of the chip count after day one, including Mike timex McDonald (winner of the PokerStars EPT Dortmund earlier this year) on 100,000, Danny Wong (80,000), last year’s APPT Macau main event runner-up and PokerStars Sponsored player Ivan Tan (55,000).
But not for the first time on the APPT, the story of the day has been the run of David Steicke, who took out several well-known pros including Team PokerStars Pro Lee “Final Table” Nelson, to snare the chip lead on 160,000.
Steicke finished third in this event last year, and is determined to improve on that result, especially after finishing 10th in the APPT Macau main event that finished earlier today.
As Van Marcus said to Steicke just before play ended for the day, “You don’t run like God; God runs like you!”
Those still in contention include Team PokerStars Pros Joe Hachem and Barry Greenstein, PokerStars Sponsored players Marcus, Eric Assadourian (last year’s winner of this event and a big improver to 90,000 late in the day) and Terrence Chan. Other big names set to return tomorrow are dual WSOP main event winner Johnny Chan, Nam Le, Andrew Scott, Quinn Do and two players who featured at yesterday’s APPT Macau main event final table: Charles Chua and Javed Abrahams.
The list of casualties features Team PokerStars Pros Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier, Isabelle Mercier and Hevad Khan, PokerStars Sponsored players Emad Tahtouh, Dan Schreiber and Celina Lin, David Chiu, J.C. Tran, Shaun Deeb, Liz Lieu, Harry Demetriou, John Juanda, Kofi Farkye, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, John Phan and Tony bond18 Dunst.
Watch APPT Macau 08: Day One High Roller Event on PokerStars.tv
Play will recommence tomorrow at 2pm, and will continue until the final nine has been decided. The winner will take home HKD $3.7 million; second HKD $2.1 million; third HKD $1.2 million; fourth HKD $900,000; fifth HKD $700,000; sixth HKD $500,000; seventh HKD $400,000; eighth HKD $300,000 and ninth HKD $200,000.
Watch APPT Macau 08: David Chiu Interview on PokerStars.tv