Three tables remain in the APPT8 Macau Main Event. Generally that would mean there was less chance of some Asia-Pacific history being made. That's not the case here though. There is still at least one player at every table with interesting storylines emerging.
The first storyline is one about a player who is part of the Australian Poker Hall of Fame. For more than two decades he has been putting food on the table on the back of his poker ability. He's just about done it all. One of the few things he hasn't accomplished, has never actually been achieved by any player in the Asia-Pacific poker community -winning two APPT Main Events.
But this player is in with a chance to do just that.
We are talking about a player that words won't do justice.
But this picture might...
It was just last year that Billy "The Croc" Argyros won the APPT Melbourne Main Event, overcoming 309 players to win AU$134,500 after a three-handed deal. Argyros added that score to a career that had already seen him pocket more than US$1 million.
Now, with 24 players remaining, Argyros has a shot at becoming the APPT Macau champion and therefore the first player to ever win two APPT titles.
Argyros started the day around the middle of the pack and now has 600,000 in chips, which puts him amongst the chip leaders. Argyros has been spotted having a Baileys or two at the table, which by past experience blogging events he is playing, that just means he is really starting to get in the zone.
The next big storyline emerging is that of Hao Tian's retribution.
You see, around twelve months ago, Tian was here in this very room making a run at the APPT Macau title. He got through Day 3, made the final table and ultimately finished in 7th place, collecting HK$303,000 (~US$40,000). These memories may be fresh enough to help drive Tian to the final table and hopefully onto a victory, or at least 6th place or better.
The next player with a story, and perhaps the most intriguing one, belongs to Christian Haggart.
Just around a month ago Haggart finished runner-up to Chane Kampanatsanyakorn in the APPT Seoul Main Event. It was well documented that Kampanatsanyakorn had won that event exactly a year after having finished runner-up in the same tournament. So, put two and two together and you will see that Haggart is trying to complete his own version of what Kampanatsanyakorn achieved.
But the story is even more interesting than that.
"Christian Haggart accidently qualified for this event," APPT President Danny McDonagh announced to the room. "He thought he was playing an online satellite for APPT Seoul, but it was for Macau and he ended up winning. Then he finished runner-up in Seoul anyway!"
"Now Christian's looking to accidently win this event," McDonagh added. "Unlike APPT Seoul champ Chane, Christian's not going to wait a year, he's going to go from runner-up to winner in the very next APPT event."
Christian will certainly be hoping what McDonagh said comes true, but I'm sure if it does, It won't be an accident.
Right now, Argyros, Tian and Haggart have locked up HK$82,000 for being part of the final three tables, but will be looking to make these interesting storylines come true. To find out if one of them can achieve this, be sure to keep your eyes locked on the APPT8 Macau page for live updates of all the action!