If you were in Macau with HK$100K lying around and you were looking to play some poker (and let's face it; in Macau, who doesn't fit that criteria?), then the City of Dreams Casino was the place to be today.
By 3am, we'd created three HK dollar millionaires. The funny thing about it was all three of them could have gone home with nothing earlier on. They were all short-stacked on the bubble.
After the likes of PokerStars Team Pro Jake Cody (8th), one-time chip leader Adrian Attenborough (7th), and long-time chip leader Martin Finger (4th) were eliminated, it was three-handed between Wenwue Xue (5.3 million), Xiaobing He (2.5 million), and Hongjun Zhao (1.4 million). Xue had been chip leader since five-handed, while Zhao was comfortable throughout.
But for He, he never held the chip lead until he held all the chips. And not only does he have all the chips, he now has HK$2.45 million, the trophy, and the title of the MPC27 HK$100K Single Day High Roller champ.
Single Day High Roller tournaments are popular on every stop, but especially in places like Macau where the rich businessmen and nearby poker pros spend a lot of time. This HK$100K single re--entry event got an even bigger field than it's equivalent at MPC26, attracting 99 entries including 21 re-entries - up from the 81 we got in February.
A massive HK$9,216,900 prize pool was amassed, creating a first place prize worth HK$2.45 million (roughly US$313,000). Only 13 of 78 unique players would get paid though, and while plenty of people left empty-handed including the likes of PokerStars Team Pros Celina Lin and Aditya Agarwal; Team Online's Randy Lew; PokerStars Championship Macau winner Elliot Smith; James Chen; and plenty of others.
But the person reeling the most from leaving with no cash is surely Thomas Ward. He went out on the super-long and seemingly-unburstable bubble to Finger, losing with [ac][kc] to [8s][5c] after the German hit an eight on the river.
We wont walk you through all the bust-outs from there on - that's what our live updates are for, and you can scroll down to read how the entire day played out. But we will tell you what everyone won, as we congratulate our winner once again. He's only gone and won it!
| Place | Name | Country | Status | Prize (HKD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xiaobing He | China | $2,450,000 | |
| 2 | Wenwue Xue | China | $1,700,000 | |
| 3 | Hongjun Zhao | China | $1,124,000 | |
| 4 | Martin Finger | Germany | $880,000 | |
| 5 | Ben Lai | Hong Kong | $710,000 | |
| 6 | Jinghui Ying | China | $553,000 | |
| 7 | Yang Wang | China | $435,000 | |
| 8 | Adrian Attenborough | Australia | $340,000 | |
| 9 | Jake Cody | UK | PokerStars Team Pro | $258,900 |
| 10 | Yunshiang Fan | Taiwan | $198,000 | |
| 11 | Chen An Lin | Taiwan | $198,000 | |
| 12 | Hing Yaung Chow | China | $185,000 | |
| 13 | Chunqing Wang | China | $185,000 |
Thanks for reading. We'll be back tomorrow at 7pm local time for Day 1C of the Red Dragon Main Event.
LIVE COVERAGE ARCHIVE
3:30am: Wenwue Xue busts in 2nd for HK$1,700,000
Level 23 - Blinds 60,000/120,000 (ante 20,000)
And just like that it's all over!
Wenwue Xue jammed with the [th][9s] and Xiaobing He called with the [kc][3c]. The board ran out [5c][qc][kh][5h][3s] and He is our champion!
For his efforts, Wue collects HK$1.7 million.
We'll have a short wrap of the tournament up shortly - don't go anywhere.
3:25am: He doubles early in heads up
Level 23 - Blinds 60,000/120,000 (ante 20,000)
Well that was a strange confrontation. Wenwue Xue opened to 350,000, Xiaobing He jammed, and Xue "accidentaly" called.
He said he was just moving his chips around, but when he touched a stack down over the line it was ruled a call, and he showed the [9h][3h]. He had the [ac][ts] and was in good shape until the [7c][3c][qc] flop paired Xue. He needed a club, ace or ten, and the [6d] turn was none of those. It was almost over...
But the [6c] river gave He the flush and the big double up. He's chip boss now.
3:20am: Zhao out in 3rd (HK$1,124,000)
Level 23 - Blinds 60,000/120,000 (ante 20,000)
Hongjun Zhao is outta here. He was all in with the [ah][tc] against Wenwue Xue's [4s][6s], and the board ran out [4c][7d][kc][3h][5d] to give Xue a straight and the elimination.
Heads up time!
3:15am: Chip counts
Level 24 - Blinds 80,000/160,000 (ante 20,000)
Here's how they stack up:
Wenwue Xue - 5.3 million
Xiaobing He - 2.5 million
Hongjun Zhao - 1.4 million
3am: Break time
Back in 15 minutes.
2:50am: Finger waves goodbye in 4th (HK$880,000)
Level 23 - Blinds 60,000/120,000 (ante 20,000)
We've just lost easily the most-accomplished player remaining in this field, Martin Finger. We missed the action, but he was kind enough to walk us through it.
After an open from Wenwu Xue, Xiaobing He flatted the small blind and Finger shoved for 1.35 million from the big with [ad][2d]. Xue called and He folded, so he was up against Xue's king-jack. The flop brought a king, the turn put two diamonds out there giving him a flush draw, but the river was a king giving Xue trips.
GG Martin.
2:45am: Bad beat sends Lai out in 5th (HK$710,000)
Level 23 - Blinds 60,000/120,000 (ante 20,000)
Ben Lai jammed the cutoff for 760,000 with the [as][kh], and after Xiaobing He called with the [kd][9c] he was way ahead. But a cruel [th][js][6d][7h][8s] for a runner runner straight sent him for a Lai down...get it?
Down to four.
2:30am: He doubles through Finger
Level 22 - Blinds 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)
That was a sneaky move by Xiaobing He. He limped the small blind with pocket kings and Martin Finger shoved with jacks. A king on the flop all but sealed it, and Finger shipped a million to He who now has 2 million.
Finger dips to 1.45 million.
2:20am: Ying says goodbye in 5th (HK$553,000)
Level 22 - Blinds 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)
Down to four. Jinghui Ying was all in and at risk with ace-king against Wenwue Xue's pocket fives, but the fives held up on an all-low runout. Xue is our chip leader now - the only player with over 3 million.
2:10am: Wang gone in 7th (HK$435,000)
Level 22 - Blinds 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)
After a miracle double up for Xiaobing He (he hit a straight on the river), we've lost our seventh place finisher.
Yang Wang shoved for 600,000 with the [kh][qd] and was called by Wenwu Xue and his [js][jd]. The [6s][9d][3s][6d][2d] board meant the jacks won, and Wang hit the rail.
2am: Zhao doubles again through Lai
Level 21 - Blinds 40,000/80,000 (ante 10,000)
Hongjun Zhao simply doesn't lose all ins. I've seen him at risk about 20 times today and he always survives.
Add another to that list. He got all his money in on a [9d][8h][2c] flop with the [kh][kd] and was way ahead of Ben Lai's [ad][9c]. The board ran out clean for him bringing him up to 1.5 million, and Lai down to just 200,000.
1:55am: Latest goings on
Level 21 - Blinds 40,000/80,000 (ante 10,000)
Not much action to report seven-handed. Hongjun Zhao doubled through Wenwue Xue, and Jinghui Ying just open-jammed a million and got it through.
It's so short-stacked it's only a matter of time before someone else falls. But then again, we thought that on the bubble too...
1:35am: Attenborough eliminated in 8th (HK$340,000)
Level 21 - Blinds 40,000/80,000 (ante 10,000)
We've lost another one. Adrian Attenborough has just been busted by Xiaobing He.
Action folded to Attenborough on the button and he shoved his last 230,000 in the middle with the pretty-looking [jh][th]. He looked him up with the [ac][4d] from the small blind, and the flop came [7h][qh][7c] giving Attenborough a world of possibilities.
However, his hand couldn't fulfil its potential on the [2c] turn or [7d] river.
"GG," said Ben Lai. "Thanks, good luck guys," offered Attenborough as he made his exit.
1:30am: Cody out in 9th (HK$258,900)
Level 20 - Blinds 30,000/60,000 (ante 5,000)
It gets better and better for Martin Finger, but sadly we've lost Jake Cody in ninth.
The Team Pro opened to 120,000 from middle position and it folded to Finger in the small blind. He popped it up to 325,000, and when it got back to Cody he shoved for 1.5 million. Finger snap-called, and it wasn't hard to see why.
Finger - [ad][ac]
Cody - [js][jc]
A bit of a cooler in such a short-stacked final, but nevertheless the aces held up after a [kh][kc][5s][9c][4h] board. Finger has roughly 4.2 million now and is by far the chip leader still.
12:50am: Final table chip counts
Level 20 - Blinds 30,000/60,000 (ante 5,000)
Here's how the final nine are seated, and how they stack up:
1. Adrian Attenborough - 800,000
2. Xiaobing He - 750,000
3. Martin Finger - 2,675,000
4. Yang Wang - 810,000
5. Ben Lai - 600,000
6. Wenwu Xue - 1,400,000
7. Hongjun Zhao - 240,000
8. Jake Cody - 1,100,000
9. Jinghui Ying - 1,300,000
And a reminder of what they're playing for:
| Place | Prize (HKD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $2,450,000 |
| 2 | $1,700,000 |
| 3 | $1,124,000 |
| 4 | $880,000 |
| 5 | $710,000 |
| 6 | $553,000 |
| 7 | $435,000 |
| 8 | $340,000 |
| 9 | $258,900 |
12:50am: Final table time as Fan hits the rail
Level 20 - Blinds 30,000/60,000 (ante 5,000)
We're down to our final table of nine, as Jake Cody has eliminated Yunshiang Fan in 10th for HK$198,000.
Fan shoved for around 300,000 under the gun and it folded to Cody in the big blind who snap-called. He tabled the [th][ts] up against Fan's [ks][jh], and the [qh][4d][8d][5h][qs] board kept Cody in front. He's up to 1.1 million now.
12:45am: Wang and Lin exit
Level 20 - Blinds 30,000/60,000 (ante 5,000)
Back to it. Let's find our final table.
12:30am: Break time
Take 15 guys. You deserve it. But make sure you come back for the conclusion of this event.
12:25am: Chow and Lin exit
Level 19 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)
First we lost Hing Yaung Chow in 12th (HK$185,000). Then we lost Chen An Lin in 11th.
Action folded to Lin in the small blind and he jammed 400,000 with the [kd][3d]. Martin Finger looked him up from the big with the [ac][6h], and the [ah][6s][js][4h][th] run out secured the knock out.
For his efforts Lin collects HK$198,000. Meanwhile, Finger extends his chip lead to 3.3 million.
12:15am: Wang first to fall in money
Level 19 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)
We didn't see the action, but Chunqing Wang is the first player to bust in the money. For his 13th place finish he'll collect HK$185,000.
12:10am: Emergency Ward
Level 19 - Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)
It's all over!
The bubble that is. Thomas Ward has just been felted by chip leader Martin Finger in cruel circumstances. Finger jammed the cutoff with a huge stack, and Ward had to call with his [ac][kc]. Finger had the [8s][5c] and the board ran out [2h][4d][qd][7c]...[8c].
Ouch. He leaves empty-handed, while Finger is up to around 2.3 million.
12am: Attenborough's cold
Level 18 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 5,000)
"I literally haven't one a single hand on this bubble!" said former chip leader Adrian Attenborough. He just laid down [as][js] to a Thomas Ward shove, and still hovers around the million mark.
11:55pm: Seriously now guys...
Level 18 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 5,000)
I hate to ask, but can someone get knocked out now please? It's taken almost two entire levels and we still haven't reached the money.
Double up after double up after double up after double up after double up after double up...
When will it end?
11:45pm: Finger re-takes chip lead
Level 18 - Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 5,000)
The bubble still hasn't burst. But here's a hand to keep you going.
Adrian Attenborough opened to 50,000 from the cutoff and Martin Finger called on the button to see a [6d][qc][6s] flop. Attenborough continued for 40,000, and that got a call.
The turn came the [jd] and both checked to the [qd] river. Attenborough checked it one more time, and Finger led for 100,000. Attenborough then raised it up to 380,000, and after a think Finger called with the [kh][jc].
That was good, as Attenborough showed the [ah][kc] for just ace high. With that one, Finger re-took the chip lead with 1.6 million.
11:15pm: Lin doubles on the bubble
Level 17 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (ante 4,000)
Chen-An Lin just doubled up to survive and potentially make the money. After Adrian Attenborough opened the small blind, Lin jammed for 305,000 and got a call. Lin had the [ks][td] and that was ahead of Attenborough's [js][8h], and the [kd][5h][5s][9h][th] kept him safe.
11:10pm: Bubble time
Level 17 - Blinds 12,000/24,000 (ante 4,000)
Michael Addamo has been eliminated in 15th, meaning the next person out will be our bubble boy.
11pm: Xue doubles through Cody
Level 16 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)
The sole remaining PokerStars Team Pro Jake Cody just took a hit to his stack.
After Wenwue Xue opened to 50,000, Cody three-bet to 120,000 only for Wue to jam after using a time bank. It was around 300,000 more and Cody made the call with the [7c][7s], up against Wue's [qc][qs]. Those ladies held on the [th][jh][4s][6h][6s] runout, bringing Cody down to 650,000.
10:50pm: Rich get richer
Level 16 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)
Adrian Attenborough has increased his chip stack by taking some chips from Martin Finger.
Finger opened to 45,000 under the gun and it folded to Attenborough in the big blind. He defended to see an [ac][4d][9s] flop, before check-calling a 30,000 c-bet.
The turn was the [6h] and that checked through to the [4s] river. Attenborough now led out for 130,000, and after a think Finger made the call. Attenborough showed the [as][qs] for top par, and that was good as the German folded.
Finger dropped to 515,000, while Attenborough is our runaway chip leader now with 2.7 million.
10:40pm: Soft bubble
Level 16 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)
We're just one elimination away from the stone bubble, aka the hard bubble, which makes this one the soft bubble. Get it?
Those most at risk right now are:
Hing Chow - 210,000
Michael Addamo - 120,000
Hongjun Zhao - 91,000
10:30pm: Two more down, two tables left
Level 16 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)
We're now down to two tables with 16 players left. It's Australia's comeback king Adrian Attenborough and New Zealand's Thomas Ward who look to the biggest stacks with 1.5 million and 1.27 million respectively.
10:25pm: Zhang falls
Level 16 - Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000)
The first player to fall after the break is Ye Zhang. He was all in and at risk against Xiaobing He's [ac][kd] with the [qc][jd], and got lucky to take the lead on the [4d][9d][jc] flop. The [th] turn brought more potential for He though, and he hit a straight with the [qs] turn to gasps and cheers from the rail.
Zhang said his goodbyes, while He stacks up 590,000.
10:05pm: Break time
With 18 left it's time for another 15-minute break. Remember, the bubble bursts at 13.
10:05pm: No luck for nanonoko
Level 15 - Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)
We've just lost Team Online's Randy 'nanonoko' Lew in brutal fashion.
After an open to 36,000, Lew three-bet to 78,000 and Thomas Ward then four-bet jammed for around 400,000. The original raiser folded, and Lew snap-called with the [ad][as] up against Ward's [jc][jh].
The flop brought the [2s][jd][kc] though, leaving Lew in need of an ace. The turn and river [5s] [2c] changed nothing, and Lew was sent out. Ward is up to around 700,000 now.
9:55pm: Money worries
Level 15 - Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)
Action has slowed down a bit now that we're just seven away from the money. Not surprising when the average three-bet now is more than the starting stack.
For instance, Marcus Lau just opened to 45,000 (a little on the large side), before Jake Cody three-bet to 127,000. That pressure got Lau to lay it down.
9:40pm: Rockets, but no blast off
Level 15 - Blinds 8,000/16,000 (ante 2,000)
This hand started off fast, but didn't go anywhere once the board came down.
It began with a Yunshiang Fan UTG+1 open to 37,000 which folded around to the big blind of Yang Wang. He three-bet to 100,000, and Fan made the call.
Heads up to a flop, it fell [5s][qs][kh] and went check check to the [6c] turn. Again, there'd be no more betting.
Finally the [ts] landed, putting three spades out there. Wang checked, and he let out a sigh when Fan checked it back. Wang then tabled the [as][ac], clearly hoping his opponent would bet. He had no such luck.
Still, Wang took down a nice pot to increase to 780,000, while Fan still has 560,000.
9:30pm: Three-table chip stacks
Level 14 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 1,000)
Here's a peek at the biggest and notable stacks left in the 24-strong field:
Martin Finger - 800,000
Jake Cody - 780,000
Yang Wang - 760,000
Chen-An Lin - 680,000
Chunqing Wang - 650,000
Adrian Attenborough - 555,000
Randy Lew - 460,000
Lew has his girlfriend and fellow PokerStars sponsored-player Celina Lin cheering him on from the rail after she busted this event earlier on.
9:20pm: Pause the clock
Level 14 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 1,000)
We're down to 24 now as Jake Cody just felted Yan Tsang. That means the clock has been paused for a re-draw.
While that was going on, Randy Lew and Michael Addamo had a little blind on blind battle. Lew limped the small blind when it folded to him, and Addamo checked his option to see the [6c][ac][ah] flop. Lew led for 12,000, but Addamo raised to 30,000 and that got a fold from nanonoko.
9:10pm: New champ
Level 14 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 1,000)
We're certain to have a new champion here tonight as defending title holder Sergio Aido has just been eliminated.
9pm: Attenborough's comeback
Level 14 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 1,000)
He was very short not long ago, but Australia's Adrian Attenborough has forged one heck of a comeback.
"I was down to two big blinds twice!" he just told countryman Michael Addamo. Well, he's now up to 240,000 for 20 big blinds.
9pm: Money money money
Level 14 - Blinds 6,000/12,000 (ante 1,000)
As we move into Level 14 we've just received information regarding the prize pool and payouts.
This one created a prize pool of HK$9,216,000, which will be split between the top 13 players. A min-cash is worth HK$185,000, while the eventual champ will bank a massive HK$2.45 million.
With 29 remaining we're still a little while away from the bubble, but this one is moving pretty fast.
8:55pm: Big Fan
Level 13 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)
Randy Lew opened to 22,000 from middle position only to get three bet to 58,000 by Alan Lau. Over to Yunhsiang Fanm he jammed for 176,000 and Lew got out of the way quickly. Lau took a peek back at his cards and made the call.
It was the [as][ac] for Fan though, which was crushing Lau's [qs][qd]. The [3c][3h][3s][2c][9c] board changed nothing and Fan got the double up.
8:45pm: Thick and fast
Level 13 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)
We're down to just four tables of eight now and the bust-outs are coming quicker than we can count. We've still no info on the prize pool or when the bubble will come, but if we had to guess we'd say 12 people will probably make the money.
8:40pm: Wang applies the pressure
Level 13 - Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)
The big stack of Yang Wang is being put to good use. He just opened to 25,000 in the UTG+1 seat and his only caller was Alan Lau in the big blind. The two saw a [4h][ad][4s] flop, and it went check check.
The turn then came the [7d] and Lau checked again. Wang put in a delayed c-bet worth 18,000 and Lau matched it, taking them to the [qc] river. It checked to Wang again and this time he bet big - 95,000.
Lau clearly had a tough decision and went into the tank, even using one of his time banks. In the end he'd gove ot up though, dropping to 318,000. Wang is up to 620,000 now; second in chips to Martin Finger's 700,000.
8:30pm: Ask and you will receive
Level 12 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)
Y'know, sometimes in poker there's no shame in just letting your opponent know what you'd like them to do.
When it folded to Sergio Aido in the small blind, he eyed up the big blind Adrian Attenborough's stack, and the Aussie began motioning that Aido should put him all in (he only had 40,000 behind).
Aido eventually obliged, and Attenborough called with his [js][8h]. That was ahead of the Spaniard's [ts][2d].
The board ran out [jc][6d][tc][jd][9h] giving Attenborough trips and a double up to 88,000. Aido is playing 330,000 now.
8:25pm: Make that the chiplead
Level 12 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)
Forget what I just told you about Martin Finger's chip stack; he's now chip leader with 650,000 having eliminated yet another player with ace-jack over king-nine.
8:15pm: The Martin Finger show
Level 12 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)
All the action seems to have gone through Martin Finger since we've been back from dinner.
He managed to get his 155,000 stack up to around 350,000, and then busted Yiaobing He by cracking his kings with ace ten. That took him up to around 570,000.
In the very next hand, the newly-entered Takeshi Ogura jammed his 95,000-ish stack in the hijack with the [9h][9d], and Finger flatted on the button with the [ad][kh]. Ye Zhang then called all in too from the small blind with the [qh][qc] and it was off to the races.
The [2d][qd][4s] was ideal for Zhang, followed by the [ah] turn and [2s] river. With the set he eliminated Ogura, and won 100,000 from Finger too.
After all that, the German has 470,000.
8:10pm: Late arrivals
Level 12 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)
We had a handful of new entries throughout the dinner break, two of which were Chenlu Wu and Takeshi Ogura. However, half way through their first level and they're both out! We have details on Ogura's exit coming shortly.
8:05pm: Back to business
Level 12 - Blinds 4,000/8,000 (ante 1,000)
We're back from dinner, and we'll be here until we find a winner.
7pm: Dinner time chip counts
The remaining 47 players have now gone on a 60-minute dinner break, so join us back here at 8pm local time.
Yang Wang leads right now, while Celina Lin has been eliminated. Here are some notable chip counts:
Yang Wang - 560,000
Chunqing Wang - 400,000
Xixiang Lao - 390,000
Sergio Aido - 365,000
Yiaobing He - 345,000
Jake Cody - 345,000
Chen-An Lin - 255,000
Randy Lew - 220,000
Adrian Attenborough - 200,000
Martin Finger - 155,000
6:50pm: Ow for Leow
Level 11 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 500)
Ouch. We just saw Seng Yee Leow get all his money in good with the [qd][qh] on a [2d][jc][8h] board against Xiaobing He's [as][jh].
But poker, as we know, can be a cruel game. The [ks] turn changed nothing, but the [ad] river gave He the win and busted Leow. The old Barry Greenstein 'ace on the river' strikes again.
6:45pm: Cody felts Zhang
Level 11 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 500)
Jake Cody is up to 345,000 now after eliminating Wayne Zhang. The two got the money in with Cody's pocket queens against Zhang's pocket fours, and the ladies held up.
6:35pm: Tsang takes from Ward
Level 11 - Blinds 3,000/6,000 (ante 500)
Action folded to Yan Tsang on the button and he opened to 13,000. That got calls from both the blinds - Adrian Attenborough (small) and Thomas Ward (big).
They saw a [6d][7s][qh] flop and it checked to Tsang, who continued for 15,000. Australia's Attenborough folded, but New Zealand's Ward called, and the turn came the [3s]. Check check.
The [2d] completed the board but there'd be no more betting. Ward quickly turned over the [4d][6s], but his pair of sixes were pipped by Tsang's [kc][6c] with a bigger kicker.
6:25pm: Addamout, Addamin
Level 10 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)
Michael Addamo's first bullet didn't last too long, but quicker than we could report it (which is pretty darn quick, let's be honest) he's already re-entered and taken a new seat. He's back to 100,000, which is good for 25 big blinds right now (soon to be 20).
One player we won't be seeing again is Elliot Smith, who has busted his second bullet and can no longer re-enter.
6:15pm: Pay the man (but not really)
Level 10 - Blinds 2,000/4,000 (ante 500)
Aditya Agarwal was all but outta here, but a miracle river card came to his rescue.
Adrian Attenborough had opened to 7,000 from the cutoff and it folded to Agarwal in the big blind. He jammed for around 50,000 and Attenborough made the call with his [as][9d] - ahead of the Team Pro's [ac][7s].
The [9c][qd][jh] paired Attenborough, and Agarwal stood up and tapped the table in preparation to leave. But then the [8h] turn gave him hope, and the [tc] fulfilled it putting a straight on board for a chop.
"He's got a six-card straight, pay the man!" joked Attenborough. A bit confused, the dealer then started counting Attenborough's chips (he had the bigger stack).
"Oh no, just kidding!" he then told her, and he restored his chips safely back in front of him. Agarwal is still in the dangerzone with around 14 big blinds now.
6pm: Cody triple-barrel bluffs
Level 9 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 500)
Action folded to Jake Cody in the small blind and he made the call before Wayne Zhang checked his option. Heads-up to the flop, it fell [ac][3d][7h] and Cody led for 3,000, which was called.
That brought the [kc] turn and Cody continued for 8,000. Zhang matched that bet too and it was time for fifth street.
The dealer put out the [4c] and Cody loaded for a third-barrel worth 25,500. Zhang went into the tank, eventually using one of his time banks. Ultimately he made the call, and Cody turned over the [jc][qh] for air. Zhang had the [ah][9c] for top pair and raked it in.
Cody was straight back to work two hands later, three-betting Raymond Wu's 10,000 open (binds were up at this point) to 23,000 and taking it down.
5:50pm: Two out, one in
Level 9 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 500)
Michael Christopher Soyza and Quan Zhou have both just been felted, although with registration still open there's a chance we'll see them both again.
Meanwhile, Elliot Smith has just fired another bullet so he's back at 100,000.
5:40pm: Lin takes a hit
Level 9 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 500)
Celina Lin opened to 7,000 in the hijack and picked up one caller: Ye Zhang on the button. After the dealer put out an [ac][td][8c] flop Lin continued for 8,000, which was called.
The turn came the [js] and the Team Pro didn't slow down. This time she made it 17,000 and again Zhang wouldn't budge.
Finally the [4c] river completed the board, and any potential flush draws. Lin decided to check, and Zhang slowly counted out 40,000 and slid it over the line. Lin made a fast fold, and that brings her down to 66,000.
5:30pm: We're back
Level 9 - Blinds 1,500/3,000 (ante 500)
Level 9 has now begun, and we have a new entry in Australia's Michael Addamo. He took down the HK$80K High Roller back in March when we were here for the PokerStars Championship, good for a HK$1,522,855 score.
5:15pm: Put the kettle on
It's time for another 15-minute break. Here are some rough notable chip counts:
Sergio Aido (defending champ) - 420,000)
Randy Lew - 281,000
Jake Cody - 180,000
Aditya Agarwal - 130,000
Celina Lin - 90,000
Elliot Smith (PokerStars Championship Macau winner) - 25,000
5:05pm: Wang gets the best of Ng again
Level 8 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 400)
Yang Wang and Ho Kit Ng seem to be developing a little rivalry after Ng doubled Wang up not too long ago.
Ng opened to 5,100 in the cutoff and Wang instantly three-bet to 22,900 from the small blind. The two shared a joke before Ng folded.
4:55pm: Instincts
Level 8 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 400)
Forget about GTO. Sometimes you've just got to go with your gut in poker, right?
PokerStars Championship Macau winner Elliot Smith is short-stacked, and just opened to 5,100. It folded to Yongli Tao and he jammed for his last 55,000, and Smith wasted no time in folding.
Tao then celebrated as he turned over the [4c][3s]. Smith laughed it off, but will need to get something going soon.
4:45pm: Lin doubles up
Level 8 - Blinds 1,200/2,400 (ante 400)
Chen-An Lin just found a much-needed double up through Michael Christopher Soyza. It was the [ac][jh] for Lin, whose 35,000 was at risk against Soyza's [kh][qs]. The [as][3c][7d][tc][ts] improved his hand and brings him up to 70,000.
4:40pm: Two down for the count
Level 7 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (ante 300)
Both Martin Finger and Adrian Attenborough have busted their first bullet. The screens now show 72 remaining, of 83 entries (including 11 re-entries).
4:30pm: Lucky eights for Li
Level 7 - Blinds 1,000/2,000 (ante 300)
You gotta love them lucky eights. Yuan Li certainly does - he just put his tournament life at risk with the [ad][8h] and was up against Marcus Lau's [qc][qd].
The dealer spread an [8d][4h][8s] flop to "ooohs" and "aaahs" from the table. The [kh] turn and [2s] river changed nothing, and their chip stacks were counted. They both had around 70,000 but Li just had Lau covered to send him out.
4:15pm: Nice hand for Lin
Level 6 - Blinds 800/1,600 (ante 200)
Celina Lin just picked up a nice pot against Japan's Tetsuya Enoki.
She opened to 3,500 from the UTG+1 seat and was three-bet by Enoki to her left. It folded back to Lin and she flatted to see the [7d][ad][5h] flop. Check check.
The turn came the [9s] and after Lin checked Enoki made a delayed c-bet worth 7,800. The Team Pro made the call though, and it went to fifth street.
When the [7c] river landed, pairing the board, Lin took her time but checked a final time. Enoki reached for chips and tossed in 12,000, and Lin wasted no time in calling. Enoki sheepishly turned over the [as][2s] like he knew it wasn't good, and his inkling was right; Lin had the [ah][jd] and increases to around 70,000.
4pm: Double up for Wang
Level 6 - Blinds 800/1,600 (ante 200)
Yang Wang looked tortured when we arrived at his table. On a [9h][7d][3c][qs][kh] board he'd led for 37,800 only to be put all in for 87,000 total by Ho Kit Ng.
Anguished by the decision, Wang used two time bank cards (remember, this is a 30-second shot clock event) but eventually slammed in a call.
Ng hissed at the news, and started counting out chips. Wang turned over the [9s][9d] for a set of nines, and Ng was forced to show his [qc][jh] which he'd turned into a bluff. He's still healthy with 136,000, while Wang is up to 180,000 now.
3:50pm: Yotsushika felted
Level 6 - Blinds 800/1,600 (ante 200)
We've just seen the end of Kazuhiko Yotsushika's first bullet. He jammed for around 8,000 with the [ac][2h] and was called by Thomas Ward with the [td][ts]. The board ran out [2c][9c][8d][kc][9s] to keep Ward in front.
3:45pm: Aido finds some value
Level 5 - Blinds 600/1,200 (ante 200)
Sergio Aido made it 3,000 to go from middle position and picked up one caller in Yuan Li from the big blind. They went heads up to a [kd][4h][3d] flop, and both checked.
That brought the [jc] on the turn and Li checked it. Aido came in for a delayed c-bet of 4,500 which didn't shake off Li, who called instantly. The dealer then put out the [9s] river card and Li checked once again. Aido stuck in a bet of 8,500, and it didn't take Li long to call.
The Spaniard flipped over his [kh][5h] for top pair, and that was good as Li mucked. He's down to 52,000 now, while Aido is up to 240,000.
3:35pm: Chen takes one
Level 5 - Blinds 600/1,200 (ante 200)
James Chen put his newly purchased chips to good use straight away. After Jake Cody made it 3,000 to go from under the gun, he got calls from Alan Lau and Ye Zhang. Chen then defended his big blind and it went four ways to the [9s][9c][3h] flop.
It checked to Zhang and he took the opportunity to lead out for 3,500. Chen called, Cody let his hand go, and Lau came along. The turn was the [6s] and interestingly Chen now led out for 11,000. After some time, Lau made the fold. Eventually Zhang folded to, shipping the pot Chen's way.
Right after this hand Cody (who was the next big blind) got moved to a new table. He's now sat to the right of Randy Lew.
3:25pm: Second bullet for Chen
Level 5 - Blinds 600/1,200 (ante 200)
James Chen was down to just 17,000 when we arrived at the table. All of those chips now sit in front of Nan Hong.
It folded to Hong in the small blind and he just called, before Chen jammed from the big blind. Hong made the call with the [ah][jd] and was flipping against Chen's [9s][9h], and the [4h][8h][3c][ac][4d] runout meant it was re-entry time for Chen, who quickly dashed off.
After re-entering, he took his new seat next to Jake Cody.
3:20pm: Back at it
Level 5 - Blinds 600/1,200 (ante 200)
Time for Level 5. We've currently got 69 total entries, including four re-entries.
3:05pm: Take a break
Players have gone on their first 15-minute break of the day.
2:55pm: Cui's collecting
Level 4 - Blinds 500/1,000 (ante 100)
We've already got a runaway chip leader in Jiabin Cui. The Chinese player is up to more than 300,000 already!
2:45pm: Team Pro count increases as Cody arrives
Level 4 - Blinds 500/1,000 (ante 100)
Jake Cody finished 11th in this same event back in February, and the Team Pro has returned to Macau for another shot here today. That makes it four PokerStars Team Pros out in the field, as Celina Lin has also entered to join Randy Lew and Aditya Agarwal.
2:40pm: Tran's the man from Vietnam
Level 4 - Blinds 500/1,000 (ante 100)
Linh Tran is no.1 on Vietnam's all-time money list, although he calls Canada home. He's out here battling today, on a table with Randy Lew, Adrian Attenborough and Raymond Wu.
Tran just made it 2,500 from the cutoff and Lew defended his big blind to see a [5s][tc][5d] flop. Tran took it down with a c-bet.
2:35pm: First re-entry
Level 4 - Blinds 500/1,000 (ante 100)
Xixiang Luo has indeed re-entered, becoming the first player to exercise his re-entry option. The field is up to 64 entries now.
2:25pm: The Luo down
Level 3 - Blinds 400/800 (ante 100)
We've just seen our first big all in confrontation, and it has left Xixiang Luo with just 5,000.
He called the all in of Dongkyu Kim with the [qh][qs] and must have been thrilled to see him show up with just the [ac][6c]. However, the [as][3d][5s][jh][5h] runout gave Kim the win and saw him increase to 220,000.
Luo may need a re-buy soon if he can't pull off a miraculous comeback.
2:15pm: Aido applies the pressure
Level 3 - Blinds 400/800 (ante 100)
Reigning champ Sergio Aido has wasted no time in making his presence felt.
Picking up the action on a [2h][7s][ac] flop, Yikun Feng checked to Aido who made what I assume was a c-bet of 3,500. Call.
The dealer burned and turned the [5c] and things got a bit more serious when Aido continued for 11,500 after being checked to. Again, Feng didn't budge and came along to see the [th] river.
Feng checked a final time, but he'd be put in a tough spot when Aido jammed for around 75,000. Feng raised his arms behind his head as he contemplated, and then flipped over the [ad][td] for two pair.
"I fold! I fold!" Feng clarified. A strong lay down then, as the pot slid to Aido.
2:05pm: Point out the Finger
Level 3 - Blinds 400/800 (ante 100)
Even thought the level has moved on, the blinds remain the same. Antes have now been introduced though.
Oh, and the latest player to take a seat is Germany's Martin Finger.
2pm: Smith takes one down
Level 2 - Blinds 400/800
In a blind on blind pot, it folded to Wang Zhong in the small and he made it 2,400 to see a flop. Elliot Smith made the call from the big and they went to a [td][3h][kc] flop. Zhong continued for 3,500, and Smith didn't budge.
The turn came the [9d] and both decided to check and see the [6c] river. There'd be no more betting though, and Zhong mucked when Smith showed the [tc][8c].
1:50pm: Early level action
Level 2 - Blinds 400/800
I wanted to bring you a hand - I really did - but it's the early levels, so be patient. The best I've seen so far was Quan Zhou opening to 1,700 from the cutoff, and being three-bet to 3,800 by Marcus Lau. Zhou made the call to see a [7s][8c][7d] flop, but folded to a 5,200 c-bet.
1:45pm: More big names arrive
Level 2 - Blinds 400/800
Team Pro Randy 'nanonoko' Lew is now seated just two seats to the left of PokerStars Championship Macau Main Event winner Elliot Smith. James Chen is also here, as is Australia's Adrian Attenborough.
1:35pm: Reigning champ
Level 2 - Blinds 400/800
Well, there goes one level already. We'll get onto the action soon, don't worry, but there are even more people to tell you about.
Reigning and defending champ in this event Sergio Aido has taken his seat. The Spaniard was last seen at the PokerStars Championship Barcelona, but spends a lot of time playing cash games out here in Macau.
The always smartly-dressed Quan Zhou is also here. --JS
1:25pm: Agarwal arrives
Level 1 - Blinds 300/600
Players are pouring in right now and we're up to 36 runners. There's a representative of the red spade out there too - PokerStars Team Pro Aditya Agarwal.
Agarwal sits third on India's all time money list, and recently notched up an impressive 11 cashes at the 2017 World Series of Poker.
Chen-An Lin of Taiwan is also now sat down. It's a bit like a game of musical chairs at the moment, with players constantly being asked to move tables as more and more players arrive.
In fact, we're now up to 40 runners! --JS
1:15pm: Out in the field
Level 1 - Blinds 300/600
We've now got 20 players sat down. They include Xixiang Luo, who has more than $1 million in live earnings. His biggest career score came at MPC24 when he finished second in the HK$80K Re-entry High Roller for HK$1.52 million.
There's also Ben Lai, Wenwu Xue, Yuang Jiang, and May's Poker King Cup runner-up Christopher Soyza. The Malaysian player banked HK$1.135 million in that score.
Martijn Gerrits of the Netherlands is also here.
1:05pm: Off and running
Level 1 - Blinds 300/600
AAAAAAANNNNDDDD they're off. There are currently 17 players in the field, so let's see who's here.
11:45am: It's almost go-time
Did you get a good night's sleep? You're going to need it, because today is going to be a long one.
It's time for the HK$100K Single Day High Roller; a fast-paced, action-filled event which is all wrapped up in one session. The tournament kicks off at 1pm, with 30-minute levels starting at 300/600 and starting stacks of 100,000.
Players are offered the chance for one re-entry up until the end of Level 11 (around 8.30pm), and from there we simply play until one person has all the chips.
Back in February, that person was very well known in the poker world. Spain's Sergio Aido captured that title, beating out a tough 81-strong field which included Team PokerStars Pros Jake Cody (11th - HK$188,500) and Celina Lin (7th - HK$362,000), Pete Chen (6th - HK$460,000), JP Kelly (4th - HK$743,000), and Mikita Badziakouski (3rd - HK$965,000).
Ultimately, Aido beat Yuan Li (2nd - HK$1,474,000) around 3:30am, so today could be even longer. We recommend you find a comfy seat, put the kettle on, get the snacks out, and hover over the refresh button, as we'll be bringing you live updates all the way through. --JS
Live reporting by Jack Stanton. Photos by Long Guan for Kenneth Lim Photography courtesy of PokerStars LIVE Macau.
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