2008 PokerStars.net APPT Macau

Day 3 completed

Posted 09-05-2008 19:26 GMT+8

Day 3 Concludes; Our Final Table is Set!

A short Day 3 has seen our remaining 39 players reduced to our final table of nine. It was another fast and furious day with half of our players removed before the first break of the day, including well-known pro John Juanda.

The action finally tightened as we reached our final two tables, as the players started to think of reaching the televised final table. When we lost David Chiu in 11th place and David Steicke on the final table bubble our final nine was set.

Diwei Huang will enter the final day as our chip leader, with So Myung Sim on the short stack. Our final table looks as follows:

Diwei Huang - 1,046,000
Edward Sabat - 1,001,000
Jeppe Drivsholm - 863,000
Tian Chen - 768,000
Charles Chua - 617,000
Mikael Rosen - 361,000
Kuok Wai Will Cheong - 334,000
Javed Abrahams - 215,000
So Myung Sim - 118,000

Play at the final table will commence at 2 p.m. local time as they battle it out for the 2008 APPT Macau Main Event trophy and first place prize of over $450,000! We look forward to your company then!

David Steicke Eliminated in 10th Place ($16,208)

The Steicke magic has run out. Jeppe Drivsholm, Tian Chen, and David Steicke took a three-handed flop of . There were 90,000 chips in the middle, so when Drivsholm checked, Chen decided to come out with a bet of 60,000. Only Steicke called.

The turn was the . Chen checked it over to Steicke, who bet 100,000, leaving himself just 12,500 behind. Chen raised it up to 225,000 and Steicke made the call that he had priced himself into making.

Steicke:
Chen:

Steicke showed a pair and a flush draw and had been out-turned by Chen's pair of aces. He needed a jack, a seven, or a club to avoid bubbling the TV table. Chen started calling, "Red deuce! Red deuce!" and sure enough, the river was the . Steicke is headed to the rail to collect $16,208. As a result of his elimination, play has stopped for the day with 20 minutes remaining on the clock in Level 19.

Tags: David Steicke, Tian Chen.

One to Go

With ten players left, we're on the final table bubble. The next person to be eliminated will be the only one to miss the TV table. Once that elimination occurs we will be done for the day.

David Chiu Eliminated in 11th Place ($16,208)

On a flop of Kuok Wai Will Cheong checked to David Chiu, who fired out 40,000. Cheong then check-raised all in and Chiu made the call.

Chiu:
Cheong:

Chiu held top pair but was in trouble as Cheong had flopped top two! The turn and river didn't help Chiu and his run is ended in 11th place for a payday of $16,208.

Tags: David Chiu, Kuok Wai Cheong.

Taneli Tiikkaja Eliminated in 12th Place ($16,208)

Taneli Tiikkaja is the 12th-place finisher of the 2008 APPT Macau Main Event. He moved all in from the button for 140,000 with . Mikael Rosen, sitting in the big blind and short-stacked himself, made the call with . An ace on the flop took most of the drama out of the hand. Tiikkaja couldn't catch a ten when the turn came and the river came .

Tiikkaja will collect $16,208 for his performance over the last few days. Rosen lives on to fight for the final table with 320,000 in chips.

Tags: Mikael Rosen, Taneli Tiikkaja.

Steicke Makes Huge Call That Backfires

Tian Chen opened with a raise to 20,000 from the button and David Steicke made the call from the big blind.

The flop came down and Steicke led out for 40,000. Chen thought for a moment before moving all in. It was around 160,000 to Steicke and he decided to make the call tabling for just middle pair! It proved to be another great call as Chen revealed for just ace high.

The on the turn was a great card for Steicke giving him trips and a flush draw to reduce Chen to just a non-club seven to survive. Amazingly the landed, giving Chen the miracle straight to double up!

Chen now sits with 420,000 with Steicke falling to 270,000.

Tags: David Steicke, Tian Chen.

Sabat Pushes Sim to the Danger Zone

So Myung Sim finds himself getting dangerously short, due to the aggressive play of Edward Sabat. Sim made it 25,000 to go and, in position, Sabat made the call.

The flop looked pretty ragged when it fell . Sim fired out for 40,000. Maybe some alarms went off in his head when Sabat called, because he checked the turn . Seizing the initiative, Sabat made it 60,000 to see the next card. Sim tried a check-raise to 130,000 but Sabat just pushed over the top, all in for over 500,000. That was enough to shed Sim, who retains just 160,000 chips.

Tags: Edward Sabat, So Myung Sim.

Chua Take a Bite Out of Tiikkaja

Who will stop the Chuck Truck? For this hand at least, it wasn't Taneli Tiikkaja. He raised to 30,000 preflop and Charles Chua called from the button. A very well-connected hit the flop. Tiikkaja, showing no fear, fired out for 35,000. Chua called. On the turn , Tiikkaja checked and folded when Chua made it 60,000 to go. Chua has taken a few hits recently but looks to be rebuilding strongly.

Tags: Charles Chua, Taneli Tiikkaja.

Sabat Starts Well After Break

Edward Sabat raised it up to 24,000 from under the gun and Taneli Tiikkaja flat-called. The action then passed around to Charles Chua in the small blind, who popped it up an additional 82,000.

Sabat then deliberated for a long time before announcing another raise, adding another 200,000 to Chua's bet. Tiikkaja got out of the way and it was Chua's turn in the tank. He thought for a long time before giving up his hand, folding face-up.

"You folded ace-queen?!?" exclaimed Sabat with a sly grin on his face as he flashed his cards to his buddies on the rail before they were lost into the muck.

Sabat is now up to over 600,000 with Chua back to 410,000.

Tags: Charles Chua, Edward Sabat.