Yaxi Zhu has taken her seat. She has $252,000 USD in lifetime earnings and finished 12th in this event last year.
Zhu has been a Team PokerStars Pro since September 2015.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
||
Mike: "Y'have it?" he asks me. "Sorry John, I don't remember." I got up and walked straight to the cashier. I sat with the best in the world, Knish, and I won.
The above is a famous quote from the iconic 1998 poker movie Rounders where the main character (Mike McDermott) describes sitting with, and beating, the great Johhny Chan.
If you're looking for a real life Mike McDermott, then Vladimir Geshkenbein comes close to it.
The Russian is best known for winning EPT7 Snowfest but a couple of years before that, he recorded his first major cash by winning the KH$88,800 buy in High Roller event here at the APPT Macau. Who do you think he beat heads up to win the HK$2,067,200 first prize? You guessed it, Johnny Chan.
Rumour has it that Geshkenbein didn't play the Main Event that year and only played in the High Roller after going on a sick heater in the high roller Blackjack room. He supposedly parlayed the winnings into the tournament and created a great story by beating Chan heads up. Geshkenbein has been sat to the right of Team PokerStars Pro Bryan Huang in the Main Event today.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
||
Pratyush Buddiga, Conor Drinan and Kitty Kuo are the three latest players to buy in to the Main Event, adding to the star-studded Day 1B field.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
As the end of the second level of the day approaches, five players have already busted. The last to fall was Austrian Hendrik Latz after he ran a set into the straight of Hsien Kui Yang.
Those two and Jordan Westmorland had made it to the turn with almost 9,000 chips in the middle. All three checked and the board rested as 
. Yang led for 3,200 from the small blind before Latz moved all in for 9,875 from the hijack. Westmorland folded from the button and Yang called with 
for a wheel, beating out Latz and his 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
John Juanda just rivered a full house to shoot up the leaderboard and eliminated Kevin Song.
Anton Astapau opened for 600 preflop and Juanda made it 1,750. Song called from the big blind and Astapau folded. The flop was 
and Song checked to Juanda who bet 2,250. Song called and the two players saw the 
hit the turn. Song led out for 5,000 and Juanda raised to 15,000. Song then shoved all in and Juanda reluctantly called, showing a set of nines 
. Song had a straight and a flush redraw with 
. The 
on the river paired the board and saved Juanda from being short stacked just before the first break of the day. Juanda had Song covered and Song was the sixth player eliminated today.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
74,400 | |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Ten-minute break for one and all.
Level: 3
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 25
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
38,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
|
||
|
36,000 | |
|
|
||
|
33,800
3,800
|
3,800 |
|
|
32,600
2,600
|
2,600 |
|
|
||
|
30,700
30,700
|
30,700 |
|
||
|
|
30,500
500
|
500 |
|
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
||
|
29,200
-800
|
-800 |
|
|
||
|
|
28,200
-1,800
|
-1,800 |
|
28,200
-1,800
|
-1,800 |
|
28,200
-1,800
|
-1,800 |
|
||
|
|
27,700
-2,300
|
-2,300 |
|
|
||
|
27,600
27,600
|
27,600 |
|
|
||
|
24,200
24,200
|
24,200 |
|
||
|
22,400
22,400
|
22,400 |
|
21,500
-8,500
|
-8,500 |
|
21,000
-9,000
|
-9,000 |
|
19,600
-10,400
|
-10,400 |
|
|
||
|
19,225
-10,775
|
-10,775 |
|
|
||
Kitty Kuo is now at 8,000 chips after she lost a big pot. She made a flush, but her opponent had a better one and left her with less than one third of the starting stack.
Kuo is first on Taiwan's all time money list with over $800,000 in lifetime earnings.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,000
-22,500
|
-22,500 |
|
|
||
Tip. If you're buying in late to Day 1B, avoid Table 7.
Kevin Song busted to John Juanda recently and his seat was taken by Italian pro Dario Sanmartino, one of the best Italian players right now. He's sat right in the middle of six pros, all sat in a row from seat one to six. Here's how they line up and their career winnings in USD:
Seat 1. Sunny Jung (Korea) $1,306,307
Seat 2. Russell Thomas (USA) $3,392,307
Seat 3. Anton Astapau (Belarus) $825,760
Seat 4. Dario Sammartino (Itlay) $2,701,415
Seat 5. John Juanda (Indonesia) $17,250,677
Seat 6. Steve O'Dwyer (USA) $10,824,802
Astapau and Sammartino tangled in a battle of the blinds.
The board (at the turn) read 
and Astapau led for 700 and called when Sammartino raised to 1,400. The board completed with the and Astapau led for just 200. Sammartino stared at him for a while and then raised to 1,500. Astapau called but mucked upon seeing the Italian's 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
80,000
5,600
|
5,600 |
|
|
||
|
42,000
42,000
|
42,000 |
|
34,000
34,000
|
34,000 |
|
|
||
|
28,300
28,300
|
28,300 |
|
28,000
-2,000
|
-2,000 |
|
|
||
