APPT Macau Main Event Day 1a | 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Macau

08-25-2009 12:23 UTC+8

2009 APPT Macau Main Event Begins Today

[user75032]

Ni hao, poker fans, and welcome to to the third floor of the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino in steamy Macau for Day 1a of the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau Main Event. This event is the showpiece tournament of a two-week-long series of poker tournaments that kicks off the third season of the highly successful APPT.

Year-on-year growth has been the story for the APPT. This year that growth included a move from the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino on the Cotai side of Macau to the more opulent, more spacious and more prominently located Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino on the peninsula side of Macau. Players will be playing high-stakes tournament poker beneath dazzling glass spider webs that dangle from the ceiling of the poker room.

Last year, Californian Eddy Sabat was the player who emerged victorious after a week of poker play, banking more than US$450,000 for his accomplishment. We expect that a new champion will be crowned this year, having heard second-hand that Sabat will not be returning to Macau to defend his title.

Play for the first of the three Day 1 flights is scheduled to begin at 12:15pm local time, in just a few minutes. We're set up on media row in the back corner of the room, waiting to bring you all of the action. Stick around!

08-25-2009 12:30 UTC+8

Shuffle Up and Deal!

[user75032]

After a few opening remarks by APPT President Jeffrey Haas and a local Chinese mask-changing dance, Bryan Huang has said the magic four words, "Shuffle up and deal!" Cards are in the air.

Tournament Director Danny McDonagh has given the player the following notes:

* Play today will be to a maximum of eight levels.

* The top ten chip stacks that advance to Day 2 from the combined Day 1 flights will be placed on separate tables.

* The top three chip stacks at the three-table re-draw will also be placed on separate tables.

McDonagh also instructed the players to be extremely careful about betting out of turn, as any chips that are placed in the pot at any point (even out of turn) must remain in the pot.

Level: 1

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

08-25-2009 12:42 UTC+8

Tough Table Doesn't Deter Steicke

[user67765]

With around fifteen tables in action there are plenty of heavily-stacked tables out there today. One which caught our eye in particular was the one featuring Joel Dodds (Seat 1), David Steicke (Seat 2), Grant Levy (Seat 4), Rasmus Akerblom (Seat 6) and Johnny Chan (Seat 8).

They haven't wasted any time in getting busy in an interesting early pot.

Levy opened to 275 from early position before Akerblom made it 750 to go. Johnny Chan made the call on the button and play folded around to David Steicke in the big blind who made it 3,500.

Levy sat in the tank for a minute or two before making a reluctant fold. Akerblom folded but Chan tossed out calling chips.

The flop landed {8-Spades}

and Steicke tossed out a colorful bet of 6,625 - one chip of every denomination. Chan slammed his cards into the muck in frustration as Steicke starts were he left off from the APT a few days ago to collect a nice early pot.

Tags: David Steicke Johnny Chan

08-25-2009 12:50 UTC+8

Who Else is Here?

[user75032]

Apart from the Table of Death in the center of the room, there are plenty of other well-known pro in attendance for tihs Day 1a flight. A random sampling would include David Chiu, Emanuel Seal, November Niner James Akenhead, Jay "SEABEAST" Kinkade, former world champion Mansour Matloubi, Manila poker legend Wally Sombero and Vivek Rajkumar.

08-25-2009 12:56 UTC+8

Kroesen's Early BB Special

[user67765]

Catching the action on a flop of {7-Clubs}

in what appeared to be a limped pot, the play checked over to Dave Ewing who fired 325. After a couple of folds, Rick Kroesen made the call in the big blind.

The turn brought the {6-Spades}

and Kroesen checked to Ewing who made it 650. Kroesen made the call once again.

The river was the {J-Clubs}

and Kroesen led out for 1,125 with Ewing quickly looking him up. Kroesen tabled {8-Clubs}

for the rivered flush for a nice big blind special to rake in the pot.

Tags: Dave Ewing Rick Kroesen

08-25-2009 12:58 UTC+8

Early Elimination

[user75032]

If there's an elimination in the first twenty minutes of play of a 200-big-blind tournament, it's usually a cooler. Mark Cornwell is the early beneficiary of such a hand. He flopped a set of deuces on a {Q-?}

board and made quad deuces with the turn {2-?}

. Cornwell's unlucky opponent had the second nuts, {Q-?}

for a full house queens full of deuces, and couldn't get away from the hand.

We're not sure when all the chips went in the middle but we do know they're all in Cornwell's stack now. He's up to 43,000. Other early movers include Eric Assadourian and Wally Sombero.

Tags: Eric Assadourian Mark Cornwell Wally Sombero

08-25-2009 13:01 UTC+8

Chan Recovers

[user67765]

Rasmus Akerblom raised it up from the button to 300 and Johnny Chan defended his big blind with a call.

The went to a flop of {4-Clubs}

and Chan checked and then called the bet of 400 by Akerblom. The turn was the {9-Clubs}

and this time Chan led out for 800. Akerblom deliberated for several minutes before committing to a call.

The river was the {2-Hearts}

and Chan fired out 2,000 with Akerblom snap-calling this time around.

Chan tabled {J-Hearts}

for the flush to take it down. He's now back up to 22,000 chips.

Tags: Johnny Chan Rasmus Akerblom

08-25-2009 13:08 UTC+8

Akenhead Swings the Hammer

[user75032]

We caught up with November Niner (and instant poker celebrity) James Akenhead with a flop of {2-Clubs}

and 900 chips already in the middle of the table. Akenhead was playing from the big blind and checked to his lone opponent, the under-the-gun player, who bet 600. Akenhead called.

The turn fell {10-Diamonds}

and again Akenhead checked. This time his opponent bet 1,500, a bet that Akenhead check-raised to 3,500. On a non-threatening board, this check-raise reeked of strength but his opponent wanted to see one more card and called.

The river fell {9-Clubs}

. Akenhead made a value bet of 2,000, then showed down the Hammer, {2-Diamonds}

, for two pair, sevens and deuces. His opponent disgustedly flipped {J-Clubs}

into the muck.

Akenhead is up to 30,500 in chips.

Tags: James Akenhead

08-25-2009 13:19 UTC+8

Trade Negotiations Underway

[user67765]

Event though there is little room between tables, Emad Tahtouh has only just noticed fellow Australian and PokerStars Pro Grant Levy sitting directly behind him.

"Hey mate, how you going?" said Tahtouh before taking a look at Levy's tough table and comparing it to his own which is also rather solid with the likes of Wally Sombero, Eric Assadourian and Dan Schreiber.

He then joked to Levy "Hey, I'll swap you you Eric for Dodds?" which brought a chuckle from the table before Tahtouh returned to his own seat and commented to Assadourian, "Man, that table is worse than ours!"

Tags: Emad Tahtouh Grant Levy