2009 PokerStars.net APPT Macau

APPT Macau Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info

2009 PokerStars.net APPT Macau

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
10k
Prize
$541,089
Event Info
Buy-in
$5,000
Prize Pool
$2,081,000
Entries
429
Level Info
Level
27
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
5,000

Kuo Gets Best of Hall

Tom Hall has been applying lots of pressure to his table but some of his opponents are fighting back. Hall raised to 8,500 and was called by Hui Chen Kuo, the big blind. Kuo check-called another 16,500 from Hall on a flop of {9-Clubs} {3-Hearts} {9-Diamonds}. Both players checked the {8-Clubs} turn and {2-Diamonds} river. Kuo's {A-Spades} {10-Clubs} took the pot after Hall could only muster {A-Hearts} {4-Hearts}.

Tags: Hui Chen KuoTom Hall

Kim Has The Aces

Mike Kim
Mike Kim
Mike Kim is still currently stacking up a mountain of chips which we're going to expertly predict to be in the vicinity of 200,000, after a massive preflop clash.

Kim was in command for the entire hand with his {A-Hearts}{A-Spades} in front of his opponent's pocket jacks. The flop was a scary one, but only if you're religious, as the board was spread {6-Spades}{6-Clubs}{6-Hearts}{9-Diamonds}{5-Clubs}. The players were very close in chips but after a count down, Kim had him covered and raked in the chips to join the chip count leaderboard top ten.

Tags: Mike Kim

Wu Sent Packing

Raymond Wu all in
Raymond Wu all in
Raymond Wu has joined the ranks of the railbirds. He raised all in from the small blind 56,600 after a player in late position opened the pot to 7,300. Big blind Daniel Hansson eyed Wu's stack, then asked the late-position player for a count before moving all in himself. Wu knew he was in trouble even despite the fact that the open-raiser folded.

Wu: {A-Hearts} {10-Hearts}
Hansson: {A-Diamonds} {K-Hearts}

In an amusing twist, a flop of {5-Diamonds} {Q-Spades} {J-Spades} had each player calling for the other player's kicker. A king would make Broadway for Wu; a ten would make Broadway for Hansson. Hansson got his way when the turn fell {10-Diamonds}, leaving Wu looking for a king to chop the pot. Instead the river fell {j-Diamonds} and Wu was eliminated.

"Nothing I could do," said Wu to some supporters on the rail. Hansson is up to 265,000.

Tags: Daniel HanssonRaymond Wu

Marcus Befuddled by Ruling

Van Marcus pondering the rules of tournament poker...
Van Marcus pondering the rules of tournament poker...
Van Marcus was involved in a recent pot that left him a bit tilty, although he ultimately won the hand.

Action had folded around to Marcus in middle position, but before he could act, the player sitting to his immediately left moved all in for a total of 16,200. The floor was called and Marcus inquired about his options and perhaps more importantly, questioned what would happen to his opponent's premature all-in bet.

He was basically told that all of his options remained available, and that his opponent would be forced to match whatever bet he decided to make, which is exactly what happened (after heaps of commotion); Van decided to make it 8,100 to play and his opponent was forced to make the call, leaving herself exactly 8,100 behind.

Marcus' biggest gripe with the ruling was the fact that if he decided to make it 6,000 to play -- a min raise at the time -- his opponent would be forced to call, thus creating much better pot odds for other potential callers. He suggested that the rule perhaps punished him, moreso than the player who acted out of turn and he seemed to have the support of several others at the table.

In any case, as it turned out, Marcus' 8,100 bet successfully forced everyone else out of the pot, leaving him heads-up with his neighbor.

The flop then came {Q-Hearts}{9-Spades}{J-Clubs} and Marcus immediately put his opponent all in. Not a fan of the flop, Van's opponent flashed a pocket pair of fours before tossing them back to the dealer.

"How could you lay that down?" asked a third party, seated to her left, pointing out the fact that she had just 8,100 behind.

Marcus then flashed {A-?}{10-?} before raking in the hard-earned pot.

Tags: Van Marcus

Buchanan Does Broadway

Shawn Buchanan
Shawn Buchanan
Shawn Buchanan is now up to a commanding stack of 170,000 after flopping Broadway, but he was forced to slow down after the board paired up.

We caught the action on the turn on the board of {J-Spades}{10-Hearts}{Q-Diamonds}{Q-Hearts} with Buchanan check-calling a bet of around 25,000 from his opponent on the button. The river bricked the {2-Spades} and the monster pot was checked down. Buchanan opened {A-Spades}{K-Hearts} which was good to take it down.

Tags: Shawn Buchanan

Level: 14

Blinds: 2,000/4,000

Ante: 400

Play Resumes

The players are back and the cards are once again in the air. We believe that TD Danny McDonagh has just announced that we'll be playing eight levels or until we reach 32 players. Since that seems unlikely, it looks like we'll be here another two levels!

He's No Pretender...

Chip leader Preetinder Bhayana
Chip leader Preetinder Bhayana
Our current top five chip counts:

Preetinder Bhayana - 406,000
Kyle Cheong - 390,000
Dermot Blain - 324,000
Tom Hall - 313,000
Darkhan Botabayev - 298,000

Tan Crippled

Ivan Tan picked a bad time to get bad-beated. We're approaching the money bubble now and Tan is in desperate straits with just 20,000 chips after losing a huge pot worth 160,000. His opponent jammed into him from the small blind with {K-Hearts} {6-Hearts} and Tan snap-called with pocket kings. All was OK for Tan on of {5-Clubs} {A-Spades} {4-Clubs}, but the turn and river were disaster: {8-Diamonds} {7-Diamonds} to give his opponent a runner-runner eight-high straight.

Tags: Ivan Tan