This is it ladies and gents, the final day of the 2015 PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event!
Only seven players remain from a starting total of 493 with Hong Kong’s very own, Yat Wai Cheng leading the way. Following Cheng is China’s Weiyi Zhang and Zhenru Xie who’ll be bringing most of the chips to this final table.
Weijie Ye, Fan Zhao and Chun Laing Kuo round out the next three places and will all be looking to take down the victory and bring back the title to China for the third successive year.
Florencio Campomanes from the Philippines will be the short stack coming to final table, but having the most experience from all the players, will still prove difficult to eliminate.
Be sure to join PokerNews in just over an hour at 2:00pm local time as we bring you all the action from the final day of play here at the City of Dreams, Macau!
Cheng has taken a commanding lead at this final table after clashing with fellow big stack Weiyi Zhang.
The action started with Zhang raising to 65,000 from the button. Cheng then bumped it up to 190,000 before Zhang came over the top with another raise to 550,000.
Zhang stared Cheng down, but that didn't faze the chip leader, who casually slid out a five bet to 1.3 million in chips. Zhang then instantly moved all in for 2.52 million and was snap called.
Zhang:
Cheng:
The board ran out to see Cheng hold with the monster pair sending Zhang to the rail, rather unexpectedly.
Zhenru Xie raised to 65,000 from under the gun before Fan Zhao moved all in for his remaining 460,000 from the cut off. Weijie Ye was on the button, and tanked for over a minute, before finally releasing his hand. The blinds both folded before Xie made the call.
Xie:
Zhao:
Zhao was in great shape to double until the board ran out to see Xie make a straight on the river.
Chun Liang Kuo raised to 90,000 from under the gun before Yat Wai Cheng bumped it up to 240,000 from the button. The action folded back around to Kuo who cut out all his chips in front of him before moving all in for 895,000 in chips. Cheng made the quick call before the cards were tabled.
Kuo:
Cheng:
Kuo faded the flop of but the on the turn saw him fall behind to a pair of aces held by Cheng. The was no help for Kuo who was sent to the rail leaving four players left on the final table.
The action folded around to Zhenru Xie in the small blind who completed the call. Yat Wai Cheng then moved all in from the big blind and was snapped called by Xie before both players tabled their cards.
Xie:
Cheng:
Xie was looking in great shape to double until the flop fell . The pair had sent Cheng into the lead and it only became better as the turn and river produced the and to see him improve to a full house.
Xie is eliminated in fourth place for HKD$698,000. Three players remaining, all vying for the title and the HKD$2,525,000 first place prize.
The action started with Yat Wai Cheng raising to 120,000 from the button. Weijie Ye folded from the small blind before Florencio Campomanes moved all in for just over 800,000 in chips. He was quickly called before the cards were revealed.
Cheng:
Campomanes:
The board ran out to see Campomanes finally lose a race with Cheng’s pocket three's holding up to take down the pot.
In the final hand of the night, Yat Wai Cheng raised to 160,000 in chips. Weijie Ye looked down at his cards, paused for a moment, before moving all in for his remaining 1.8 million in chips. Cheng stalled for a second before making the call.
Ye:
Cheng:
Ye had the lead with the pair until the board ran out to see Cheng flop a king and eventually take down the pot.
A fantastic run by the Chinese player who went narrowly close to capturing an APPT title. He will receive HKD$1,526,000 for his performance today.
The 2015 PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau Main Event completed on Sunday after five days of action. Seven players returned for the final table with Yat Wai Cheng in the front seat. He held the chip lead for the entirety of the final table, and was the one that walked away with the title. He topped Weijie Ye in a quick heads-up play, to claim victory and earn himself HKD$2,525,000.
The action started early on the final day with the two big stacks clashing in the opening level. This would be the pot that would set up Cheng for his eventual victory in the tournament. In a hand against fellow big stack, Weiyi Zhang, Cheng watched as his opponent raised from the button. Cheng then bumped it up from the blinds before Zhang came back over the top with a four bet. Cheng’s next five-bet would not be the end of the hand as Zhang opted to move all in for just over 2.5 million in chips. Cheng had more chips, and obliged with a call, before the cards were shown. Zhang tabled but was in trouble against Cheng’s . A nine-high board would run out and Zhang was sent to the rail. Cheng stormed to 5.6 million in chips, an amount he would only drop below one more time on the final table.
Nearing the end of the same level, Fan Zhao found himself all in, and in great shape with his pocket queens going up against Zhenru Xie’s pocket queens. However, the board ran out to see Xie river a straight to send Zhao to the rail in 6th.
Twenty minutes later and Chun Liang Kuo would move all in with the best hand, holding pocket tens against Cheng’s . Kuo would fade the flop but the on the turn would be enough to see him sent home, collecting HKD$490,000 for his efforts.
Four handed play would last over an hour before the next Chinese player would be eliminated. Zhenru Xie completed the call before Cheng raised enough chips to commit Xie. The bet was snap called and Xie found himself in great shape to double with against Cheng’s . Unfortunately for Xie, a six dropped on the flop to see him trail in the hand, and it was all over when another six and four came out adding salt in the would as Cheng made a full house.
The impressive story to come out of the final table was Florencio Campomanes’ run. He started the day as the shortest stack, but manoeuvred his way around several flips, before finally succumbing to a 3rd place finish. His last hand would see him get it in with against Cheng’s pocket three. No help would come as the board ran out queen-high to see his dream run come to an end.
Coming into heads up play, Cheng held a 2:1 chip lead over Ye. Play lasted half an hour before Ye moved all in with pocket fives against Cheng’s . Cheng would get lucky flopping a king to see him take down the pot and more importantly the title.
A great effort for the local player, who’s efforts saw him take out five of the six players at the table to walk away with a magnificent trophy and the first place prize of HKD2,525,000.
PokerNews spoke to Yat Wai "Tony" Cheng right after his victory!
Final Table Standings
Place
Name
Country
Prize (HKD)
Prize (US)
1
Yat Wai Cheng
Hong Kong
2,525,000
325,806
2
Weijie Ye
China
1,526,000
196,903
3
Florencio Campomanes
Philippines
926,000
119,484
4
Zhenru Xie
China
698,000
90,065
5
Chun Liang Kuo
China
490,000
63,226
6
Fan Zhao
China
381,000
49,161
7
Weiyi Zhang
China
310,280
40,036
That’s it for us here at the City of Dreams. Make sure to stay tuned to PokerNews as we bring you all the live coverage from the next stop on the APPT, from Manilla in the Philippines in late July.