PokerStars.net APPT Season 8 Asia Championship of Poker

Main Event
Day: 1
Event Info

PokerStars.net APPT Season 8 Asia Championship of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
55
Prize
6,300,000 HKD
Event Info
Buy-in
95,000 HKD
Prize Pool
27,092,100 HKD
Entries
291
Level Info
Level
30
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
10,000

Rory Young Leads After Seven Levels

Level 7 : 300/600, 75 ante
Rory Young - Chip Leader
Rory Young - Chip Leader

That's all she wrote for Day 1 of the PokerStars.net Asia-Pacific Poker Tour Season 8 Asia Championship of Poker Main Event. A grand total of 286 players came out for the action on the first day, and after seven levels of play the clock read that just 175 remain. When the dust settled, Rory Young bagged up the biggest stack of the night with 150,100 in chips.

Our PokerNews Live Reporting team spied Young holding a remarkably large stack roughly halfway through the fourth level. Young never relinquished that lead as the day progressed, and he finished the day as the man to catch heading into Day 2. Other stacks close to Young include 2013 Asia Player of the Year Jian Yang (147,600), Dong Guo (120,400), and Anson Yan Shing Tsang (101,600).

While the night ended with 286 entries, prize pool information has not yet been tabulated as registration remains open until the start of Day 2. The event offered a guarantee of HK$15,000,000, which has already been smashed through the stellar turnout on the first day.

Daniel Colman also made a big splash during the opening levels of the Main Event, building his starting stack to an impressive 102,900. Colman found a surge late in the evening, eliminating a player with pocket queens against pocket tens. Colman is continuing his legendary 2014 run hot off a seventh-place finish in the 2014 ACOP MBP Super High Roller. Colman's recent six-figure score netted him $373,932 in prize money, and he looks primed to make yet another deep run in the Main Event.

The field remains stacked with notable names heading into Day 2. Some of the players to return for the second day are Connor Drinan (99,000), Joseph Cheong (94,300), Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier (91,600), Sam Cohen (78,300), Terrence Chan (77,000), Jack Salter (59,500), Dimitar Danchev (52,500), Joe Hachem (50,200), Dan Smith (48,400), Kitty Kuo (39,500), Eugene Katchalov (39,400), Jonathan Duhamel (33,400), Naoya Kihara (33,000).

Also returning for Day 2 will be recent 2014 ACOP MBP Super High Roller champion, Steve O'Dwyer. While O'Dwyer did not make much progress on the day, bagging up just 30,100, he will return for Day 2 hoping to find a rush and make another deep run here in Macau.

While the aforementioned players survived throughout the day and were able to bag stacks for Day 2, others were not as fortunate. Some of the players to hit the rail before play concluded for the day were Paul Newey, David Steicke, Olivier Busquet, Chane Kampanatsanyakorn, Anatoly Filatov, Chance Kornuth, and Isaac Baron. Team PokerStars also had several casualties throughout the day. Among those to fall wearing the red spade were Isaac Haxton, Liv Boeree, Vivian Im, and Randy Lew.

Play resumes from fabulous Macau at 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday. Players will return to play five 90-minute levels with no dinner break. Afterwards, players are invited to attend the official ACOP welcome party, which will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel poolside area. As always, be sure to return to PokerNews for all of the updates from the tournament felt as this exciting event moves through its second day of play.

Tags: Rory Young

Boeree Busts

Level 7 : 300/600, 75 ante
Liv Boeree
Liv Boeree

Having lost a big flip in the last level Liv Boeree shoved the last of her 4,800 stack over an open and got called. The Team PokerStars Pro had {a-Spades}{3-Clubs} and was up against {k-Spades}{7-Clubs}.

The flop was {10-Clubs}{j-Clubs}{5-Clubs} and Boeree nodded, perhaps acknowledging that another club could prove fatal. The turn {2-Diamonds} was safe enough but she could not fade the {6-Clubs} river and Boeree took her leave.

Player Chips Progress
Liv Boeree gb
Liv Boeree
Busted

Tags: Liv Boeree

ElkY Soars

Level 4 : 150/350, 25 ante
Bertrand Grospellier
Bertrand Grospellier

The player under the gun opened with a raise to 1,000 and found calls from Aliaksei Boika in middle position, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier in the cutoff, the player on the button and the player in the big blind.

The five players saw a flop of {K-Hearts}{5-Hearts}{2-Diamonds} fall. There were two checks over to Boika who fired out 1,700. Grospellier flatted and the three other players let their hands go. The {3-Hearts} hit the felt on the turn and Boika slowed with a check. Grospellier reached for chips and moved 3,600 past the betting line. Boika called to see a river.

The dealer produced the {K-Spades} on the river, pairing the board. Boika checked for a second time and Grospellier bet 8,800. Boika went deep into the tank, thinking for about two minutes before announcing that he was all in. The raise was for well over 28,000 total and Grospellier quickly called for Boika's tournament life.

Boika showed {2-Hearts}{2-Spades} for deuces full of kings, but was ultimately bested by Grospellier's {5-Diamonds}{5-Spades} for fives full of kings. Grospellier scored the knockout and now has about 78,000 to his name.

Player Chips Progress
Bertrand Grospellier fr
Bertrand Grospellier
78,000 35,000

Tags: Bertrand Grospellier

Im Falls Early

Level 1 : 50/100, 0 ante
Vivian Im
Vivian Im

Team PokerStars Pro Vivian Im is among the first casualties of the day, falling early in the first level at the hands of Cheng Man Hang. On her final hand, Im was heads up with Hang on a {3-Clubs}{Q-Diamonds}{6-Hearts} board. After a series of bets and raises, Im moved all in for her tournament life. Hang thought for about 30 seconds before announcing a call.

Im: {3-Hearts}{3-Spades}
Hang: {6-Clubs}{6-Diamonds}

Hang was in the lead with middle set and held a dominating position over Im's bottom set. The board finished out with the {Q-Spades} and the {9-Clubs}, eliminating Im from play. Hang pulled in the pot and now holds right around double starting stack.

Player Chips Progress
Cheng Man Hang
Cheng Man Hang
60,000 60,000
Vivian Im kr
Vivian Im
Busted

Tags: Cheng Man HangVivian Im

ACOP Main Event Begins!

Reigning ACOP Main Event Champion Sunny Jung
Reigning ACOP Main Event Champion Sunny Jung

Welcome to the live coverage of the PokerStars.net APPT Season 8 Asia Championship of Poker! The PokerNews Live Reporting team is on hand from Macau to provide all of the latest updates from this exciting and prestigious event!

It was just one year ago when Korea's Sunny Jung rose to the top of this very event to take home a first-place prize of HK$4,352,000. On his path to glory, Jung bested a final table that included eventual PokerStars.net APPT Season 8 Seoul champion Chane Kampanatsanyakorn (9th) and PokerStars Team Online pro Randy Lew (6th). Ultimately, Jung found himself heads up with Devan Tang for the title. Jung's ace-king outlasted Tang's ace-queen, and the Korean was awarded the first place prize and poker immortality. A full recap of last year's coverage of the event can be found here.

The excitement in the tournament area is mounting, following Steve O'Dwyer's impressive championship run in the 2014 ACOP “Macau Billionaire” Poker” HK$500,000 Super High Roller. The event, which drew a total of 102 entries, (52 unique players; 50 rebuys) allowed for a first-place prize of HK$14,050,000 ($1,811,638 in USD). O'Dwyer bested a final table that included the likes of Davidi Kitai, Daniel Colman, Joseph Cheong, Connor Drinan, and Praytush Buddiga. Ultimately, O'Dwyer found himself heads up with Ryan Fee for the title and over $1.8 million in prize money. O'Dwyer sealed the deal and laid claim to the title. We expect to see most, if not all of these players at the tables for the start of the Main Event this evening.

Players will start the Main Event with 30,000 in chips. The first four levels of play will be 60 minutes, with levels increasing to 90 minutes in length from that point onward. Play will last a full seven levels before bagging and tagging for the evening.

Play kicks off at 5 p.m. local time, so be sure the stay tuned for all of the latest from the tournament floor!