PokerStars.net APPT Season 8 Seoul

Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

PokerStars.net APPT Season 8 Seoul

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aa
Prize
150,000,000 KRW
Event Info
Buy-in
2,760,000 KRW
Entries
256
Level Info
Level
27
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
10,000

Main Event

Day 1a Completed

Masato Yokosawa Leads The Way After Day 1a

Level 8 : 500/1,000, 100 ante
Masato Yokosawa
Masato Yokosawa

The first of two starting days for the PokerStars.net Asia-Pacific Poker Tour in the Paradise Casino Walkerhill Seoul drew a crowd of 118 players. After eight levels of play, Masato Yokosawa came out on top.

The tournament action was fast-paced as just 45 players managed to make it through to Day 2. Team PokerStars Pros Bryan Huang and Celina Lin did not make it, while Japanese World Series of Poker bracelet winner and PokerStars Team Online member Naoya Kihara bagged up 39,200 in chips.

The start of the day, unlike at many other events around the world, was fast and furious. The players in the Main Event mainly hail from China, Australia, and Hong Kong and it became apparent they did not come here to sit around. After Director of Poker Operations and WSOP bracelet winner Kevin Song spoke the most famous words in poker, "shuffle up and deal," the action started and it was interesting all the way throughout.

Among the high rollers that showed up for today's flight were Ping San Chan, who finished fourth in the APT Manilla Millions for over $530,000, but his experience in bigger buy-in events did not help him today. Chan was knocked out, which could not be said for his friend Winfred Yu. Yu, who's known as the host of some of the biggest cash games in the world, played a patient game and managed to make it through to Day 2 with 36,900 in chips.

One of the most successful players in the Asia-Pacific region of the last couple of years has been Sam Razavi, and he came to play. Razavi, who won the APPT Grand Final in 2012, had a swingy day, but managed to survive with 37,300 in chips. Bernard Geom wasn't as lucky, and he got knocked out during the fifth level of play after losing a big hand with jacks to queens. Interestingly, Geom was left with chips behind after he ran out of the room upon seeing his jacks had lost, and the rest of his stack was eventually blinded out.

Huang, a regular on the APPT, had an unsuccessful day as he was knocked out. Huang lost the hand for his tournament life with ace-queen to pocket fours that sent him packing. Huang will have plenty of opportunity to redeem himself this week in one of the many side events, or at the cash-game tables, which have been jam packed all day. Day 2 also wasn't reached by Lin, who ran two pair into a set, ultimately busted out holding ace-eight to the ace-ten of her opponent.

In the meantime, Japanese player Yokosawa was stacking up chips left and right, and his smart play got him the overnight chip lead. One of the players looking to challenge Yokosawa on Day 2 is PokerStars Team Online's Kihara. Kihara had a great day and he eventually bagged up a little under average.

Last, but certainly not least, there was defending champion Aaron Lim. Lim had a day filled with swings and eventually he bagged up 23,900.

That's it for Day 1a, and please make sure to tune back in with us tomorrow at 12 p.m. local time for the second and final starting day of this event. Once again, PokerNews.com will bring you all the live updates.

Tags: Aaron LimBernard GeomBryan HuangCelina LinMasamoto YokosawaNaoya KiharaPing San ChanSam RazaviWinfred Yu

Official End-of-Day Chip Counts (full)

Level 8 : 500/1,000, 100 ante
Player Chips Progress
Masato Yokosawa jp
Masato Yokosawa
WPT 1X Winner
146,800 37,800
Artem Lobus
Artem Lobus
116,200 116,200
An Tai Young
An Tai Young
114,300 114,300
Kelvin Beattie au
Kelvin Beattie
107,000 87,000
Stepan Lavrin
Stepan Lavrin
103,500 103,500
Quan Zhou cn
Quan Zhou
99,400 99,400
Bartlomiej Machon pl
Bartlomiej Machon
93,200 21,200
Tetsuya Tsuchikawa jp
Tetsuya Tsuchikawa
88,500 68,500
John Marshall us
John Marshall
87,400 87,400
Sid Kim
Sid Kim
75,100 75,100
Eric Eng us
Eric Eng
68,800 68,800
Bjoern Tvedt
Bjoern Tvedt
68,400 68,400
Olivier Tessier
Olivier Tessier
67,900 67,900
Bian Hong Yang
Bian Hong Yang
65,300 65,300
Jing Gao
Jing Gao
60,000 60,000
Ken Demlakian au
Ken Demlakian
59,800 -9,200
Ziyang Zhao
Ziyang Zhao
57,400 57,400
Yencheng Huang
Yencheng Huang
57,000 57,000
Lin Ping
Lin Ping
49,300 49,300
Minh Hau Nguyen
Minh Hau Nguyen
44,800 44,800
Kevin Petersen
Kevin Petersen
41,000 41,000
Jacques Guerrand
Jacques Guerrand
40,000 40,000
Naoya Kihara jp
Naoya Kihara
39,200 2,200
Alvan Yifan Zheng cn
Alvan Yifan Zheng
38,700 38,700
Sam Razavi gb
Sam Razavi
37,300 -4,700

Read full

Machon Takes One Off Kihara

Level 8 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

We didn't see the preflop action but it resulted in a pot of about 18,000. The flop on the board read {q-Spades}{9-Clubs}{10-Hearts}. Bartlomeij Machon led for 9,000 and Naoya Kihara called.

The {J-Spades} came on the turn and Machon led for 15,000. It looked as if Kihara was going to call and he even cut out his chips. Eventually though, he decided against it and reluctantly folded.

Player Chips Progress
Bartlomiej Machon pl
Bartlomiej Machon
72,000 16,000
Naoya Kihara jp
Naoya Kihara
37,000 -29,000

Tags: Bartlomiej MachonNaoya Kihara

Pushing and Folding

Level 8 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

With 50 players remaining the average stack is 47,200 or 47 big blinds. While the average stack is still at a very comfortable level there are so many short stacks all over the place. Recently we've been catching tons of preflop action without it going to showdown, and it's likely this trend will continue as we are getting closer and closer to the end of the day.

Machon Busts Yung

Level 8 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

A player in early position raised to 2,200. It folded to Percy Yung who reraised to 5,600. Bartlomiej Machon and the original raiser both called.

The player in early position checked the {8-Spades}{9-Hearts}{2-Diamonds} flop and Yung went all in. Machon also went all in for slightly more. The player in early position looked to have a tough decision and ultimately folded and the two hands were tabled.

Yung: {10-Clubs}{10-Spades}
Machon: {q-Hearts}{q-Spades}

The turn {6-Hearts} and the river {5-Spades} did not provide any help to Yung and she was eliminated from the tournament.

Player Chips Progress
Bartlomiej Machon pl
Bartlomiej Machon
56,000
Percy Yung
Percy Yung
Busted

Tags: Persy YungBartlomiej Machon

Level: 8

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 100

Aces For Aaron

Level 7 : 400/800, 100 ante

The defending champion is still alive after he just managed to double up holding pocket aces. Aaron Lim moved all in for 10,200 after a raise to 1,600 and his opponent called with two nines.

Lim's aces held up and therefor he now sits on 22,000 chips as he day filled with big swings continues. There's a little over a level left to play and there's still a good chance Lim will have a real shot at defending his title on the second day of play.

Player Chips Progress
Aaron Lim au
Aaron Lim
WSOP 1X Winner
22,000 -7,000

Tags: Aaron Lim

Kihara Busts Hasham

Level 7 : 400/800, 100 ante

Pokerstars Team Online Naoya Kihara raised to 2,100 from under the gun +1. A middle position player, John Hashem in late position and the small blind came along.

The small blind checked over to Kihara on the {k-Diamonds}{5-Clubs}{9-Hearts} flop, who bet 3,700. The middle position player folded and Hashem called. The small blind also folded and the {7-Clubs} turn was dealt. Kihara checked and Hashem took the opportunity to bet 5,000. Kihara followed that with a raise to 15,000 which would put Hashem all in. Hashem called and the hands were tabled.

Kihara: {a-Spades}{k-Spades}
Hashem: {10-Spades}{10-Clubs}

The river {3-Spades} provided no help to Hashem and he was eliminated from the tournament giving Kihara a healthy bump to his stack.

Player Chips Progress
Naoya Kihara jp
Naoya Kihara
66,000 24,000
John Hashem ca
John Hashem
Busted

Tags: John HashemNaoya Kihara