2017 Suncity Cup Finale Macau
Level: 10
Blinds: 600/1,200
Ante: 200
Registration Closed
Registration is now closed and there have been no more late arrivals, meaning the total number of Day 1A entries stands at 25. With 5 players left in contention, four of them will make the money, meaning we just need to lose one last player to conclude the day’s action.
The four survivors will all lock up their Day 2 seat and earn themselves an HK$6,000 payday while the next man out will be leaving empty-handed.
Lau Wins From Hikosaka; Hikosaka Takes From Duong and Chen
Keisuke Hikosaka opened the action with a raise to 3,000 from under-the-gun and Sio Fat Lau re-raised to 8,000 from the cut-off. After the blinds bowed out Hikosaka made the call and it was heads-up to a flop of .
This bought checked from both players and concluded the betting for the hand with the turn and river eliciting no action.
Hikosake turned over but this was not enough to best Lau’s and the Macanese player scooped a pot worth 18,800 to climb to 81,800, while Hikosaka dropped to 113,000.
The Japanese player got a rebate on this the very next hand however after Yao Jin Chen made it 3,000 to go and both Thin Tin Duang and Hikosaka made the call from the small and big blinds respectively.
Duong checked the flop, Hikosaka led for 6,000 and both opponents folded instantly leaving the Japanese player free to rake in a pot of close to 10,000 in blinds and antes.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Keisuke Hikosaka |
123,000
-600
|
-600 |
Sio Fat Lau
|
81,800
13,300
|
13,300 |
Thin Tin Duong
|
25,000
-6,000
|
-6,000 |
Duong Getting Short
There has been a bit of blind and ante swapping and a few small pots passed around the table but no significant action for the last couple of orbits.
Thin Tin Duong has not been getting many cards and is the shortest stack so things are looking distinctly dicey for the Hong Kong player.
They did not get better after we caught the tail end of a hand between Yao Jin Chen and Duong, with Chen managing to get paid with a 4,000 pot-sized river bet on a queen-high board.
Duong made the call but could only throw his hand away when Chen, sitting in the blinds, turned over for a rivered two-pair. Duong has just under 18,000 in chips – close to 15 big blinds – with the next shortest stack belonging to Kilian Loeffler, who has around 75,000.
In short, it is getting close to crunch time for Duong and all the other players know it.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Yao Jin Chen
|
85,000
9,500
|
9,500 |
Kilian Loeffler |
75,000
-1,700
|
-1,700 |
Thin Tin Duong
|
15,000
-10,000
|
-10,000 |
Level: 11
Blinds: 800/1,600
Ante: 300
Double for Duong; Hikosaka Pays Off Chen
We missed it as were typing up another hand, but the short-stacked Thin Tin Duong has managed to earn a double-up. Duong is still the table short stack with 33,000 but has a little more breathing room than the last time we checked.
Blinds had just climbed to 800/1,600 but we caught a four-way hand at the very end of level ten to wind up the level.
There was already 12,000 in blinds and antes in the middle and action hand just been checked by Keisuke Hikosaka (small blind), Sio Fat Lau (big blind) and Yao Jin Chen (under-the-gun) over to Duong on the button.
Though he looked tempted, Duong resisted the urge to shove after spending several minutes in the tank and the landed on the turn.
This brought a bet of 4,000 from Hikosaka and a call from Lau before Chen juiced it up to 16,000 in total. Duong folded quickly while Hikosaka made the call and Lau also bowed out to take the action heads-up to the river.
Hikosaka thought it over and then checked to Chen, who looked like he was going to bet but thought better of it at the last second and checked it back.
Hikosaka turned over but this was not enough to beat Chen’s and the Chinese player edged into a slender lead of 101,000 to Hikosaka’s 98,000.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Yao Jin Chen
|
101,000
16,000
|
16,000 |
Keisuke Hikosaka |
98,000
-25,000
|
-25,000 |
Sio Fat Lau
|
90,000
8,200
|
8,200 |
Kilian Loeffler |
88,000
13,000
|
13,000 |
Thin Tin Duong
|
33,000
18,000
|
18,000 |
Duong Gets Short Again, Then Doubles
We only caught the tail end of the first hand but it put Thin Tin Duong right back on life support. With the board reading and over 20,000 in blinds and antes in the pot already Keisuke Hikosaka checked the action from the small blind and it was on Duong.
The Hong Kong player bet out 6,000, leaving himself just 12,000 behind and it did not take Hikosaka long to make the call. Duong turned over for second pair, but this not enough to beat Hikosaka’s and he scooped the sizable pot while Duong found himself circling the drain.
Duong’s chips found their way into the middle of the table on the very next orbit – which does not take too long to come round when you are only five-handed.
Yao Jin Chen opened the action with a middle position raise to 4,000 and Duong committed the last of his chips from the small blind. Hikosaka folded out the big blind and Chen made the call.
Yao Jin Chen:
Thin Tin Duong:
It was Duong’s turn to have a go with the red tens, and they worked out as well for him as the did for Hikosaka previously with the board running out to grant Duong the much needed double, though he is still the short stack.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Yao Jin Chen
|
95,000
-6,000
|
-6,000 |
Thin Tin Duong
|
19,000
-14,000
|
-14,000 |
Level: 12
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 300
Loeffler Back in Front
It's tight at the top and with Thin Tin Duong ducking, diving and doubling at the right time to stay alive the other four players are passing the chips around the table and there has been a slight shift at the top.
Japan's Keisuke Hikosaka and Yao Jin Chen who have been the ones bleeding a few chips and it is Sio Fat Lau and Kilian Loeffler who have been the beneficiaries with the remaining field stacking up as follows:
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Kilian Loeffler |
112,000
24,000
|
24,000 |
Sio Fat Lau
|
106,000
16,000
|
16,000 |
Keisuke Hikosaka |
76,000
-22,000
|
-22,000 |
Yao Jin Chen
|
65,000
-30,000
|
-30,000 |
Thin Tin Duong
|
16,000
-3,000
|
-3,000 |