All events of the 2017 PokerStars Championship Macau festival at the PokerStars Live Macau poker room at City of Dreams have shown excellent numbers thus far, and especially the High Roller tournaments convinced with decent fields and plenty of familiar names of the international poker circuit. Many of them will return for more glory in high-stakes tournaments, as a second edition of the HK$206,000 Single-Day High Roller (~$26,513) is scheduled to take place in one hour from now as of 12 p.m. local time.
The first HK$82,400 High Roller tournament ended with a three-way deal including Michael Addamo, Nick Petrangelo and Roman Korenev, while Steve O'Dwyer emerged victorious in the HK$400,000 Super High Roller after defeating German wunderkind Fedor Holz in heads-up. Quan Zhou came out on top of the first HK$206,000 Single-Day High Roller just two days ago, and Petrangelo once again finished second there in a 62-entry strong field that included 50 unique entrants and 12 re-entries.
Zhou is free to defend his title after being eliminated late on Day 1 of the HK$82,400 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller last night, which Sam Greenwood leads with 13 players remaining out of a 36-entry strong field. Only the top six spots will get paid and the winner will take home HK$950,000 for the efforts.
The Single-Day High Roller will feature the same format as the first edition with levels of 30 minutes each and a starting stack of 100,000, there will also be a 30-second shot clock which activates 5-seconds into every hand. Once this runs down players have three (30-second) time extension chips that come into play automatically once the initial 30-second clock has expired.
If a player has no more time bank chips and is first to act in the hand and there has been no action then they are counted as checking automatically. If there has been action and the player has no more time bank chips once the 30-seconds Shot Clock has counted down then their hand is declared dead – unless of course, they have already acted.
A single re-entry is available during the first eight levels, and the registration will then close at the start of level nine. As usual, the PokerNews live reporting team will provide all the action from the tables on the way to crown another High Roller champion here in Macau
Isaac Haxton is another recent arrival, though the US player is not having the start he wanted and was already below the 100k initial stack.
Haxton was the aggressor in this particular hand opening to 3,200 from the button with Nick Wong the only caller.
The flop brought checks from both players with Wong taking a stab for 6,000 on the turn. Haxton called and it was off to the river.
Wong kept the betting lead and fired out 10,000, which after thinking it over for 20-seconds, Haxton called, but could only muck when Wong turned over for the flopped straight.
There were multiple Cheng’s in the field but now there is one less with the departure of Leo Cheng, who moved his last 19,000 in from middle position.
Sitting on the button Mustapha Kanit re-shoved to isolate and the rest of the table got out of the way.
Leo Cheng:
Mustapha Kanit:
Cheng was not that far behind and despite making a flush when the board ran out he could not best Kanit’s nut flush and we lose another and are now down to 31 players.
Two of the field’s bigger stacks – Oliver Weis and Mustapha Kanit – have just tangled in hand that proved to be a little expensive for the latter.
While we missed the pre-flop action there was already over 20,000 already in the pot and the community cards were already spread.
First to act Kanit checked it over to Weis on the button, who elected to lead out for 7,000. Kanit called and it was off to the turn, which brought checks from both players.
The river brought four to a straight and Kanit checked it over to Wies once again, who fired for 19,000. Kanit obviously had a plan for the hand and check-raised to 83,000 in total and Wies snap called.
Kanit sheepishly rolled over for bottom pair but Weis had just rivered the wheel with and took a big bite out of Kanit’s stack.
There have been a number of casualties recently and while we have not been able to catch their exit hands we do know one of them is Bertrand Grospellier.
A sizable pot has just played out between Shunu Zang and Nick Petrangelo with the latter coming out on top.
Pre-flop is was Frenchman Imad Derwiche who lit the fuse with an opening raise of 14,000 from middle position. Sitting in the cut off Nick Petrangelo threw in the call before action folded around to Zang in the big blind and he squeezed to 70,000 in total.
While that was enough to get Derwiche to bow out Petrangelo was going nowhere and he quickly threw in the calling chips to take play heads-up to the flop.
Zang let the 30-second shot clock run down without acting, so this counted as a check and Petrangelo quickly checked it back and the landed on the turn to double pair the board.
With the action back on Zang he acted slightly faster this time and led out for a tickly little 10,000 bet, and Petranglo threw in two yellow 5k calling chips to bring both players to the river.
This is where the fireworks happened and Zang quickly led for 135,000 with Petrangelo calling immediately. The action happened so fast we did not get a chance to see Zang’s hand, but we know he did not have an ace or a pair larger than the two on the board as Petrangelo took down the pot with .
There was a last gasp burst of action just before the dinner break with France’s Imad Derwiche getting the last of his chips in pre-flop with and Germany’s Oliver Weis making the call with .
The board ran out to grant Derwiche the double and he climbed to around 250,000. Weis did not look too unhappy about this as had chips to spare.
The German player managed to recoup his losses just a few hands later, though it would be Yat Wai Cheng who would be footing the bill.
Pre-flop it was Cheng who was the initial aggressor, opening the action with a raise to 26,000 from the hi-jack, only to see Wies come over the top from the button to the tune of 72,000.
Cheng made the call taking the action heads-up to a flop, which both players checked. The turn brought a second check from Cheng and a bet of 64,000 from Weis. The shot clock ticked down and Cheng made the call with just seconds to spare to bring the action to the river.
Cheng checked once more and Weis reached for chips, sliding out a chunky bet of 165,000. This sent Cheng into the tank for the second time in the hand and he shot Weis a suspicious stare. Evidently, Cheng did not believe Weis as he made the call, but could only pitch his cards into the muck when Weis turned over for the nut full house.
Action folded around to the dressing gown clad Dan Smith in the small blind and he moved all-in for 387,000. Big blind Zuo Wang looked down at his cards and called instantly.
Dan Smith:
Zuo Wang:
Smith was in bad shape and did not improve when the board ran out and the only ray of sunshine was the fact that Wang did not have him covered. Unfortunately for Smith, he did not get much change and was left with a paltry 4,000 – a little less than a single ante.
All in automatically the next hand Smith received some protection when Timothy Adams min-raised and folded out the blinds.
Adams rolled over , dominating Smith’s until the board ran out to give the US player the flush and he climbed back up to 15,000.
Smith won the next hand as well after moving all-in with and both Imad Derwiche and Oliver Weis called from the blinds and checked the board all the way down.
“Nice game boys… Psyche!” joked Smith as he slapped the winning hand face up on to the felt to climb back up to 51,000. What a recovery!
JC Alvarado min-raised to 20,000 from under the gun and the action reached Mikita Badziakouski, who let the clock run down to around 15 seconds before announcing all in. It folded back to Alvarado, and he called all in for his last 336,000, which Badziakouski had covered by two big blinds.
JC Alvarado:
Mikita Badziakouski:
The flop was a sweat for both players, but ultimately the turn and river bricked off to send Alvarado to the rail. "We are moving to the final table Dan," Badziakouski said over to the other table towards Dan Smith.
There will be a short break now to set up the unofficial final table!
Comeback kid Dan Smith is hanging on to his tournament life with a very firm grip. The US player survived a battle of the blinds against Zuo Wang with the two players getting all the chips in pre-flop.
Dan Smith:
Zuo Wang:
Smith hit the flop and improved on the turn, but had to endure a sweat and fade Wang’s heart draw. The river saw Smith double to a little over 80,000.
Imad Derwiche departed a few hands later after moving all-in for his last 54,000 and Wang re-popped to 100,000 from the button to isolate.
Imad Derwiche:
Zuo Wang:
Unlike Smith the short-stacked Derwiche could not find any help when the board ran out and the Frenchman departed in ninth place to bring the final table down to eight.
Dan Smith raised to 65,000 and left himself 5,000 behind before the action was on Mikita Badziakouski on the button. He checked the stacks of the players behind him before moving all in, and Nick Petrangelo as well as John Juanda in the blinds quickly folded. Smith called and was in need of help.
Dan Smith:
Mikita Badziakouski:
Smith pointed towards his ten, but the flop of left him in even more desperate shape. It was all over after the turn, and the river even gave Badziakouski a full house. Smith narrowly missed out on a cash here in Macau and the event is now on the pure money bubble.
flop brought checks from both players with Wong taking a stab for 6,000 on the 
turn. Haxton called and it was off to the 
river.
for the flopped straight.
he could not best Kanit’s nut flush and we lose another and are now down to 31 players.
community cards were already spread.
turn, which brought checks from both players.
for bottom pair but Weis had just rivered the wheel with 
and took a big bite out of Kanit’s stack.
landed on the turn to double pair the board.
.
flop, which both players checked. The 
river.
and the only ray of sunshine was the fact that Wang did not have him covered. Unfortunately for Smith, he did not get much change and was left with a paltry 4,000 – a little less than a single ante.
until the board ran out 
board all the way down.
flop was a sweat for both players, but ultimately the 
turn and 
river bricked off to send Alvarado to the rail. "We are moving to the final table Dan," Badziakouski said over to the other table towards Dan Smith.
river saw Smith double to a little over 80,000.