Thursday, 28th March 2024 23:39
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After a week of exciting poker action here in Macau the Red Dragon final table is set! There were 75 poker hopefuls from a record field of 1,216 who returned today but after 10 hours only nine of those players remained. They will return tomorrow in the hunt for the HK$3,265,000 top prize and the best looking trophy in poker.

Leading the charge will be Chien Fa Chou who caught a couple of lucky breaks as he navigated his way to pole position on the final table. Chou was one of the short stacks less than two hours before play concluded but he steamrolled his way through the closing stages to emerge as the frontrunner.

MPC26 Chien Fa Chou.jpg

Chien Fa Chou

Chou was first all in for around eight big blinds with K♦ 5♣ against K♥ 10â™  and despite being dominated he found a river three-outer to remain in contention when the board ran out 8â™  3♦ Qâ™  J♥ 5♥ . Following that Chou ran 10♥ 10♣ into Terry Fan’s K♥ K♦ and again came from behind to keep his tournament alive when he spiked a set as the cards fell 8♣ 7♣ Q♥ 10♣ 3â™  .

When all was said and done Chou bagged up 4,070,000 – just ahead of current second place holder and 2015 Asia Player of the Year Alan Lau.

Also making an appearance on the final table is Bobby Zhang who has a chance at unifying the Baby Dragon trophy with the Red Dragon trophy tomorrow. Zhang won the first ever Baby Dragon event in January 2014 and has a shot at being the only player so far to win both titles.

While the remaining nine will be resting up for tomorrow, the start-of-day chip leader Martin Gonzales will be consoling himself after bubbling the final table for a 10th-place finish. Gonzales found himself down to just eight big blinds when he picked up J♠ J♣ on the button and moved all in. Edwin Gerard made the call in the big blind with A♦ 9♦ and unfortunately for Gonzales an ace arrived on the river when the Q♣ 7♥ 5♠ 8♦ A♣ board came down.

MPC26 Martin Gonzales.jpg

Martin Gonzales

The elimination of Gonzales took us to the final table and signalled the end of proceedings for the penultimate day in this Red Dragon. Play picks back up at 3pm tomorrow and they’ll play it out until a champion is crowned. Be sure to join us for the exciting conclusion right here on the PokerStars Blog! — BK

MPC26 final table.jpg

Seat Last Name First Name Country PokerStars Status Chip Count
1 Lau Alan King Lun Hong Kong   3,790,000
2 Gerard Edwin USA   3,515,000
3 Goel Apoorva India   2,030,000
4 Liu Jun China   3,055,000
5 Zhang Bobby Australia   1,540,000
6 Xu Liang China   3,310,000
7 Wen Zhen China   1,020,000
8 Chou Chien Fa Taiwan   4,070,000
9 Zhang Yang China PokerStars Player 2,000,000

12:45am: Rundulf Gonzales bubbles; final table set
Level 28 – Blinds 50,000/100,000 (10,000 Ante)

Play has now concluded as the elimination of Rundulf Gonzales brings us to the final table of nine players.

The action folded to the short stacked Gonzales on the button and he pushed all in for 805,000. Edwin Gerard called in the big blind and players tabled their cards.

Gonzales: J♠ J♣
Gerard: A♦ 9♦

Gonzales looked set for a double up until an ace rolled off on the river when the cards fell Q♣ 7♥ 5♠ 8♦ A♠ .

He started the day as chip leader but bowed out tonight as the final table bubble boy. That’s the end of proceedings here on Day 3. We’ll have a full wrap of how it went down on the PokerStars Blog shortly. — BK

12:40am: Da Xiong eliminated in 11th place (HK$174,500)
Level 28 – Blinds 50,000/100,000 (10,000 Ante)

We’re now on the final table bubble after Da Xiong loses a flip to be eliminated.

Xiong moved all in preflop for his last 900,000 and Edwin Gerard made the call to put Xiong at risk.

Xiong: 8♥ 8♦
Gerard: A♣ Q♣

Xiong couldn’t hold as the board rolled off 7♦ 7♥ A♦ 2â™  5♦ . He leaves us in 11th place and collects HK$174,500. — BK

12:35am: Play restarts
Level 28 – Blinds 50,000/100,000 (10,000 Ante)

It’s game time once more and here’s how the remaining 11 players are stacking up.

Table 2

Xu Liang 2,760,000
Zhang Yang 2,785,000
Goel Apoorva 2,110,000
Jun Liu 2,560,000
Wen Zhen 1,2000,000

Table 1

Alan Lau 3,990,000
Xiong Da 830,000
Edwin Gerard 1,390,000
Bobby Zhang 1,570,000
Chou Chien Fa 4,150,000
Rundulf Gonzales 985,000

12:25am: Scheduled break

Our 11 remaining players have stepped away for a 10-minute break.

12:20am: Terry Fan eliminated in 12th (HK$174,500)
Level 27 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (10,000 Ante)
MPC26 Terry Fan.jpg

Terry Fan

Despite doubling a few hands earlier Terry Fan’s Red Dragon Main Event is now over. Fan moved all-in from the button for just less than 1 million and Goel Apoorva made the call from the big blind to put Fan at risk.

Terry Fan: Q♥ 9♣
Goel Apoorva: A♣ 8♣

Both players hit a piece of the 10♣ A♥ 9â™  flop, but unfortunately for Fan Apoorva’s piece was bigger. The turn and river ran out 3♥ and 6♣ respectively and Fan hit the rail in 12th place while Apoorva rises to 2.1 million.

12:15am: Nan Wu eliminated in 13th place (HK$142,500)
Level 27 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (10,000 Ante)

Nan Wu departed in 13th place after a coinflip went the way of Liang Xu.

It folded to Wu on the button and he pushed his last 1.1 million into the middle. Xu called in the big blind and they were off to the races.

Wu: 9♥ 9♦
Xu: A♦ Q♠

It was a fair fight until the A♥ 10â™  8♥ 2♥ J♦ board saw Xu spike an ace to send Wu packing. — BK

12:05am: Lucky river saves Xu
Level 27 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (10,000 Ante)

Liang Xu moved all in preflop for 865,000 holding A♣ 10♣ and Yang Zhang made the call with the dominant A♥ J♣ .

It appeared as if Xu’s fate was sealed until the river fell on the 2♣ 4♥ 2♦ 6â™  10â™  runout. He double fist pumped at the sight of the three outer rolling off to secure him the pot.

Zhang meanwhile drops to 2.8 million. — BK

11:55pm: Fan fights on
Level 27 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (10,000 Ante)

Terry Fan moved all in from the cutoff for around 450,000 and Bobby Zhang called it off to put Fan at risk.

Fan: K♥ J♥
Zhang: 6♦ 6♣

They were off to the races and Fan ended up with the best of it when the cards fell K♣ Q♠ J♠ 2♣ 9♦ .

He raked in the pot to stay alive and Zhang dropped to 1.75 million. — BK

11:45pm: Wu, Zhang and Da double
Level 27 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (10,000 Ante)

We have had three all-ins and three double-ups all in quick succession. The first saw Nan Wu and Geol Apoorva get all the chips in pre-flop with Wu shoving from under-the-gun for 630,000 and Apoorva making the call from the big blind.

Nan Wu: A♣ K♦
Geol Apoorva: A♠ 10♥

The board ran out 8♣ A♥ Q♦ 6♠ 5♦ to a quiet fist pump from Wu and he climbed to 1.3 million while Apoorva dropped to 950,000.

The second saw Bobby Zhang (button) and Rundulf Gonzales (big blind) become involved in a raising war and again getting all the chips in before the flop.

Bobby Zhang: K♣ K♠
Rundulf Gonzales: A♥ Q♣

While Gonzales hit his queen it was not enough to beat Zhang’s pocket kings and Zhang now has 2 million to Gonzales’ 1.6 million.

The third double was a blind versus blind battle between Terry Fan and Xiong Da with Fan moving all in from the small blind with K♥ 6♥ and Da making the call with A♦ 4♣ .

it was all over on the 3♦ 5♦ 2♠ flop as Da hit his wheel and he climbed to 1.27 million while Fan is now perilously short on 450,000.

11:40pm: Xu and Zhang go to war
Level 27 – Blinds 40,000/80,000 (10,000 Ante)

Liang Xu and Yang Zhang just became embroiled in a raising war after the river fell on a board of J♥ 6♠ 7♦ 7♥ 4♣ .

Xu kicked it off with a bet of 160,000 before Zhang played back at him for 375,000. That wasn’t enough for Xu who came back over the top again for a total of 775,000, leaving himself only 700,000 behind.

Zhang then opted to empty the clip, moving all in with enough to cover Xu.

Xu paused for about 30 seconds but ultimately threw the hand away. With that pot Zhang climbs to 4.1 million. — BK

MPC26 Yang Zhang.jpg

Yang Zhang

11:20pm: Chou doubles through Fan, Lau takes one from Liu
Level 26 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (5,000 Ante)

Chien Fa Chou and Terry Fan got all the chips in pre-flop and while we are not sure who shoved first Chou was on the button and Fan in the big blind and the cards were turned over.

Chien Fa Chou: 10♥ 10♣
Terry Fan: K♦ K♥

Chou was the at risk player and would need to hit to survive. The 8♣ 7♣ Q♥ flop was of no help to Chou but the 10♣ turn shot him into the lead to cheers from his watching rail. The 3♠ river completed the board and granted Chou the double to 2.95 million while Fan falls to 1.2 million.

Over on the other table Jun Liu min-raised the button and Alan Lau chose to defend from the big blind with both players checking the 7♥ 6♠ 5♦ flop.

Lau led the 9♦ turn for 160,000 and Liu made the call to bring both players to the 2♠ river. This brought another bet from Lau, this one a slightly larger 460,000. Liu thought it over for a few seconds and made the call but pitched his cards into the muck when Lau rolled over K♠ 8♠ for the turned straight. Lai looks to have nearly 3.8 million now and is still the chip leader.

11:15pm: Peng Hao eliminated in 14th place (HK$142,500)
Level 26 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (5,000 Ante)

Peng Hao is out in 14th place after getting his final 175,000 in preflop and being called by Yang Zhang and Jun Liu.

Zhang check-called for 150,000 on the J♥ 6♥ K♥ flop before both active players checked it through on the 2♣ turn. The 9♦ river saw Liu fire again for 275,000 and after Zhang folded the cards went on their backs.

Hao: A♦ 3♥
Liu: K♣ J♣

Hao had the best of it preflop but Liu had spiked to king which meant Hao bowed out just a few places short of the final table. — BK

11pm: Xu cripples Hao
Level 26 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (5,000 Ante)

Poker can be a cruel games sometimes and things are not going Peng Hao’s way at present. Following a middle position open from Liang Xu, Hao moved all-in from the big blind and was quickly snapped off.

Peng Hao: 2♣ 2♠
Liang Xu: A♦ A♥

The board ran out 7♣ Q♥ 8♥ 9♦ J♥ and Xu doubled to 1.4 million while Hao is left on life support with 220,000 – a little less than 4 big blinds.

10:50pm: Lucky chip up for Chou
Level 26 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (5,000 Ante)

Chien Fa Chou is still in the running after catching a lucky river card to keep his tournament alive.

It folded around to Chou in the small blind and he moved all in for 480,000. Rundulf Gonzales was in the big blind and he made the call to put Chou at risk.

Chou: K♦ 5♣
Gonzales: K♥ 10♠

Chou was dominated and things looked bleak by the turn with the board showing 8♠ 3♦ Q♠ J♥ but the 5♥ arrived on the river to improve him to a pair and the best hand. Chou slammed the table in excitement as his rail squad cheered behind him.

He secures the double up while Gonzales falls to 1.6 million. — BK

10:35pm: Dirty double for Da
Level 26 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (5,000 Ante)

A short-stacked Xiong Da moved his last 485,000 into the middle from the button and was beaten into the pot by Peng Hao, which is usually never a good sign.

Da tabled A♣ 2♣ and found himself up against Hao’s K♣ K♥ and the Kâ™  3♥ 4♥ was not a kind one. However, the poker gods have a dark sense of humour and while the Qâ™  turn changed nothing the 5♥ river completed Da’s gunshot straight. 

The Chinese player leapt up from his chair like it was electrified with a shout of “yes!” and doubles to just shy of 1 million while an unimpressed Hao drops to 830,000. –BW

10:30pm: Longxiang Li eliminated in 15th place (HK$142,500)
Level 26 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (5,000 Ante)

We’re one step closer to reaching the final table after Longxiang Li fell to Apoorva Goel.

Li found himself all in preflop and looking to spike an ace to remain in contention.

Li: A♣ 6♥
Goel: K♠ K♣

Li couldn’t improve as the board was spread 4â™  8â™  Q♦ Q♥ K♥ and he hit the rail in 15th place. — BK

10:20pm: Game time once again
Level 26 – Blinds 30,000/60,000 (5,000 Ante)

The 15 remaining Red Dragon Main Event players have just retaken their seats and cards are in the air once more. Former Asia Player of the Year Alan Lau is currently the chip leader with a stack of 3,175,000, closely followed by Zhang Yang on 2,980,000 and Terry Fan on 2,680,000 with the rest of the field stacking up as follows:

Xu Liang 725,000
Goes Apoorva 1,360,000
Gu Jun 1,740,000
Wa Nan 595,000
Longxing Li 925,000
Hao Peng 1,345,000
Wen Zhen 1,530,000
Xiong Da 1,285,000
Edwin Gerard 2,210,000
Bobby Zhang 1,260,000
Chou Chien Fa 630,000
Martin Gonzales 1,890,000

— BW

9:35pm: Dinner break

It’s time for a 50-minute dinner break.

9:30pm: Hayato Kitajima eliminated
Level 25 – 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante)

Hayato Kitajima was the next to fall after a coinflip went the way of his opponent Yang Zhang.

It was Kitajima’s pocket fives against Zhang’s ace queen and Kitajima couldn’t hold as the community cards fell Jâ™  Kâ™  Qâ™  10♣ 4♥ .

He comes up short of a final table appearance but collected HK$110,800 for his run here in Macau. — BK

8:55pm: Katsuki Yamashita eliminated
Level 25 – 20,000/40,000 (5,000 ante)

Katsuki Yamashita has fallen in 18th place after running into Alan Lau’s pocket queens. Yamashita got the last of it in preflop and was chasing an ace to stay alive.

Yamashita: A♦ 3♠
Lau: Q♠ Q♦

Yamashita failed to improve as the cards fell K♣ J♠ 5♥ 6♥ 5♦ to confirm his elimination. He collects HK$110,800 for his efforts this week.

MPC26  Katsuki Yamashita.jpg

Katsuki Yamashita

8:30pm: Final two tables
Level 24 – 15,000/30,000 (5,000 ante)

We’re now down to just 18 runners. Here’s where everyone is sitting and how they stack up.

Table 14

Seat 1) Alan Lau – 1,950,000
Seat 2) Katsuki Yamashita – 1,000,000
Seat 3) Terry Fan – 1,400,000
Seat 4) Da Xiong – 3,000,000
Seat 5) Edwin Gerard – 2,150,000
Seat 6) Bobby Zhang – 575,000
Seat 7) Chien Fa Chou – 650,000
Seat 8) Rundulf Gonzales – 2,150,000
Seat 9) Peng Fu – 1,000,000

Table 15

Seat 1) Liang Xu – 1,150,000
Seat 2) Hayato Kitajima – 600,000
Seat 3) Yang Zhang – 1,900,000
Seat 4) Apoorva Goel – 1,450,000
Seat 5) Jun Liu – 2,950,000
Seat 6) Nan Wu – 550,000
Seat 7) Longxiang Li – 700,000
Seat 8) Peng Hao – 750,000
Seat 9) Zhen Wen – 1,400,000

8:25pm: Gu and Lu out, down to two tables
Level 24 – 15,000/30,000 (5,000 ante)

A short-stacked Jianchen Gu moved all-in from the cutoff and Peng Hao, who had just a bit more, called from the small blind.

Gu turned over K♠ 7♠ while Hao tabled A♠ 8♥ .

The 7♥ 3♦ 2♥ flop put Gu in the lead, but Hao hit an 8♣ in the river to score the bustout. Hao chipped up to 700,000 while Gu won HK$95,000 for finishing 20th.

While Gu was getting eliminated, Junjie Lu was all-in at another table, patiently awaiting his fate.

Lu lost most of his stack the hand before when he went all-in A♦ Q♦ and got called by Bobby Zhang’s A♥ K♦ .

Zhang doubled to about 800,000 while Lu was left with just 85,000.

Lu put them all-in from under the gun the next hand and Da Xiong called from the cutoff. Rundulf Gonzalez re-raised to 230,000 from the big blind and Xiong called.

The flop came 5♣ 8♥ 2♦ and Gonzales bet 175,000. Xiong raised to 375,000 and Gonzales folded.

Lu turned over 10♣ 8♠ while Xiong showed 6♣ 6♠ . An 8♣ came on the turn to give Lu trip 8s, but then the river brought a 6♦ to give Xiong a full house.

Lu fell in 19th place while Xiong took the chip lead with 3.08 million. We’re now down to our final two tables. –AV

8:25pm: Lim eliminated
Level 24 – 15,000/30,000 (5,000 ante)

Allan Lim was down to just five big blinds and despite getting it in good he’s now going home after clashing with Yang Zhang.

Zhang opened the action with a raise to 70,000 in the cutoff before Lim put his last 145,000 in the middle. Zhang flicked in the remainder and the cards went on their backs.

Lim: Q♣ Q♦
Zhang: A♦ 4♥

Unfortunately for Lim he couldn’t fade the danger as Zhang hit not only one ace but two when the 6â™  Aâ™  Kâ™  A♥ 7♥ rolled out to end his tournament. — BK

8:10pm: Liu in the lead
Level 24 – 15,000/30,000 (5,000 ante)

Apoorva Goel bet 335,000 on the river of a 4♠ 2♣ 8♠ A♥ A♠ board and Jun Liu moved all-in for 1.6 million.

There was already over 500,000 in the pot before Goel bet and he had about 1.1 million left. The call would mean the chip lead or certain elimination. Goel thought for a few minutes, mouthed some mental calculations and thought a bit more.

Goel came to the conclusion that it was better to fold and Liu took down the massive pot. Goel was left with 1.1 million while Liu jumped into the chip lead with 2.7 million. — AV

7:55pm: Fang out, Yamashita dips, Xiong rises
Level 24 – 15,000/30,000 (5,000 ante)

Katsuki Yamashita’s stack took a beating after doubling up multiple short stacks. The Japanese player is now at about 1.1 million.

Among those, Yamashita doubled Wei Ming Tseng to about half a million and he also doubled Tao Fang up to about 320,000.

Then Da Xiong took all of Fang’s chips.

Fang moved all-in for 320,000 from middle position and Xiong called from the big blind. Fang turned over A♠ 4♥ while Xiong showed K♠ Q♠ . The A♣ 9♣ 10♣ flop put Fang in the lead, but then the turn and river brought an 8♠ and J♣ to give Xiong the straight.

Fang was eliminated in 24th while Xiong chipped up to 2.3 million. –AV

7:55pm: Peng eliminated
Level 24 – 15,000/30,000 (5,000 ante)

Dongsheng Peng is no more after running into the aces of Yang Zhang.

Peng got his 500,000 in chips all in preflop and was chasing a significant amount of help to remain in the Red Dragon.

Peng: Kâ™  Jâ™ 
Zhang: A♥ A♣

Peng found a little help on the 7♣ J♥ 4♥ flop but the 8♦ turn and 7â™  river weren’t enough to seem him dodge elimination. He headed for the payout desk as Zhang moved up to 1.65 million. — BK

7:50pm: Wu wins with aces
Level 24 – 15,000/30,000 (5,000 ante)

Nan Wu had found himself short but picked up a hand at the right time to double up through Apoorva Goel.

Wu had his last 215,000 in preflop and was in great shape to stay alive.

Wu: A♣ A♦
Goel: 7♥ 7♣

Wu needed to fade a seven and he did just that as the cards fell 6♣ 2♠ 10♣ 4♠ K♥ .

He secured the pot while Goel moved down to 1.25 million in chips. — BK

7:45pm: Counts
Level 24 – 15,000/30,000 (5,000 ante)

Jun Liu – 2,200,000
Katsuki Yamashita – 2,100,000
Da Xiong – 1,800,000
Alan Lau – 1,750,000
Rundulf Gonzales – 1,700,000

–AV

7:40pm: A bustout and some regret
Level 24 – 15,000/30,000 (5,000 ante)

A short stacked Yichen Shi moved all-in for 280,000 from early position and Katsuki Yamashita called from the button. Da Xiong rejammed for 1.3 million from the big blind and action went back to Yamashita.

Yamashita thought for some time, asked the dealer to pull in the bets, but eventually decided to fold.

Shi turned over A♠ J♥ while Xiong had him dominated with A♥ K♣ .

The board ran 5♣ 8♣ 5♥ 6♥ 10♥ and Shi hit the rail in 26th. Xiong chipped up to 1.8 million and Yamashita was loudly and dramatically talking to his rail in Japanese and they responded with laughter, it seems like he regretted not calling.

Yamashita is already near the lead with 2.1 million, a win there would’ve seen him surge to a dominating lead. –AV

7:25pm: Cody runs into kings, down to 27
Level 23 – 12,000/24,000 (4,000 ante)

Jun Liu raised to 50,000 and Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody moved all-in for 600,000 from the button.

Liu called and turned over Kâ™  K♦ to Cody’s 7♥ 7♦ . Cody was in need of a seven, but the 6♥ 8♣ 5♣ Jâ™  Q♥ board brought none.

The clock had already ticked into the break, but Cody took a permanent one from the tournament. Cody won HK$60,150 for his 29th place finish but he wasn’t the last casualty of the level. Voytek Glab also hit the rail in the last hand of the level and we’re down to our final 27 players. –AV

MPC26_MainEvent_Day3_029.jpg

Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody

7:15pm: Scheduled break

It’s time for a 10-minute break. Coverage will resume momentarily. — BK

7:10pm: Staying energized

There looks to be a few faces worse for wear after the MPC26 Player Party last night but luckily for the players, Red Bull – the officially energy drink provider of PokerStars LIVE Macau – has stocked fridges across the tournament floor with varieties of beverages.

Word has it that the party raged on to the early hours of the morning so it’s no surprise that the players are taking advantage of the free Red Bulls to stay sharp at the tables. — BK

MPC26 red bull party.jpg

7:05pm: Gu coolers Yu
Level 23 – 12,000/24,000 (4,000 ante)

Zigao Yu was just eliminated at the hands of Jianchen Yu with some help from a cold deck.

On a flop of 8♣ A♦ Q♠ Gu checked it over to Yu who fired for 60,000. Gu then check-raised to 185,000 and Yu moved all in. Gu snapped it off and Yu saw he was in rough shape to stay alive.

Yu: A♥ 8♥
Gu: A♠ Q♦

It was top two pair against top and bottom pair and Yu couldn’t catch up as the A♣ turn and 7♣ river sealed his fate.

Gu fist pumped before the stacks were cut down to reveal he had Yu’s 425,000 covered by just one big blind. — BK

6:55pm: Ace king pileup
Level 23 – 12,000/24,000 (4,000 ante)

Apoorva Goel raised from the button with pocket queens and he probably didn’t expect both of the blinds to have ace-king.

Longxiang Li moved all-in for 291,000 from the small blind and Zhen Wen moved rejammed for 464,000 more from the big blind.

Goel called and turned over Q♣ Q♥ while Li showed A♠ K♠ and Wen tabled A♥ K♦ .

Despite cannibalizing each other’s outs, Wen and Li hit a king on the K♥ 3â™  9♣ 4â™  9♦ board and kinda doubled up. They chopped 291,000 from Goel and then Wen got an extra 464,000.

The hand left Goel with around 400,000 and Li was up to to 450,000. Wen came out as the big winner with 1.35 million. –AV

MPC26_MainEvent_Day3_045.jpg

Apoorva Goel

6:45pm: Lau leaps up in the counts
Level 23 – 12,000/24,000 (4,000 ante)

2015 Asia Player of the Year Alan Lau just won a huge pot to eliminate Peng Fu and establish himself as one of the frontrunners.

The community cards read J♣ 2♥ 4â™  9♥ 10♣ and Fu had Aâ™  K♥ face up in front of him, which was no good against Lau’s A♥ A♣ .

The dealer cut down Fu’s stack to see that Lau had him covered.

Fu headed to the payout desk while Lau eclipsed the 2 million-chip mark. — BK

MPC26 Alan Lau.jpg

Alan Lau

6:30pm: Big double for Yamashita
Level 23 – 12,000/24,000 (4,000 ante)

Junjie Lu raised to 50,000 from early position and Katsuki Yamashita three-bet to 140,000. Lu moved all-in and Yamashita went into the tank.

Lu had Yamashita covered. Yamashita eventually called and cheered when he showed J♣ J♦ to Lu’s A♣ K♣ .

Yamashita started calling for a jack, but the board came Q♥ 7♣ 8♥ Qâ™  6♣ instead. It was still good for Yamashita though. Yamashita and his rail cheered as he doubled to 1.5 million and Yu dipped to just 165,000. –AV

6:15pm: Fu finds trips
Level 22 – 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

We arrived at the table just in time to see Peng Fu sliding a few towers of chips towards himself. It appeared that Fu had won an all-in confrontation.

The board was spread 8♦ 6♣ 8♥ 5â™  10♣ and Fu’s Aâ™  8♣ was open on the table.

When he was done stacking everything up we counted right around 640,000. — BK

6:05pm: Fan crosses 1.5 million
Level 22 – 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

Terry Fan raised to 60,000 from under the gun and Peng Fu called from the hijack. Jake Cody did the same from the big blind and the flop came 3♦ 10♥ 7♥ .

Fan bet 70,000 when checked to and Fu raised to 150,000. Cody folded and Fan called after some though. The turn brought a 10♣ and Fan checked. Fu bet 90,000 and Fan grabbed a pile of orange chips worth 500,000 and dumped them in the middle.

It was enough to put Fu all-in and he thought until someone called the clock. With about 6 seconds to go, Fu folded. The hand left Fu with 230,000 while Fan rose to 1.6 million. –AV

MPC26_MainEvent_Day3_024.jpg

Terry Fan

5:55pm: Counts
Level 22 – 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

Our chip leaders at the moment are:

Rundulf Gonzales – 2,145,000
Da Xiong – 1,260,000
Terry Fan – 1,200,000
Alan King Lun Lau – 1,100,000
Chi Han Hsieh – 1,070,000

–AV

5:50pm: Cody climbs higher
Level 22 – 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody just raked another pot to move up to 840,000 in chips.

The board was showing 4♥ 4♠ 10♣ 3♣ and Cody led for 66,000 from the big blind. Liang Xu was the only other active player and he made the call to take them to the A♠ river.

Cody checked it on the end and, after a moment of thought, Xu did the same.

The Team Pro tabled Kâ™  4♦ for a flopped three of the kind and scooped what was in the middle. — BK

5:40pm: Bust and a double
Level 22 – 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

Dongsheng Peng was all-in with J♠ 9♠ and Ziong Yu called with an intimidating K♥ K♠ .

The crowd exploded when the river of the 5♦ 10♥ 7♥ 9♣ 8♥ board hit to give Peng a straight and the double up. Peng doubled to about 700,000 while Yu dipped to 800,000.

Then that table lost a player the very next hand. Ion Sang Song moved all-in with Q♦ J♦ and he got called by Chi Han Hsieh’s dominating Aâ™  Q♣ . The 8â™  10♦ 8♣ K♣ K♦ brought no help for Song and he hit the rail. Hsieh on the other hand chipped up to 960,000. –AV

5:40pm: Yu pressures Kitajima
Level 22 – 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

We arrived to see an already bloated pot and the flop spread 7♠ 5♣ 8♥ .

Zigao Yu checked in the hijack before Hayato Kitajima fired for 125,000. Zigao wanted to play for more and moved all in with 720,000 in chips – enough to cover Kitajima’s 310,000 behind.

Kitajima gave it some thought but ultimately he couldn’t call it off for his tournament life.

With that pot Yu builds to 1.25 million. — BK

5:30pm: Flips on flips
Level 22 – 10,000/20,000 (3,000 ante)

It’s flip city out there.

Pairs are clashing into overcards all around. Some end in doubles while others spell elimination.

In one recent elimination, Wei Ming Tseng raised to 50,000 from early position and Junhui Cheng moved all-in for 217,000.

Tseng called with 7♣ 7♥ and Cheng turned over A♠ Q♣ for the flip.

It wasn’t Cheng’s time to double up. The 10♣ 7♥ 3♦ 6♦ 6♣ board gave Tseng a full house and the victory while Cheng hit the rail. Only about 45 players remain. –AV

5pm: Break time

Players are on their first 10-minute break of the day.

4:55pm: Break hands
Level 21 – 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

It was a multi-way pot that extended into the break.

Liang Xu raised to 36,000 from early position and Chien Fa Chou called from the cutoff. Terry Fan called from the small blind and Da Xiong did the same from the big blind.

The flop came 8♠ 2♦ K♥ and action checked to Xu, who bet 55,000. The clock ticked into the break and Chou quickly folded while Fan thought for over a minute before folding.

Xiong called and a 4♥ came on the turn. Xu bet 132,000 and Xiong gave it some thought. Then he folded and went on break while Xu chipped up to about 700,000. –AV

4:50pm: Gu gets away with it
Level 21 – 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Jianchen Gu just pulled off a crafty bluff to steal a pot from Yang Zhang in a hand that went into the break.

The board read 9♥ 8♣ 8♥ K♦ by the turn and after Gu checked from the big blind, Zhang fired for 36,000 on the button. Gu then reached for a check-raise and made it 86,000 to go.

Zhang asked how much Gu was playing before going into the tank for over two minutes. He finally called and the 2â™  completed the board.

Gu then reached for chips with shaking hands and announced he was all in for 197,000. Zhang took off his headphones and sunglasses before going deep into the tank for a second time. The other players at the table got up for their break as Zhang continued to deliberate.

Two minutes into the break Gu called time and after half of the countdown, with Zhang having only 30 seconds until his hand was dead, he threw his cards away.

Gu then tabled 10â™  7â™  for a busted straight draw before raking in the pot. — BK

4:45pm: Gonzales nearing 2 million
Level 21 – 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Rundulf Gonzales is still running away with it.

Gonzales’s lead has grown to 1.75 million after knocking out Ismail Dalle. The two players got in a preflop raising war with pocket pairs. Gonzales raised with pocket jacks while Dalle re-raised with tens.

Gonzales jammed and Dalle called all-in for about 420,000. The board brought no help for Dalle and he was out of the tournament while Gonzales chipped up to 1.75 million. –AV

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Rundulf Gonzales

4:35pm: Millionaire’s club
Level 21 – 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

The board read 7♥ 6♥ 10♠ and Anson Yan Shing Tsang bet 43,000 from the hijack. Timothy Chung raised to 135,000 and it was too much for Tsang. Tsang folded while Chung raked in the pot and cracked the 1 million mark.

Tsung had 1.04 million after the hand, but he’s not the only player in the millionaire’s club.

Rundulf Gonzales, our start of day leader, is still near the top of the leaderboard with 1.14 million. Second place is only a chip or two behind Gonzales though. Terry Fan is currently at about 1.13 million and Tsung rounds off the top three with 1.04 million.

Yang Zhang is closing in on the seven-figure mark with 800,000 while Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody is up to about 700,000. –AV

4:25pm: Win your way into the PokerStars Championship Macau

The PokerStars Championship visits Macau from March 30 to April 9 and you can win a trip to join the fun in limited edition PokerStars Spin & Go tournaments.

Running from now until February 27 PokerStars is hosting $10 Spin & Gos where the top tier prize includes a seat into the HK$42,400 PokerStars Championship Macau Main Event, eight nights’ accommodation and $1,000 travel expenses.

The Spin & Gos are available to play right now and 13 lucky winners have already been awarded. You can find out everything you need to know about the promotion right here.

Good luck at the tables! — BK

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4:10pm: Cody climbing
Level 21 – 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante)

Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody is asserting his dominance after picking up a monster and eliminating Bin Zheng.

The action folded around to Zheng in the small blind and he limped before Cody bumped it up to 40,000 from the big blind. Zheng then made an ill-timed all in jam and Cody beat him into the pot.

Cody had pocket aces against Zheng’s pocket fours and the latter couldn’t find any help as the board bricked out. Zheng was sent to the payout desk while Cody moved up to over 700,000 in chips. — BK

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4pm: Guo Chen goes home
Level 20 – 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

Yu Guo Chen departs after a preflop altercation and a sick run out sent him reeling out of the tournament area.

Chen got his last 189,000 in preflop holding A♦ K♦ against Chi Han Hsieh’s 10â™  10♣ .

The table gasped at the 10♦ Qâ™  J♣ flop as Chen made Broadway and Hsieh spiked bottom set. While the K♥ turn card was safe, the Q♦ river improved Hsieh to a full house to signal Chen’s elimination. — BK

3:50pm: Suck, resuck
Level 20 – 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

Dianlei Zhang raised to 30,000 and Peng Hao made it 65,000. Action folded back around to Zhang and he moved all-in for 198,000.

Hao counted out chips for the call and threw them in. Zhang turned over A♠ Q♠ and Hao had him dominated with A♥ K♠ .

The 9♠ A♣ 2♣ flop brought both players an ace and then a Q♣ came on the turn. The table gasped, Zhang clapped his hands in celebration but then a K♣ came on the river. The resuck. The table gasped even harder and Zhang hung his head in defeat.

Zhang hit the rail while Hao chipped up to about 640,000. –AV

3:40pm: Zhang doubles through Teng
Level 20 – 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

Hongsheng Zhang is spinning up his short stack after a double up through Victor Teng.

We arrived at the table to see the board spread A♣ 2♣ 10♣ 5♥ Qâ™  and Zhang’s A♦ Q♦ ahead of Teng’s Aâ™  3♣ .

With that pot Zhang builds to 195,000. — BK

3:30pm: Fast and slow
Level 20 – 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

A handful of players are gone and we’re down to 70 players.

Action is quick, but decisions are taking a while. Dongli Shen thought for a few minutes when Chen-li Lin moved all-in on him.

There was about 135,000 in the pot on the turn of a 9♣ 5♦ 7♣ K♥ board. Shen had check-raised to 184,000 but then Lin –who also thought for about a minute before acting– moved all-in.

Shen thought, he counted out his chips and thought some more. It was too much, Shen went for the fold.

The hand left Shen with 160,000 while Lin chipped up to 720,000.

Stakes are high. Players are already guaranteed HK$41,100, but surviving a few more spots to 63rd will bump it up to HK$44,250.

Some decisions are easier though. The next hand Rundulf Gonzales min-raised preflop and everyone folded. No one wanted to tussle with the chip leader. –AV

3:15pm: Kings for Cody
Level 20 – 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody has doubled up in the first orbit of the day.

Cody found himself all in preflop with pocket kings against pocket threes and held to secure the pot and keep his tournament alive.

After starting the day short stacked Cody now has a little breathing room as he climbs to 210,000 in chips. — BK

3:00pm: Let’s play
Level 20 – 6,000/12,000 (2,000 ante)

Cards are in the air and Day 3 is underway. They won’t stop until our final 75 players get whittled down to a final table of just nine.

Did you know that “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo” is a grammatically correct sentence, but “Red Bull Red Bull Red Bull Red Bull Red Bull Red Bull Red Bull Red Bull” is not?

Red Bull is the official energy drink provider for PokerStars LIVE Macau. –AV

Welcome to Day 3 of the Red Dragon!

It’s almost time for the penultimate day of the MPC26 Red Dragon where the lucky 75 remaining players of this record-breaking 1,216-player field will play down to a final table.

Leading the charge will be Rundulf Gonzales who was only just shy of bagging up a seven figure stack with 993,000. Also still in contention is the last remaining Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody who starts the day with a short stack of 109,000.

Those returning today have already locked up HK$37,950 but will undoubtedly have their eyes on the HK$3,265,000 first-place prize and the best looking trophy in poker.

It all kicks off again at 3pm so be sure to join us then! — BK

MPC26 PokerStars LIVE Macau.jpg

Reporting in Macau brought to you by Alexander Villegas and Brad Kain. Photography by Kenneth Lim Photography courtesy of PokerStars LIVE Macau.

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