Macau Poker Cup 20 Opens to Record Numbers; Bobby Zhang Wins Baby Dragon
While the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) has been playing out in the Western Hemisphere, the ‘PokerStars LIVE Macau’ kicked off the 20th installment of the Macau Poker Cup (MPC) in the East with the series' biggest ever opening weekend.
The first three days of the 12-day schedule play out with the completion of three side events. Those events attracted a combined 743 players and awarded HK $2,456,622 in prize money. The most notable event was the HK $6,000 buy-in 'Baby Dragon' event, which attracted 332 runners and created a HK $1,739,016 prize pool. The tournament was ultimately won by 26-year-old Aussie Bobby Zhang, who took home the HK $340,800 first-place prize.
In the final hand, Zhang moved all-in holding the 9♥3♦ and China's Stephen Zhou called off with the 6♦7♣. The board ran out J♣3♠9♦8♦Q♠ and Zhang’s two pair sealed the deal after more than 18 hours of play.
"Definitely feels great to win the first Baby Dragon in my first poker tournament of 2014," said the 26-year old Zhang.
Baby Dragon Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bobby Zhang | Australia | HK $340,800* |
| 2nd | Stephen Zhou | China | HK $230,000* |
| 3rd | Bernie Ho | Singapore | HK $250,000* |
| 4th | Yue Hin Lam | Macau | HK $126,100 |
| 5th | Shingo Cho | Japan | HK $100,000 |
| 6th | Shi Lin | Australia | HK $82,600 |
| 7th | Alan Wu | Hong Kong | HK $65,200 |
| 8th | Flo Campones | Philippines | HK $47,800 |
| 9th | Chen An Lin | Chinese Taipei | HK $39,100 |
*Denotes three-handed deal
The 'Red Dragon' HK $11,000 buy-in main event will kick off on Jan. 16, and the Red Dragon is celebrating MPC20 by guaranteeing a massive HK $8 million (US $1 million) prize pool. Needless to say, expectations are that the turnout will break the main event's 891-player record.
"I'm really impressed with the Baby Dragon turnout and the player feedback has been tremendous," said Danny McDonagh, PokerStars Director of Live Poker Operations in the Asia-Pacific. "Our goal to have a 1000-plus field for the Red Dragon main event seems very likely."
Here’s a look at the remaining MCP20 schedule:
Remaining MPC20 Schedule (all figures in HKD)
| Date & Time | Event |
|---|---|
| Tue, Jan 14 @ 7pm | $5,000 KO Bounty [2-day event] |
| Wed, Jan 15 @ 7pm | $3,000 NLH Turbo |
| Thu, Jan 16 @ 3:30pm | $2,400 Red Dragon MEGA Satellite (20 Seats GTD) |
| Thu, Jan 16 @ 7pm | $11,000 RED DRAGON ($8m GTD) - Day 1A |
| Fri, Jan 17 @ 2pm | $1,500 NLH Turbo |
| Fri, Jan 17 @ 7pm | $11,000 RED DRAGON ($8m GTD) - Day 1B |
| Sat, Jan 18 @ 3pm | $11,000 RED DRAGON ($8m GTD) - Day 1C |
| Sun, Jan 19 @ 6pm | $4,000 NLH [2-day event] |
| Sun, Jan 19 @ 8pm | $20,000 NLH ($1m GTD) [2-day event] |
| Mon, Jan 20 @ 6pm | $2,500 KO Bounty [2-day event] |
| Mon, Jan 20 @ 7pm | $50,000 High Roller [2-day event] |
| Tue, Jan 21 @ 3:30pm | $2,500 Deepstack NLH [2-day event] |
Players can qualify to the Red Dragon at PokerStars LIVE Macau where satellites are running daily. For the complete MPC20 schedule please visit www.PokerStarsLIVEMacau.com.
*Photos courtesy of PokerStars.
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