Norway’s Henrik Tollefsen Defeats Rono Lo to Win MCP21 High Roller For $189,023
The Macau Poker Cup HK$80,000 (~$10,000 USD) buy-in High Roller Event attracted 59 players to the PokerStars LIVE Macau, and on Friday Norway’s Henrik Tollefsen defeated Rono Lo heads-up to capture the HK$1,465,000 ($189,023 USD) first-place prize.
The High Roller followed on the heels of the Macau Poker Cup 21 (MPC21) Main Event which saw Zhenru Xie top a field of 808 players to win HK$1,667,000 (USD $215,073), a Slyde Titanium design watch and the trademark Red Dragon trophy.
MCP21 High Roller Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henrik Tollefsen | Norway | HK$1,465,000 |
| 2 | Rono Lo | Macau | HK$932,000 |
| 3 | Daniel Chin | Malaysia | HK$621,000 |
| 4 | Victor Chong | Malaysia | HK$488,000 |
| 5 | Shashank Rathi | Hong Kong | HK$355,000 |
| 6 | Quan Zhou | China | HK$311,000 |
| 7 | Makoto Yoshimichi | Japan | HK$267,160 |
According to the PokerStars Blog, the bubble burst in Level 16 (20,000/40,000/5,000) with eight players remaining. In the hand, Li-Ta Hsu got his extreme short stack all in from the small blind and was up against both Lo and Makoto Yoshmichi. The J♣J♦7♠ flop saw both active players check, and then Lo bet 90,000 on the Q♠ turn after Yoshmichi had checked. A fold followed and the cards were turned up.
Hsu: 10♦9♦
Lo: A♠2♠
Lo was ahead with his ace-high flush draw, but Hsu was drawing to an open-ended straight. The K♠ river gave Lo the said flush, and Hsu exited empty handed in eighth place.
The hand left Yoshimichi short, and he got it in a short time later with the Q♦5♥ and was behind the A♦6♥ of Xiong. The board ran out 6♠K♠K♣J♥4♣, and the man from Japan had to settle for seventh place and HK$267,160 in prize money.
After Quan Zhou and Shashank Rathi bowed out in sixth and fifth place respectively, Malaysia’s Victor Chong followed them out the door in fourth. It happened in Level 18 (40,000/80,000/10,000) when Chong shoved all in from under the gun for 435,000 and Tollefsen called from the small blind.
Chong: Q♣10♦
Tollefsen: 3♣3♥
According to the PokerNews Odds Calculator, it was as close a race as could be as Chong has a 49.44% chance of surviving the hand while Tollefsen would win 49.60% of the time. The 2♠K♣7♠ flop didn’t do Chong any favors, and he watched his chances drop to 28.08% while Tollefsen jumped to a 71.92% favorite. The 8♦ turn knocked Chong down to 13.64%, meaning he needed either a queen or ten on the river to stay alive. The 4♣ was not what he was looking for, and Chong took home HK$488,000 for his efforts while Tollefsen pulled out to a big chip lead.
Three-handed play was an extended affair, but it eventually came to an end in Level 22 (100,000/200,000/30,000) when Lo and Daniel Xiong, who were essentially battling for second place, butted heads. It happened when Lo moved all in for just 400,000 and Xiong, who had less chips, called off. Lo tabled the Q♠2♠, Xiong the K♣9♥, and the board ran out 2♣10♦Q♥10♥6♠. Lo paired his queen and Xiong was out in third place for HK$621,000.
Tollefsen took a commanding chip 9-to-1 chip lead into heads-up play, and despite an early Lo double, the Norwegian was able to seal the deal. In the 11th hand of heads-up play, Tollefsen shoved all in from the button and Lo called off.
Lo: K♦10♥
Tollefsen: 9♠7♣
Lo got it in good and he stayed in front through the 5♥6♠Q♥ flop. Unfortunately for him, a 9x spiked on the turn to give Tollefsen a pair of nines. The 2♣ river was a blank, and Lo was dispatched in second place for HK$932,000.
Congratulations to Henrik Tollefsen on becoming the MCP21 High Roller champion. The next tournament at PokerStars LIVE Macau will be the ACOP Platinum VI series from September 25th-28th. The Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP) will follow that from Oct. 24th - Nov. 9th.
*Photos and data courtesy of the PokerStars Blog.
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