Final Table Time in the Poker King Cup Macau 2018 Main Event
This is it folks, the grand finale, with the 518-strong Poker King Cup Main Event field whittled down to the final eight players.
It’s an all-Chinese line-up, and the eight returning finalists are guaranteed a payday of at least HKD 195,200 (~$25,000), but it is the HKD 1,464,000 top prize that will be their goal.
Only one of them can walk away with that, as well as the all-important title and trophy, and the man best positioned to do so is Li Yu, who will be returning atop the counts with a stack of 3,445,000 (57 big blinds).
With close to $90,000 in live tournament earnings, Yu is playing for his first major title and a sixth-place finish or better will see him make a career-high score.
Yu rose to prominence two tables out after busting Lin Zhe Chen, coming into the ten-handed unofficial final table with the chip lead, before bluffing it off to Yang Wang. Yu recovered by snaring Qi Cheng Du in a monster hand, setting a trap with pocket aces to earn a full double-up and wrestle back the top spot.
It’s close though, with next closest rival Wang already proving he can sniff out a bluff and returning second in the counts with just a stack of 3,340,000 – just a single big blind less than Yu.
It is Wei Ran Pu who poses the next biggest threat, dominating a great deal of the late game action by sending both Ke Wang and Chi Hi Fang to the rail in 11th and 10th respectively to set up the unofficial final table action. Pu will be returning with a stack of 2,415,000 and already boasts a title on his poker resume having taken down the PKC 2017 No Limit Hold’em Event #3, though he too is also guaranteed a career-high score.
Jun Fang (2,170,000) and Jian Dong Yu (2,080,000) are the only other players with seven-figure stacks, with the rest of the field some way behind and stacking up as follows:
Poker King Cup Macau 2018 Main Event Official Final Table
| Table | Seat | Player Name | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Yang Wang | China | 3,340,000 | 56 |
| 1 | 2 | Jun Fang | China | 2,170,000 | 36 |
| 1 | 3 | Wei Ran Pu | China | 2,415,000 | 40 |
| 1 | 4 | Cang Sheng Ni | China | 710,000 | 12 |
| 1 | 5 | Liang Song | China | 740,000 | 12 |
| 1 | 6 | Qi Cheng Du | China | 605,000 | 10 |
| 1 | 7 | Jian Dong Yu | China | 2,080,000 | 35 |
| 1 | 8 | Li Yu | China | 3,445,000 | 57 |
Play gets underway at 1pm local time (GMT+7) on Tuesday, 25 September, with blinds staying on level 28 and recommencing at 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 running ante. The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the tournament floor until a champion is crowned so let’s see who has what it takes to become the PKC Macau 2018 Main Event champion.