APPT Main Event ($1,650)

With the board running low, Trong is in danger then the lucky two-outer finds the river Q♠ and Trong roars in celebration.

Hand #15: Sven McDermott joins the action with a three-bet of 200,000 that's called by open raiser Christopher Mateo. McDermott maintains aggression at the flop J♠ K♠ 6♣ for 155,000 that's called again, then they check the turn 3♠ . Wasting no time counting, McDermott announces all in, Mateo gives it up.

Hand #16: David Erquiaga from the small blind and big blind Nicola Spicher call the button raise by Ceesvin Abraham and take it to the flop 3♥ K♣ J♥ . Sending the action to Abraham, a 100,000 bet is slid out front. Erquiaga check-raises 285,000 and it's enough to induce two folds.

Another intense yet thrilling day came to a close at the record breaking APPT Cambodia Main Event with the field reduced to the last 9 players. This was determined at the fall of Sunghak Lee in 10th place to Christopher Mateo just before the eleventh hour kicked in. In turn, Mateo bagged up the largest stack of 3,275,000 (81 bb) with his closest challenger, Nicola Spicher, sitting 13 bb behind.

Running third rank is none other than Trong Hieu Ngo, the champion of the APPT Manila Championship that took place last month. Hieu has been running strong at the festival with a trophy already captured at the Megastack High Roller. Hieu is looking to be the first player to win the APPT Main Event in back to back tours.

Entering Day 2, Sven McDermott led the chase and became the first player to amass a million in chips very early on. McDermott caught Alexsandr Blokhin bluffing to bring about the bubble round.

After several attempts, the bubble burst on Jeremy Jehanne who was forced all in on the big blind and fell to small blind caller Noyan Slamiya.

Others down the lineup are the highly decorated David Erquiaga who is on a hot streak this year, Ceesvin Abraham, Vaicheslav I, and well known cash game slugger Donghyup Kim.

Standing out of that star loaded final 9 lineup is USA's Ziad Zebib, who is already looking at a substantial profit having won his seat via one of the flip out events for just US$ 165.

When the final 9 players return they are each guaranteed US$ 13,954 while awaiting the champion is a life-changing US$ 147,500. The remaining payouts are as follows:

1st US$ 147,500

2nd US$ 92,000

3rd US$ 66,000

4th US$ 50,600

5th US$ 39,000

6th US$ 30,000

7th US$ 23,000

8th US$ 17,700

9th US$ 13,953

Blinds continue for just over 2 minutes at Level 25. At the completion, Level 16 onwards will have blinds increase every 75 minutes.

Ceesvin Abraham has been grinding for chips with much success at this short handed round. One of the pots was up against big blind Christopher Mateo who called Abraham's preflop raise. Both players checked the flop 6♥ 9♣ 8♥ then Mateo bet 75,000 on the turn 5♣ . Abraham made the call and the river was 4♥ .

Mateo fired another bet of 100,000, was answered with a 275,000 raise from Abraham, Mateo called and mucked to the 7♥ 7♦ straight.

Abraham has a chance to bad beat with a king on the flop but doesn’t improve further to pay McDermott a full reload.

Following the loss to Hieu Ngo, Sven McDermott enters the next pot that builds to 400,000 by the turn A♥ 7♦ 5♣ 6♥ . Big blind Sunghak Lee checks, McDermott bets 240,000, Lee tanks for a time bank then slides in the call. On the river 2♠ . McDermott lays out 530,000, Lee tanks again for two time banks then gives up his stake on the pot.

With a huge 460,000 brewed preflop, Sven McDermott test bets 240,000 on a board K♣ A♠ Q♦ 3♦ and Hieu Ngo check-calls. They head to the river A♣ . Both tank check. Hieu opens A♦ 5♦ that earns a muck.

UTG min raises and gets called by HJ Sven Mcdermott and Hu Jinlong in the big blind. The flop 7♥ 3♣ Q♠ gets checked to Sven Mcdermott, making it 50,000, Hu Jinlong check-raises to 150,000 with Sven Mcdermott calling, eliminating the initial raiser in the process. The turn 9♥ has Hu check-folding to a 150,000 bet from Mcdermott.

With 23 fighters left the top spots go to:

Sven Mcdermott opens 32,000 in +1, Mike Takayama is not convinced and says all-in from the SB for around 200,000, Mcdermott snaps and Takayama's K♣ Q♣ is dominated by Mcdermott's A♠ K♦ . The low board 4♥ 8♥ 8♠ 2♣ 6♦ is of no use for Mike Takayama and another deep run for him comes to an end.

Coming to the action on the river 4♦ 7♠ 2♥ 9♠ 4♥ with 115,000 in the pot, we see BB Michael Falcon check-calling 90,000 and mucking his hand after watching Sven McDerrmott table K♦ 7♥ .

UTG Bernard Vu starts off with a 23,000 raise and finds three callers from HJ, CO and BB. Michael Falcon takes over with a 27,000 lead from HJ on 7♦ Q♠ 3♥ and picks it up right there.

Faced with an UTG 20,000 open and two callers, Michael Falcon three-bets 80,000 from the big blind, initial raiser Sven McDermott calls with HJ and CO dropping out. The action gets checked to the turn 9♦ 5♠ K♠ 5♥ , with Michael Falcon leading 100,000 and bagging a sizable pot to stay among the leaders.

Ting Hoa Lian open-jams 85,000 from the button and finds 2nd-In-Chips Sven Mcdermott calling from SB for a flip.

With the remaining 71 players all guaranteed at least $2,700 the top stacks are :

End of the road for Aleksandr Blokhin as he crashes on a failed bluff against chip leader Sven McDermott. Hand opens with a raise by McDermott to 12,000, called by Ronald Haverkamp then Aleksandr Blokhin three-bets 48,000. McDermott four-bets 84,000, Blokin flats to end the preflop battle.

On the flop A♦ 6♦ 6♣ , McDermott c-bets 12,000, Blokin calls the small bet then both check the turn 7♠ . The river T♥ sees McDermott check again, Blokhin shoves his last 125,000, McDermott calls. Blokhin nosedives out on a failed bluff.

We are now on the bubble with 72 players remaining.

Flight A chip leader Sven Mcdermott starts the action with a min-raise from +2 and BB Joshua Figuerres wants to see the flop. Checked to him, Sven c-bets 10,000 on A♣ 5♠ J♠ with Joshua calling. Checking to the river 6♦ J♦ , Joshua tank-folds to Sven's 70,000 bet, losing a time bank in the process.

Hijack Sven McDermott raises 10,000 then calls Seonghun Park's button re-raise of 25,000. They proceed to check it down all the way Q♠ 3♠ A♣ A♠ T♥ . First to show McDermott shocks the table as he reveals his Q♣ Q♥ full house , Park also gets a shock as he shows K♥ K♠ and says to Park "if you went all in I would call you."

Three players in a raised pot go to a flop 8♠ 5♦ 5♠ , big blind Yunsheng Sun leads out 11,500, preflop aggressor Anshu Zheng folds and Sven McDermott continues to the turn 2♦ . Sun dips in his stack again and tosses in 26,000, McDermott calls once again and both proceed to check the river K♥.

Sun flips open 6♥ 7♦ missed draw, McDermott wins the pot with Q♠ J♠ better air.

From cutoff, Seonghun Park calls Sven McDermott's raise then takes the reins on the flop and turn 9♥ A♣ T♥ K♦ with 7000 and 15,000 bets. McDermott folds on fourth street.

Sven McDermott three-bets from cutoff and Dmitrii Belikov defends his raise. On the flop and turn T♣ K♦ 7♠ A♥ , McDermott fires 5000 and 10,000, Belikov check-calls both then both players run out of energy on the river 3♦ and check.

First to show Belikov has A♣ J♣ , McDermott's kicker plays A♦ Q♦ to rake in the pot.

Sven McDermott heads to to the flop with two callers to his 3500 raise. He continues for 1500 on the flop 2♣ 2♥ K♠ , Michael Falcon check-raises 3500, Meerwais Hussaini begs off and McDermott calls. The turn T♠ has Falcon leading out 10,000, McDermott drives it up to 25,000, Falcon calls and both head to the river 8♦ . Falcon leads out again for 29,000, and again McDermott raises, this time putting it all on the line, Falcon folds giving up more than half of his stack.

With the turn A♥ and river 8♠ , Reskallah is relieved as he scoops up the pot.

Sven McDermott raises 2600 then calls Trong Hieu Ngo's 11,000 three-bet from the small blind. McDermott is unfazed and calls. He calls as well the 8000 c-bet on the flop 7♥ 4♦ Q♣ . Switch up on the turn 8♦ with Ngo checking, McDermott bets 8500 and this time Ngo calls. No stopping McDermott with a jam at the 7♠ river , Ngo tosses his hand in the muck.