MPC 28 Early Highlights: China ruling the charts; Siyou Cao wins Baby Dragon, Mike Takayama runner-up
For the past ten days, PokerStars Live Macau has been buzzin’ with continuous poker action with the Macau Poker Cup 28 currently ongoing. With the highly anticipated mighty Red Dragon Main Event (HK$10,000,000 guarantee) yet to come, numerous events have already wrapped up including the Baby Dragon (HK$3,000,000 Guarantee) which saw a monstrous 818 players, setting a new record high. Claiming the victory was China’s Siyou Cao who defeated GPI Philippines top ranked player Mike Takayama at the final heads up round. Cao joins one of several players from China to capture titles at the festival.
Baby Dragon recap
The HK$8,000 Baby Dragon event ran from February 1 – 3 with a thunderous 818 players swarming the room. Among the 99 players that earned a piece of the HK$5,712,912 prize pool, shaving their fair share were notables Feng Zhao (7th), Leon-Lita Hsu (14th), Jae Wook Shin (29th), Mitsuru Sano (47th), and Aditya Agarwal (92nd). Earning a sizable cut of HK$743,000 (~US$96,000) was Philippines pro Mike Takayama for his runner-up finish. This is a great 2018 start for Takayama who topped the 2017 GPI Philippines rankings.
Between Takayama and eventual champion Siyou Cao, Takayama was the more decorated player with numerous awards under his belt including two APT Main Event titles. He entered the heads up round against Cao behind in chips, and despite his extensive experience, it was Cao who held on to prevail. Cao bagged the HK$1,200,000 first place cash and the highly coveted PSPC Platinum Pass worth US$30,000.
Final Table payouts
1st Siyou Cao – China – HK$1,200,000 (~US$153,400)
2nd Mike Takayama – Philippines – HK$743,000
3rd Guancheng Chen – China – HK$457,000
4th Vinay Boob – India – HK$331,000
5th Chendi Zhang – China – HK$223,000
6th Kepeng Li – China – HK$171,300
7th Feng Zhao – China – HK$131,900
8th Bing Wang – China – HK$114,312
9th Tomomitsu Ono – Japan – HK$97,100
China ruling the charts
Events leading up to the Baby Dragon saw players from Greater China dominating the charts.
At the Kickoff event (HK$300K guarantee) with 287 players in attendance China’s Xiadong Luo placed 2nd, and at the HK$8,000 NLH (HK$800,000 guarantee), Deng Yue took runner-up as well. Three events later, China would earn their first MPC 28 victor with Cao Chen winning the HK$5,000 Knockout.
Other players also giving their home country a title were 2016 PokerStars Asia Player of the Year 2nd placer Wayne Weiyi Zhang at the HK$5,000 NLH-PLO event, Weihang Chen at the HK$1,500 NLH, Tianyou Liu at the Hyper Turbo Megastack, Xuming Qi at the Megastack (HK$500K guarantee) with 275 on board, and most recently, Siyou Cao, the newest Baby Dragon champion.
The Red Dragon Main Event (HK$10,000,000 guarantee) is currently underway with a total of three starting days, Day 2, Day 3, and the final table. The High Rollers event takes place this weekend with HK$80,000 entry fee. We will have a recap for you on those events once they wrap up.
Article by Triccia David
