The Macau Poker Cup has always been one of the most exciting events on the Asian poker calendar, with their highly distinctive Red Dragon trophy, large prize pools, and tournament fields, the size of which exceed anything else you can find in this part of the world. On the topic of field sizes, it should be pointed out that the Red Dragon Event for MPC23 saw 945 players buy in. Today, at MPC24, we have not only seen that figure surpassed, but a new record set for the biggest live freezeout tournament ever seen in the Asia-Pacific region. The grand total of entrants stands at 1,075 which is a fantastic accomplishment for the organisers of this event.
Chip leaders
205 players took to the felt on day 1a, with just 49 survivors bagging up chips at the end of the day. Chao Yang finished the day out in front, with 168,700 chips. Day 1b saw 358 players pull up chairs in this tournament, and only a third of that field will be returning for day 2. Kamal Mokhammad took an early chiplead, and carried that through to the conclusion of play, taking 210,600 on to the second day. The third and final starting day saw an impressive 512 players buy in, generating our four figure field size. The end of day chip leader Huitong Cao will carry 232,600 chips through with him, with only 127 players surviving day 1c.
1075 players in the Red Dragon (Photo Kenneth LIn courtesy of PokerStars)
A special day for the PokerStars Live team
This excellent field size speaks loudly of the growing interest that Asian countries have for poker, which suggests the future health of the game is nothing to be concerned about.
"It's a special day for the PokerStars Live team as we've been looking to crack the one thousand player milestone since the Red Dragon hit 995 in 2014." said APPT President Danny McDonagh. "There's been a global surge in re-entry events these last few years so this accomplishment is that much more satisfying to achieve in a classic freezeout format." he added.
While the future of the game is an important point of discussion, the future of APPT President, Danny McDonagh is undoubtedly equally bright, although it was his last event as APPT President. We can assume that he will of course be delighted that a record breaking field could be assembled for the final tournament of his tenure.
Day 2 seat Draws: here
Louis Hartwell
Graduated in Media Communication at the University of Lausanne, Louis Hartman is a co-founder of somuchpoker.com. He began his career in Cambodia as freelance journalist. In same time he was making his living by playing poker every night at that time. Intense learner, he read dozens of poker strategy books to improve his skills during many years. With a strong interest about poker "behind the scene" in Asia and his communication skills, Louis launched Somuchpoker in 2014.
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