The latest edition of the Red Dragon Main Event has been a real success, with the final field size reaching 1,145. This set a new record for the largest field size of any freezeout event ever held in Asia. PokerStars Live Macau will be encouraged by the enthusiasm of their participants, with a total prize pool of HK$11,995,020(USD$1,556,457) having been generated by the record attendance figures. The prize for 1st place stands at HK$2,509,0009(USD$325,564).
270 players got through the starting day flights, with only 59 of those going on to make day 3. After 8 hours of play today, we have our 9 final tablists. Celina Lin had been the big story throughout, as she put together yet another deep run in this prestigious event. Lin is the only player to hold two Red Dragon titles, but will not be adding a third this year. She hit the rail in 12th place. There are several accomplished pros who will be a part of the final table, with Tom Alner, Benjamin Hamnet and Jack Salter all looking dangerous.
The final 9
Shuai Yang Qiu – 2,840,000
Seat 1 will be filled by our chip leader going into the final day – Shuai Yang Qiu. The Chinese national picked up some serious momentum on the final day and tops the leaderboard with 2,840,000 at this point, despite not having any previous live cashes to his name.
Tom Alner – 2,800,000
Seat 7 belongs to another professional player, one who has grown to enjoy this event in recent years. Tom Alner is from the UK and is a former champion of this event, having won it in 2013. He also final tabled the Red Dragon in it’s previous outing, finishing 8th place. Alner has just over USD$1,044,000 in career cashes, and will be one of the favourites tomorrow, as he starts with 2,800,000 chips.
Xiao Bo Zhou – 2,405,000
Seat 8 will be filled by Xiao Bo Zhou, who has a powerful 2,405,000 stack coming into this final table. One of five Chinese players still in with a chance here, Zhou has only 6 previous cashes to his name, but the largest of those was a 3rd place finish in one of the Red Dragon events of 2013. He has a great chance to improve on that excellent result when he takes his seat tomorrow.
Benjamin Hamnet – 2,225,000
In seat 4 we have Benjamin Hamnet from the USA. Another professional player, Hamnet has over USD$1,272,000 in career cashes, including 12 WSOP cashes. He won a WPT title at the Borgata Poker Open in 2012, netting USD$818,847 which means that he’s unlikely to wilt under the pressure of this final table. He will bring 2,225,000 into the final fray.
Daniel Hyongin Lee – 1,780,000
Seat 2 belongs to Daniel Hyongin Lee who was born in Korea, but lists his country as the USA. He is a professional poker player with USD$137,000 in live cashes including 7 WSOP cashes, and will start tomorrow in the middle of the pack with 1,780,000.
Jack Zi Yang Salter – 1,755,000
Seat 3 is occupied by Jack Zi Yang Salter. This UK pro has been a major force in live tournaments over the last few years, and has live career cashes totalling almost USD$4.9 million. He finished 2nd in the WSOP-APAC Main Event for USD$448,714 in 2014 and took 2nd in the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event in the same year for USD$1,058,369. His most recent cash is USD$1,536,666 which he won for his 4th place finish in the $111,111 One Drop High Roller at the WSOP. Salter starts tomorrow with 1,755,000 and will be a feared competitor at this final table.
Wenxiang Chen – 1,270,000
With only one previous cash, Chinese player Wenxiang Chen is among the the more inexperienced players still in the field. He occupies seat 9 and will be bringing 1,270,000 to the final table. As with the other short stacks still in the mix, just one double up will see Chen move right into contention.
Liang Song – 1,220,000
Seat 5 will be taken up by Chinese national Liang Song. With only 7 cashes to his name, Song will be in new territory when he faces off against this tough table tomorrow. His previous best cash is USD$4,690, which means he is already guaranteed to eclipse that by some distance. This opportunity represents a great chance for Song to gain some experience of playing poker for huge sums of money, and may yet give him a platform upon which to make his mark on the Asian poker scene. He has 1,220,000 chips.
Jingxuan Zhu – 885,000
Seat 6 has been drawn by the short stack going into tomorrow. Chinese national Jingxuan Zhu only has 885,000 to work with, but that is still a very playable stack. With only USD$18,000 in live cashes, Zhu is another player who will be stepping up to a new level for this final table.
More: Macau Poker Cup 25
Article by Craig B.
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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