By Sean Callander

Just 15 players remain in contention for the PokerStars.net APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open title as the hours after the dinner break on day two ticks past.

We’re at level 18 (4000/8000 with a 1000 ante), but it’s been slow going in the past two hours minutes with only five players – Dane Sean Jensen, Bradley Fu from Canada, Sweden’s Christoffer Stahle, Ang Pend Lang from Singapore and American Brian Tate eliminated.

Tate’s KO was particularly brutal: on a flop of 7d 8c 3h, Thailand’s Guido Lunardini pushed all-in with 8d 3d, and Tate had no hesitation calling with pocket aces. The turn and river came Js 2s, meaning Lunardini's two pair held up.

Almost unbelievably, Guillaume Patry’s chip lead has disappeared with his stack slashed by half since the break. Dinh Le was the latest to acquire a pile of Patry’s chips when he rivered a straight in a pot worth almost 300,000. Le now leads the field from Alan Tan (all three seated at the same table).

The action is tight and tense, but the crowds on the rail haven’t dissipated. It’s interesting to note that the spectators have included more than a few of the senior figures in the local casino industry.

It’s hard to describe the level of development here on the island of Taipa, situated just across the ‘old’ city of Macau. The opening of the Sands Macau casino in 2004 ushered in a new era, which has continued with the opening of lavish properties like Galaxy Entertainment’s Grand Waldo Hotel (the venue for the PokerStars.net APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open), which was the first one-stop hotel and entertainment resort to open in Macau.

A short distance from the Grand Waldo is the massive Venetian Macao, which opened three months ago. The 32-storey, $1.8 billion property owned by Las Vegas Sands (occupying a massive 10.5 million square feet) is the largest single structure hotel building in Asia and the second-largest building in the world.

Just across the road from the Grand Waldo is a massive vacant block, which will soon be home to the jewel in the crown of the Galaxy empire – the Galaxy World Resort. Stage one opens soon, and will feature three hotels, housed in two towers, comprising 2500 rooms.

As one of the largest in the world, the casino will have a capacity to accommodate up to 700 gaming tables and 4000 slot machines. The mass gaming hall will stretch the entire length of the casino (almost 300 metres). It will be a different looking city when we return for the PokerStars.net APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open next year!

Current chip count (approximate):

1. Alan Tan (Singapore) 475,000


2. Dinh Le (Vietnam) 427,000


3. Guillaume Patry (Canada) 380,000


4. Guido Lunardini (Thailand) 344,000


5. Claus Valloe (Denmark) 235,000