By Sean Callander

Normally at this time of a PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour event, players and staff are packing their bags and saying their goodbyes after the main event has been wrapped up. But not in Macau, today is day one of the 15k High Roller Event starting back to back with the end of the 2500 Main Event.

Last night, we toasted (with Dom Perignon, thanks to PokerStars and Scotty Nguyen) the successful finish of the first PokerStars.net APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open and its champion, Vietnamese-born UK-based Dinh Le.

The 27-year-old Vietnamese concert promoter travelled to Macau with his good friend Tuan, never expecting PokerStars.net APPT glory. Before now his biggest poker tournament was at home in his own lounge room, today DInh leaves Macau as China’s first ever poker champion. In Chinese culture the number 8 is seen to be very lucky and it proved to be on the final hand, with Dinh’s pocket eights too good for the A 10 of Singapore’s Zhong Wei “Ivan” Tan.



“This tournament has been an incredible experience. I am honoured to be part of poker history today and very proud to become Macau’s first poker champion. I am looking forward to competing in Sydney next month and representing Vietnam at the APPT grand final,” Dinh said after his win.

Today we’re back in the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino poker area for the $15,000 Macau High Roller Event. An amazing field has suited up in pursuit of only the second poker title offered in the People’s Republic of China.

For the APPT High Roller Event Team PokerStars is represented by Joe Hachem, Vanessa Rousso, Emad Tahtouh, Isabelle ‘No Mercy’ Mercier, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier (fresh from his fifth in the main event), Lee ‘Final Table’ Nelson, Masa Kagawa, Terrance Chan, Guillaume Patry, Dan Schreiber and Barry Greenstein, who flew to Macau from the US especially to play in this event.



The field also includes 1998 WSOP champion Scotty Nguyen, 2007 WSOP $2000 Seven-card Stud champion Jeff Lisandro, three-time WSOP bracelet winner John Juanda, APPT Macau final table participant Liz Lieu, Chad Brown, Gary Benson, Van Marcus and another two players who’ve arrived especially for this $15,000 Macau High Roller Event: Kirk Morrison and Nick Schulman.



The field is currently 64, but tournament director Matt Savage has said he’ll take registrations through the day if any other interested players express interest.

The prize pool is $US921,600, meaning the winner will take home $368,840 and the runner-up $284,320. Eight players will be paid.

Two of the early movers have been Juanda and Schreiber. On a board of 10c 5s 3h 7d, China’s Cailin Jin (the final table bubble in the APPT Macau main event) checked to Juanda who made it 3000 to go. Jin moved all-in for 6900, and Juanda made the call with a set of 10s. Jin tabled pocket aces, and was headed for the rail with the river missed him (4d).

Schreiber just took down a big pot against Japan’s Nobuhiro Yabuuchi, who popped it up to 300 with Schreiber calling.

The flop was 3d 8c Js, Yabuuchi checked, Schreiber bet 500, Yabuuchi check-raised 1500 and Schreiber made it 2500.

After the 9c landed on the turn, Yabuuchi again checked, Schreiber pushed all-in and Yabuuchi folded. Schreiber showed 5h 7c – a big play in a big tournament. There promises to be many more. Stay tuned.

Approximate chip count

• Daniel Schreiber (Canada) 41,000


• John Juanda (US) 33,000


• Bo Sehlstedt (Sweden) 32,500


• Scott Numoto (USA) 31,000


• Scotty Nguyen (USA) 24,000