November 2007 Archives

There is a special feeling when you first hold a passport in your hand. The pages are blank and begging to be stamped. There is a sense of some official place in the world when you travel overseas and display your passport proudly. There is a feeling of pride when a friend flips through the pages and sees stamps from countries far and wide. It's all, in a word, neat.

The PokerStars Passport is so much better than all of that that it's almost impossible to put it into words. The PokerStars Passport is one of the most valuable prizes in all of poker and PokerStars players have a chance to win it starting tomorrow.

What is it? The winner of the PokerStars Passport gets entries to ten big live tournaments. If you win it, you will start your world travels at the EPT German Open in Dortmund in January 2008. You will finish at the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in 2009. In between, you can choose any eight big tournaments on the European Poker Tour or Asia Pacific Poker Tour. You can also choose the World Series Main Event as one of your eight stops around the world.

For a prize like that, it's pretty clear that winning it will be a challenge. Here's how PokerStars says it will work: The December Tournament Leader Board will be the used to measure who is most-deserving of the passport. Every player who finishes in the TLB top 1,000 in December will have a chance to win one of four European Poker Tour Grand Final packages. Of the top 1,000, the top 100 will play in a tournament for the coveted PokerStars Passport and other huge prizes.

Winning the PokerStars Passsport is more than a great prize. It's also a chance to play for your fellow PokerStars players. Every time the holder of the passport cashes in one of the big events, 10% of the winnings will go back to PokerStars players for special VIP Club Frequent Flyer Freerolls.

In all, PokerStars is giving away more than a quarter million bucks in live tournament packages and cash prizes. For all the details, see the PokerStars Passport page.

Good luck!

As the holidays approach, you're probably be thinking about what to get all your friends and family. Giving, after all, is better than receiving. Still, that doesn't mean you can't give yourself a gift, too.

How about this? A first-time deposit bonus at PokerStars and a chance at $30,000 worth of exclusive freeroll tournaments? That's what PokerStars is offering for people who make their first real-money deposit.

If you're ready to give yourself the gift that could very well keep on giving, simply use any of PokerStars deposit options and use the code “DEC2007” in the bonus code field of the cashier.

Doing that alone gets you a 100% First Deposit Bonus of up to $50. After that, you will also be able to enter the daily Round 1 freerolls between December 5th and 14th. What's more, everybody who finishes in the money of the daily Round 1 events will get an entry into the December 15th final to compete for a whopping $10,000 prize pool.

For all the information you need on the deposit bonus and freerolls, visit the deposit bonus promotion page at PokerStars.com.

The Asia Pacific Poker Tour may be the youngest of the major poker tours in the world, but it is certainly proving that it is no baby. In just a few short months, the APPT has gone from an infant beginning in Manila to its Grand Final in Sydney. What's more, today, the APPT announced it will guarantee A$1 million to whoever wins the event.

PokerStars, the chief sponsor of the APPT, has already announced its intention to send more than 200 of its players to the APPT Grand Final. Players have already flocked to the daily $2.20 satellites and APPT Sydney Steps tournaments that start as low as $7.50 or 500 Frequent Player Points.

And why wouldn't they?

Not only is it summertime down under, but the prize package is something worth coveting. PokerStars qualifiers get a buy-in to the Grand Final, a hotel room for the duration of the tournament, up to $2,000 in airline fares, and a cruise around Sydney Harbor. What's more, I bet there will be some pretty good Aussie BBQ around to munch on.

For all you need to know about the APPT Grand Final, visit the PokerStars APPT satellite page.

Good luck!

Today is a day in which we recognize DDBeast. Why? Well, he's a man who is not only a big time player at PokerStars, but also has a life for which a lot of people would trade. You don't think so? Well, let's start of by giving you a look at the 21-year-old.



Looks pretty happy, huh? And why wouldn't he be? He lives in one of America's greatest cities, is still in the prime of his life, and has already graduated from college with a degree in economics. In his spare time, he spends time shooting pool, playing soccer, and boxing. With those things in mind, it's probably pretty clear that the man sitting with DDBeast in the photo below is not a life counsellor. It seems DDBeast has already figured out most of the hard stuff.



In fact, the guy above is the guy who handed DDBeast the keys to a brand new Porsche. PokerStars paid for it after DDBeast cashed in three million Frequent Player Points. DDBeast started playing poker on the day he turned 18 years old. Within six months, he was playing semi-professionally. He graduated from college last May and has been playing full time ever since.

What is full time? For DDBeast, it's 8-12 tables of SNGs with the occasional multi-table tournament thrown in for good measure. It took him just about one year to pick up enough FPPs to get a new ride. He puts it mildly when he says, "The Porsche is quite a nice upgrade from my '93 Miata. I'm loving it!"



Not so bad, eh?

If you'd like to trade up on your current wheels, check out more information on the PokerStars VIP Club today.

By Sean Callander

Sydney is the talk of the TV final table here at the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino in Macau. “Here comes Sydney, baby,” Scotty Nguyen just declared to the packed audience, referring to the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Grand Final which kicks-off on December 12 at Star City in Australia’s largest city.

Fittingly, we’ve just crowned a young Sydneysider the champion of the $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller tournament. Eric Assadourian, a 28-year-old from the Harbour City, honed his poker skills in the Star City poker room, and will be front and centre when the $6300 buy-in main event kicks-off in his hometown in two weeks.

Assadourian has just bested a field of 64 of the world’s best players to win the first prize of $US368,640. After 34 hands of heads-up play with Bo Sehlstedt, Assadourian confirmed his status as one of Australia’s best players and a rising star on the world stage when he called the Swede’s all-in bet of 101,000.

Holding an 8:1 chip lead, Assadourian said “let’s gamble” and showed 9h 8d. The flop is 5h Qc 9c, turn 10s and the river Jd gave Assadourian a pair of nines, sparking celebrations with his good mate Kenny Ng, who followed every hand of the final table.

This win continues a remarkable run for Assadourian over the past 18 months. He burst onto the scene to win the 2006 Melbourne Championships main event (worth $A80,000), knocking out Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem in third spot along the way.

He then made the trip across the Tasman Sea to Christchurch where he captured two titles, including the main event and $A100,000, in the 2007 New Zealand Poker Championships.

He also final tabled twice at the recent PokerNews Cup in Melbourne (eighth in Australia’s first H.O.R.S.E. tournament and fourth in the $ 200 No Limit Hold'em event).

Assadourian never looked overawed by the field in this $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller event, which included names such as Hachem, fellow Team PokerStars Pros Vanessa Rousso, Emad Tahtouh, Isabelle ‘No Mercy’ Mercier, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier, Lee ‘Final Table’ Nelson, Masa Kagawa, Terrance Chan, Guillaume Patry, Dan Schreiber and Barry Greenstein.

Other entrants were 1998 WSOP champion Scotty Nguyen, 2007 WSOP $2000 Seven-card Stud champion Jeff Lisandro, John Juanda, APPT Macau: Asian Poker open main event final table participant Liz Lieu, Chad Brown, Gary Benson, Van Marcus, Yosh Nakano, Kirk Morrison and Nick Schulman.

Assadourian entered the final table in fourth chip position, with all the pressure on his good friend, Team PokerStars Emad Tahtouh. Aiming for his breakthrough win, Tahtouh held a massive chip lead over Sehlstedt, David Paul Steicke, US trio Liz Lieu (making her second final table appearance at the APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open), Scott Numoto and John Juanda, and the sole Hong Kong native at the final table Tony Ng.

Tahtouh rarely looked comfortable at the final table and when he bowed out in fifth just before the dinner break, it was game-on for Assadourian.

Sehlstedt was down to just 30,000 in chips early in the heads-up contest, but rallied back to more than 300,000. But displaying an uncanny ability to read the Swede to the river (he didn’t lose a single hand called to showdown), he rallied back and ended it all just as the clock ticked past midnight, just seven hours after the first hand was dealt.

It’s been an incredibly successful five days for poker’s first foray into the People’s Republic of China. Congratulations to all involved in the first PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour, which set a new record for the biggest tournament (352 players) ever held in Asia.

The APPT Grand Final is shaping as a massive climax to the inaugural APPT season, with more than 600 players expected to generate a prize pool in excess of $A3 million.

Thanks for following the action from the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino, see you in Sydney.

PokerStars.net $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller final results:

1. 1 Eric Assadourian, Australia ($US368,640)


2. Bo Sehlstedt, Sweden ($US184,320)


3. David Paul Steicke, Hong Kong ($US110,592)


4. Tony Ng, Hong Kong ($US82,944)


5. Emad Tahtouh, Australia ($US64,512)


6. John Juanda, USA ($US46,080)


7. Scott Numoto, USA ($US36,864)


8. Liz Lieu, USA ($US27,648)

PokerStars Video Blog
Interview with Eric Assadourian, WInner of the 15k High Roller event

Hand 137: Eric Assadourian eliminates Bo Sehlstedt in 2nd place

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Sehlstedt pushes all-in for 101,000 with Ac 6d, and Eric again says “let’s gamble” with 9h 8d. The flop is 5h Qc 9c, turn 10s and the river Jd, giving Eric Assadourian victory in this $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller event.

Hand 136: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian raise 36,000 and Sehlstedt folds.

Hand 135: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Sehlstedt pushes all-in but gets no interest from Assdourian.

Hand 134: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian pops it to 30,000 and takes it down.

Hand 133: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Assadourian gets a walk.

Hand 132: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian takes it down with a pre-flop raise to 32,000. He shows pocket aces, and describes his opponent as “not rock, but concrete”.

Hand 131: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Assadourian picks up the small blind.

Hand 130: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Assadourian adds the extra 5000 and Sehlstedt checks it. 2s 3c 9d is the flop, and Sehlstedt takes it down with a bet of 16,000.

Hand 129: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Assadourian scoops the small blind after Sehlstedt folds.

Hand 128: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Both players are in for the minimum, the flop is 9d 6c Ac. Check check, another ace (As) hits on the turn and Sehlstedt bets 14,000. Assadourian pops it up to 35,000 and Sehlstedt calls. The river card shows Jc, Sehlstedt checks, Assadourian bets 75,000, Sehlstedt calls but loses a crucial pot when Assadourian shows pocket fives.

Hand 127: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – The Swede is first to act and makes it 37,000, with no interest from the Aussie.

Hand 126: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian calls on the button, Sehlstedt raises to 42,000 total and Assadourian calls. We see a flop of 5d 8h 7h, check check and the turn is 8d. Assadourian bets 40,000 after Sehlstedt checks, and there’s no call.

Hand 125: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Sehlstedt’s raise to 37,000 is enough to win the pot.

Hand 124: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – 40,000 is Eric Assadourian’s bet and Sehlstedt folds.

Hand 123: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Back at ya, Sehlstedt folds his small blind.

Hand 122: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Sehlstedt gets a walk in the big blind.

Hand 121: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – The bet of Bo Sehlstedt is 34,000, and Assadourian makes the call. The board shows 6h Ah Js Qd Kh, and Assadourian makes a pair of kings (K 7) on the river to take the pot.

Hand 120: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian fills his blind, Sehlstedt makes it an extra 35,000 and he wins it there and then.

Hand 119: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Assadourian gets a walk in the big blind. Among the players watching this enthralling heads-up battle are Scotty Nguyen and Team PokerStars Pros Joe Hachem and Lee Nelson.

Hand 118: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian calls the extra 6000 and Sehlstedt checks. The flop is all clubs – K 7 10 – Assadourian bets 20,000 and takes this one.

Hand 117: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Sehlstedt pops it up to 34,000 total, and Assadourian makes the call. Jh 5d 9c is the flop, turn is a 4c and river Ad. Assadourian’s pair of fours are good enough to take it down.

Hand 116: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian bets 25,000, Sehlstedt pushes all-in and Assadourian folds. The Swede’s stack is now up to approximately 370,000 to Assadourian’s 550,000.

Hand 115:

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – 32,000 is the raise by Sehlstedt, Assadourian reraises 100,000, Sehlstedt is again all-in and Assadourian covers the extra. Sehlstedt shows Ad Kh, while Assadourian is dominated Kd 10d. The board shows 6h Qh 3s Qs 4d, and Sehlstedt is right back in the game.

Hand 114: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian calls the extra 10,000 and Sehlstedt checks his option. The flop is Qh 5d 2c, Sehlstedt raises 18,000 and takes it down.

Hand 113: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Sehlstedt calls in the small blind, Assadourian raises 35,00 and Sehlstedt folds.

Hand 112: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian raises 85,000 (enough to cover Sehlstedt) and Swede says it’s time to gamble with Kd 8c. Assadourian is in the box seat to take it out with Ac 9c. The flop is 4h 10s 2h but the 8d puts Sehlstedt ahead. The 10h on the river puts Sehlstedt almost back where he started (172,000) when the heads-up contest started. He’s doubled-up three times in the past five hands.

Hand 111: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Sehlstedt now has some chips to pick his mark, and folds the small blind.

Hand 110: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian folds, and Sehlstedt picks up the blinds.

Hand 109: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Sehlstedt folds in the small blind.

Hand 108: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Sehlstedt is up to 46,000 in chips, Assadourian bets enough to put Sehlstedt all-in and the Swede takes the bait. He shows Kc 8s, against Assadourian’s 9s 8h. The flop is all low (2h 2s 4c), stays low with the 5c on the turn and the river is the 10c and Sehlstedt adds an extra 45,000 to his stack.

Hand 107: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – The final hand? Sehlstedt is all-in with As 4d against Assadourian’s 3h 6c. The Australian starts behind in a race for one of the few occasions at this final table. The flop hits both players – 3d 4c Kc – putting Sehlstedt ahead. The turn is a 5d, and the river Jd and we’ll be playing some more.

Hand 106: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian raises 25,000, and Sehlstedt calls. The flop is Kd 7s 4c (check check) 8h, Sehlstedt checks, Assadourian bets 30,000 and Sehlstedt calls. The river is Ad, Sehlstedt checks again, Assadourian bets 75,000 and Sehlstedt calls. Assadourian’s pair of eights are good, and he is now in an almost insurmountable chip lead. Sehlstedt has just 23,000 in chips remaining.

Hand 105: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – This time, Assadourian makes the same bet post-flop and makes it two out of two.

Hand 104: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian raises 15,000 pre-flop and wins the pot.

Hand 103: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – The heads-up duel is about to kick-off between reigning NZ poker champion Eric Assadourian of Sydney, Australia and Bo Sehlstedt, one of the most respected poker figures in his homeland of Sweden. Blinds will start at 5000/10,000 (there are 29 minutes left at this level). Assadourian has 772,000 in chips, Sehlstedt has 181,000, but it’s the Swede who takes the first pot.

By Sean Callander

The heads-up battle for the title of PokerStars.net $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller champion will be played between Australia’s Eric Assadourian and Bo Sehlstedt of Sweden.

Assadourian, who’ll be playing on home turf when the APPT Grand Final kicks-off in Sydney on December 12, holds a big chip lead (772,000 to Sehlstedt’s 181,000). As the dominant player at the final table, it’s hard to see the Aussie being toppled but Sehlstedt has played a rock solid game and will have the poker-mad Scandinavian nation cheering him on from afar. The spoils: a $US$368,640 payday for the winner against $US184,320 for runner-up.



Hand 102: David Steicke eliminated by Eric Assadourian in 3rd place ($US$110,592)

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian pops it up to 30,000, Steicke adds an extra 30,000, Assadourian says “I’m all-in” and Steicke calls. The race is As Jd for Assadourian against Steicke’s Ah 9h. The flop is bad for Steicke (4d Jc 7d) but the 8h gives him an inside straight draw. However, his tournament ends when the Jh lands on the river. A great performance by David Paul Steicke, who only rekindled his interest in poker thanks to the APPT’s arrival in Asia. He played in the APPT Seoul main event, and has stamped himself as a quality player with third in this $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller event.

Hand 101: David Steicke

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – It’s a battle of the blinds, but it ends quickly when Steicke sniffs at the pot after a flop of 4s As Kh.

Hand 100: Eric Assadourian

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Assadourian gets no action in the big blind, and shows two black aces (“I never get a hand,” he says).

Hand 99: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: dead – Sehlstedt gets a walk in the big blind.




Hand 98: Tony Ng eliminated by Eric Assadourian in 4th place ($US110,592)

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian raises to 35,000, Ng is all-in for 16,000 and shows 6d 5s against the Australian’s Ad Kh. Can Tony snag some sixes again? Well, there’s a 5h on the flop (with 10c 9s), but the turn is a Kd and river a 3h. The Hong Kong native is off to the rail, but not before adding his mark on the final table (he should be good value on the TV coverage).

Hand 97: David Steicke

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Steicke raises the minimum, Ng calls the extra 10,000 and we see a flop of Jd 10d Qc. Ng checks, Steicke bets 30,000, Ng goes all-in and Steicke insta-calls. Ng shows Qd 10c for two-pair, but Steicke has Ah Kd for the nut straight. The turn is Jh and the river 9s. Steicke doubles up through Tony Ng, who has just 17,000 in chips left.

Hand 96: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Sehlstedt makes it 25,000 to go, and all the other cards go into the muck.

Hand 95: Eric Assadourian

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Assadourian pops it to 30,000, and takes the pot.

Hand 94: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Sehlstedt picks up 19,000 in blinds and antes with a pre-flop bet of 25,000.

Hand 93: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – The blinds are in action (Assadourian and Ng) along with Sehlstedt, and the three players check the flop of Qd Jc Qc. The turn is 6c, Sehlstedt bets 16,000 and scoops the pot. Blinds are now at 5000/10,000 with a 100 ante.

Poker Stars Blog Final Table Preview
Alison introduces the final table for the APPT High Roller Event

Hand 92: Eric Assadourian

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Ng’s raise is to 22,000 under the gun, Assadourian announces all-in and Ng, the entertainment package at this final table, says “c’mon Eric”, and folds.

Hand 91: Split – Sehlstedt/Ng

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Ng makes it 19,000 to go and Sehlstedt calls the extra 11,000. The flop 8d Kh 7s – Ng bets 25,000 and Sehlstedt calls. The turn is Jd, the action goes check check, and the river card is the 9h. It’s checked down, with both players showing a pair of kings and the pot is split for just the second time at this final table.

Hand 90: David Steicke

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Steicke gets a free pass.

Hand 89: Tony Ng

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Action fold to the blinds, Assadourian calls and Ng checks. We see a flop of Js 9h 8c, Ng bets 16,000 and wins it there and then.

Hand 88: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Sehlstedt raises to 25,000 and takes it down.

Hand 87: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Sehlstedt wins his first pot since the break with a walk in the big blind.

Hand 86: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Sehlstedt makes it 29,000 under the gun, Assadourian bumps it another 30,000 and snares the pot.

Hand 85: Tony Ng

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Assadourian raises it up to 59,000, Ng announces all-in and Assadourian calls. It’s Ad 5h for Assadourian and As Jd for Tony Ng. The flop hits Ng (Jc 10c 8c, the turn is 3d and Ah on the river to double up Ng to approximately 150,000.

Hand 84: Eric Assadourian

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Steicke’s raise is his standard 16,000, Assadourian bets an additional 35,000 and makes it four pots in a row.

Hand 83: Eric Assadourian

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Assadourian continues his aggressive betting, coming in for 25,000 and taking the blinds and antes. Assadourian has almost two-thirds of the 920,000-plus chips in play.

Hand 82: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – It’s a three-way pot with Assadourian and Ng calling, and Steicke checking. As 5c Js is the flop, Ng checks, Steicke checks and Assadourian bets 55,000. Fold, fold, and it’s Eric’s pot.

Hand 81: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Assadourian kicks it up to 36,000, and takes down the pot.

Hand 80: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Sehlstedt fills the blind, and we see a flop of 8h Qd 10s, check check and the turn is the 8s. Sehlstedt bets 12,000, Assadourian raises an extra 25,000 and Sehlstedt declares all-in. he takes the pot.

Hand 79: Tony Ng

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Action has just resumed at the final table of $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller event, with the chip counts as follows: Eric Assadourian (552,000), Bo Sehlstedt (141,000), David Steicke (171,000) and Tony Ng (100,000). There are just under 20 minutes left at this level (4000/8000 with a 500 ante. Ng raises to 30,000 and takes the first pot after the break.

Australian Eric Assadourian is in the box seat to claim the $US368,640 first prize as the $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller champion. Just four players remain at the final table, which started with a field of eight.

Assadourian leads the chip count from Sweden’s Bo Sehlstedt, locally based player Tony Ng and expat Australian David Steicke.

Players eliminated today were Liz Lieu (eighth), Scott Numoto (seventh), John Juanda (sixth) and the chip leader coming into the final table, Emad Tahtouh (fifth).

Looks like pizza for dinner – as good as anywhere in the world, but it’s the only time we’ve ever seen corn used as an ingredient. Makes a nice change after a LOT of Chinese meals. See you in an hour.

Hand 78: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Sehlstedt gets a walk on the last hand before the dinner break.

Hand 77: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Assadourian raises to 24,000: no callers. He’s now taken four of the last five pots

Hand 76: Eric Assadourian

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Steicke’s raise is 16,000 and Assadourian calls in the big blind. The flop is 4d 9h 7s, both players check, 5s, both players check, 8d. Assadourian bets 20,000 and we’re all done.

Hand 75: David Steicke

Button: Ng (seat 7) – It’s fold to Steicke in the small blind, who calls. Sehlstedt checks and we see a flop of 3c 8h Ah. Steicke bets 16,000, and the chips are his.

Hand 74: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian pops it up to 21,000 and gets no interest.

Hand 73: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – It’s heads-up between the blinds and the board shows 7s 9c 8h 9h. Assadourian sniffs at the pot and takes it.

Hand 72: David Steicke

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Steicke raises the min and gets a call from Assadourian. The flop reads Qs 7c 6h, Steicke bets 24,000 and there’s no call from the young Aussie.

Hand 71: Tony Ng

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Assadourian raises to 22,000, Tony Ng pushes all-in for an extra 28,000 with Ac 6c and Assadourian continues his roll with pocket (black) kings. Ng calls for the Kh, but the flop is even better for him – 6d 6s 10d, giving him trips. The 7d on the turn and the 10s gives him a full house and he doubles through.

Hand 70: Eric Assadourian

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Assadourian raises 22,000 on the button and there are no callers.

Hand 69: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – There are three player in for the minimum, the flop comes 2s 8d 9c. Sehlstedt bets 17,000, Assadourian makes it 40,000 and Ng folds after initially checking. Sehlstedt calls, and the turn is the Kh. It’s check check, and the river is the Ah. Sehlstedt bets 65,000, and Assadourian makes a great call, taking down a huge pot with a pair of eights.

Hand 68: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: dead – In a battle of the blinds, the board shows 2c9s 4c Ah 3c. It’s a friendly hand, with Sehlstedt’s bet of 13,000 enough for Assadourian to fold.

Hand 67: Emad Tahtouh eliminated by Bo Sehlstedt in 5th place ($US64,512)

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Tahtouh reaches for chips in the small blind and makes it 22,000, but Sehlstedt is quick to declare all-in (he has the Australian covered). The Swede shows Ah Ks, while Tahtouh has Kh Jh. The flop his Sehlstedt (Ad 7d Qs) but gives Tahtouh a straight draw. The turn is a blank (4c), and the river (6d), giving Sehlstedt the pot and sending the final Team PokerStars player, Emad Tahtouh, to the rail.

Hand 66: David Steicke

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Steicke raises, you guessed it, the minimum to 16,000. However, it’s a strategy that’s working for him as he takes down another pot.

Hand 65: Split – Ng/Steicke

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Blinds are now 4000/8000 with a 500 ante. In a battle of the blinds, Ng and Steicke see a flop of 8c Jc Kc, Ng bets 8000, and Steicke pushes all-in and Ng calls, showing Ks 7s, while Steicke has Kd 6d – both showing top pair but Ng’s 7 is in play. The 8d on the turn and 2c means a split pot.

Hand 64: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – In the last hand at this level, Sehlstedt makes it 15,000, Assadourian is again reraising the Swede – this time by an extra 60,000. Sehlstedt again folds, and Assadourian continues his charge.

Hand 63: Eric Assadourian

Button: Tahtouh (seat 3) – We see a flop of 2d 8c 10h with Sehlstedt and Assadourian heads-up. On the turn (Jd), Sehlstedt bets 13,000, Assadourian makes it 40,000 and Sehlstedt calls. In this battle of the big stacks, the river is the 10d, Sehlstedt checks, Assadourian bets 65,000, Sehlstedt calls and the Australian shows trip 10s to extend his chip lead.

Hand 62: David Steicke

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – There’s another short break for TV commitments before Steicke raises to 18,000 and Sehlstedt calls from the big blind. The flop is 2c As Qc, Sehlstedt checks, Steicke bets 10,000 and Sehlstedt sends his cards into the muck.

Hand 61: Emad Tahtouh

Button: Ng (seat 7) – It’s folded around to the button where the Hong Kong native bumps it to 17,000. Tahtouh again takes a stand and announces all-in for an additional 38,000. Ng makes the call with Qs 9s, while Tahtouh is ahead in the race with As 9h. The flop is 4h Ah Jh, but Tahtouh is made to sweat with the Kd hitting on the turn. Could it happen again? No – he makes the nut flush with the Kh and doubles through Tony Ng.

Hand 60: David Steicke

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Tahtouh, reeling from that brutal beat, calls. Ng calls and Steicke checks in the big blind and we see the flop. It comes 5d 3h 6s; Ng bets 12,000, Steicke reraises the minimum, Tahtouh and Ng fold and it’s Steicke’s pot.

Hand 59: David Steicke

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Steicke raises to 12,000 (more than a quarter of his stack), Tahtouh reraises to 35,000 and he just calls. The flop shows 4s 2d 8s, Steicke pushes in his last 13,000 and Tahtouh calls with pocket (red) queens. Steicke shows Ac 9s. The turn is the Js, and river is the 3s, giving Steicke a runner-runner flush to keep him alive.

Hand 58: Eric Assadourian

Button: Tahtouh (seat 3) – This time it’s Assadourian who scoops it up with a walk.

Hand 57: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Steicke (seat 8) –Sehlstedt has a free pass in the big blind.

Hand 56: Eric Assadourian

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Assadourian raises to 16,000 and gets no love, then shows pocket aces for his trouble!

Hand 55: Emad Tahtouh

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Tahtouh pops it to 16,000 and wins the pot.

Hand 54: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Current chip counts are: Emad Tahtouh (112,000), Bo Sehlstedt (305,000), Eric Assadourian (313,000), Tony Ng (167,000) and David Steicke the short stack (63,000). Sehlstedt bumps it to 18,000 and scoops the blinds and antes.

Hand 53: Tony Ng

Button: Tahtouh (seat 3) – Ng pre-flop raise to 18,000 gets the job done as players head off for a 15-minute break. There’s 30 minutes to go at level 17, and we’ll play out level 18 before the dinner break.

Hand 52: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Tahtouh makes the standard three-times the big blind raise to 18,000; this time Sehlstedt calls. We see a flop of 3s 2c 7c, no action, the turn is 6h, Tahtouh checks and Sehlstedt bets out 24,000. He takes it down; Tahtouh is clearly under the pump, he hasn’t taken a raised pot since hand 26.

Hand 51: Tony Ng

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Ng makes it 18,000 and we don’t see a flop.

Hand 50: Eric Assadourian

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Assadourian takes it up to 16,000 pre-flop and hauls in the blinds and antes.

Hand 49: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Sehlstedt raises to 18,000 and takes the pot. After losing three players in the first 30 hands, play has settled down in the last hour although David Steicke is under threat as the short stack.

Hand 48: Eric Assadourian

Button: Tahtouh (seat 3) – Assadourian has a free pass.

Hand 47: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Tahtouh fills his small blind, but Sehlstedt raises an extra 17,000 and Tahtouh folds.

Hand 46: Emad Tahtouh

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Tahtouh gets a walk in the big blind.

Hand 45: David Steicke

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Tahtouh limps under-the-gun, Sehlstedt calls and Steicke checks his option. The flop is 9h 5c Ks, all three players check and the turn comes 7h. Steicke is all-in, Tahtouh and Sehlstedt fold.

Hand 44: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Sehlstedt is counting out chips again (19,000) and wins the pot.

Hand 43: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Tahtouh (seat 3) – Sehlstedt raises to 20,000, Assadourian bumps it to 60,000 and Sehlstedt declares all-in for an additional 140,000. The new chip leader is being put to an acid test by the Swede, and he passes up the opportunity.

Hand 42: Tony Ng

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Tony Ng raises to 18,000, Steicke calls and we see a flop of t5h 2s 8c. Ng checks, Steicke bets 16,000, Ng says “I’m all-in” and Steicke passes.

Hand 41: Eric Assadourian

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Assadourian does it again, raise to 16,000 and takes the pot.

Hand 40: Eric Assadourian

Button: Ng (seat 7) – There’s a short break while the tournament staff, who’ve done a fantastic job throughout the PokerStars.net APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open, conduct a colour-up. When we return to action, the blinds will be at level 17 (300/6000 with a 1000 ante). Assadourian makes it 16,000 and takes down another pot, he’s won five of the last seven pots.

By Sean Callander

The pattern is continuing with an elimination every 10 hands after Eric Assadourian sent decorated US pro John Juanda packing. The young Australian spiked one of the two aces remaining in the deck to send the short stack to the rail. We’re down to five players, with the field still chasing Emad Tahtouh.

Hand 30: John Juanda eliminated by Eric Assadourian in 6th place ($46,080)

Button: Ng (seat 7) – In a huge pot, Juanda is all-in with Kc Kh against Assadourian’s Kd Ad. The board reads 8d 6c 6h 5c, but the As on the river gives Assadourian the pot and sends Juanda out in sixth position.

Hand 29: Tony Ng

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Tony Ng raises 16,000 from the small blind and wins the pot.

Hand 28: Tony Ng

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Tahtouh and Ng, the winners of the last two pots get involved. The flop reads 10c Js 5d, Tahtouh bets 11,000, Ng raises 35,000 and takes it down.

Hand 27: Tony Ng

Button: Tahtouh (seat 3) – “All right, Hong Kong” Tony Ng declares as he takes down the pot with a pre-flop raise to 11,000. We’ve also noticed that David Steicke is wearing a cap with an interesting saying “The word impossible can only be found in the dictionary for fools”. The highly successful businessman has shown so far he’s no fool at the poker table

Hand 26: Emad Tahtouh

Button: Juanda (seat 1) – Tahtouh’s raise to 12,000 is enough to take it down pre-flop.

Hand 25: Eric Assadourian

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Assadourian raises to 12,000, and Tahtouh calls from the big blind. The board shows 10d 5h 7h, Tahtouh checks, Assadourian bets 23,000 and Tahtouh calls. The turn is another heart (A), Tahtouh checks and Assadourian bets 55,000. There’s no call from Tahtouh and Assadourian collects a significant pot.

Hand 24: John Juanda

Button: Ng (seat 7) – In the small blind, Steicke announces raise and makes it 12,000 total. Juanda, the short stacks calls, and the flop is Js 6d 10d. Steicke bets 6000, Juanda moves all-in for another 22,000 but Steicke folds.

Hand 23: David Steicke

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Tahtouh bets 12,000 pre-flop and Steicke calls in the big blind. The flop comes 9d 6d 6h, Tahtouh raises 12,000 and Steicke reraises 24,000. Tahtouh folds.

Hand 22: Eric Assadourian

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Assadourian raises to 13,000 in the small blind and takes down the pot.

Hand 21: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Tahtouh (seat 3) – We’re just back from a short break, with the blinds up to 2000/4000 and a 500 ante. The chip count is John Juanda (39,000), Bo Sehlstedt (152,000), Eric Assadourian (126,500), Tony Ng (124,000), David Steicke (102,500) and Emad Tahtouh (416,000). It’s heads-up between Sehlstedt and Assadourian in the blinds. The board comes Ad Ks 8h Qs, Sehlstedt bets 6000 on the turn and wins the pot.

Chip leader Emad Tahtouh has taken another scalp with the elimination of Californian Scott Numoto at the $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller event final table. Just six players remain in the hunt for the first prize of $US368,640, and the honour of being crowned just the second poker champion on Chinese soil.

Hand 20: Scott Numoto is eliminated by Emad Tahtouh in 7th place ($US36,864)

Button: Numoto (seat 2) – Numoto is all-in, Tahtouh reraises to 130,000 and Sehlstedt folds. It’s Numoto’s As 2s against Tahtouh’s black 10s. The flop is 3d Kc 7c, the turn is Jh and the river Ks, sending Scott Numoto out in seventh placing.

Hand 19: Eric Assadourian

Button: Juanda (seat 1) – Assadourian raises to 11,000, which is the only action in the hand.

Hand 18: Emad Tahtouh

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Tahtouh opens up for 12,000 under the gun, Numoto shows 2 4 in the big blind and folds.

Hand 17: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Sehlstedt is in the action again with a raise of 8500, and Steicke calls. On the flop of 8d Js 8h, Steicke bets 10,000, Sehlstedt announces reraise and makes it 27,000. Steicke calls, and the turn is the Qs. Check-check, and the river shows 5c. Sehlstedt shows Qh 9d, and Steicke Ac Jh, giving the Swede a nice pot.

Hand 16: Tony Ng

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Sehlstedt, Steicke and Ng are in for the minimum, the flop comes 10d 8s 8c, it’s checked around and Ng bets 5000 on the turn (9s). Sehlstedt makes the call and the river is 7s. Ng shows a J for the straight and wins the pot.

Hand 15: Scott Numoto

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Numoto makes it 8000: there are no takers.

Hand 14: Eric Assadourian

Button: Tahtouh (seat 3) – Sehlstedt raises to 9000 in the small blind and gets a call from Assadourian. On a flop of 6s 10c Kd, Sehlstedt checks, the Aussie bets 11,000 and scoops it up.

Hand 13: Emad Tahtouh

Button: Numoto (seat 2) – Steicke raises to 6000, with calls coming from Tahtouh and Sehlstedt. The flop comes Ks 10s 2h, it’s checked around and the turn comes 2d. Tahtouh leads out for 12,000, and both players fold.

Hand 12: John Juanda

Button: Juanda (seat 1) – JJ makes his move with an all-in bet from the button, but gets no takers and wins the pot.

Hand 11: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Same bet, same result: Sehlstedt makes it 8500 and scoops the blinds and antes.

Hand 10: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Sehlstedt raises to 8500 and takes it down.

PokerStars Video Blog
Alison chats with Lee Nelson about his new book "Kill Everyone"

By Sean Callander

Liz Lieu has completed a remarkable run at the PokerStars.net APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open to reach the final table of both events. But the Vietnamese-born US player has been the first player eliminated from the final table of the $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller event.

“It sucks, but I’m happy with the way I’ve played this week; it’s been a great tournament,” she said as she walked away from the table and out of the TV studio. We’re down to seven players, and Emad Tahtouh remains a big chip leader.

Hand 9: Liz Lieu eliminated by Tony Ng in 8th position ($US27,648)

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Lieu bumps it up to 11,000, Ng gets them all-in with a raise of 50,000. She calls after a long deliberation, and shows As 10h; Ng has Ah Qh – he has Lieu covered. The flop is Js 2c Ks, the turn 10s (giving Ng his straight), and the river 8s, sending Liz Lieu out in eighth position.

Hand 8: Bo Sehlstedt

Button: Lieu (seat 5) – Sehlstedt makes it 8500 and takes his first pot.

Hand 7: Liz Lieu

Button: Sehlstedt (seat 4) – Steicke raises to 6000 and Lieu shoves all-in from the small blind. Assadourian shows A J and folds, and Steicke folds.

Hand 6: Tony Ng

Button: Tahtouh (seat 3) – Ng is first into the pot with a raise of 7000, and Lieu calls in the big blind. She has position after the flop of Ah Qd Jd. She checks, Ng bets another 7000 and Lei folds.

Hand 5: Scott Numoto

Button: Numoto (seat 2) – Steicke is back in action with a raise to 6000, and Numoto again shoves all-in for 43,000. Steicke requests a count but there’s no call.

Hand 4: Scott Numoto

Button: Juanda (seat 1) – Numoto moves all-in from the small blind and takes down his first pot of the final table.

Hand 3: David Paul Steicke

Button: Steicke (seat 8) – Steicke raises 6000, which is enough to take it two out of the first three pots for the Hong Kong-based Australian trader.

Hand 2: Emad Tahtouh

Button: Ng (seat 7) – Tahtouh pops it up to 9000 in middle position, and takes it down.

Hand 1: David Paul Steicke

Button: Assadourian (seat 6) – Blinds are starting at level 14 (1500/3000 with a 500 ante). Steicke fills the small blind against Juanda. The flop is 2h 8s 4s, Steicke checks, Juanda bets 10,500 and Steicke reraises the same amount. Juanda folds and Steicke wins the first pot.

By Sean Callander

Action is just about to kick-off in today’s final table of the $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller event. Just 11 hours have elapsed since we wrapped up play at the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino on day one, when 65 players paid the $15k entry fee.

Our chip leader, Team PokerStars’ Emad Tahtouh is put an end to his bridesmaid’s tag once and for all today. With a 2.5:1 chip leader over the next stack (that of Hong Kong-based Australian David Paul Streicke), he’s in the ideal position.

“I was really happy with my game yesterday, I’m playing solidly and if it’s ever going to happen, it’s going to happen today,” he said.

Tahtouh was runner-up in the 2006 PokerStars EPT London main event, which earned him £285,900 (or just over $A720,000). And as recently as last month, he was second in the Bad Boys of Poker Invitational at the PokerNews Cup in his hometown of Melbourne.

APPT Macau 2007 High Roller Event: Final Table

One of the toughest challenges will come from fellow Aussie young gun Eric Assadourian, who’s already promised to test Emad’s mettle early in the final table battle. “Mate, you and me, I’m going to test you out,” the Sydneysider said in some verbal sparring as the TV crews completed their promos.

Liz Lieu will be hoping to improve on her seventh place in the PokerStars.net APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open, but with just 48,000 in chips, she’s faces an uphill battle with blinds starting at 1500/3000 and antes at 500 as the second shortest stack.

And sitting in the background is the three-time WSOP bracelet winner John Juanda, who’s already made an indelible mark on this event and will be keen to underline his status as one of the world’s best players. We’re about to get started, should be a cracker.

Seat 1: John Juanda, USA (74,000)

Seat 2: Scott Numoto, USA (47,000)

Seat 3: Emad Tahtouh, Australia (343,500)

Seat 4: Bo Sehlstedt, Sweden (127,000)

Seat 5: Liz Lieu, USA (48,500)

Seat 6: Eric Assadourian, Australia (120,500)

Seat 7: Tony Ng, Hong Kong (57,500)

Seat 8: David Paul Streicke, Hong Kong (142,000)

Who needs to worry about tilt when you win the Sunday Million? It's a question for this week's winner, G0T T!LT? who won nearly a quarter million dollars in this week's Sunday Million. Here's a run-down of all of this week's big Sunday winners.

PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up Final Table Results
Based on finishing order and four-way deal

1. jc_bluej (United Kingdom) $70,000.00
2. £uca (Italy) $42,500.01
3. xThe Chefx (Norway) $42,500.01
4. CASINOICE (Iceland) $43,136.00
5. GoldGame (United States) $20,134.80
6. tobededope (Germany) $15,292.86
7. HammerG (United States) $10,978.26
8. delegator (Norway) $6,903.36
9. Infitilt (United States) $4,026.96


PokerStars Sunday Hundred Grand Final Table Results
Based on finishing order and five-way deal

1. sebure (France) $10,493.93
2. dreaming71 (United States) $12,412.54
3. brehmer (United States) $6,764.57
4. Fun Zulu (Germany) $6,200.57
5. janikola (Norway) $6,212.44
6. drucifer (United States) $1,870.41
7. Waters81 (United States) $1,496.33
8. Coolz102 (United States) $1,215.77
9. Martini Bear (United States) $935.21


PokerStars Sunday Million Final Table Results

1. G0T T!LT? (United States) $248,632.80
2. Tommy2tyme (United States) $126,412.00
3. ScAvvY06 (Germany) $83,688.80
4. HBHCR (Costa Rica) $68,952.00
5. Oly_B (Netherlands) $55,432.00
6. poisson13 (France) $41,912.00
7. turtlestar (Canada) $29,473.60
8. ElFook (Finland) $18,657.60
9. DrEskilstuna (Sweden) $10,816.00

By Sean Callander

The line-up has been decided for tomorrow’s $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller final table after almost 16 hours of play here at the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino.

A world class field of 65 players assembled just after midday, including many of the stars who played the $2500 buy-in main event over the past three days, plus a handful of players who flew into Macau especially for the event, including Nick Schulman, Kirk Morrison and Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein.

Others to line-up included APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open final table participants Liz Lieu and Team PokerStars duo Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier and Guillaume Patry, fellow Team PokerStars Pros Joe Hachem, Lee ‘Final Table’ Nelson, Vanessa Rousso, Emad Tahtouh, Isabelle ‘No Mercy’ Mercier, Masa Kagawa, Terrance Chan and Dan Schreiber.

Chad Brown, Jeff Lisandro, John Juanda, Gary Benson, Yosh Nakano and the ever-popular Scotty Nguyen also paid the $15k buy-in.

By 11pm, 14 players remained in the hunt for a shot at the final table, which would assure each player a minimum payout of $US27,648 and a shot at the first prize of $US368,640.

However, it took another five hours for the last six players to be eliminated. Eventually, Russian Aliansandr Dzianisan pushed all-in with pocket nines and fell to the pocket queens of Australian Emad Tahtouh when a queen hit on the flop.

Due to the late finish, tomorrow’s final table won’t start until 3pm local time, but keep an eye on www.pokerstarsblog.com for all the latest news and chip counts from the final table.

Chip count and final table line-up (end of day 1)

• Seat 1: John Juanda, USA (74,000)
• Seat 2: Scott Numoto, USA (47,000)
• Seat 3: Emad Tahtouh, Australia (343,500)
• Seat 4: Bo Sehlstedt, Sweden (127,000)
• Seat 5: Liz Lieu, USA (48,500)
• Seat 6: Eric Assadourian, Australia (120,500)
• Seat 7: Tony Ng, Hong Kong (57,500)
• Seat 8: David Paul Streicke, Hong Kong (142,000)

Seat 1: John Juanda, USA (74,000 in chips)Born in Indonesia of Chinese descent, this 36-year-old is rightly considered among one of the greatest players of all-time. Part of a generation of young guns that emerged in the mid-1990s (together with Allen Cunningham, Layne Flack, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey and Kirk Morrison), his tournament earnings are nudging $US7 million. Highlights of his career include the 2001 World Poker Open, three WSOP bracelets ($1500 Triple Draw Lowball Ace-to-Five in 2002; plus the $2500 Pot Limit Omaha and $2500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split in 2003). He has made six WPT final tables without winning a title, but collected the inaugural Professional Poker Tour title at Foxwoods in 2004. He also pocketed $1m when he won the Speed Poker title at the 2006 Aussie Millions. Juanda has rarely been out of the top-five in chips throughout this $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller Event.

Seat 2: Scott Numoto, USA (47,000 in chips)

By Sean Callander

We’ve just ticked over the 12-hour mark in the $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller final table at the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino, with players taking a break as tournament staff color up.

In the past two hours, just two players have been eliminated: the popular Alan Sass in 14th and Phillip Elden in 13th. Players returned with blinds at 1000/2000 and antes at 300.

Since the break, the action has started to pick up with Jim ‘Satch’ Sachinidis bowing out in 12th spot when fellow Australian Gary Benson called Sachinidis’ 4000 pre-flop all-in from the big blind holding the Ac 6d, while Sachinidis showed Kh 10d.

The board came 8c Ad 4s Js As giving Benson trip aces, and eliminating Sachinidis from the tournament.

Next out was Daniel Schreiber, the second last member of Team PokerStars left in the field. Sydneysider Eric Assadourian continued his march towards the final table. Schreiber moved in from the cut-off with K 7, and Assadourian called with A Q. he made trip aces on the flop, thus sending Schreiber on his way.



Approximate chip count

• Emad Tahtouh (Australia) 160,000


• Aliansandr Dzianisan (Russia) 140,000


• Eric Assadourian (Australia) 123,000


• Bo Sehlstedt (Sweden) 112,000


• John Juanda (USA) 95,000


• Tony Ng (Hong Kong) 92,000


• Scott Numoto (USA) 70,000


• Gary Benson (Australia) 49,000


• Liz Lieu (USA) 38,000


• David Paul Steicke (Hong Kong) 20,000

By Sean Callander

The ebb and flow of this $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller Event is certainly in ebb mode as play has slowed to a crawl since the last break.

The 14 players that started level 10 will almost certainly survive the hour as the blinds climb to 800/1600 with a 200 ante.

Some interesting stories are emerging: Liz Lieu has certainly wrapped up the title for MVP at the PokerStars.net APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open. After finishing seventh in yesterday’s main event, the ‘Poker Diva’ is still in the hunt for a final table berth in this event, and currently occupies eighth spot in the chip count.

What a great fillip it would be for poker in Macau, China and Asia to see Tony Ng carry his chip lead to the final table. The Hong Kong player has met all challenges today and looks well placed for a spot in the last eight.



Daniel Schreiber is also strongly positioned to snare another APPT final table slot after he reached the last nine of his ‘home’ event in Seoul.

It’s also shaping up as a great night for the Australian contingent here in Macau, with four of the final 14 players from the land Down Under – they’re going to be tough competition when the PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final kicks-off at Star City in Sydney early next month.

Approximate chip count

• Tony Ng (Hong Kong) 123,000


• John Juanda (USA) 117,000


• Aliansandr Dzianisan (Russia) 114,000


• Daniel Schreiber (USA) 101,000


• Alan Sass (USA) 77,000


• Eric Assadourian (Australia) 77,000


• Bo Sehlstedt (Sweden) 64,000


• Liz Lieu (USA) 60,000


• David Paul Steicke (Hong Kong) 50,000


• Scott Numoto (USA) 50,000


• Jim Sachinidis (Australia) 47,000


• Emad Tahtouh (Australia) 43,000


• Gary Benson (Australia) 40,000


• Phillip Elden (USA) 25,000,/li>
  

After all his time on the court, you might think Boris Becker would have had enough aces to satisfy him for life. It appears that is not the case. PokerStars announced today that the winner of six grand slam tennis events has joined its stable of players.

Becker is known worldwide as a champion on the tennis court. Now, after years of playing poker recreationally, he is setting out to get as good on the poker felt as he was on the court.

“When I was still playing professional tennis, I started learning to play poker casually in-between games because it helped me to improve my concentration,” Becker said. “Now I want to develop my poker skills and challenge myself to become really competitive at the highest levels in poker.”



Though it would take a true student of tennis to understand the similarities in the game, Becker has already noted the strategy, psychology, and decision-making under pressure that is required of both endeavors. He has already embarked on a poker training program that will tap his champion's drive. He already has his eye on some of the biggest poker tournaments in the world.

Becker says we can expect to see him first on the European Poker Tour. He's planning to play at EPT Dortmund in his native Germany and the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo next Spring. The PokerStars blog will have all the news from Becker’s experience on the felt as it happens, plus information on future events he will be taking part in, so keep checking back here for updates.

Congratulations to Boris Becker and PokerStars on a relationship that was almost certainly...love at first sight.

By Sean Callander

Boy, did we pick the wrong time to talk about lucky charms! In the last hour, Graeme Putt (the man with the kiwi) and Kirk Morrison (the man with the beer) have both been eliminated from the PokerStars.net $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller Event.

Kiwi G was a mile ahead of Team PokerStars’ Dan Schreiber when he pushed in his chips with Ac Kh against the Korean-based pro’s Jh 10d.

Putt was even further ahead when the flop came As 8c Kh, but running queens gave Schreiber a straight and sent Putt away, shaking his head at the turn card.

Kirk Morrison’s demise wasn’t near as dramatic. Morrison, who equalled the record of Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu when he cashed in four consecutive WPT main events leading up to his second-place to Juan Carlo Mortensen in the 2007 WPT Championship, was all-in from the big blind for 1500. Yasuhiro Waki (10s 10h) gets heads-up with Morrison (Jh 7h), and the pocket pair holds-up .

Other eliminations since the last break have included Lee Nelson 21st, Mathias Kuerschner (23rd), Vladimir Poleshchuk (24th) and Jeff Lisandro (25th). The remaining 18 players have just been consolidated into three tables due to the surprising elimination of one of the chip leaders, Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle ‘No Mercy’ Mercier.



In a battle of the blinds, Aliansandr Dianisan raised to 12,500 from the small blind and Mercier moved all-in from the big blind for 45,800. Dianisan insta-called and showed Jacks. Mercier had pocket threes, and stayed behind on a board of Kd 7h 2c Ks 5c. The lucky skull may end up in the bottom of the Pearl River before the night is out!

Emad Tahtouh has strengthened his claims for a final table berth by scooping up the chips of Russia’s Alexander Kuznecov. He did it the hard way though – Kuznecov led the race with Ad Qc to Tahtouh’s Jd 10c before a board of Js 6h 5h 10d Ad gave



Another big mover in the last few minutes is Eric Assadourian, a young Sydney based pro who can’t wait to suit up for the PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final at his home casino Star City, from December 7-16.

We’re playing down to eight players tonight (currently at 14 with the blinds about to go to 6000/12,000 with a 2000 ante), all of who will be assured a minimum payout of $US27,648 up to the winner’s cheque of $US368,640.

Approximate chip count:

• John Juanda (USA) 114,000


• Tony Ng (Hong Kong) 105,000


• Emad Tahtouh (Australia) 90,000


• Bo Sehlstedt (Sweden) 75,000


• Aliansandr Dzianisan (Russia) 62,000

By Sean Callander

Half the field of 65 has been eliminated in the PokerStars.net $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller Event at the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino.

We just lost Scotty Nguyen in 33rd position when his A K ran into Bo Sehlstedt’s pocket aces, ending the 1998 WSOP champion’s involvement in the tournament.

However, scores of fans and local poker aficionados will take home great memories of Scotty – as always, he’s been the consummate professional and has never missed a beat while singing the praises of PokerStars.net and the APPT during his stay in Macau with his wife Julie.

The only other world champion in the field, 2005 WSOP main event winner Joe Hachem has also departed.

The Team PokerStars Pro reraised to 3800 after Scott Numoto bumped it up to 1800 from the cut-off. Numoto called, the flop came 10s 10c 2d and Hachem shoved in his last 11,000 in chips.



Numoto showed Kh 10d for trip 10s, while Hachem showed pocket fours. The 6c on the turn and Js on the river didn’t help Joe, and he was headed out in 32nd spot.

While the dealers are completing a color-up at the end of level 7 (we’ll be at 400/800 with a 100 ante when play resumes), it struck us that the world’s best poker players aren’t a very superstitious bunch.

Over the past three days, we’ve seen all sorts of trinkets and lucky charms in use, but only two stuck out when we just conducted a quick poll.

Graeme Putt’s stuffed kiwi is pretty obvious – as a fiercely patriotic New Zealand, the man known as Kiwi G always has the national symbol of his homeland resting near his stack. He should be signed by the national tourist body, and has probably done more for NZ tourism than Lord of the Rings!



The other player with a mascot is Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle ‘No Mercy’ Mercier. During the break, she told us the small stone skull was a souvenir from Mexico, but it’s yet to bring her much luck – until today.

“I had it at the WSOP this year and had probably my worst WSOP ever. I’m giving it one more chance,” No Mercy said. However, she added that she was in the groove today (her stack is steadily climbing into the top five), so the skull might be working after all.



We also noticed that Kirk Morrison, the ultra-popular pro from Kansas (who actually spent several years living in New Zealand) is one of the few players (pro or amateur) who enjoys a beer at the table. Different strokes for different folks.



Approximate chip count

Tony Ng (Hong Kong) 110,000

John Juanda (USA) 101,000

Bo Sehlstedt (Sweden) 60,000

Aliansandr Dzianisan (Russia) 55,000

Isabelle Mercier (France) 54,000

By Sean Callander

A storm has just swept up the Pearl River Delta into the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino, and its name is John Juanda.

The 36-year-old, who’s won almost $7 million in tournament poker, is well placed to add more than $US380,000 to his bank balance after dominating levels five and six in the PokerStars.net $15,000 APPT Macau High Roller Event.

His latest victim was legendary casino host Yosh Nakano, another player who made the trip especially to Macau to play in this tournament.

After Nakano raised to 1200, Juanda reraised to 5000 and Nakano pushed all-in with As Js. Juanda’s read was again impeccable as he called with Ad Kh. The board of 6s 9c 2c 3s 7h did not improve either hand, and it was ‘sayonara’ for the Californian-based poker pro.

Juanda was also responsible for ending a miserable day for Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso. After raising to 1000 under-the-gun, Rousso (in the big blind) was the only caller.

It was check-check on the flop of 2s 5d 8c, but Rousso came to life after the turn of 9c, betting 1900. Juanda bumped it up to 4800, and Rousso moved over the top all-in for 11,000.

Juanda called and showed pocket deuces, while Rousso was drawing dead with her Ah 9h.

Another head on Juanda’s wall of victims is Guillaume Patry, who turned in a career best fifth at yesterday’s APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open final table.

Again, Juanda made a faultless call with kings against Patry’s queens, with the board of As 4s 6c 9c 4h ending the Canadian’s hopes of a second final table in as many days.

We’ve also lost the popular choice of many players to take out this event: Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein. It was a slow death for Greenstein, who was wounded by Aussie Van Marcus before being KOed by Alan Sass.



Marcus slashed Greenstein’s stack down to just 14,000, when he pushed all-in for 9700 on a flop of 2d 5d 6c, with Greenstein making the call.

The dual WSOP bracelet winner showed 3h 4d, while Marcus (a PokerStars Supernova and final table participant at the APPT event in Manila) turned over 6d 7d for top pair and a flush draw, which he filled on the turn with the 9d.

Other players to have been eliminated include APPT Seoul main event champion Ziv Bachar, Team PokerStars’ Terrance Chan, American David Machowsky, Franco Mabanta from the Philippines



Approximate chip count

• John Juanda (USA) 106,000


• Tony Ng (Hong Kong) 103,000


• Emad Tahtouh (Australia) 62,000


• Daniel Schreiber (USA) 39,000


• Bo Sehlstedt (Sweden) 36,000

By Sean Callander

The impact of PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau: Asian Poker Open is being felt around the world, but it’s easy to forget that the arrival of poker to the world’s biggest gaming market has made a significant impact locally.

News of the tournament winner was splashed across the front page of the Macau Daily Times and widely reported through the region.

There’s also been plenty of excitement for the team at the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino, where the arrival of the world’s best poker players and has been greeted with great excitement.

No-one was more excited than 24-year-old Angie Tang, who was one of the dealers at yesterday’s APPT Macau main event final table.

Angie, who’s been dealing at the Grand Waldo for the past three and a half years, didn’t know anything about poker prior to this tournament but is rapidly increasing her knowledge of the game.

“I’d barely heard of poker but after four weeks of training had picked up most of the basics,” Angie said.

Talk about the star pupil: Angie’s poise and professionalism earned her a spot under the TV lights on the final table.

“It was so exciting for me, the players were all great and treated me very kindly. Dealing in front of the cameras and to the biggest stars of poker was a clear highlight of the tournament for me,” she said.

So any plans to swap roles and try her luck on the other side of the table? “I don’t think so – I don’t have the patience needed for long hours at the table and the mind games that go with the game,” Angie said.

She’s currently dealing a sit ‘n’ go near our reporting table, as the players in the $15,000 Macau High Roller Event prepare to take their dinner break.

One player who’s stoked to have survived the last level is Canadian Christopher Piche. He’s just spent the last two hours at table one along side Nick Schulman, Jeff Lisandro, Scotty Nguyen, Liz Lieu, Guillaume Patry (reach the final table of the APPT Macau Main Event), Vanessa Rousso and John Juanda. Good story for the grandkids!



Approximate chip count

• John Juanda (USA) 93,000


• Emad Tahtouh (Australia) 62,000


• Tony Ng (Hong Kong) 58,000


• Yosh Nakano (Japan) 42,000


• Daniel Schreiber (USA) 41,000

PokerStars Video Blog
Alsion interviews players from the 15k event

By Sean Callander

The last time we saw Emad Tahtouh in action, it was taking the 233-metre plunge off the Macau Tower. One of his Team PokerStars colleagues said his swan dive resembled “a giant seagull trying to fly backwards while screaming its lungs out”. (if you haven't seen it yet, catch it at APPTLive video blog 12 Bungee Lovin')

Cruel maybe, but the Australian is soaring like an eagle in the early stages of today’s $15,000 Macau High Roller Event and is the early chip leader.

The Team PokerStars member isn’t having it all his own way though, and told us in the last break he’s picking his marks very carefully on a table that includes fellow Team PokerStars Pros Isabelle Mercier and ‘ElkY’ Grospellier.

“It’s a tough table for sure, and it’s not going to get an easier with a field like this,” Tahtouh said.

After reaching the final table of yesterday’s PokerStars.net APPT Macau: Asian Poker Open main event, ‘ElkY’ was put to the sword by Tahtouh in a dramatic hand just before the end of level four (100/200 with a 25 ante).

On a flop of 6h 9h Qc, Tahtouh led out for 1500 bet and ElkY moved all in over the top for a total of 6225. After some friendly banter between the PokerStars pals, Tahtouh made the call and showed Ac Qd, having ElkY's Kc Qh dominated. Blanks (3d 4s) on the turn and river sent ElkY out in 58th position.

Earlier, Tahtouh hauled in a big pot when he eliminated Cole South. “I had a set of nines and Cole missed his flush draw,” Tahtouh said of the hand which played out on a board of 9h 7s 4d 3h Jc.

Another recent mover is John Juanda. It’s hard to think of a player better suited to sitting at a table in an APPT event. Born in Indonesia but of Chinese descent, Juanda is one of the game’s most decorated pros. It’s almost as if his life has come full-circle to here in Macau for this prestigious and historic event.




We’re down to 48 players of the 65 who started almost five hours ago, with eliminations including Chad Brown (Tony Ng’s bottom set held up against the American’s nut flush draw), Australian duo Richard Holmes and Emanuel Seal, Guido Lunardini (who placed 12th in the main event), APPT Manila and Seoul final table participant, Russia’s Alexander Kuzmin, Denmark’s Tim Overguard and Chen Wing Hui of Hong Kong.

Approximate chip count:

• Emad Tahtouh (Australia) 62,000


• John Juanda (USA) 47,000


• Daniel Schreiber (USA) 41,000


• Tony Ng (Hong Kong) 41,000


• Bo Sehlstedt (Sweden) 32,500

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 in