Two players were eliminated on the opening hand – the first being US PokerStars Qualifier Robert Campitiello, who started the day with 20,900 in chips.

He was delighted to look down and find Ah-Ks on the opening hand and wasted little pushing his stack into the centre, only to find Hong Kong’s Ken Yeung holding pocket aces (the board ran out 3c-Qh-4c-7s-7h.

Across at table 15, Western Australia’s Terry Gardiner also decided to make a stand on the first hand with Jh-3c but Fam Yat was in a strong position holding pocket 10s. Again, the board (2d-6s-9d-8c-Kh) did the short stack no favours as Gardiner bowed out in 15th position.

One of the six Japanese players still in contention for the title Michiyuki Kondo was next to fall – again, Singapore’s Fam Yat was the beneficiary.

The players watched a flop of 10d-2h-Kd, Kondo bet 5000 and Yat called. The turn came 8h – Kondo checked, Yat bet 6000 and Kondo called.

On the river (4d), Kondo moved all-in and Yat made what proved to be a brave call with Qc-10c, which had Kondo’s As-5d beaten.

The next elimination didn’t follow the script at all. PokerStars Sponsored player Bryan Huang from Singapore kicked it off with a raise to 8000, chip leader Brian Kang made it 25,000 and Huang called.

The flop was 4s-3s-Js, Kang bet 25,000, Huang pushed all-in and Kang called. The words “cookie” and “jar” spring to mind after Huang showed Kh-Qh while Kang held pocket aces, including the As for the nut flush draw. The board bricked out for Huang, who collected his second cash in successive APPT event (he was third in the APPT Macau main event).

Hori Katsuyoshi was next to leave the tournament area after he found himself in a race with pocket sevens against the Ac-Ks of PokerStars Sponsored player Dan Schreiber. The board hit Schreiber on the flop – 6c-Ad-Qs – and ran out 5c Qd to give the quiet achiever another scalp.

Play is now at level 14 (1500/3000 with a 500 ante), and judging by the rate of eliminations, the final table line-up shouldn’t be too far away from being decided.

The Walker-hill Casino poker room was packed to capacity for the exciting bubble period, which ended with Saab busting out after two massive hands.

Trying to make the most of the tight play that normally ensues on the bubble, Saab raised to 7000, Hidenari Shiono called, Japan’s Wooka Kim smiled and pushed all-in and both players again called.

The flop was an ominous 6h-7h-9h, Shiono checked, Saab declared he was all-in with Shiono quickly following suit. Kim showed Jh-Js, Shino held 8h-8c and Saab 7c-9d.

The turn was the Qc but Shiono dramatically crashed to the floor (captured brilliantly by our photographer Joe Giron) when the river came the Ah. So Kim had tripled up, Saab was down to 120,000 and Shiono scooped up the massive side-pot to take his stack to 150,000.

The final hand of the day started in familiar fashion with a raise to 6000 from Saab, with Brian Kang making the call before watching the flop come 2d-3h-10h. Saab bet 17,000 and Kang called before Saab said he’d check the turn in the dark.

The turn was the 7d, Kang bet 25,000, Saab pushed all-in and Kang called immediately, showing a set of threes while Saab held 6h-2h for a pair and flush draw. When the 4c landed on the river, Saab’s stunning day had ended and the top 16 players were decided for tomorrow’s finale.

PokerStars Sponsored players Dan Schreiber and Bryan Huang will both be chasing a spot at the final table but the man in the box seat is Canada’s Brian Kang.

Day 2 chip count

Brian Kang (Canada) 302,000
Yoshihiro Tasaka (Japan) 245,000
Sam Faqiryar (Canada) 242,400
Hidenari Shiono (Japan) 154,700
Diwei Huang (Singapore) 131,300 (PokerStars Sponsored Player)
Daniel Schreiber (USA) 125,700 (PokerStars Sponsored Player)
David Horvath (Hungary) 92,500 (PokerStars Qualifier)
Wooka Kim (Japan) 44,900
Fam Kai Yat (Singapore) 41,200
Yuji Masaki (Japan) 39,000
Michiyuki Kondo (Japan) 37,100
Daniel Williams (Canada) 35,500 (PokerStars Qualifier)
Hori Katsiyoshi (Japan) 23,800
Kwok Gi (Ken) Yeung (Hong Kong) 21,800
Robert Campitiello (USA) 20,900 (PokerStars Qualifier)
Terry Gardiner (Australia) 16,100

All photography © Joe Giron/IMPDI

Sam Faqiryar has slipped under the radar today but made his move when it mattered.

Japan’s Yoshihiro Tasaka is the clear leader with 230,000, followed by Brit Sam Faqiryar (190,000), Brian Kang of Canada (165,000) and PokerStars qualifier David Saab (145,000), who briefly held the chip lead when he eliminated James Suen.

After a pre-flop raising war, Suen was all-in with Qc-7h but found himself up against Saab’s pocket jacks. The board ran out 5s-9d-4d-6d-4c, and Suen entourage burst into celebrations thinking he’d made a straight. Not so fast boys – the jacks were good and Saab celebrated in, well, typical Saab fashion. With the field down to 24, players were redrawn into three tables of eight:

Table 1

Seat 1: Bryan Huang (PokerStars Sponsored Player)
Seat 2: Kwok Yeung
Seat 3: Yoshihiro Tasaka
Seat 4: Fai Kam Yat
Seat 5: Robert Campitiello (PokerStars Qualifier)
Seat 6: Chanon Phucharoenyos
Seat 7: Hori Katsiyoshi
Seat 8: Robert Vujevic (PokerStars Qualifier)

Table 2

Seat 1: Jae Jung
Seat 2: David Horvath (PokerStars Qualifier)
Seat 3: Daniel Williams (PokerStars Qualifier)
Seat 4: Brian Kang
Seat 5: Terry Gardiner
Seat 6: Hidenari Shiono
Seat 7: Wooka Kim
Seat 8: David Saab (PokerStars Qualifier)

Table 3

Seat 1: Robert Acton (PokerStars Qualifier)
Seat 2: Masayuki Nagata (PokerStars Qualifier)
Seat 3: Sam Faqiryar
Seat 4: Yuji Masaki
Seat 5: Michiyuki Kondo
Seat 6: Mitsuhiro Nakao
Seat 7: Lily Bui
Seat 8: Dan Schreiber (PokerStars Sponsored Player)

Australia’s Lily Bui outlasted her partner Van sirens Marcus but could consider herself unlucky when she pushed in her remaining chips with pocket aces – nice spot – and found herself up against the pocket queens of the final PokerStars Sponsored player in the field, Dan Schreiber.

With a big crowd starting to gather near the table to cheer on rekrul, Schreiber allowed himself a brief celebratory clap when the board landed Ks-Qh-Kh. Bui shrugged picked up her things and headed out to enjoy Saturday night, Seoul-style.

Replacing Davis at the top of the chip count is Yoshihiro Tasaka, and it’s thanks to Davis’ chips that Japanese poker newcomer is leading the way just 16 spots short of the money.

A cash-game veteran, Tasaka started playing Seven-card Stud more than 30 years ago, but took a break from poker until he learned of Texas Hold’em. Two and a half years ago he started playing again and decided to try his luck in the PokerStars.net 2008 APPT Seoul main event, his first live poker tournament.

When asked how he got his big stack, he claimed it was all luck, but his quiet demeanour and aggressive betting at the table suggest otherwise. Tasaka, with yesterday’s chip leader, Hidenari Shiono, give Japan a good shot at beating Kazunori Sato’s (eighth in last year’s APPT Manila) record of the best finish in an APPT event for a Japanese player.

On a board of 2d-3d-7c, Tasaka checked to Davis, who bet 10,000. Tasaka check-raised to 42,000, with Davis committing his remaining 45,000 to the pot. Tasaka quickly called and showed pocket sevens for top set with Davis (Kd-Qd) chasing a flush.

The turn was the Ah and while the river (Ad) gave Davis the nut flush, it filled up Tasaka who leapt from his seat in ecstasy. We knew these Japanese players would fire up sooner or later!

But while Tasaka’s stack is in the ascendant, Jan Van Dyk’s chip tally is in freefall. He lost a big pot when David Saab hit a nine on the river to make a pair against a flopped pair of sixes for Van Dyk, then Robert Campitello hit a two-out eight to make a set against Van Dyk’s pocket jacks. The South African is down to 20,000, and was hardly comforted when David Saab bellowed that “eights were lucky in Asia!”

Play has reached level 11 (blinds 800/1600 with a 200 ante) and we’re watching the player tally to see if play goes beyond level 12 (depending how close play is to the bubble).

Yes, the PokerStars girls have once again been delivering a much-needed energy burst to the 32 players still in contention midway through day two of the PokerStars.net APPT Seoul main event at the Paradise Walker-hill Casino.

In the shadow of the giant wedding ceremony that has just wound up in the theatre adjacent to the casino (we noticed the groom pop in for a few rounds of baccarat), the race for the cash is on in earnest.

One player who’s carefully picked his marks today is the Korean-based Tim Davis, but his stack is now the biggest in the room after he eliminated Justin Jung. The money went in on the river with the board showing 3h-2h-7c-As-Ad, with Davis showing Ac-5c for runner-runner trips, with a frustrated Jung slamming down his pocket kings.

In contrast, two of the most prominent stacks in the room have been riding a roller coaster in the past 30 minutes. David Saab called James Suen’s all-in on a flop of 2h-4s-5c with pocket kings, and looked in good shape against the Singaporean until the 3c landed on the turn to fill Suen’s straight. Saab is down to 52,000.

But not for long. Saab just claimed the scalp of Sid Kim, who placed third in this event last year. On a flop of 10c-5h-Kd, Kim shoved in his remaining chips with pocket queens, but Saab insta-called with pocket 10s for a set and a nice pot.

It’s also been a mixed session for players who featured prominently in the PokerStars.net APPT Macau main event. Champion Eddie Sabat has been sent to the rail but Bryan Huang, who finished third in Macau, has been playing aggressively and is up to 40,000.

Japan’s Yu Kurita has less experience than most of her opponents but has spent the past 18 months honing her skills at Tokyo’s Japan Poker League (JPL). She fell to just 5000 in chips earlier today but just doubled through Sabat to keep her hopes alive of a cash (and maybe more) here in the PokerStars.net APPT Seoul main event.

Our Japanese blogger Jenn Barr says Yu Karita is “beautiful and poised off the felt, but on the felt, watch out. You’ll see her on almost every final table at JPL daily tournaments and she’s almost always in the final few at the league’s satellites and monthly finals.

She appeared on the women’s poker league on Mondo 21 and won the JPL APPT Macau satellite to represent Japan in the main event. Yu learned poker from a friend who was a limit hold’em specialist with cashes in WSOP, when she was a junior in college. At just 22 Yu has ample opportunity to leave her mark on the poker world.

She has already tied her luck on the cash tables in Vegas (her favourite venue was the Wynn), but feels tournaments are more her game.” Karita is hanging in there, but the list of casualties is starting to mount.

At the other end of the chip count, Jan Van Dyk continues to tear a swathe through his table and has broken through the 100,000-chip barrier in taking out two of the small stacks. However, we farewelled two PokerStars Sponsored players in the past level.

Celina Lin committed her remaining chips pre-flop and received a call from Canadian Brian Kang. It proved an astute call from Kang, whose pocket nines and Lin’s pocket eights dominated. The board of 5h-Qc-10d-Qd-7d brought no joy for Lin but helped Kang leap to more than 75,000 in chips.

Fresh for his final table finish in the APPT Macau High Roller event, Singapore’s Ivan Tan also a free afternoon on his hands after getting it in with Ac-Ks against Patrick Carron’s pocket queens. Tan hit a K on the flop but Carron found a two-out Q on the turn, eventually filling up on the river.

And we’ve just witnessed the most poorly timed bet of the tournament. Hori Katsuyoshi watched a flop come Qh-Qs-9h when his opponent declared all-in. Hori couldn’t get his money in quick enough and showed the other two queens. Bad time to make a move.

With play about to head into level 9 (500/1000 with a 100 ante), the top five stacks are Jan Van Dyk (108,000), Brian Kang (76,000), Hidenari Shiono (70,000), David Saab (69,000) and Patrick Carron (61,000).

In a four-way pot and the flop reading Ac-7c-7s, Nick Lackovic bet 2000, Osawa Masahiro made it 8000, ElkY pushed all-in for approximately 16,000, Lackovic folded and Masahiro called.

ElkY showed Qd-7h, but Masahiro had him out-kicked with Kd-7d, and a pair of bricks (3d 6c) meant the final Team PokerStars Pro was headed for the rail.

Not known for being a big table talker, ElkY’s behaviour at the table has been mirrored by most of the Asian players who go about their business with a minimum of fuss. Thankfully, they haven’t picked up on the habit of jumping from their seats and screaming “one time” or bemoaning even the slightest of bad beats.

Watch APPT Seoul 08: Elky Day 2 WCOOP on PokerStars.tv

Aussie Van Marcus was another player to leave the tournament area in the first level of play after he called the all-in of Michael Bang on a flop of Qc-3c-Qs. In hand eerily similar to that which eliminated ElkY, Marcus showed Qd-10s but Bang revealed Qh-Js.

There was no help for Marcus, as Bang celebrated his second KO of the day as his stack approached 50,000 and the chip lead.

Speaking of the chip leader, Jan Van Dyk missed the first 30 minutes of play (“slept in,” he said with a sheepish grin) but he looks well rested and wasted little time winning a couple of pots to make up for the blinds he’d already contributed.

At table 12, David Saab has shaken off yesterday’s hangover and his back to his normal chatty and sociable self. However, Randy Propson has taken exception to Saab’s incessant chatter, which should make for an interesting afternoon especially with their table unlikely to be broken until later in the day.

Watch APPT Seoul 08: Sam and Eric Day 2 on PokerStars.tv

APPT Tournament Director Danny McDonagh has just informed us that play may end once the bubble (top 16) has been reached. As this event is not being filmed for TV, the final table will take much less time than previous APPT final tables.

APPT Seoul main event payouts

1 USD$128,216
2 USD$80,135
3 USD$44,074
4 USD$32,054
5 USD$26,043
6 USD$20,033
7 USD$16,027
8 USD$12,020
9 USD$8013
10 USD$6010
11 USD$6010
12 USD$6010
13 USD$4006
14 USD$4006
15 USD$4006
16 USD$4006

After a relatively comfortable six one-hour levels yesterday, the pace will be hotter than a plate of kimchi when the 83 remaining players return to the Paradise Walker-hill Casino for day two of the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Seoul main event.

But South Africa's Jan Van Dyk is still to make an appearance at his table as players prepare for the start of play. It's amazing how hard it can be for poker players to find their way from a hotel room to a poker room, even when they're in the same building!

Players returning today include Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand ElkY Grospellier, PokerStars Sponsored players Ivan Tan, Dan Schreiber, Bryan Huang and Eddie Sabat. Cards will be in the air in the next few minutes, with the blinds at level 7 (300/600 with a 75 ante).

Top 10 chip counts

Jan Van Dyk (Sth Africa) 51,375
David Saab (Australia) 47,850
Hidenari Shiono (Japan) 47,175
Justin Jung 44,500
Tim Davis 42,875
Michael Young Jeun Song (USA) 39,500
Samad Razavi (UK) 36,100
Larry Pashak (Canada) 36,025
Hori Katsiyoshi (Japan) 33,475
Shunchi Ogiwara (Japan) 29,425

Day 2 table draw

Table 3

Seat 1: Mitsuhiro Nakao (Japan) 8950
Seat 2: Masayuki Nagata (Japan) 11,150 PS Qualifier
Seat 3: Van Marcus (Australia) 19,150
Seat 4: Andrey Alekseev (Russian Federation) 3100
Seat 5: Yoshihiro Tasaka (Japan) 13,050
Seat 6: Eivind Leknes (Norway) 15,200 PS Qualifier
Seat 7: Michael Hyong Gue Bang 21,225
Seat 8: Nobuyuki Okuda (Japan) 5225

Table 4

Seat 1: Chris Iat Seng Wa (Macau) 15,900
Seat 2: Paul Kim (USA) 23,500
Seat 3: Hidenari Shiono (Japan) 47,175
Seat 4: Raymond Wu (Taiwan) 20,800 PS Qualifier
Seat 5: Daniel Schreiber (USA) 16,450 PokerStars Sponsored
Seat 6: Susumu Toge (Japan) 4050
Seat 7: Aaron Tearne (China) 17800
Seat 8: Jae Jung 11,950

Table 5

Seat 1: David Lee (USA) 16,550 PS Qualifier
Seat 2: Bernard Lim (Malaysia) 18,100
Seat 3: Wooka Kim (Japan) 23,075
Seat 4: Daniel Williams (Canada) 13,825 PS Qualifier
Seat 5: Ivan Tan (Singapore) 12,150 PokerStars Sponsored
Seat 6: Robert Campitiello (USA) 9075 PS Qualifier
Seat 7: Bryan Huang (Singapore) 19,550 PokerStars Sponsored
Seat 8: Alec Milam (USA) 21,450 PS Qualifier

Table 6

Seat 1: Yuji Masaki (Japan) 23,275
Seat 2: Shunchi Ogiwara (Japan) 29,425
Seat 3: Jan Lodewyk Van Dyk (Sth Africa) 51,375
Seat 4: Tadashi Yachida (Japan) 16,450
Seat 5: Larry Pashak (Canada) 36,025
Seat 6: Naoki Komoda (Japan) 4900
Seat 7: Michiyuki Kondo (Japan) 11,800
Seat 8: Kwok Gi (Ken) Yeung (Hong Kong) 20,750

Table 9

Seat 1: Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier (France) 14,550 Team PokerStars Pro
Seat 2: Nick Lackovic (Australia) 25,300
Seat 3: Fam Kai Yat (Singapore) 20,725
Seat 4: Chanon Phucharoenyos (Thailand) 19,975
Seat 5: Alexander Ståhle (Sweden) 12,125
Seat 6: Osawa Masahiro (Japan) 28,225
Seat 7: Sam Faqiryar (Canada) 23,900
Seat 8: Tim Davis 42,875

Table 10

Seat 1: Miho Kikuchi (Japan) 4950
Seat 2: Ronald Kluber (USA) 20,050
Seat 3: Justin Jung 44,500
Seat 4: Patrick Carron (USA) 27,025 PS Qualifier
Seat 5: Lily Bui (Australia) 13,925
Seat 6: Ira Blumenthal (Thailand) 12,975
Seat 7: Samad Razavi (UK) 36,100 PS Qualifier
Seat 8: Takashi Shiono (Japan) 15,900

Table 11

Seat 1: Chintana Blumenthal (Thailand) 9875
Seat 2: Robert Acton (Canada) 24,150 PS Qualifier
Seat 3: Tony Kinder (Australia) 18,650 PS Qualifier
Seat 4: Hui Chen (Kitty) Kuo Taiwan 8450
Seat 5: Takeya Sugie (Japan) 11,750
Seat 6: Randy Lee 10,750
Seat 7: Rene Richard Salazar 28,725
Seat 8: Michael Young Jeun Song (USA) 39,500

Table 12

Seat 1: Jimmy Cha (USA) 14,075
Seat 2: Elton Tsang (Hong Kong) 12,675
Seat 3: Randy Propson (USA) 22,800 PS Qualifier
Seat 4: Hori Katsiyoshi (Japan) 33,475
Seat 5: Christian Wolf (Germany) 13,625 PS Qualifier
Seat 6: Shinhan Sid Kim (USA) 20,400
Seat 7: James Suen (Singapore) 19,500
Seat 8: Kenichi Takarabe (Japan) 16,350 PS Qualifier
Seat 9: David Saab (Australia) 47,850 PS Qualifier

Table 14

Seat 1: Matthew Seabrook (UK) 8775 PS Qualifier
Seat 2: Horaud Pierre (Guadeloupe) 6150 PS Qualifier
Seat 3: David Horvath (Hungary) 18,700 PS Qualifier
Seat 4: Neelesh Vithal Chudasama (UK) 14,875
Seat 5: Yu Kurita (Japan) 14,625
Seat 6: Eddie Sabat (USA) 19,550 PokerStars Sponsored
Seat 7: Eric Wai Yeung (USA) 14,800
Seat 8: Joseph Morrow (USA) 21,350
Seat 9: Alan Heather (USA) 10,950

Table 15

Seat 1: Ofer Assabi (South Africa) 17,800 PS Qualifier
Seat 2: Ayumi Okano (Japan) 450
Seat 3: Robert Vujevic (Germany) 14,675 PS Qualifier
Seat 4: Lance Lee Yuen (Taiwan) 23,450
Seat 5: Allan Drake (Canada) 24,850 PS Qualifier
Seat 6: Terry Gardiner (Australia) 12,550
Seat 7: Itara Kaneko (Japan) 10,600
Seat 8: Celina Lin (Australia) 14,850
Seat 9: Brian Kang (Canada) 24,500