The 2011 PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event attracted 575 players from around the world, setting new attendance marks for the tour in its fifth season. The previous mark was set back in 2007 at the Season 1 APPT Sydney Grand Final (561 players).
Thursday’s 306-player Day 1b field was teeming with familiar faces, headlined by none other than two-time WSOP Main Event winner Johnny Chan.
Several former APPT Macau Main Event champions played on Day 1b including Dinh Le (2007), Eddy Sabat (2008) and last year’s winner, Victorino Torres (2010). Le and Torres made it through to Day 2, with 64,800 and 47,000 in chips respectively. Sabat was eliminated during the last level of play.
Current Asia Player of the Year (APOY) frontrunner Hung-Sheng “Shaq” Lin also played Day 1b of the APPT Macau Main Event, but was eliminated midway through the day.
Other notable Day 1b survivors include Huang (154,100), Lew (53,200), Vivian Im (58,800), Johnny Chan (77,600) and Terrence Chan (80,400).
Notable Day 1b casualties include Celina Lin, Max Lykov, Jackie Glazier, Brendon Rubie, Joseph Cheong and former APPT Sydney Grand Final champ Aaron Benton.
The remaining 304 players in the field (155 from Day 1a and 149 from Day 1b) are competing for a share of the HKD $15,552,600 prizepool. The top 70 places are scheduled to be paid, with first set to receive HKD $3,772,000 (approximately $483,000 USD).
TOP TEN CHIP COUNTS (END OF DAY 1)
Chieh Su Shih – 171,800
Jun Sha – 169,400 (PokerStars Macau Qualifier)
Daniel Francis – 154,100 (Poker Stars Player)
Bryan Huang – 154,100 (Team PokerStars Asia)
Carlos Chang – 147,900 (PokerStars Player)
Andrew Ong – 145,900
Daniel Chua – 145,900
Fabian Spiedelmann – 142,800 (PokerStars Qualifier)
Erdenebold Begzjav 142,400 (PokerStars Macau Qualifier)
Zheng Tai Tan – 141,000
