CASINO GRAND LISBOA, MACAU, May 23, 2010 – PokerStars qualifier Victorino Torres just gave a whole new meaning to the phrase, “V for Victory.” The 33-year-old attorney from the Northern Mariana Islands* won the 4th annual PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event, turning a victory in a $22 rebuy satellite on PokerStars into more than $3.2 million HKD (approx. $416,000 USD).
Torres entered the final table as its second-shortest chip stack and quietly worked his way up the leaderboard as other players hit the rail. Torres stole the chip lead from runner-up Chong Wing Cheong once play became four-handed and from there, he never looked back.
“My whole experience here in Macau has been exceptional to say the least,” Torres said. “PokerStars ran this tournament beyond belief. To every player, if you have the opportunity, come out here and play.”
A trial lawyer by trade, a jubilant Torres said he expects to spend a little more time enjoying one of his other hobbies – farming – upon returning home:
“I think I’ll spend a little more time on the farm now that I won. I love farming. I find it soothing, it’s relaxing, and it’s beneficial. I love it.”
Cheong’s runner-up finish is notable, as it makes him the highest-placing Chinese player in the event’s four-year history. Cheong earned HKD $2,088,000 (approx. $267,600 USD) in prize money for his efforts.
FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS (Amounts listed in HKD):
1st: Victorino Torres, PokerStars Qualifier (USA) – $3,246,200
2nd: Chong Wing Cheong (Hong Kong) – $2,088,000
3rd: Cole Swannack, PokerStars Qualifier (New Zealand) – $1,177,600
4th: Jeppe Drivsholm (Denmark) – $891,000
5th: Kenny Nielsen, PokerStars Qualifier (Denmark) – $700,000
6th: Brian Green, PokerStars Qualifier (Costa Rica) – $572,900
7th: Kai Paulsen (Norway) – $445,600
8th: Albert Kim, PokerStars Player (USA) – $350,100
9th: Keith Hawkins (England) – $254,608
Please CLICK HERE for complete prizepool and payout information
More than 40 countries were represented at the HKD $40,000 (USD $5,160) buy-in Main Event, which attracted a total of 342 players from all six inhabited continents on Earth. Australia boasted the most entrants with 42, followed by the United States with 37 and Hong Kong with 26.
The geographical demographics of the final table epitomized the Main Event’s International flavor, as seven different nations were represented including China, Norway, Denmark, Costa Rica, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Team PokerStars Netherlands Pro Marcel Luske is now one-for-one on the APPT. This, his first visit to Macau and first entry into an APPT event, Luske finished in 27th place, earning HKD $76,400 (approximately USD $9,800) in prize money.
“You should not miss the Macau event,” said Luske. “Great service, good food, circumstances optimal. The weather I don’t know about because I’ve spent most of my time in the casino, but it’s a fantastic scene and I wish a lot of European players would get over here as soon as they can, because it’s a magnificent event.”
Other Team PokerStars Pros in attendance were Raymond Wu, Celina Lin, Bryan Huang and Tae Joon Noh of Team Asia, and best mates Tony Hachem and Eric Assadourian of Team Australia.
Several high profile players also turned out for the event including PokerStars sponsored players Nam Le, J.C. Tran, Quinn Do, Guillaume Patry, Terrence Chan, Neil Arce and Alex Loon, as did 2009 APPT Sydney Grand Final Champion Aaron Benton and Dinh Le, winner of the inaugural APPT Macau event in 2007.
*The Northern Mariana Islands are located in the western part of the Pacific Island. They are officially categorized as a commonwealth in political union with the United States.
The next scheduled stop on Season 4 of the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour is APPT Auckland, running September 15-19, 2010. Official dates for APPT Cebu have yet to be announced.
