Stanley Choi wins Macau High Stakes Challenge
Saturday, 1 September 2012
Organisers of the Macau High Stakes Challenge said that the tournament was going to be a biggie and they were most certainly right. A total of 73 players including Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen, Erik Seidel, Mike McDonald and a host of Asian businessmen paid the initial HK$2m ($US260k) buy-in with a further 21 players firing a second barrel to create a gargantuan prize pool of over US$23.5m.
After 14 hours of rapid fire action it was Stanley Choi who was the last man standing pocketing a first prize of almost US$6.5m after his pockets tens held up to beat Zgu Guan Fai's pocket sixes heads up. Not bad for a day's work.
Sam Trickett's love affair with both high roller events and Macau continued with a seventh place finish that was good for just sort of US$1m (or four new Ferraris). Other notables to make the money were Brit JP Kelly whose min-cash was worth $587,819, Phil Ivey who busted in 8th for US$822,999 and John Juanda who departed in fifth with US$1,645,868.
The in the money finishers were as follows:
1. Stanley Choi – HK$50,149,000 ($6,466,011)
2. Zhu Guan Fai – HK$33,737,000 ($4,349,913)
3. Nicholas Wong – HK$25,530,000 ($3,291,736)
4. Tang Zheng – HK$17,324,000 ($2,233,687)
5. John Juanda – HK$12,765,000 ($1,645,868)
6. Lap Key Chan – HK$9,574,000 ($1,234,433)
7. Sam Trickett – HK$7,750,000 ($999,254)
8. Phil Ivey – HK$6,383,000 ($822,999)
9. Alan Sass – HK$5,471,000 ($705,409)
10. Philipp Gruissem – HK$4,559,000 ($587,819)
11. Di Van Hoang Dang – HK$4,559,000 ($587,819)
12. J.P. Kelly – HK$4,559,000 ($587,819)