Kempe And Chen Win Big in APPT Macau High Rollers
On Sunday, March 25, Germany's Rainer Kempe outlasted a field of 38 entrants to win the 2018 APPT Macau HK$100,000 High Roller Single Re-Entry at the City of Dreams for HK$1,203,000 ($153,297).
Kempe now has $14.6 million in live cashes, which is third on The Hendon Mob's Germany All Time Money List just behind Fedor Holz's $26.7 million and Christoph Vogelsang's $15.6 million.
2018 APPT Macau HK$100,000 High Roller Single Re-Entry Final Table Results
| Position | Player | Country | Prize (HK$) | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rainer Kempe | Germany | HK$1,203,000 | $153,297 |
| 2 | Manig Loeser | Germany | HK$831,000 | $105,892 |
| 3 | Marius Gierse | Germany | HK$531,000 | $67,660 |
| 4 | Lander Lijo | Spain | HK$407,000 | $51,862 |
| 5 | Ben Tollerene | United States | HK$318,000 | $40,521 |
| 6 | Jinghui Ying | China | HK$247,800 | $31,576 |
A total of six players cashed in the event.
Jinghui Ying was the first player eliminated in sixth place for HK$247,800 ($31,576), followed by American high-stakes pro Ben Tollerene in fifth place for HK $318,000 ($40,521) and Spain's Lander Lijo in fourth place for HK$407,000 ($51,862).
This left three German players vying for the title and the lion's share of the remaining prize pool. Marius Gierse inched closer to $700,000 in live tournament cashes after he bowed out in third place for HK$531,000 ($67,660).
Kempe then eliminated Manig Loeser to claim the title. Loeser didn't walk away empty-handed and now has almost $6.3 million in live tournament cashes after he banked the healthy runner-up prize of HK$831,000 ($105,892).
James Chen Wins the APPT Macau HK$100,000 High Roller
Also on Sunday, James Chen finished on top of a field of 192 entrants to win the APPT Macau HK$100,000 High Roller for HK$1,704,000 ($512,411) and a coveted PSPC Platinum Pass valued at $30,000.
Chen, with nearly $2.5 million in live tournament cashes now, has three wins in APPT Macau High Rollers to go along with two Aussie Millions side event titles.
2018 APPT Macau HK$100,000 High Roller Final Table Results
| Position | Player | Country | Prize (HK$) | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Chen | Taiwan | HK$4,021,000 | $512,411 |
| 2 | Xin Fan | China | HK$2,714,000 | $345,855 |
| 3 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | HK$1,868,000 | $238,046 |
| 4 | Kristen Bicknell | Canada | HK$1,523,000 | $194,081 |
| 5 | Wenling Gao | China | HK$1,215,000 | $154,832 |
| 6 | Albert Paik | United States | HK$933,000 | $118,896 |
| 7 | Javier Gomez | Spain | HK$678,500 | $86,464 |
| 8 | Dominik Nitsche | Germany | HK$492,000 | $62,697 |
| 9 | Dapeng Mu | United States | HK$406,000 | $51,738 |
According to the PokerStars Blog, the third and final day began with Canada's Kristen Bicknell in the chip lead with 14 players remaining. The nine-max final table began after Justin Bonomo bowed out in tenth place. At this point, American Albert Paik closed the gap and entered the final table in a tie for the chip lead with Bicknell.
Three eliminations took place at the final table in the blink of an eye. First to go was American Dapeng Mu in ninth place for HK$406,000 ($51,738). Mu jammed with jack-ten on a jack-high board on the turn, and the river was unable to help after Chen called with pocket aces.
Soon after, Germany's Dominik Nitsche was ousted in eighth place for HK$492,000 ($62,697) after jamming ace-three from the button and not getting there after China's Wenling Gao called with ace-queen from the big blind.
Spain's Javier Gomez was the next victim hitting the rail in seventh place for HK$678,500 ($86,464). Gomez three-bet jammed with ace-king and was unable to win a flip after Stephen Chidwick called with pocket eights.
The chip lead was bouncing around like a hot potato before the next elimination. Chen claimed the lead before it was back with Bicknell. Palk then had the lead before China's Xin Fan was king of the hill.
Palk hit the rail in sixth place for HK$933,000 ($118,896), and the lead went back over to Chen. Palk three-bet shoved pocket aces and couldn't hold after Chen called with pocket kings and a king hit the board.
Gao was eliminated in fifth place for HK$1,215,000 ($154,832) in a spot she was favored to double. Fan moved all in with jack-ten on a ten-high board and was called by Gao with pocket kings. A ten hit the turn and Fan was back in the chip lead once again.
Chen took the lead back and extended it further by eliminating Bicknell in fourth place for HK$1,523,000 ($194,081). Bicknell shoved with king-queen from the button and was unable to improve her hand after Chen called with ace-queen from the big blind. Not a bad week for Bicknell who won the HK$80,000 High Roller earlier this festival for HK$2,192,000 ($279,549).
Shortly after, Chidwick hit the showers in third place for HK$1,868,000 ($238,046) after his ace-seven couldn't out flip Chen's pocket fours.
Chen entered heads-up play with a 3:1 chip advantage against Fan. The final battle didn't last too long. Fan, who won an APPT Macau High Roller in February, was unable to get a second title after he jammed queen-ten and didn't improve against Chen's with king-ten.
Despite getting the runner-up prize this time, Fan was able to record his biggest live poker tournament cash haul of HK$2,714,000 ($345,855).
*Photos courtesy of Long Guan and Kenneth Lim, hand data courtesy of the PokerStars Blog.
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