The close of the 2014 World Series of Poker Asia/Pacific (WSOP-APAC) is upon us with two tournaments set to close over the next couple of days. Up first will be the $25,000 High Roller event on Friday and the festivities Down Under will conclude with the crowning of the $10,000 Main Event champion.
$10,000 Championship Event – Day 4
18 players came back on Thursday afternoon at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, looking to reach the final six people who would contend for the Championship Event title. Victor Teng held a 600K chip lead over home country favorite Jason Giuliano, but Day 2 chip leader Kyle Montgomery was nipping at his heels. Also of interest to many of the railbirds was the run of Brandon Shack-Harris, who was looking to potentially overtake George Danzer to seize the WSOP Player of the Year title.
The determination of the POY was fairly quick as Shack-Harris was one of the first departures of the day. After Frank Kassela opened up the betting in late position, Shack-Harris dumped his stack into the center of the felt. Kassela made the call and it was a race, Shack-Harris’ pocket Jacks holding the pre-flop edge over Kassela’s A-9. The flop ended all drama essentially, coming A-2-8, and by the river Kassela had made two pair, sending Shack-Harris out in 17th place and closing out the POY race in favor of Danzer.
With Shack-Harris’ elimination, the field came to two tables with Teng’s lead cut down to only 150K over Giuliano and nearly 700K over Montgomery. No one else at the time held more than 600,000 in chips at that point (Australian Jack Salter), but that situation would change as the day’s play wore on.
Giuliano would take over the chip lead in knocking off Australian poker legend Gary Benson in 15th place, but he would just as quickly give that lead back in losing hands to Kassela and Ang Italiano to drop back to two million chips. Salter, meanwhile, began his march up the leaderboard in knocking off J. J. Liu in 13th place as Giuliano ended Jackie Glazier’s run in 12th place.
Down to 11 players, it was at this point that Salter hit a strong run. He eliminated Baden Logan in 11th and Eiji Matsumura in 10th place to bring the field to the unofficial final table. Salter’s run had moved him into contention behind Montgomery and Giuliano and, after the dinner break, Salter would come out on the better end of a clash with Teng to crack the two million chip level. On what would prove to be the final hand of the day’s action, Salter and Teng would butt heads again, with Salter’s pocket Kings holding court over Teng’s pocket Jacks on a 3-A-10-2-5 board to eliminate Teng in seventh place and set the final table.
1. Jack Salter, 3.255 million
2. Scott Davies, 2.21 million
3. Henry Wang, 1.7 million
4. Frank Kassela, 1.25 million
5. Kyle Montgomery, 950,000
6. Ang Italiano, 510,000
The players will take a break on Friday while the High Roller tournament concludes and return to action on Saturday. The final player left standing on Saturday will become the second-ever champion of the WSOP-APAC Championship Event and take home a $850,136 payday.
$25,000 High Roller – Day 2
36 players returned from the original 68 runners in the $25,000 High Roller on Thursday, looking to lay claim to the $600,000 first place prize and the WSOP gold that goes along with it. Mike Leah and David Yan neck-and-neck for the chip lead. Other players looking to get to the final six included WSOP-APAC bracelet winner Sam Higgs, 2012 WSOP Championship Event winner Greg Merson, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Watson and Sam Khouiss (continuing his big run in Australia), among others.
Shack-Harris, coming off the close of his run in the Championship Event, attempted to catch Danzer in the POY by entering this tournament under the late registration rules, but it was for naught. Shack-Harris never gained any traction in the High Roller, eventually getting his chips to the center after flopping trip Queens against Sean Winter’s pocket Aces. Unfortunately, Winter would find an Ace on the river to upend Shack-Harris trio of ladies, closing out Shack-Harris’ 2014 WSOP and earning Danzer the POY crown.
The names that would drop from the High Roller before hitting the money read like a Who’s Who of the poker world. Eddy Sabat, Tobias Reinkemeier, Jeff Gross, Watson and David Steicke were gone as the final two tables were determined as Andrew Hinrichsen took over the lead as the only player over a million chips. They were soon followed by Charania, Richard Lyndaker, Merson, Michael Egan and Winter as the final nine came together to determine who would take their pieces of the prize pool.
When the bubble popped, it was a big name that fell. Hellmuth had fought for most of the day with inadequate ammunition and, after getting his chips in against Leah with an A-J for top pair against Leah’s flopped set of eights, couldn’t find a way to catch up. When Hellmuth exited in ninth place, the rest of the field was guaranteed at least $50,021.
The final two eliminations came fairly quickly to set the High Roller final table. Yan would dispatch Hinrichsen in eighth place and, after Leah ended Higgs’ run at a second WSOP-APAC bracelet in seventh, the final table was determined with Leah holding a large lead.
1. Mike Leah, 2.576 million
2. David Yan, 1.278 million
3. Jesse Sylvia, 580,000
4. Jonathan Duhamel, 358,000
5. Brian Roberts, 207,000
6. Sam Khouiss, 106,000
These players will return on Friday to decide who takes home the WSOP-APAC High Roller title.