Around one dozen Frenchman had already been registered for Day 1a of the Main Event here in Macau, and two further just showed up at the tables in Paul-Francois Tedeschi and Gaelle Baumann.
Baumann got involved in a three-bet pot out of the big blind only moments after sitting down and putting on her team pro patches. Baumann then bet the flop for 1,600 and David Bonham carefully checked his stack from under the gun before raising to 3,700. Baumann quickly tapped the table and mucked her cards.
A player in middle position raised to 400 and got calls from three players before Changhun Lee raised to 3,000 from the big blind. The initial raiser folded, as did everyone else except for Imad Derwich in the cutoff seat who had just joined the table.
The flop came and Lee continued with a bet of 3,400. Derwich responded by raising to 7,500 and his opponent took little time folding.
Zigao Yu raised from early position and Guodong Sun in the small blind as well as Julien Rouxel in the big blind both called. On the flop, the action checked to Yu, who continued for 900. Sun called before Rouxel then check-raised to 3,000 and picked up two callers.
The trio checked down the on the turn before Sun bet the river for 5,500 into 11,000. Rouxel raised it up to 14,600, which forced a quick fold from Yu, however Sun called and then saw the bad news. Rouxel turned over for the nut flush and that boosted the stack of Rouxel nicely.
Sometimes a player just has your number and always seems to have a hand when you do. For Russia’s Asker Aloev that man is Ali Reza Fatehi with the Iranian player fast becoming his nemesis.
We caught the action on the river with the board reading in an already sizable pot with what looks to be over 20,000 in chips already in the middle of the table.
First to act Fatehi led out for 6,500 and Aloev rolls his eyes up to the ceiling before tossing in the call. Fatehi immediately rolled over for a flopped set of fives leaving Aloev to flash a wry smile, his top pair and flopped second nut flush draw no good.
After a raise to 400 by Liu Qiang, Nariman Yaghmai called from one seat over and the small blind three-bet to 1,825. Both Qiang and Yaghmai came along to see a flop of and the small blind checked. Qiang bet 6,000 and Yaghmai, who only had 17,225 behind, gave it some consideration before moving all in. The small blind quickly let go, and Qiang called within a few moments to put Yaghmai at risk.
Nariman Yaghmai:
Liu Qiang:
The on the turn locked up the double for the player from Iran, making the river a formality.
On a flop of and 1,800 in the pot, Isaac Haxton checked from the small blind, the player on his direct left checked, and Julien Rouxel bet 650 from middle position. Just Haxton called.
The turn was the and both players checked, going to a river. Haxton checked again, and then called the bet of 1,350 from Rouxel. Haxton's was enough to win the pot while Rouxel threw away his .
Kiryl Radzivonau finished 8th in the last ever European Poker Tour Main Event in Prague last December, and with more than $1.7 million in tournament cashes, he is 5th in the all-time money list of Belarus.
Other familiar faces that recently joined are Yuki Ko, Sylvain Loosli, Quan Zhou and Tom Alner. Ko has solely cashes here in Macau and at the Aussie Millions, while Alner is the only other player besides Team PokerStars Pro Celina to have two Red Dragon titles in his poker resume.
Facing an all-in bet in a heads-up pot with about 12,000 in the middle and a board reading , Jack Salter began to chat up his opponent to try to get some info and was immediately met with a stern "no english" from his opponent.
Salter flashed his hand and tossed out some calling chips.
The floor was immediately called and the hands were left on their backs. Salter's opponent was under the assumption that Salter had folded when he showed his hand.
The floor ruled that his hand was still live and Salter tabled . His opponent reluctantly tabled and swiftly left the tournament floor as the board was completed by a and .
Salter added a nice collection of chips to his stack.
Zhen Wen limped in from under the gun, Antoine Saout limped from middle position, and Michel Abécassis raised it up to 900 from the cutoff. Both limpers called and the flop came .
Action checked to Abécassis who bet 1,500, getting a call from Wen and a fold from Saout.
The turn was the and Wen checked. Abécassis bet 3,275 and Wen had enough, throwing his cards in the muck.
flop for 1,600 and David Bonham carefully checked his stack from under the gun before raising to 3,700. Baumann quickly tapped the table and mucked her cards.
and Lee continued with a bet of 3,400. Derwich responded by raising to 7,500 and his opponent took little time folding.
on the turn before Sun bet the 
river for 5,500 into 11,000. Rouxel raised it up to 14,600, which forced a quick fold from Yu, however Sun called and then saw the bad news. Rouxel turned over 
for the nut flush and that boosted the stack of Rouxel nicely.
in an already sizable pot with what looks to be over 20,000 in chips already in the middle of the table.
for a flopped set of fives leaving Aloev to flash a wry smile, his 
top pair and flopped second nut flush draw no good.
and the small blind checked. Qiang bet 6,000 and Yaghmai, who only had 17,225 behind, gave it some consideration before moving all in. The small blind quickly let go, and Qiang called within a few moments to put Yaghmai at risk.
river a formality.
board with about 13,000 already in the pot, John Gallagher check-raised a bet of 3,500 from his heads-up opponent to 9,000. 
river. Haxton checked again, and then called the bet of 1,350 from Rouxel. Haxton's 
and swiftly left the tournament floor as the board was completed by a 
.
