The final table approaches as just 16 hopefuls will return for Day 5 of the PokerStars Championship Macau Main Event. German Aymon Hata and China’s Dong Guo will resume play at the top of the chip counts, separated by less than one big blind.
Hata carries a stack of 2,188,000 into play with Guo close behind wielding 2,160,000. Thibault Blondel (1,388,000), Wenlong Jin (1,296,000), and Yan Li (1,248,000) among the other big stacks.
Several notables still remain in the hunt including Daniel Laidlaw (1,077,000), Canadian Spin n’ Go qualifier Avraham Oziel (873,000), Elliot Smith (583,000), Fabrice Soulier (472,000), and Winfred Yu (385,000) who will return today as the shortest stack.
The plan for Day 5 is usually to play down to the final six. Play will begin with the final 20 minutes remaining in Level 23 where play paused last night. Here is a look at what blinds the players will face today:
Level
Duration
Small Blind
Big Blind
Ante
23
21:41
12,000
24,000
4,000
24
90
15,000
30,000
5,000
25
90
20,000
40,000
5,000
26
90
25,000
50,000
5,000
27
90
30,000
60,000
10,000
28
90
40,000
80,000
10,000
The first player eliminated today will earn HK$170,000 and then everyone will get a pay jump with the next few spots paying HK$221,000. Those numbers will just be on the back of everyone’s mind while the HK$3,130,000 top prize will take center stage.
PokerNews' live reporting team will be back on the tournament floor today, providing live updates of all the action. Keep your browser locked on this page to stay up to date as the tournament progresses.
Feng Wen Chen open-shoved from late position and when action folded around to Yen Chen in the big blind, he called, putting Chen at risk.
Yen Chen:
Feng Chen:
Feng was in trouble, needing a miracle to at least chop the pot, the dealer patted the table and swept out a board reading , giving Feng some hope on the turn but ultimately whiffing on the river and taking his leave in 16th place, good for HK$170,000.
Yan Li missed the first hand played at her table arriving just after. Good timing on her part as the second time the blinds came around turned her tournament around quite significantly.
From the small blind, Li opened to 65,000 and got three-bet by Thibaut Blondel out of the big blind to 180,000. Li took no time asking for the all-in triangle and Blondel took even less time tossing in a calling chip.
Li:
Blondel:
Li was in bad shape being covered and out-kicked by Blondel. The flop, however, gave her outs to a straight and she wouldn't have to sweat long finding an on the turn.
Li faded the on the river to score the double up and vault into the chip lead with Hata and Guo.
Tianyuan Tang was active in the blinds, getting involved when in both the small blind and big blind.
In the big blind, he saw a flop of with Artem Metalidi. Tang check-called a bet of 68,000 from Metalidi and the turn was the . Tang checked again and faced a bet of 110,000. He folded this time, giving the pot to Metalidi.
The next hand took nearly 15 minutes to play out with both players taking their time with each decision in the big moment. Dong Guo raised to 70,000 from middle position and Tang three-bet to 215,000 from the small blind. Guo called and the flop came .
Tang continued for 125,000 and Guo called again, seeing a turn of . Tang checked this time and Guo bet 255,000. Tang pushed all in for about 700,000.
Reading through this hand history gives the illusion that this all happened quickly. At this point, the hand had gone on for more than 10 minutes. Guo then went in the tank for a few minutes, sitting back in his chair to think through the important spot. Ultimately, he folded, giving Tang the enormous pot.
The latest casualty in this tournament was Jianbo Jiang after Avraham Oziel opened with a raise to 100,000 from middle position and Jiang shoved over the top. Oziel quickly called.
Jiang:
Oziel:
The board ran and Jiang found himself eliminated in 15th place for HK$221,000.
With the first two eliminations of the day coming from the same table, Tianyuan Tang was moved over to Table 2 Seat 6 to balance the tables.
Quickly following the elimination of Jianbo Jiang, Winfred Yu put his tournament life on the line when he shoved all in from the button over the top of Dong Guo's hijack raise of 60,000.
"I have to call," Guo said, looking at the stacks.
"I don't like your hand," Fabrice Soulier said, judging its strength by Guo's reluctant call.
Yu:
Guo:
Guo was actually doing much better than anyone had thought.
"I hoped you had ace-jack or something," Yu said.
The board ran out and Yu was eliminated in 14th place for HK$221,000.
"Sorry," Guo said to his friend, getting up from the table to shake his hand.
Dong Guo opened to 75,000 from the cutoff only to see a three-bet jam from Wenlong Jin out of the small blind worth about 690,000. Guo made the call putting Jin at risk.
Jin:
Guo:
Jin was in great shape to get back into it but the flop left him drawing very slim. Guo had flopped a set of nines and would eliminate Jin in 13th place after the board completed with the and .
Avraham Oziel raised to 75,000 from the cutoff seat and Thibaut Blondel called all in for a little less after finding his stack greatly diminished in recent hands. Yen Chen called as well from the big blind.
The flop came and the two players who still had chips checked. The turn was the and Chen bet 80,000, getting a fold out of Oziel.
Blondel flipped up and needed to hit a card to improve against Oziel's . The river was the and Blondel was eliminated in 12th place for HK$221,000.
Dong Guo's open to 85,000 was met by a three-bet to 205,000 from Yan Li. Guo called and the two saw a flop of .
Things got quite frisky after. Li bet 300,000, Guo raised to 650,000, and Li three-bet jammed all-in putting herself at risk. Guo quickly made the call and was shown the bad news.
Li:
Guo:
Guo was in rough shape but the on the turn gave him a ton of outs. The river was a safe for Li and she leaped into the chip lead with a massive double up.
An open to 85,000 from Artem Metalidi was called by Aymon Hata. The flop came and Hata called another bet from Metalidi, this time for 100,000.
The introduced itself on the turn and Metalidi led once more for 275,000. Hata then shoved all in and Metalidi called, putting himself at risk.
Hata:
Metalidi:
Metalidi had flopped two pair but Hata caught up on the turn with a better two pair, needing only a six to stay alive, Metalidi found no help with the river of and hit the rail in 11th place, banking HK$291,300.
, giving Feng some hope on the turn but ultimately whiffing on the river and taking his leave in 16th place, good for HK$170,000.
flop, however, gave her outs to a straight and she wouldn't have to sweat long finding an 
on the turn. 
on the river to score the double up and vault into the chip lead with Hata and Guo.
with Artem Metalidi. Tang check-called a bet of 68,000 from Metalidi and the turn was the 
.
. Tang checked this time and Guo bet 255,000. Tang pushed all in for about 700,000.
and Jiang found himself eliminated in 15th place for HK$221,000.
flop left him drawing very slim. Guo had flopped a set of nines and would eliminate Jin in 13th place after the board completed with the 
. 
and the two players who still had chips checked. The turn was the 
and Blondel was eliminated in 12th place for HK$221,000.
