Alan Lau triumphed in the HK$15,000 buy-in Red Dragon, one of the highlight tournaments on the Macau Poker Cup 26 schedule. The player’s prize was comprised of a first-place payout of HK$3,265,000 and the red dragon trophy.
The PokerStars-sponsored event attracted a record number of 1,216 entries, of whom some of Asia’s top poker personalities.
There were nine players at the beginning of final-day play and action was off to a rather slow start. Competition was fierce and the remaining hopefuls were not shy to show their determination to win. It took three hours of chips moving from one player to another before the first elimination of the day occurred. Things sped up a little afterwards.
Ultimately, Lau faced Chien Fa Chou heads-up. The battle began with the player to be crowned a champion holding four time more chips than his final opponent. With Chou being at such a large deficit, nobody expected a particularly long clash. And Lau delivered to those expectations as he finished off his opponent within ten hands of play. It is also important to note that he maintained his lead until the very end of the tournament.
It all came to an end when Chou moved all in for his final 20 big blinds and Lau called after giving his decision quite some thought. Lau tabled [Ks][Js] to clash against Chou’s [Kh][8d]. The [Qs][2d][7c][9s][Kd] landed on the board to see Lau burst into a fit of pure happiness and excitement. There was nothing else left for his Thai opponent but to console himself with the HK$1,954,000 second-place payout.
Of all 1,200+ entries, the ones occupying the top 144 spots received a payout from the tournament. PokerStars Team Pro member Jake Cody was among the players to bust from the event with a payout. The British poker pro, who is known to be among the very few Triple Crown champions (players who have won WSOP, EPT, and WPT titles), finished 29th in the Red Dragon tournament, good for HK$60,150.
Hosted by the City of Dreams Macau resort, the Macau Poker Cup 26 is set to be completed on February 19. It is yet to be seen who the winner of the HK$80,000 High Roller will be. The event drew 130 entries to contend for a first-place prize of HK$2,436,000.
