$$ Cash 4 Seat $$

Live updates from day 3 of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Level 27 (blinds 40,000/80,000, ante 5000)

9.15pm: Mike Kim eliminated in 2nd place; Dermot Blain wins APPT Macau Main Event

It was only the fourth hand of heads-up play when Irish PokerStars satellite winner Dermot Blain announced that he was all-in, after which Mike Kim leaned back in his chair, grimacing. “Okay,” he muttered as he turned up [10d] [9s]. Blain stood up and rolled over [kd] [10h] to have the Korean PokerStars Sponsored Player outkicked.

Both players hit the flop of [3c] [10c] [as], but Kim would still need that nine to take the lead. Blain cupped his hands over his mouth, turned away from the table and closed his eyes, but he needn’t have worried as the turn and river bricked out [js] [8s], confirming him as the 2009 PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau Main Event champion, taking home the championship trophy and a payout of HKD $4,194,000 (USD $541,081). Congratulations to Mike Kim, who takes home HKD $2,984,100 for his runner-up finish.

9pm: Daoxing Chen eliminated in 3rd place

In the biggest pot of the tournament, Dermot Blain raised it up to 220,000 from the button and Daoxing Chen called from the small blind as Mike Kim got out of the way on the big blind. The drama would then unfold on the flop which read [3h] [9c] [ac]; Chen checked, Blain opened for 350,000, Chen re-raised to 1,350,000 and Blain announced that he was all-in. Chen snap-called, rolling up [ah] [qs] but was devastated to see that Blain was ahead with [ad] [ks]. The turn and river would blank out [5h] [as] and “Bao Bao” was eliminated from the APPT Macau Main Event in third place, receiving a standing ovation from his supporters on the rail. Blain has 7,390,000 in chips and goes into the heads-up battle with an eight-to-one chip advantage against Mike Kim, who holds just 920,000. He takes home HKD $1,855,000.

8.45pm: Chen on the charge

The remaining three players have settled back into their game, but since the elimination of Darkhan Botabayev, it’s been Daoxing Chen controlling the game, taking two pots from Mike Kim in quick succession. Kim raised from the small blind and Chen called from the big blind. They checked it all the way on a board that read [9c] [2h] [4c] [qc] [6d]; the [7d] [7c] that Chen tabled would be good enough to take it down. A few hands later, Chen limped in from the small blind, Kim checked from the big blind and they both checked the flop of [qs] [9s] [qc]. It would go check-check on the turn of the [5h]; Kim would then check-call Chen’s bet of 150,000, only to muck after Chen tabled [ad] [jc] for top pair on the river.

8.30pm: Arce leads with five remaining

Tournament officials have wisely decided to start the final table of the APPT Macau High Roller event in PokerStars Macau with the Main Event still occupying the feature table on the Grand Lisboa Casino floor. The final table comprised:

Grant Levy 1,428,000
Neil Arce 1,153,000
Gap Young Kim 760,000
Vladimir Geshkenbein 678,000
Johnny Chan 518,000
In Wook Choi 490,000
Danny Huynh 432,000
Nicolas Wong 224,000

Already, Wong has been busted by Neil Arce when his jacks held up against A-K. In Wook Choi finished sixth, following Gap Young Kim to the rail who was the seventh-place finisher. With five players remaining, it’s Arce in the lead on 2.2 million ahead of PokerStars.net Team Australia’s Grant Levy (1.65 million), Vladimir Geshkenbein (700,000), Johnny Chan (520,000) and Danny Huynh (430,000).

8pm: Darkhan Botabayev eliminated in 4th place

Kazakhstan has a poker hero of its own after Darkhan Botabayev finished a stunning fourth in the APPT Macau Main Event. His tournament life was snuffed out when Daoxing Chen raised from the small to 210,000, only to have Botabayev announce he was all-in for his last 850,000 in chips from the big blind. Chen snap-called tabling [ac] [qc], well ahead of the [10d] [4d] of Botabayev. The flop of [8s] [5d] [6h] didn’t improve either hand, but Botabayaev found a gutshot straight draw. He then had more outs to the flush then the [jd] appeared on the turn, but the river bricked out the [5s] and the Kazakh was KOed in third place for HKD $ 1,290,500. With that, Chen is now on 2,845,000 in chips. Dermot Blain still holds the chip lead with 3,052,000 and Mike Kim is the short stack on 1,950,000.

Live updates from day 3 of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Level 26 (blinds 30,000-60,000, ante 5000)

7.30pm: Time is not on their side

The remaining four players at the final table have returned from their recent break, under a collective warning from APPT Tournament Director Danny McDonagh. They have been advised that due to the excessive length of time taken by players in their decision-making, if the trend continues they will be on the clock permanently and receive lesser time banks to act within each hand they play. That rule has been quickly applied to Daoxing Chen. Dermot Blain raised from the button before the flop to 210,000 and Chen called, going to the flop that read [6c] [jc] [7s]. Both players checked and the dealer produced the [ts] on the turn; Chen checked and Blain opened for 275,000. Chen went into his usual routine of leaning over the table to see how much was in his stack, then appeared to gather several stacks to raise before pausing again. The clock was called and Chen insta-mucked.

7pm: Champ pops by to take a look

Two all-ins - one each from Daoxing Chen and Dermot Blain - have met with no interest as the temperature starts to build at the APPT Macau Main Event final table. With 10-time WSOP bracelet winner Johnny Chan an interested spectator, Blain shoved over the top of Chen’s pre-flop re-raise to 350,000 after the Irishman had made it 160,000. No clock required for “Bao Bao” this time, as he released the hand without much thought. Chen quickly regained those chips with a pre-flop all-in bet of his own to scoop up the an almost identical pot from Darkhan Botabayev. The atmosphere around the final table is one of the best we’ve ever experienced on the APPT, with more and more spectators joining the rail as the evening progresses. Everyone on the main gaming floor is popping over to see what all the fuss is about - poker is undoubtedly taking centre stage in Macau tonight.

6.45pm: Body punches, but no KO blows

The routine of “raise, fold” has been broken in a few small pots, mostly between Daoxing Chen and Darkhan Botabayev, including one battle of the blinds. On a flop of [7s] [2c] [5s], Chen checked to Botabayev from the small blind, Botabayev fired out 135,000 from the big blind but Chen quickly raised another 315,000. After a minute in the tank Botabayev laid it down; Chen flashed [7h] [7c] for a flopped set and raked in the pot. Dermot Blain has rarely thrown his hat into the ring against the two adversaries at the other end of the table while Mike Kim is quite happy to mostly watch on. In one hand, Kim folded to Chen on the button who raised it up to 160,000. Botabayev called from the small blind but Blain grabbed a stack of orange chips and moved them into the middle, raising it up an additional 465,000. The others mucked. That’s about the best we can muster.

6.30pm: Slow, like a boat to China

Do we wish we had a girlfriend as hot as one of the Pussycat Dolls? Just one of weighty issues being discussed at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino tonight as play in the APPT Macau Main Event grinds to glacial progress early in the 26th level of play. Blinds are up to 30,000/60,000 and an ante of 5000, and players have been happy to take their turn at scooping up small pots without any significant action in the past 30 minutes. Just 600,000 in chips separates the four players, with Irishman Dermot Blain on 2.4 million ahead of Daoxing Chen (2 million), Darkhan Botabayev (1.95 million) and Mike Kim (1.85 million). Could be here for a while. Botabayev, that’s 107 points in Scrabble with a triple-word score and 50 bonus points.

Live updates from day 3 of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Level 25 (blinds 25,000-50,000, ante 5000)

6pm: Chen agonises before folding best hand

Darkhan Botabayev has just flexed his muscle against chip leader Daoxing Chen. After Chen raised it up before the flop to 125,000 from the button, Botabayev re-raised to 375,00 from the small blind. Chen asked for a count then made the call. The flop read [8c] [9c] [5c] and Botabayev announced he was all-in for 1.4 million. Chen shot him a nasty look, asked for another count, asked to spread the pot, stood up, sat down, thought long and hard, stood up again, took his jacket off and put it on the back of his chair before sitting back down again. APPT tournament director Danny McDonagh gave him two minutes to act upon his hand. “One is enough,” barked Chen in Chinese, sending the gallery into laughter. That soon turned to gasps of shock when Chen open-mucked [jc] [jh]; “Bao Bao” would have had Botabayev on the ropes if he had called as the Kazakh flashed [10h] [10d]!

5.45pm: Because you are gold, Mike Kim

With Spandau Ballet’s Gold booming over the casino PA - one of those great Macau moments that smacks you between the eyes when you least expect it - the toe-tapping stopped when PokerStars Sponsored Player Mike Kim moved his last 640,000 into the middle against Darkhan Botabayev. It was the Kazakh who was in the lead with [ac] [kh] against the [kd] [10s] of Kim. The flop and turn of [2h] [5d] [6d] [5h] were of no help for the Korean PokerStars Player, but the ever-appearing [10h] spiked on the river, doubling Kim up! We’re now on to Shirley Bassey - say what you like but the lady can sure belt out a tune.

5.30pm: “Bao Bao” takes a bow bow

Crowd favourite Daoxing “Bao Bao” Chen has been relatively quiet compared to his performance yesterday, but he has slowly started to play to his audience, which has perhaps helped him to forget stretching the clock on every decision. In a recent hand, he managed to take down a pot worth more than 800,000 from Dermot Blain. Blain raised it up pre-flop to 110,000 and Chen called from the big blind, then both players checked the flop of [3c] [kh] [10h]. On the turn of the [4c], Chen fired out 175,000 and Blain called; he would then call Chen’s bet of 375,000 on the river [3h]. Chen tabled [jh] [8h] for the flush and Blain sent his cards into the muck. That earned Chen a round of applause from his rail, and most of the casino joined in the celebrations for the PokerStars Macau regular.

Live updates from day 3 of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Level 24 (blinds 20,000-40,000, ante 4000)

5pm: Levy on a roll against Swiss

PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Grant Levy had closed to within a few thousand chips of Swizterland’s Vladimir Geshkenbein in the APPT Macau High Roller event with just nine players remaining. Geshkenbein is on 1.35 million ahead of Levy (1.3 million), 2009 APT Manila champ Neil Arce (750,000), Gap Young Kim (675,000), In Wook Choi (550,000), Jonathan Karamalikis (450,000), dual WSOP Main Event winner Johnny Chan (300,000), Danny Huynh (225,000) and Nicholas Wong (215,000). APPT tournament director Danny McDonagh has informed us that the final eight players will take a dinner break and may return to PokerStars Macau to start the final table if the feature table is still being used in the Main Event.

4.45pm: Pontus Kers eliminated in 5th place

Dermot Blain didn’t have to wait too long for that bathroom break after all - he folded under the gun and rushed off, and while he was gone Darkhan Botabayev raised it up to 100,000 from the small blind. Swedish PokerStars Qualifier Pontus Kers then looked down at [ks] [6s] and took his chance to move all in for 360,000 in total. Botabayev looked sick but made the call, knowing he was behind with his [9c] [7d]. However he would high five his mates on the rail when the flop came down [2s] [9h] [ad]. The crowd all leaned forward after the dealer peeled off the [8s], giving the last Scandinavian and PokerStars Qualifier more outs with the flush draw along with his kings. Kers’ mates bellowed for the king and the spade, but it wasn’t to be as the river bricked out the [8c]. Kers was sent to the rail in fifth place, collecting HKD $887,200 for his efforts.

4.30pm: Bad beat for Blain

Irishman Dermot Blain, who won his seat into the APPT Macau Main Event via a live satellite at PokerStars Macau, may be having his fair share of cards and chips moving his way, but he was unable to score a bathroom break while the television crew changed the tapes. Just as he finished asking the question and explaining his predicament - tricky given that Daoxing Chen barely speaks a word of English - the tournament director announced that they were ready to resume play, so he’ll have to hold on for a little while longer.

4.15pm: Blain rockets to lead

Darkhan Botabayev and Dermot Blain have been clashing in a few pots, but in one major hand, Blain has taken a fair chunk of change and is now our chipleader on more than 3,000,000. Botabayev raised it up to 110,000 from the button preflop, only to have Blain call from the small blind and it was off to the flop of [6s] [7d] [js]. Blain checked, Botabayev led out for 150,000 and Blain called. On the turn of the [5h], Blain opened for 250,000 and Botabayev came along for the river [10h], after which Blain checked again. Botabayev took the opportunity to fire out 500,000, sending Blain into the tank. He made the call; Botabayev tabled [ac] [8s] for nothing but air. Blain rolled up [jh] [8h] and the pair was good enough to take a huge pot.

4pm: Final five close on top prize

Despite the relative inexperience of the remaining five players, there are no signs of panic at the APPT Macau Main Event final table. Play has settled into a nice rhythm, with Dermot Blain and Daoxing Chen dominating play while Darkhan Botabayev and Mike Kim have been carefully picking their spots. Special mention to Pontus Kers, who has been among the shorter stacks for the past few hours of play (stretching back into yesterday afternoon) but he’s still here at the business end of the event. The crowd is five-deep around the final table, with a mixture of local poker players and fans plus many intrigued onlookers spending their Sunday afternoon at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino.

Live updates from day 3 of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Level 23 (blinds 15,000-30,000, ante 3000)

3.45pm: Levy closing on Geshkenbein

Vladimir Geshkenbein and Grant Levy have smashed through the one-million chip barrier and lead the APPT Macau High Roller event with 11 players remaining. Geshkenbein holds 1.33 million, with the PokerStars.net Team Australia pro now close behind on 1.2 million. Jonathan Karamalikis (700,000), Gap Young Kim (700,000), In Wook Choi (550,000), Yevgeniy Timoshenko (380,000), Neil Arce (300,000), Takashi Ogura (220,000), Danny Huynh (200,000), Johnny Chan (200,000), Mike Marvanek (200,000) and Nicholas Wong (170,000) are also still in contention. The High Roller event will pause at eight players to allow the final table to be played at the feature location where the Main Event is currently underway - could be a long day for the High Roller participants.

3.30pm: Jicheng Su eliminated in 6th place

Jicheng “Jeff” Su has just been eliminated in sixth place by compatriot Daoxing Chen. Su raised pre-flop to 60,000 and Daoxing Chen called from big blind. The flop read [4c] [8h] [ad]; Chen check-called Su’s bet of 30,000, then both players checked the [10s] on the turn. On the river [5d], Chen led out for 150,000, forcing Su to lay down the hand. Su then moved all in the very next hand for his last 313,000 holding [as] [10h], only to have Chen wake up in the small blind with [ac] [jh]. The flop of [9s] [7h] [3s] was of no help, but the [8s] on the turn gave Su some hope with both a straight and flush draw. Clapping excitedly and praying that the river would fall his way, he was sent on his way to collect HKD $580,700 after the dealer peeled off the [kd] on the river. Chen embraced his countryman in a friendly hug and shook his hand, apologising for KOing his opponent.

3.15pm: Nod of respect to Blain

Daoxing Chen has been feeling the pressure as the blinds creep up and, in contrast to yesterday, it seems that nobody is fazed by his antics on the table. It’s been Dermot Blain who has let his chips do the talking after one hand against Chen he raised to 70,000. Chen then made it 230,000 to go from the big blind but Blain came back over the top, raising another 390,000 in chips forcing Chen to lay it down. Blain would then lose some of those chips to Darkhan Botabayev the next hand - on a flop that read [9d] [3c] [qd], Botabayev check-called Blain’s bet of 100,000. Both players checked the [qh] on the turn, but Botabayev would bet 125,000 on the river [10h]. Blain called but his [kd] [kc] were no good against the [9s] [9c] of the Kazakhstani who had filled up on the turn. Despite the setback, Blain is getting plenty of respect at the final table.

2.55pm: Dbinder Singh eliminated in 7th place

The monotony of the conversation between the two guys behind our media desk on Scandinavian anthropology (we kid you not) has been broken by the elimination of Canadian PokerStars Dbinder Singh. He called the all-in bet of PokerStars Macau satellite winner Dermot Blain and was well in contention to double up with [qh] [qd] against Blain’s [as] [kc]. However the flop of [4s] [ac] [jd] saw Singh’s face contort in dismay. He watched as the [7c] came on the turn, and needing only one of two queens to survive, the river bricked out [7s] and he was sent to the cage to collect his seventh-place prizemoney of HKD $403,300. Players have just taken their first break of the day, and blinds are back to 15,000/30,000 with an ante of 3000.

Live updates from the final table of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Level 22 (blinds 12,000-24,000, ante 3000)

2.25pm: Cheers for Chen

Local favourite Daoxing Chen is whooping it up for the crowd after moving into the chip lead. His stack improved when Mike Kim raised it up to 62,000 from the button, with Chen and Dbinder Singh calling from the small and big blinds respectively. All players checked the flop of [6h] [8c] [kd]; Chen led out for 110,000 on the turn of the [10d]. Singh called as Kim got out of the way and it was heads-up to the river [ad], which both players checked. Cheng tables [as] [jh] and Singh mucked.

Moments later the local favourite would be the first player to pass the two-million chip mark after finding some rarely shown pre-flop aggression - Chen limped from middle position but Singh raised it up to 65,000 from the button. Su made the call from the small blind then Chen threw in another stack of orange chips. Perhaps it was his excitement that triggered both opponents to instantly send their cards into the muck.

2.10pm: Karamalikis leads High Roller

Just 16 players are still in the hunt to join Eric Assadourian and Nam Le as APPT Macau High Roller champions. Players eliminated so far today have been PokerStars Sponsored Player Lee “Final Table” Nelson, Terrence Chan, Kent Del Rosario, Daniel Chan, Allan Le, Will Ma, Andrew Chan and Elton Tsang. Nelson’s tournament ended when he shoved with Q-J, Gap Young Kim called with A-4 and found a four on the flop. Three players have kicked clear at the top of the chip count - Jonathan Karamalikis (770,000), Vladimir Geshkenbein (750,000) and Gap Young Kim (720,000), followed by PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Grant Levy (440,000) and In Wook Choi (380,000).

1.55pm: Brandon Demes eliminated in 8th place

Two eliminations in quick succession have reduced the APPT Macau Main Event final table to seven players. After stealing a couple of sets of blinds and antes from the button and cut-off, Irishman Dermot Blain raised once again from the hijack position to 55,000. Brandon Demes was not having any of it and announced all-in holding [ah] [9h], only to grimace when Blain snap-called with [ks] [kd]. The flop of [7s] [5s] [8c] kept Blain ahead, but gave Demes more outs with a straight draw along with his aces for the overpair. The turn of the [qd] helped nobody and it was all down to the river, which fell [4s].

1.40pm: Stefan Hjorthall eliminated in 9th place

Swedish PokerStars Qualifier Stefan Hjorthall moved all-in for his last 250,000 from middle position before the flop and the others folded around to fellow Swede Pontus Kers, who re-raised all-in from the button. Everyone stood up to catch the best view as the cards were tabled and the Scandis were off to the races - Hjorthall was ahead with [9s] [9d] against Kers’ [ad] [qh] but the flop of [qc] [8c] [kd] put the younger of the two PokerStars Qualifiers ahead. Needing a nine or runners, the turn and river bricked out [ac] [2s], eliminating Hjorthall. He takes home HKD $242,000.

Live updates from the final table of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Level 21 (blinds 10,000-20,000, ante 2000)

1.30pm: Singh on song

Dbinder Singh continues to be the aggressor in the early stages of the APPT Macau Main Event final table. Action folded around to the Canadian, who made a raise from the button to 50,000, only to have Jeff Su call from the small blind. It was heads-up at the flop of [9c] [ad] [8d] - Su led out for 40,000 and Singh called and it was check-check on the turn of the [6d]. On the river of the [5d], Su checked, Singh fired out 100,000 in chips and Su made the call. Singh rolled up [js] [10s]. “I knew you missed,” Siu said as he rolled up [7h] [5s] for a turned straight.

1.15pm: Rollin’ in the High Roller

It’s also day two of the APPT Macau High Roller event has also kicked off, with 25 of the 64 players who took their seats yesterday back for the chase to the HKD $2,067,200 first prize. This event is being played in PokerStars Macau, from where Jenn Barr will be providing us with updates throughout the day. The seta draw for day two is:

Table 6

Seat 1: Kent Del Rosario 177,500
Seat 2: Daniel Chan (Pokerstars Macau Satellite Winner) 318,000
Seat 3: Takashi Ogura (Pokerstars Macau Satellite Winner) 180,000
Seat 4: Grant Levy (PokerStars.net Team Australia) 236,000
Seat 5: Danny Huynh 199,500
Seat 8: Derek Cheung 131,000

Table 7

Seat 1: Nicholas Wong 227,500
Seat 2: Gap Young Kim 339,000
Seat 4: Choon Siang Tan 291,000
Seat 5: Michael Marvanek 131,000
Seat 6: In Wook Choi 307,500
Seat 7: Lee Nelson ((PokerStars Sponsored Player) 163,000
Seat 8: Allan Le 55,000

Table 15

Seat 1: Johnny Chan (PokerStars Sponsored Player) 158,000
Seat 3: Will Ma 132,500
Seat 4: Yevgeniy Timoshenko 356,000
Seat 5: Ikeuchi Kazuki 122,000
Seat 7: Neil Arce 95,000
Seat 8: Terrence Chan 231,000

Table 16

Seat 1: Gia Dang Trinh 250,000
Seat 2: JJ Liu 406,000
Seat 3: Elton Tsang 87,500
Seat 4: Jonathan Karamalikis 448,500
Seat 5: Andrew Chen 164,000
Seat 6: Vladimir Geshkenbein 478,000

1pm: Botabayev edges ahead

Déjà vu … after a raise from Jicheng “Jeff” Su to 60,000, Daoxing Chen made it 160,000 in the cut-off, then Dbinder Singh pushed all-in for 532,000. As was the case yesterday, Chen took his time to make a decision but eventually folded, showing A-Q. That gave the Canadian the first major pot of the day. Darkhan Botabayev is the new chip leader after he pushed all-in on a board of [7d] [ks] [8c] [4c], with Su electing to fold. That added more than 200,000 to the stack of the Kazakh, taking him to 1.8 million and narrowly ahead of Mike Kim.

12.40pm: APPT takes centre stage

APPT tournament director Danny McDonagh has just introduced the final table participants to the rail, which is packed around the feature table. APPT President Jeffrey Haas and PokerStars Asia Regional Director David Jung were also on hand to wish the nine players the best of luck. What a diverse line-up, with players from three continents including four combatants representing Asia. Korea’s Mike Kim won the “symbolic” first hand of the day, with a raise to 50,000 enough to scoop up the chips.

12.15pm: Lights, camera, action

Welcome to the PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event final table, direct from the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Players have been relocated from the PokerStars Macau poker room to the main gaming area today, with a feature table set up in the centre of the floor, ensuring plenty of attention for poker’s biggest event in Macau. The nine players are currently being interviewed by local TV crews, with play scheduled to start in about 10 minutes. The blinds are being wound back to level 21 for the final table (10,000/20,000 with an ante 2000). The line-up for today’s final table is:

Seat 1: Dermot Blain, Dublin, Ireland (507,000 in chips)
Seat 2: Mike Kim, Seoul, Korea (1,653,000 in chips)
Seat 3: Daoxing Chen, Wenzhou City, China (1,747,000 in chips)
Seat 4: Brandon Demes, Phoenix, Arizona, USA (578,000 in chips)
Seat 5: Stefan Hjorthall, Sweden (454,000 in chips)
Seat 6: Dbinder Singh, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (696,000 in chips)
Seat 7: Darkhan Botabayev, Kazakhstan (1,455,000 in chips)
Seat 8: Jicheng Su, Beijing, China (778,000 in chips)
Seat 9: Pontus Kers, Gävle, Sweden (491,000 in chips)

The structure available for today’s play is:

Level 21: 10,000/20,000 (ante 2000)
Level 22: 12,000/24,000 (ante 3000)
Level 23: 15,000/30,000 (ante 3000)
Level 24: 20,000/40,000 (ante 4000)
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 (ante 5000)
Level 26: 30,000/60,000 (ante 5000)
Level 27: 40,000/80,000 (ante 5000)
Level 28: 50,000/100,000 (ante 10000)
Level 29: 60,000/120,000 (ante 10000)
Level 30: 80,000/160,000 (ante 20000)
Level 31: 100,000/200,000 (ante 20000)

For complete chip count, click here

Watch APPT Macau 09: Final Table Introduction on PokerStars.tv

Seat 1: Dermot Blain, Dublin, Ireland (507,000 in chips): Having switched to playing poker full time from his original job as a sales manager, the 25-year-old resident of Dublin said that he has only won a few small tournaments live and online. He took up poker a few years ago after visiting a local sporting club in Derry; since then he’s been on the daily grind of a different kind. He experienced a taxing day three, having to work a short stack throughout the session. He is among the short stacks but will ride a wave of confidence into the Grand Lisboa tomorrow.

Seat 2: Mike Kim, Seoul, Korea (1,653,000 in chips): The 42-year-old PokerStars Sponsored Player’s 20 years of poker experience has seen him take on many roles within the industry. Kim is a poker pioneer in the Asia market and has helped establish poker rooms in numerous locations. “It’s been the first time I’ve had a chance to play in one of these tournaments as I’ve been so busy. I’m more of a cash game player,” he said. His stack has rarely been under attack throughout the tournament, and he bolted to the top of the chip count late on day three after KOing big stack Mike Collins.

Seat 3: Daoxing Chen, Wenzhou City, China (1,747,000 in chips): The man in the spotlight on day three of the APPT Macau Main Event, this PokerStars Macau regular had the crowd on his side as he charged back from the brink of elimination to the final table. Fondly known as “Bao Bao”, which loosely translates to “treasury”, this 47-year-old is married with two sons, and is the director of an investment/loan company. He bought in directly to this tournament, and has been playing Texas Hold’em for less than a year after learning the finer points of the game here at the Grand Lisboa.

Seat 4: Brandon Demes, Phoenix, Arizona, USA (578,000 in chips): This 22-year-old “fell into poker” and has been playing for several years. He has one of the most impressive records of any player at the final table. A Sunday 500 winner on PokerStars earlier this year, he collected two cashes at the 2009 World Series of Poker. He was also fourth in chips after day two of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Among the chip leaders throughout the APPT Macau Main Event (he actually led after day 1A), he takes 578,000 in chips into the final table, and is likely to have a major say in who’ll take out this tournament.

Seat 5: Stefan Hjorthall, Sweden (454,000 in chips): Displaying the enthusiasm and enjoyment that will make him a favourite with all at the final table, this 46-year old father of three laughed that he “left his kids in school and ran off to Macau” to play in Asia’s richest poker tournament. He won an $11 turbo satellite on PokerStars to take the single package in the prize pool. He’s been playing poker for three and a half years and has placed as high as 18th in the unofficial Swedish Championship. He also played in EPT Warsaw and busted out with none other than Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier.

Seat 6: Dbinder Singh, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (696,000 in chips): This 20-year old Singh came to Macau from Canada to play in the APPT Main Event. He plays poker professionally online as dajatt13 and has won a number of tournaments under that name, including a recent five-figure score in a $55 rebuy event on PokerStars. He usually plays tournaments at the $100 level and that is exactly how he won his entry to the APPT Macau Main Event. After moving onto a $500 satellite from the $100 hyper, he won his package and packed his bags. After three years of playing poker, he’s ready for a breakthrough win.

Seat 7: Darkhan Botabayev, Kazakhstan (1,455,000 in chips): This 31-year-old is no stranger to money, having worked in the banking sector for many years. Though he has shown great skill over the past few days amassing an impressive stack of almost 1.5 million, he confessed that the APPT Macau Main Event is his first major international tournament and he only took up the game two years ago. “Honestly, I don’t believe it,” the humble father of two said. “I have only ever played cash games and small tournaments in Russia. I’m so excited to play this final table!”

Seat 8: Jicheng Su, Beijing, China (778,000 in chips): What a dream start for this 28-year-old after reaching the final table of a major international event in his first ever tournament appearance. He qualified for the APPT Macau Main Event via a live satellite here at Pokerstars Macau. A salesman of computer software, he has been playing poker for less than two years and believes that skill is more important than luck in poker. He’s impressed all with his quiet but fierce determination, especially on day three where he was barely above the chip average for the entire session.

Seat 9: Pontus Kers, Gävle, Sweden (491,000 in chips): This 25-year-old professional poker player is the latest in a long line of Scandinavian players to experience success on the APPT. He has been playing poker for five years and qualified for the long trip to the Far-East via a $20 rebuy event on PokerStars. His APPT Macau Main Event story is one of persistence - at numerous points on day three, he was the outright short stack but double-ups at crucial points helped him earn a final table slot. He has already experienced success here, having won the HKD $10,000 buy-in six-handed event at last year’s APPT, winning more than HKD $300,000.

A massive day of action at PokerStars Macau in the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino has ended with the final table decided for the 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Main Event. Despite a star-studded field that included four WSOP Main Event champions and numerous Team PokerStars Pros, it will be a mostly unheralded line-up at tomorrow’s final table.

Day three started with 42 players, and after the loss of 10 players in the first hour - including PokerStars.net Team Asia Pro Daniel Schreiber - progress slowed from that points and blinds had risen to a staggering 20,000/40,000 with an ante of 4000 (less than 20 big blinds per player) before the final nine were decided.

Leading the field into the final table will be PokerStars Macau’s own Daoxing “Bao Bao” Chen on 1,747,000. Chen was a galvanising character in the evening session, with his willingness to let the clock run down on every decision infuriating for his rivals, but he enjoyed huge from the rail.

He leads well-known Asian poker identity and PokerStars Sponsored Player Mike Kim (1,653,000) and Kazakhstan’s Darkhan Botabayev (1,455,000), with a big gap back to another Chinese player, Beijing’s Jicheng Su (778,000).

The final table line-up is completed by Canadian PokerStars Qualifier Dbinder Singh (696,000), US youngster and PokerStars Player Brandon Demes (578,000), Irishman Dermot Blain (507,000) and two Swedish PokerStars Qualifiers - Stefan Hjorthall (454,000) and Pontus Kers (491,000).

The final table was decided when American Dane Lomas pushed all-in over pre-flop raises from Botabayev and Chen, with the Chinese player making the call. It was Chen’s [ah] [ks] against the [7s] [7d] of Lomas. Chen’s hand improved to a full-house as the board showed [qs] [2c] [kc] [2s] [2d] to decide the final table line-up.

Players will return to the feature table on the main Grand Lisboa Casino gaming floor tomorrow at 12.15pm tomorrow (GMT + 8hrs) to decide who will join Dinh Le and Eddy Sabat on the honour roll of APPT Macau Main Event winners.

• It was also day one of the PokerStars.net APPT High Roller event, with 64 players creating a prize pool of HKD $5,440,000 and a first prize of HKD $2,067,200.

A total of 25 players progressed to day two, with the chip leader is Vladimir Geshkenbein from Switzerland on 478,000, followed by Aussie Jonathan Karamalikis on 448,500. Pokerstars Macau High Roller satellite winner Man Ho Daniel Chan from Hong Kong has 318,000.

PokerStars.net Team Australia’s Grant Levy holds 236,000 and PokerStars Sponsored Player Lee Nelson is on 163,000. Team PokerStars Pros Joe Hachem and Bertrand ElkY Grospellier were eliminated on day one.

Live updates from day 3 of PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Level 23 (blinds 15,000-30,000, ante 3000)

10.15pm: Kim’s aces rock Collins

With 11 players remaining, US PokerStars Qualifier was third in chips. He’s now on the rail, after his shock elimination at the hands of PokerStars Sponsored Player Mike Kim. In a massive pot, it was the [10c] [10h] of Collins against Kim’s [as] [ac]. The board of [9c] [9d] [6c] [3h] [3d] brought no surprises, and Collins was out 11th-place finisher, good for HKD $177,400. That hand left Kim in the clear chip lead on 1.72 million, and the other nine players a step closer to the honour of a spot at the 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event final table.

10pm: Liu leads in High Roller

With very little happening in the Main Event, let’s catch up on the latest in APPT Macau High Roller event, where JJ Liu is the chip leader on 430,000. Recent departures from the tournament have been PokerStars.net Team Asia pros Daniel Schreiber and Celina Lin, Sean Keeton, Aditya Agarwal, Stewart Scott, PokerStars.net Team Australia’s Emad Tahtouh and PokerStars Sponsored Player van Marcus. But it’s been a solid opening session for PokerStars Sponsored Player Terrence Chan (310,000) and PokerStars.net Team Australia’s Grant Levy (230,000), with other big stacks held by Gap Young Kim (350,000), Jonathan Karamalikis (340,000) and Yevgeniy Timoshenko (330,000). Play is the High Roller event will conclude for the day in the next few minutes.

9.30pm: Tight night as pressure mounts

Players have just returned from an extended break in the APPT Macau Main Event, with two more eliminations required to decide the final table. Regardless of the make-up, it promises to be an intriguing line-up with no big names in the final 11, although Mike Kim is a well known poker identity through Asia for his role with previous APPT events in Seoul. Aside from a double-up for Swedish PokerStars Qualifier Pontus Kers through big stack Michael Collins (his pocket eights improved to a full-house on the flop), there’s been precious little action on the two remaining tables.

Level 22 (blinds 12,000-24,000, ante 3000)

8.45pm: Down to 11

All the action is coming on table six, from where Josh Ang Pang and Daniel Hansson have just been bounced in 12th and 13th positions respectively. Hansson, a PokerStars Qualifier from Sweden, lost a slab of chips to Dane Lomas when his A-K was cracked by A-J before moving in with [ah] [9h] only to find Darkhan Botayabev waiting with [as] [ac]. The board fell [7d] [4d] [9d] [2c] [3s] to KO Hansson in 13th spot. Josh And Pang’s demise also came thanks to a one-two combination, losing a big pot to Stefan Hjorthall (A-8 versus A-Q) then committed his remaining chips with [10c] [4h] against the [ac] [kc] of Brandon Demes. The flop hit both players, with the pair of kings good for Demes.

8.30pm: Tran collects 14th-place prize

The seemingly unstoppable Daoxing Chen has claimed the latest scalp in the APPT Macau Main Event. It was Josh Ang who opened the betting before Canadian Tran Linh, who won his Main Event seat at PokerStars Macau, announced he was all-in for 320,000. Daoxing Chen called - without any time in the tank - and showed [kh] [kd]. Linh was drawing thin with [ah] [qs], and improved on the board of [5s] [6d] [2h] [qd] [kc] but Chen’s rivered set was enough to take it down and eliminate Tran in . Such has been Chen’s influence on the tournament in the past hour, APPT tournament director Danny McDonagh has halted play at the other table to allow Chen and his tablemates to catch up several hands.