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After 14 events throughout the year, the Asian Poker Tour is down to its final poker festival of the season, the APT Finale Macau 2016, running from December 7th-15th at the Crystal Palace in Casino Lisboa. In partnership with Poker King Club and Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, the next nine days will feature 16 APT signature side events, an HKD11,000 entry fee Main Event, and a special addition, the Super High Rollers with a buy-in of HKD200,000.
APT returns to Casino Lisboa for APT Finale Macau 2016
This year has been very fruitful for the APT brand. What once began as two events in 2008 has grown to nine events in 2015, and now a total of fifteen events for this calendar year. The exciting year saw the brand expand its reach, exploring new destinations such as Daegu, Korea, the international waters outside Hong Kong, and recently, Noumea, New Caledonia.
Its latest milestone was undoubtedly its return to Macau in October after being absent for three years. To further imprint itself into the scene, the APT chose to break out of Manila and close out the year in the gambling mecca. So get ready for a stellar week because there are lots of poker festivities in store including a Players Party on the final evening which will award the much-awaited APT Player of the Year 2016 champion.
Opening Day Event
APT Finale 2016 Macau opens its doors today, December 7th, with the Poker King Cup HKD300,000 Guaranteed. This is one of the most popular APT events offering a low HKD2,200 entry fee with the potential to flip into a big bankroll for the rest of the week. Korea’s well-known pro gamer, Lim Yo Hwan, won this event back in October and took home the HKD76,800 first prize. There are two entry flights for this event, Flight A at 1pm and Flight B at 5pm. Players are scheduled to compete for thirteen rounds with blinds increasing every 30 minutes. The final day is tomorrow at 1pm.
Side Events before the Main Event
There are several side events to look forward to before the Main Event takes control of the floor. Here’s a quick rundown:
Thursday, December 8th: Main Event Warm-Up – this is the newest event on the APT schedule; buy-in is HKD7,700. This is a two-day event.
Thursday, December 8th: Ante Up for Charity – details to follow; buy-in is HKD1,500.
Friday, December 9th: High Rollers – buy-in is P33,000.
Friday, December 9th: Head Hunter event – players receive a HKD1,000 bounty for every head scalped; buy-in is HKD4,400.
See the full schedule in the APT Finale Macau event page.
APT Finale Macau Main Event
The APT Finale Macau Main Event gets underway on Saturday, December 10th. Game time begins at 1pm. There are only two qualifying days with the second one on Sunday, December 11th. The last APT Championship Ring of 2016 is up for grabs. The defending champion is China’s Guo Dong who defeated a field filled with pros to claim the HKD530,000 first place prize. Main Event Bubble Protection will be in effect. Entry fee is HKD11,000. For those looking to get into the main at a lower cost, there are daily satellites leading up to the event.
Special Event: Super High Rollers
With interest growing for big buy-in events happening the past few years, the APT has added a special event to the roster, the Super High Rollers event. Buy-in is HKD200,000. This is the first time the APT has included such an event to their lineup. The event is scheduled for a two-day stint running from December 14th-15th. More details to follow.
Asian Poker Tour Player of the Year
For the past four years, UK’s Samad Razavi has insanely dominated the APT Player of the Year charts. Last year was his most challenging APT POY victory with Japan’s Iori Yogo trailing closely behind. This year, it once again comes down to the wire however the roles have reversed with Yogo leading Razavi over 600 points. Could the sun be setting on the immortal Brit? We will find out at the Players Party on Thursday, December 15th at 10pm.
The APT POY 2016 winner will receive:
APT Player of the Year Trophy
US$10,000 worth of APT Main Event buy-in at an event of player’s choice
Customized APT Jacket
Worldwide recognition as APT POY through APT Marketing
Featured in APT 2017 player booklets
In addition to the APT POY 2016 winner, awarding will also take place for the APT Regional POY winner under categories China (includes China, Hong Kong, Macau, Chinese Taipei, Taiwan), Japan, Korea, Philippines, and International (countries not mentioned).
Hotel Accommodations
There are special APT player only room rates available for the APT Finale 2016 Macau. Players have the option of booking the Grand Lisboa or the Hotel Lisboa. For more info and reservations, check out the APT Finale Macau 2016 PokerTourBookings page or contact us via Hotel@TheAsianPokerTour.com.
The time is nigh! Let’s get the finale started! See you all at the tables!