HomeAfter four days of roughing it out on the felt, the Final 8 players of the Championships Event was reached. One of these players will close out the APT Macau Championships 2018 at Macau Billionaire Poker with their first major Asian Poker Tour title. The eventual champion will pocket HKD 509,400 cash, the APT Championship Trophy, and the exclusive APT Championship Ring.
The Final 8 race to the title takes place on Sunday, May 6 starting at 130pm. We will have Live Updates running throughout the day so readers can keep up with all the action. Play resumes at Level 20 counting down from 35:57. Blinds are 8K-16K ante 2K. Average stack is 675,000 with 5,400,000 total chips in play.
Meet the Final 8 contenders of the Championships Event
Park Yu Sparrow Cheung – Hong Kong – 1,603,000
The man at the helm is Hong Kong’s Park Yu Cheung aka Sparrow. Sparrow is one of Hong Kong’s top-ranked players and is well-known around the world for having accumulated the highest number of ITMs in 2017. At Day 3, with 16 remaining, Sparrow shipped in a triple up with his A♦ A♠ against K♥ K♠ and Q♦ Q♠ then railed Daniel Tang (11th) and Jin Tian (9th) to enter the Final 8 with 1,603,000.
Cheung has yet to capture the big one at the APT. He did get close at the APT Macau Main Event in 2010 with a 5th place finish and at last year’s APT Macau Championships Event where he finished 10th. With his massive stack, he is in prime shape to take it all the way.
Masato Yokosawa – Japan – 1,031,000
Japan’s Masato Yokosawa comes in the Final 8 as the only other player with a stack of seven-digits. Yokosawa seems to have a knack for roller coasters with his stack seen rising high then dipping low then rising again. He was the shortest stacked at the unofficial final table of 10, but after he doubled up twice and railed pro Dong Guo (10th), he amassed 1,031,000 putting him in second rank. Yokosawa has cashed at the APT back in 2014 but this is his first featured event Final 8 appearance.
*Sparrow and Yokosawa are the only two players above average stack.
Victor Chong – Malaysia – 660,000
One of Malaysia’s top ranked players, Victor Chong is in third position with 660,000. Chong has been frequenting the APT since 2011 but surprisingly has not yet scored a title, not even at the side events. Last December, he got very close to a major APT title, falling one spot shy at the Macau Championships Event. This will be Chong’s third appearance at a feature final table, finishing 5th at APT Asian Series Manila back in 2012. At Day 3, one of his largest pots was the elimination of Gabriel Carter (12th) with A-A over 9-9.
Yuri Ishida – Japan – 546,000
Bringing up the upper half of the tier is Japan’s Yuri Ishida with 546,000. Ishida is recognized as one of the top female Asian poker players attending events all around the world. Ishida had a breakthrough Day 3 going from the shortest stacked of the final 18 to a spot in the Final 8. This is her deepest run at an APT major event
Sai Ho Philip Chiu – Hong Kong – 477,000
Hong Kong’s Sai Ho Philip Chiu sits atop the bottom half of the chip rung. This newcomer to the APT finished 3rd at the festival’s Main Event and impressively is back at the Final 8 for a second chance at an APT major title. Chiu has been a very strong contender, dusting the competition in Day 3. He enters with 477,000.
Chan Ying Kit – Hong Kong – 449,000
Another heavy-hitter from Hong Kong is in the Final 8 with Andy Ying Kit Chan sitting in sixth rank. Chan has numerous Main Event cashes around Asia and Australia however this will be his first Final 8 at a major APT event. Last year in June, he finished 16th at the APT Macau Main Event. He is backed by a stack of 449,000.
Wang Meng – China – 325,000
Another familiar face at the Final 8 is Wang Meng. Meng is a newcomer to the APT but not new to the featured table anymore. He recently finished 8th at the festival’s Main Event and like Chiu, is back for a second chance at a major APT title. At Day 2, Meng was hanging by a thread with only 3 bbs left when he managed to triple up then double up a few times to make the money. He joins the Final 8 with 325,000.
Michael Tran – Australia – 310,000
Australia’s Michael Tran completes the Final 8 of the Championships Event. Tran is also a new face at an APT featured table playing poker mainly in his homeland. Out of his long list of achievements, he does have one cash outside of Australia and it was at the APT Asian Poker Series Manila in 2013. He finished 3rd at the NLH/PLO event. Tran joins the Final 8 with 310,000.
The Championships Event had a total of 108 runners and at HKD 22,000 buy-in, this generated a HKD 2,095,200 prize pool with 18 places paid. You can read up on all the action that led to forming the Final 8 along with the payouts right here.
Congratulations to the Final 8 players!