2017 Poker King Cup Macau

Main Event
Day: 4
Event Info

2017 Poker King Cup Macau

Final Results
Winner
Longyun Li
Winning Hand
kj
Prize
1,225,500 HKD
Event Info
Buy-in
15,000 HKD
Entries
490
Level Info
Level
31
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
25,000

Longyun Li Wins Poker King Cup Macau Main Event

Level 31 : 60,000/120,000, 25,000 ante
Poker King Cup Macau 2017 Main Event Champion Longyun Li
Poker King Cup Macau 2017 Main Event Champion Longyun Li

It took a little over a grueling 31 levels, spread over four days, to whittle the 490-strong Poker King Cup Macau Main Event down to the final two players with China��s Longyun Li and Malaysia��s Michael Soyza the last men standing.

With both players nearly evenly stacked, a deal was struck when play reached heads-up, with the two using the Independent Chip Model (ICM) to work out a prize pool chop.

With Soyza holding a slight lead he was guaranteed an HK$1,135,000 (~$US145,619) payday with Li taking HK$1,101,000 (~US$141,282) and the two decided to play for the other 5% of the prize pool and the all-important trophy and title.

The man to take that was Longyun Li, who emerged the victor after fifteen hands of heads-up play; winning the first significant pot four hands into the match to take a commanding 2-1 chip lead.

With Soyza now on the back foot, Li turned the screws and the next big pot was also shipped the Chinese player��s way after he limped the button and Soyza checked from the big blind. Soyza check-called Li the whole way on a king-high board, but could only fold the river when the Li rolled over king-seven offsuit to take the pot and over a 10-1 chip lead.

The very next hand it was all over. Li limped the button, Soyza moved all-in from the big blind for his last 1.3 million with queen-nine suited and the Chinese player made a speedy call with king-jack off suit. Li paired his jack on the flop to pull further in front and while Soyza picked up a backdoor flush draw the river bricked out to see Li take down his first major title and first ever live Hendonmob score.

��I feel so happy to win,�� said Li after his victory, ��It��s difficult to finish first in any tournament and I��m very lucky to have won and I��d like to thank my family and friends who watched from the rail,�� said a clearly elated Li.

PlaceWinnerCountryPrize (HK$)Prize (USD)
1Longyun LiChinaHK$1,225,500$157,259
2Michael SoyzaMalaysiaHK$1,135,000$145,619
3Zhong Yuan HangChinaHK$625,000$80,193
4Liu LifuChinaHK$462,000$59,273
5Huang QienChinaHK$346,000$44,394
6Weizhou ZhaChinaHK$278,000$35,670
7Simon BurnsUKHK$232,000$29,769
8Linh TranCanadaHK$189,000$24,252

The day began with eight players, but this quickly became seven after Linh Tran and Simon Burns clashed 20-minutes into the first level of the day. While Tran��s pocket kings were leading Burns�� pocket queens the queen-high flop saw Burns leave Tran on life support with just 1.5 big blinds and he departed the very next hand.

It took a further three-hours of play before the next casualty with the chip lead changing hands numerous times as the seven remaining players jockeyed for position. Eventually, something had to give and it was the unfortunate Simon Burns who was the next man to fall, getting all the chips in pre-flop with ace-seven offsuit and running into the pocket jacks of Liu Lifu.

This opened the floodgates for a slew of speedy eliminations with Weizhou Zha, Huang Qien and Liu Lifu departing in quick succession in the space of a single 60-minute level.

Zha got the last of his chips in pre-flop with king-jack and while this was leading Soyza��s speculative six-seven suited the Malaysian player turned a straight to send the Chinese player to the rail. Huang Qien joined him there minutes later after his pocket fours lost a race to big blind Zhong Yuan Hang��s ace-ten offsuit to take play four handed.

As the next shortest stack Liu Lifu attempted to make a comeback, moving all-in pre-flop with ace-two offsuit from the button. Unfortunately for Lifu he was looked up by big blind Longyun Li, who flopped top pair with king-six suited and turned two pair to bring Lifu��s tournament to a close.

While Zhong Yuan Hang enjoyed a brief stint as chip leader when play became three-handed he was the next to fall, getting all the chips in pre-flop with the dominated ace-five offsuit against the ace-jack of Michael Soyza. The Malaysian player paired his jack and sent Hang crashing out of the tournament to take play heads-up.

That concludes the PokerNews live reporting for the Poker King Cup Macau but we will be returning to the Las Vegas of the Orient for the Triton Super High Roller Series running 3-7 August so join us then for more high-octane, big buy-in tournament thrills.

Tags: Longyun LiMichael SoyzaZhong Yuan HangLiu LifuHuang QienWeizhou ZhaSimon BurnsLinh Tran

Michael Soyza Eliminated in 2nd Place (HK$1,135,000)

Level 31 : 60,000/120,000, 25,000 ante
Michael Soyza wins HK$1.135 million for his second place finish
Michael Soyza wins HK$1.135 million for his second place finish

While he played a great tournament to get this far Michael Soyza did not recover from losing that first big pot against Longyun Li and was on the back foot for the rest of the heads-up match.

With Li holding nearly a 2-1 chip lead he continued to pressure Soyza, winning the next hand with some aggressive pre-flop re-raising to take down the pot without showdown to further extend his lead and drop Soyza down to 4.2 million to Li��s 10.5 million.

While Soyza took down the next pot with a pre-flop all-in this was the last hand he would win, with Li turning the screws to whittle Soyza down, winning successive pots in a row and taking another big bite out of Soyza��s stack after hitting top pair on a king-high board in a limped pot to reduce the Malaysian player down to 1.35 million.

On the 15th hand of heads-up it was all over. Li limped from the button and Soyza committed his last 1.3 million from the small blind and sensing that the end was near Li made a speedy call.

Michael Soyza: {q-Diamonds}{9-Diamonds}
Longyun Li: {k-Diamonds}{j-Clubs}

Li held the lead with king-high and pulled further in front on the {j-Diamonds}{3-Hearts}{4-Hearts} flop. The {a-Diamonds} turn gave Soyza a faint glimmer of hope and a few more outs but the {6-Hearts} sounded the death knell for the Malaysian player and brought his Poker King Cup Macau Main Event to a close.

After the deal the two players made Soyza earned an impressive HK$1,135,000 (~$145,619) for his second place finish and headed to the cash desk to collect his winnings, while China��s Longyun Li posed for the winners photo with his shiny new trophy before celebrating his first major tournament title with his watching rail.

All that action concludes the PokerNews Live coverage of the Poker King Cup Macau but there will be a full write up to follow shortly so watch this space.

Player Chips Progress
Longyun Li cn
Longyun Li
14,700,000
7,945,000
7,945,000
Michael Soyza my
Michael Soyza
Busted

Tags: Longyun LiMichael Soyza

Li Snatches Lead

Level 31 : 60,000/120,000, 25,000 ante
Longyun Li takes the lead
Longyun Li takes the lead

The first few hands of heads up was just blind and ante swapping but the third hand was a significant one. Pre-flop it was Longyun Li on the button and he made it 260,000 to go, with Michael Soyza making the call from the big blind.

Soyza checked the {3-Diamonds}{j-Hearts}{k-Hearts} flop over to Li, who continuation bet 360,000 and Soyza did not take long to make the call to swell the pot to over 1.1 million.

The {k-Diamonds} turn saw Soyza check again and Li reached for chips, firing a sizable 780,000 second barrel. Soyza thought it over before reaching for raising chips and check-raised to 2.1 million in total to send Li deep into the tank.

Eventually, he called to grow the pot to over 5 million and the dealer flipped over the {q-Diamonds} river to complete the hand. Soyza now checked and Li did not take long to shove with Soyza folding instantly. Soyza is now down to 5.1 million and Li climbed to 9.6 million to take the lead.

Tags: Longyun LiMichael Soyza

Deal Before Heads-up Starts

Level 31 : 60,000/120,000, 25,000 ante
Malaysia's Michael Soyza (l) and China's Longyun Li (r) are now heads-up for the title
Malaysia's Michael Soyza (l) and China's Longyun Li (r) are now heads-up for the title

The clock paused as the two remaining Main Event players discussed a deal and it looks like an ICM (independent chip model) chop with the two playing it out for the 5% spare cash and the all-important title and trophy, which has now been brought out and is sitting center table.

Play has just restarted so let's see which of our remaining two competitors has got what it takes to become the Poker King Cup Macau 2017 Main Event Champion.

Tags: Huang QienLiu LifuLongyun LiMichael Soyza

Zhong Yuan Hang Eliminated in 3rd Place (HK$625,000)

Level 31 : 60,000/120,000, 25,000 ante
Zhong Yuan Hang busts in third place to take play heads-up
Zhong Yuan Hang busts in third place to take play heads-up

There was a sudden burst of action and Zhong Yuan Hang departed in a flurry of cards and chips. The action started innocuously enough with Hang limping from the small blind but it did not take long for the fireworks.

Michael Soyza peeked at his hole cards and announced a raise, making it 370,000 to go and Hang immediately went to DEFCON 1 and launched all-out global thermonuclear war and shoved for 3 million and Soyza beat him into the pot.

Zhong Yuan Hang: {a-Hearts}{5-Spades}
Michael Soyza: {a-Spades}{j-Hearts}

The hand felt eerily similar to one of the previous all-ins these two played a little earlier, only this time the cards went Soyza��s way. The {j-Diamonds}{q-Diamonds}{9-Hearts} flop paired Soyza��s jack to further extend his lead. The {10-Hearts} turn brought in possible chop outs but now there was no way that Hang could win the hand.

The {6-Hearts} river saw Hang��s tournament come to a close and he headed for the cash desk to collect the equivalent of US$80,193 while Soyza stacked up to 7,995,000 to take the chip lead and take play heads-up for the trophy and the title.

Player Chips Progress
Michael Soyza my
Michael Soyza
7,995,000
3,195,000
3,195,000
Longyun Li cn
Longyun Li
6,755,000
55,000
55,000
Zhong Yuan Hang cn
Zhong Yuan Hang
Busted

Tags: Michael SoyzaZhong Yuan Hang

Li Back in Front

Level 31 : 60,000/120,000, 25,000 ante

Longyun Li is chip leader once again after folding out Michael Soyza in a sizable pot, firing both the flop and turn to take down the hand. The two tangled again in the next hand with Li raising the button to 240,000 and Soyza defending his big blind.

After Soyza checked Li led the {q-Hearts}{10-Hearts}{9-Spades} flop for 260,000 and Soyza gave it up once again to drop to 4.8 million while Li rises to 6.7 million.

Player Chips Progress
Longyun Li cn
Longyun Li
6,700,000
1,700,000
1,700,000
Michael Soyza my
Michael Soyza
4,800,000
-1,000,000
-1,000,000
Zhong Yuan Hang cn
Zhong Yuan Hang
3,000,000
-900,000
-900,000

Tags: Michael SoyzaLongyun Li

Level: 31

Blinds: 60,000/120,000

Ante: 25,000

Li Doubles Through Hang

Level 30 : 50,000/100,000, 20,000 ante

Zhong Yuan Hang is throwing the chips around like confetti at a wedding at present and has just played another huge all-in hand, this time against Longyun Li.

Pre-flop it was Hang raising to 300,000 from the button and after Michael Soyza folded the small blind, Longyun Li moved all-in from the big blind for 2.38 million. Hang called immediately and the cards were turned over.

Longyun Li: {a-Spades}{7-Hearts}
Zhong Yuan Hang: {k-Spades}{j-Clubs}

We��re pretty sure Tony G has talked at length about calling off your chips with king-jack, but Hang has them to spare at present so seemed more than happy to try and take play heads-up.

As it was however, Li held the lead and that did not change when the flop fell a monochrome {6-Clubs}{4-Clubs}{7-Clubs}. With neither player having any clubs Li maintained his lead when the {9-Clubs} and {2-Diamonds} river completed the hand.

Li climbed to a little over 5 million while Hang dropped to 3.9 million, meaning Michael Soyza edged into the lead once again with 5.8 million. All that excitement brings us to a 10-minute break.

Player Chips Progress
Michael Soyza my
Michael Soyza
5,800,000
900,000
900,000
Longyun Li cn
Longyun Li
5,000,000
2,000,000
2,000,000
Zhong Yuan Hang cn
Zhong Yuan Hang
3,900,000
-2,500,000
-2,500,000

Tags: Zhong Yuan HangLongyun Li

Hang in the Hot Seat to Seize Lead

Level 30 : 50,000/100,000, 20,000 ante

Zhong Yuan Hang has just doubled up again through Michael Soyza, with the Chinese player enjoying the rub of the green at present.

Pre-flop Hang was on the button and made it 300,000 to go. Soyza, sitting in the small blind, squeezed his cards and then reached for chips, but they were not for calling with.

Soyza slid out two towers of pink 25k chips for a re-raise of 1 million in total, Hang snap shoved all-in over the top and was called instantly by Soyza.

Zhong Yuan Hang: {a-Spades}{9-Clubs}
Michael Soyza: {a-Clubs}{j-Hearts}

Hang was not in good shape, finding himself a 3-1 underdog and the {2-Spades}{4-Hearts}{7-Spades} was not a particularly helpful one. However, like a thunderbolt from the poker gods, the {9-Spades} landed on the turn to give Hang top pair with a backdoor spade flush draw. The river was the {q-Clubs} and Hang��s rail went mental.

Hang stacked up to 6.4 million while Soyza calmly counted down a portion of his monster stack and shipped it over to Hang to drop to 4.9 million.

Player Chips Progress
Zhong Yuan Hang cn
Zhong Yuan Hang
6,400,000
2,750,000
2,750,000
Michael Soyza my
Michael Soyza
4,900,000
-3,200,000
-3,200,000

Tags: Michael SoyzaZhong Yuan Hang

Soyza Powers into Lead, Double for Hang

Level 30 : 50,000/100,000, 20,000 ante

Since the elimination of Liu Lifu, Michael Soyza had switched gears and had upped the aggression to take down serveral sizable pots without showdown. Soyza had edged into a significant lead with close to 9.5 million in chips before Zhong Yuan Hang had had enough and decided to make a stand.

Following yet another Soyza button raise Hang jammed in the rest of his 1.75 million stack in from the big blind with a harrumph. Soyza thought it over but now he had the chips to spare he decided to give Hang a spin and made the call.

Zhong Yuan Hang: {a-Hearts}{j-Clubs}
Michael Soyza: {a-Spades}{3-Spades}

Hang gave it a triumphant ��yeah!�� and pounded the table when he saw that he had the lead and the flop came down {k-Hearts}{2-Clubs}{5-Diamonds} to see Hang maintain the lead, though Soyza had flopped a gutshot draw to the wheel.

However, it did not come in with the {q-Hearts} turn and {a-Diamonds} river locking up the hand for Hang and he doubled to 3.65 million.

Player Chips Progress
Michael Soyza my
Michael Soyza
8,100,000
2,850,000
2,850,000
Zhong Yuan Hang cn
Zhong Yuan Hang
3,650,000
1,400,000
1,400,000
Longyun Li cn
Longyun Li
3,000,000
-3,050,000
-3,050,000

Tags: Longyun LiMichael SoyzaZhong Yuan Hang