 For the first time, PokerStars Championship brought its world-class poker experience to the Eastern Hemisphere, with PokerStars Championship Macau running from March 30 through April 9, 2017. More than HK$130,000,000 in prize money has been awarded across 52 tournaments, making PokerStars Championship Macau the largest poker festival ever held in Asia.
ELLIOT SMITH BECOMES FIRST CANADIAN TO WIN POKERSTARS CHAMPIONSHIP MAIN EVENT
Canadian professional poker player Elliot Smith outlasted the 536-strong field in the PokerStars Championship Main Event to win HK$2,877,500 along with the prestigious title and a coveted trophy. Smith is the third champion of this year's PokerStars Championship, joining American pros Christian Harder (PokerStars Championship Bahamas winner) and Kenneth Smaron (PokerStars Championship Panama winner) on the throne. "I'm very excited, it's an accomplishment not many people get to achieve," the champ said, adding: "I'm super, super happy."
29-year-old Smith struck an even chop with Chinese pro Terry Tang before heads-up play, leaving additional HK$300,000 for the winner. Their final battle would last for over ten hours and more than 260, with the chip lead swinging back and forth. Remarkably, there had been no all-in and call situation prior to their final showdown, when all chips went into the pot pre-flop. Smith was racing with ace-king against Tang's sixes.
It looked to be a double up for the Tang, who spiked a set on the flop, but Smith made a runner-runner flush to end the gruelling battle. "Hats off to my opponent, who played fantastic," praised Elliot his heads-up rival.
Tang himself secured HK$2,577,500 in the deal with Smith. He picked up poker seven years ago, and eventually turned pro in 2015. Fortunately for Tang, the PokerStars Championship Macau Main Event takes place in April, which he belies is his lucky month.
Tang was enjoying his time at PokerStars Championship Macau, playing against some of the most accomplished players from all corners of the world. "I am so excited that I can play against the world's best poker players in this tournament. I haven't played at any international events overseas, so I'm really enjoying this opportunity. I've played almost every PokerStars events here in Macau, and the PokerStars Championship Macau is on the highest level of them," Tang said on Day 5.
Six players came back for the final day and the field was reduced to the last two remaining players within two hours of today's play.
Adelaide's Daniel Laidlaw bust in third place, picking up HK$1,724,000, making this the biggest prize of his career. Laidlaw's live tournament cashes now exceed one million US dollars which puts him in 32nd place on the Australian all-time money list. Laidlaw had previously notched up tenth place in the HK$80,000 Single Re-Entry tournament here at PokerStars Championship Macau, adding another HK$157,000.
British pro Aymon Hata was eliminated in fifth place, earning HK$950,000. Hata is an accomplished online player, who has a large six-figure score to his name on PokerStars. However, he had racked up just over $37,000 in live tournaments before making the PokerStars Championship Macau final table. The 33-year-old was born to a Scottish mother. He grew up in Germany but now lives in London.
Taiwanese professional poker player Pete Chen has a long list of tournament cashes on his résumé, and he scored his new career-best result at PokerStars Championship Macau, collecting HK$705,000 for sixth place in the Main Event. Chen, 28, has notched up more than one hundred live cashes, with the majority of them being earned in Macau.
Yan Li from China was the highest-ranked female player in the PokerStars Championship Macau Main Event. She was eliminated in seventh place, earning HK$521,000. Li's compatriot Xuan Tan was the first player to leave the official eight-handed final table. Tan walked away with a HK$386,000 prize.
PokerStars Championship Macau 2017 Main Event final table results:
1st - Elliot Smith, Canada, HK$2,877,500 *
2nd - Terry Tianyuan Tang, China, $2,577,500 *
3rd - Daniel Laidlaw, Australia, HK$1,724,000
4th - Avraham Oziel, Canada, PokerStars qualifier, HK$1,280,000
5th - Aymon Hata, UK, HK$950,000
6th - Pete Chen, Taiwan, HK$705,000
7th - Yan Li, China, PokerStars player, HK$521,000
8th - Xuan Tan, China, HK$386,000
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For the first time, PokerStars Championship brought its world-class poker experience to the Eastern Hemisphere, with PokerStars Championship Macau running from March 30 through April 9, 2017. More than HK$130,000,000 in prize money has been awarded across 52 tournaments, making PokerStars Championship Macau the largest poker festival ever held in Asia.
