8.30pm: Victorino Torres wins APPT Macau for $3,246,200 HKD
Chong Cheong runner up for $2,088,000 HKD
It's over! Victorino Torres, a PokerStars qualifier from the Northern Marian Islands, wins a quick heads-up battle to become PokerStars APPT Macau season 4 champion.

Chong Cheong had opened for 125,000 and Torres called. The flop was [10h][9s][js], Torres checked, Cheong moved all in and Torres called instantly:

Torres: [7c][8c] for the made straight
Cheong: [6c][qd] for the straight draw

Cheong was on the verge of elimination, and Torres knew it - beaming with excitement and the dealer teased out every second of drama before putting out the [ah] turn and the river [7d]. A new champion was crowned as Torres shook Cheong's hand and hugged his friends on the rail.

We'll have a full tournament wrap with you shortly - in the meantime, check out the prize payout page to see who won what here in the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino.

8.22pm: Double up for Cheong
Chong Cheong got the first of two double ups he needs if he is to retake the lead. Victorino Torres had moved all-in pre-flop - for the third time - and this time Cheong snap called:

Cheong: [kh][qs]
Torres: [ah][js]

Cheong was ready to leave when the flop came [kd][qd][5d] giving him two pair. He did not want to see a 10, which would fill Torres' straight, but the turn was [qs] giving him a full house. Chips now 2million, Torres 4million.

8.13pm: First all in
Victorino Torres smooth called and then called again when Chong Cheong raised to 175,000. On the [jc][8s][ac] flop, Cheong bet 400,000 and Torres moved all in. Cheong gave it a good deal of consideration, but eventually mucked. Torres has roughly a 5-1 chip lead.

8.08pm: Here we go
Play has resumed. This is the heads-up battle for a $3,246,200 HKD first prize.

8.05pm: Nice diversion
Two ladies have walked on to the set to place the trophy in the middle of the table. They had a lovely pair of PokerStars patches on each.

7.55pm: Short delay
There's a short break before heads-up play begins. The current stacks are 4,700,000 for Victorino Torres and 2,100,000 for Chong Cheong.

7.50pm: Cole Swannack out in 3rd place for $1,177,600 HKD
We're heads up! Cole Swannack from New Zealand got all in pre-flop with [2c][2h] but found himself up against Chong Cheong's [ac][ad]. The chip stacks were close, but Cheong just had Swannack covered. The board ran [qd][qh][4c][ks][5s] and Swannack walked off to handshakes from Cheong and Victorino Torres before heading off to collect his money.

Cole Swannack knows the game is up

7.35pm: End of the level
That's the end of level 25. Level 26 is up next

7.10pm: Break
There is a short unscheduled break while the TV table is reset for the three remaining players.

7.05pm: Jeppe Drivsholm out in 4th place for $891,000 HKD
That's it for the last of the European contenders. Victorino Torres raised to 110,000 and Jeppe Drivsholm from Denmark moved all in for 599,000 more. Torres thought for a moment or two before making the call.

Torres: [ad][7s]
Drivsholm: [kh][5h]

Drivsholm was at risk, and his chances did not improve on the [10s][6d][2c] flop. The [js] turn left him drawing mighty thin - and the [8s] river killed off his chances. We're now down to three players. Chips:

Victorino Torres, Northern Mariana Islands, 3,500,000
Chong Cheong, Hong Kong, 1,700,000
Cole Swannack, New Zealand, 1,400,000

Torres celebrates...

... Drivsholm doesn't

6.55pm: Torres takes chip lead
Victorino Torres moved to the top of charts after winning a big pot from Chong Cheung. He had raised to 110,000 from the button and Cheong called from the big blind. The flop was a tasty [4d][4c][4s] and Cheong check-called Torres' 200,000 bet. On the [10d] turn Cheong checked and then called Torres' 350,000 bet. Both then checked down the [7c] river.

Cheong: [ad][kh]
Torres: [ks][10c]

Torres had overtaken Cheong on the turn by filling a full house. He now holds the chip lead with 2.6million while Cheong falls back to 1.8million.

6.40pm: Big pot for Torres
The flop was [8c][6s][5d] and Chong Cheong put out 200,000. Victorino Torres called and they saw a [qh] turn, which promoted another 200,000 bet from Cheong.

Torres thought for a moment and then shoved all in, getting a very fast fold from the man from Hong Kong, who dropped back to 2million as a result.

Victorino Torres

6.35pm: Tom McEvoy news!
While you're (hopefully) enjoying the coverage here from Macau, why not have a little read of what Team PokerStars Pro Tom McEvoy has just posted on the PokerStars Blog? It involves a wedding and a poker tournament!

6.30pm: Double up for shortie
After missing out on the last hand, Jeppe Drivsholm tried his luck with another all-in. This time he was delighted to get a call from Chong Cheong. Why? Drivsholm had [ac][js], Cheong the dominated [kh][jh]. The board ran a Denmark-friendly [8d][9d][6s][2h][6h], and Drivsholm got back over a million again. All four players are now over that one million barrier.

Jeppe Drivsholm doubles up

6.25pm: Drivsholm all in...
... but no takers. Chong Cheong had limped and Victorino Torres called from the small blind before Drivsholm made his moved for around 450,000 more. Both others folded.

Chong Cheong limped under the gun before Victorino Torres completed from the small blind. Jeppe Drivsholm moved all in from the big blind for about 400,000 and both players folded.

6.15pm: Back again
This will be level 25. Blinds will be 20,000-40,000 with 4,000 ante. Here are the current chips:

Chong Cheong, 2,977,000
Victorino Torres, 1,840,000
Cole Swannack, 1,353,000
Jeppe Drivsholm, 504,000

6pm: Break
That's the end of the level. We're on a 15-minute break.

5.50pm: How did it not all go in?
In a repeat of the previous hand, Jeppe Drivsholm raised to 75,000 and Chong Cheong called. The flop was [qh][jh][10h], Cheong bet 75,000 and Drivsholm thought for a minute or so before raising to 200,000. Cheong called.

The turn was [8h] and both players checked. The river was [4c] and Cheong bet 150,000, called by Drivsholm.

Cheong: [kh][7h] for the flopped flush
Drivsholm: [ad][kd] for the flopped straight

Cheong moves up yet again.

Jeppe Drivsholm looks disgusted at that

5.40pm: Cheong extends lead again
Jeppe Drivsholm open raised 75,000 and Chong Cheong called from the button. The flop was [9c][9s][5c] and Drivsholm bet 115,000. Cheong then re-raised to 315,000 - enough to force a fold from the Dane.

With that, Cheong moved up to 3.3million in chips - around 50 per cent of the chips in play!

Cheong, 3,300,000
Victorino Torres, 1,800,000
Cole Swannack, 1,050,000
Jeppe Drivsholm, 558,000

5.30pm: Kenny Nielsen out in 5th place for $700,000 HKD
Kenny Nielsen was down to his last 300,000 and needed to get busy. He looked down at [ah][8c] and shoved all in - called in a flash by Victorino Torres with [ac][9d]. Everyone had a sweat...

The window card was [8h] but then the other two flop cards came [9h] and [jc]. The turn was [10h] adding a flush draw to Nielsen's outs as well as an open-ender for the chop. But the river bricked [6c] and Nielsen's departure leaves us with just four players.

Kenny Nielsen likes the window card...

... but then sees Torres has flopped a better pair...

...and offers his congratulations

5.15pm: Swannack double up
Cole Swannack got a vital double up at the expense of Jeppe Drivsholm. Drivsholm had limped in from the button and Swannack checked his option on the big blind to see an [as][qc][kd] flop. Swannack checked, then it all kicked off.. Drivsholm made it 70,000, Swannack went to re-raise, Drivsholm moved all in, call:

Swannack: [kh][qh]
Drivsholm: [ad][7h]

Swannack had all his 550,000 committed and was looking good for the double up. The turn was [2c] and the [qc] river filled his full house. He's up to 1.2million now.

Cole Swannack celebrates

5.10pm: Nielsen all in
Kenny Nielsen open-shoved for 301,000, but he found no-one willing to take him on.

5pm: New level
This is level 24. Blinds are now 15,000-30,000 with a 3,000 ante. Chong Cheong is still chip leader, but Jeppe Drivsholm is now right behind. Victorino Torres is the shortie:

Chong Cheong, 2,475,000
Jeppe Drivsholm, 2,350,000
Cole Swannack, 800,000
Kenny Nielsen, 600,000
Victorino Torres, 500,000

This is what they are playing for (not to mention the $3,246,200 HKD first prize)...

PokerStars Blog reporting team in Macau: Simon Young (wordsmith) and Joe Giron (er, picturesmith)

4.55pm: Level ends
That's the end of level 23. 24 will be up without a break.

4.45pm: Brian Green out in 6th place for $572,900
After the early flurry of eliminations we slowed down until just now when Costa Rica's Brian Green, a PokerStars qualifier, hit the rail.

Jeppe had limped and Green checked his option from the big blind to see a [2d][5h][8h] flop. Green bet 100,000, Drivsholm re-raised to 500,000, Green moved all-in - call!

Green: [8d][9s]
Drivsholm: [ac][8s]

Drivsholm had the better kicker, but the [7s] turn added a gutshot straight draw for Green. But he bricked the [qc] river, leaving us with five players remaining.

Brian Green sees the bad news

Jeppe Drivsholm collects the chips

4.40pm: Nielsen is here
Kenny Nielsen has been by far the quietest player at the final table. He took a hand a moment ago - then got involved in the very next pot. He opened for 55,000 and got a call from Chong Cheong in the big blind to see a [ad][kh][qd] flop. Cheong check-called Nielsen's 70,000 bet, then both checked down the [7c] turn and [10c] river.

Cheong had been trapping on the flop with A-K and then slowed down when the river got scary. Nielsen mucked.

4.35pm: Green takes one
Chong Cheong opened for 60,000 and Brian Green re-raised to 180,000. That sent Cheong into the tank. He scratched his head, adjusted his glass, stared out in to the distance. You could almost hear his brain ticking over. Then he counted out a call but put the chips back with the rest of his stack.

Eventually he mucked [kd][10d] face up and got a "good fold" from Green.

Brian Green, right, waits for Chong Cheong to make his decision

4.20pm: Flush for Torres
Victorino Torres bet 75,000 and got a call from Jeppe Drivsholm. Drivsholm then called Torres' 100,000 bet on the [qh][4c][4h] flop. Both then checked the [ah] turn and the [qd] river - and Torres' [2h][8h] for a small flush on a dangerous board was enough to take the pot.

4.15pm: Oops!
A small crash and a yelp reveals a floorman tumbling backwards off his chair from the raised seating area. Fortunately he was none the worse for his unwanted close inspection of the carpet.

4.05pm: Cheong through the two million mark
Chong Cheong called an opening 75,000 bet from Victorino Torres to see a [qd][kh][6c] flop. The man from Hong Kong wasted no time putting out a big bet of 250,000 - and Torres folded in a flash.

That sent Cheong over two million, and he picked up a few more next hand when he raised and got calls from Brian Green in the small blind and Kenny Nielsen in the big. All three checked the [8s][4c][2c] flop, but on the [8c] river Green and Nielsen check-folded to Cheong's 150,000.

Chong Cheong

3.55pm: Cheong wins small battle of the blinds
Jeppe Drivsholm called from the small blind and Chong Cheong checked from the big. On the [7h][8d][9h] flop Drivsholm check-called Cheong's 25,000 bet, but he let it go when Cheong bet 50,000 on the [8c] turn.

3.50pm: Off again
Cards are back in the air with blinds now at 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante. Here are the latest chips, which show Chong Cheong is well ahead of the other five:

Chong Cheing, 1,913,000
Jeppe Drivsholm, 1,403,000
Cole Swannack, 1,094,000
Kenny Nielsen, 951,000
Victorino Torres, 805,000
Brian Green, 516,000

3.35pm: Break
That's the end of the level. Players are now on a 15-minute break.

3.33pm: Cheong increases chip lead
Chong Cheong takes a big pot of Cole Swannack. The board was showing [jh][ad][qd][8c][4h], and with 200,000 in the middle already, Swannack made a bet of 185,000. Cheong then made a big re-raise, 500,000 in total, which visibly deflated Swannack. He took a minute or so to count out his stack before electing to fold.

That little lot sent Cheong up to 1,800,000 - the clear chip lead - and left Swannack on around one million.

Cole Swannack stares down Chong Cheong...

... and agonises over his decision

3.25pm: State of play
With a few minutes left to go in this level, here are the latest chips, showing Brian Green. a PokerStars qualifier from Costa Rica, is the man currently with his work cut out:

Chong Cheong, 1,550,000
Jeppe Drivsholm, 1,400,000
Cole Swannack, 1,350,000
Kenny Nielsen, 850,000
Victorino Torres, 730,000
Brian Green, 600,000

3.15pm: Green caught 'at it'
Brian Green opened for 55,000 and got a call from Jeppe Drivsholm in the small blind. On the [6d][9s][2c] flop Drivsholm checked, Green bet 110,000 and the Dane called. Both then checked the [4h] turn, and on the [3c] river Drivsholm, by far the most active player at the table, check-called Green's 200,000 bet.

Green could only table [ks][8c] for king high - but Drivsholm had a six for a pair. Green is now down to 500,000.

3.10pm: Back
Cards are in the air again.

3pm: Quick break
We're on a short unscheduled break while the TV crew tighten up some nuts and bolts. Or something like that.

2.55pm: Kai Paulsen busts in 7th place for $445,600 HKD
Jeppe Drivsholm got back the chips he lost in the hand described below by busting Kai Paulsen in the very next hand. He opened for 65,000 and Chong Cheong called before Paulsen moved all in for around 300,000. Drivsholm made the call and Cheong got out of the way.

Drivsholm: [ah][kh]
Paulsen: [ks][7s]

The man from Norway, who won his entry money for this event by getting a straight flush on a Caribbean Stud table in the casino, was way behind and fell even further behind when Drivsholm flopped trip aces. There was no way back for Paulsen, and he left to give his exit interview for TV.

Kai Paulsen congratulates Jeppe Drivsholm

2.50pm: Drivsholm sliding
Jeppe Drivsholm, one of the two big stacks at the start of play, is down to 600,000 after losing a large pot to Victorino Torres. On the [4c][6d][qh][3s] board, Torres bet 60,000 and Drivsholm raised to by another 100,000. Call.

On the [8h] river Drivsholm reached for more chips - 160,000 in total. Torres looked like he was about to fold, but summoned the strength for a call. He'll be glad he did - his [8d][7c] was enough to see off Drivsholm's [ac][9s]. Torres up to 1.2 million, Drivsholm down to 550,000.

Victorino Torres collects the loot

2.40pm: Big pot for Cheong to take chip lead
Brian Green kicked off a big pot by raising to 55,000. Jeppe Drivsholm called, but Chong Cheong from Hong Kong raised by another 140,000. Only Drivsholm called. Both checked the [2h][7h][2d] flop, then on the [5c] turn Drivsholm bet 265,000. Cheong wasted no time moving all in, and after getting a count the Dane let it go.

That put Cheong up to 1.6 million.

2.30pm: Swannack aggression
Cole Swannack open raised but was then re-raised by Victorino Torres for another 175,000. Swannack surveyed his stack, then eyed up Torres chips before deciding to move all in. He had Torres covered, and a win would mak him clear chip leader, but Torres did not want to play any more... and folded.

The final table here in the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino is attracting a lot of interest. Witness the crowd peeking over the barrier to get a good look at the set....

2.24pm: Level up
We're up to level 22. Blinds are now 10,000-20,000 with a 2,000 ante. Here's are the latest chips:

Jeppe Drivsholm, 1,400,000
Chong Cheong, 1,100,000
Cole Swannack, 1,050,000
Brian Green, 950,000
Victorino Torres, 800,000
Kenny Nielsen, 770,000
Kai Paulsen, 600,000

2.15pm: Albert Kim out in 8th place for $350,100 HKD
After being pushed around by Jeppe Drivsholm in the hand described below, it was no surprise to see Albert Kim moving in soon after. Chong Cheong limped from under the gun, and when it was folded around to Kim he shoved for 234,000 more with [ac][9c].

Cheong called, and he was ahead with [8c][8h]. Kim needed help - but the board ran [2d][5d][4d][10h][jh], and we're down to seven players.

Albert Kim does not like what he sees

... but takes his elimination in good spirits

2.05pm: Drivsholm puts Kim all in
Not for the first time Jeppe Drivsholm puts his big stack to good use. Kai Paulsen opened for 37,000, called by Drivsholm. Albert Kim then raised to 116,000, but while Paulsen folded, Drivsholm moved all in. Kim was at risk, and took a minute or so before deciding he could find a better spot. He folded.

2pm: Torres take chunk from chip leader
Victorino flopped trip tens holding [10s][ac] to win a 300,000 pot from Jeppe Drivsholm.

1.50pm: Using the big stack
Jeppe Drivsholm, the chip leader, was in the big blind and called a button raise to 40,000 from Victorino Torres. Both checked the [9s][9h][6h] flop, but on the [9c] turn Drivsholm made it 55,000, forcing a fold.

Next hand he lost some to Albert Kim. Drivsholm called from the small blind and Kim raised by 40,000. Call. On the [2c][4d][8h] flop, Drivsholm check-called Kim's 50,000. Both then checked down the [8s] turn and [4h] river. Kim had an ace - and that was better than Drivsholm's king high.

1.40pm: Keith Hawkins out in ninth place for $254,608 HKD
He was the shortest stack at the start of play and now Keith Hawkins from the UK is the first to bust from the final table. Victorino Torres had raised to 40,000 and Hawkins moved all in for around 100,000 more. Torres quickly made the call:

Torres: [7h][7d]
Hawkins: [ac][3c]

Hawkins needed help, but the board of [2d][3s][8s][jd][4c] failed to provide it. We're down to eight players already.

Keith Hawkins: all-in... and out

1.35pm: First big pot of the final
And it was the two chip daddies, Cole Swannack and Jeppe Drivsholm up against each other. Swannack opened with a raise to 36,000 and Drivsholm called from the button. The flop was [6h][5h][5c] and the Dane called Swannack's 44,000 continuation bet . On the turn Swannack slowed down to a check then called Drivsholm's 110,000. Both slowed down on the [8h] river. Showdown:

Drivsholm: [10h][10c]
Swannack: [ac][7s]

Drivsholm took it down and seized the chip lead as a result.

1.23pm: We're off!
Finally we get under way. Jeppe Drivsholm took the first pot uncontested with a raise to 36,000. Kenny Nielsen bagged the next after calling a Chong Cheong pre-flop raise to 46,000 and then betting the [9s][3s][3d] flop.

1.20pm: No, really, I mean, any minute now...
A few more little things have been sorted out, and now at last tournament boss Danny McDonagh is introducing the final table players. We're about to begin... honest!

1.05pm: Any minute now
All nine players are in their seats. We've had the group photo, which you can see below, and now it's the final duties to complete before we're off - confirming chip stacks, signing TV release forms, instructions about the use of the mobile phones (ie you can't use them), and no flash photography rules for the audience etc.

I reckon we'll have cards in the air in five minutes. Jesse Drivsholm is taking the wait in his stride - he seems to have fallen asleep in his seat.

Back row left to right, Victorino Torres, Kai Paulsen, Brian Green, Kenny Nielsen, front row left to right, Jeppe Drivsholm, Keith Hawkins, Albert Kim, Chong Cheong and Cole Swannack

12.50pm: Hope you're not holding your breath
If you are, you'll be an alarming shade of blue by now. We're still not ready to go. That said, the chips have been brought to the table and are now stacked up neatly awaiting their owners. Jeppe Drivsholm is the first to take his seat, the others are also filing in.

The audience seats in the main stage area are also filling up fast - we can't be far off.

Just a reminder... the winner today will walk away with $3,246,200 HKD (about $416,000 USD). That's a lot of money.

11.55am: Nearly ready
Welcome back for day four (well, day six if you include the three day one flights) of the PokerStars APPT Macau season 4 Main Event. We were due to get under way at 12.15pm, but the television crews are just finishing their set up on the rather splendid-looking main stage, and they then have interviews and such to get through with the nine players as well.

One piece of news - as we finished last night half way through level 21, tournament boss Danny McDonagh has decided to rewind the clock back to the start of the level.

The final table set

Current estimate for the start is 12.45pm local time. But you can amuse yourself in the meantime by catching up with the player profiles of our final tablists, review the payout page to see who has won the monies so far, then remind yourself of the story so far by looking back at each day's wrap post:

Day 1A
Day 1B
Day 1C
Day 2
Day 3

Getting ready for the players

PokerStars Blog reporting team in Macau: Simon Young (worn keyboard) and Joe Giron (polished cameras)

While we wait for the final of PokerStars APPT Macau season 4 to get under way, take a look at our players....

Seat 1: Victorino Torres - Northern Mariana Islands
Victorino Torres is a 33-year-old attorney from the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth in political union with the United States. Torres has been playing poker for about three years and favors cash games over tournaments. When not practicing law or spending time with his family, Torres enjoys spending his free time on the farm. He'll have his work cut out for him at the final table, starting with just 396,000 in chips - the second smallest stack at the table.

Victorino Torres

Seat 2: Kai Danilo Paulsen - Norway
Kai Paulsen is one of the more experienced poker players at the Main Event final table. A six-year veteran of the game, Paulsen has amassed a career tournament earnings total just north of $370,000 USD. The 26-year-old professional poker player from Trondheim, Norway finished 5th at the 2008 Irish Open, earning €175,000 - his largest single cash to date. Paulsen is an avid sports enthusiast, partial to football, snowboarding and skiing. Paulsen enters the final table with 528,000 in chips.

Kai Paulsen

Seat 3: Jeppe Drivsholm - Denmark
Danish amateur Jeppe Drivsholm is no stranger to poker in the Asia-Pacific. Having spent the last three years traveling the world, Drivsholm calls Macau his temporary home. Primarily a cash game player, Drivsholm's most recent live tournament result came back in 2008 at the 2008 APPT Manila Main Event, where he finished 19th. That result came just two months after he recorded the biggest tournament cash of his poker-playing career - a 5th place finish at the 2008 APPT Macau Main Event (HKD $632,150, approx. $80,000 USD). The 25-year-old says he's been playing poker for six years. Drivsholm enters the final table with the second largest stack (1,223,000), just 40,000 behind chip leader Cole Swannack.

Jeppe Drivsholm

Seat 4: Keith Hawkins - England
Keith Hawkins is arguably the most decorated player at the Main Event final table. Known as "The Camel" on PokerStars, Hawkins has racked up over a half a million dollars worth of online MTT cashes, and is more than $350,000 in the black playing sit'n'go's. His live results are equally impressive. Over the past decade, Hawkins has earned more than $1 million playing live events around the world. His biggest result came back in 2006 when he finished 4th in the Master Classics of Poker Main Event, earning a €122,125 payday (approx. $150,000 USD). Hawkins is a big fan of the Queens Park Rangers Football Club, a Championship league team based in London. The 42-year-old resident of Middleton Tyas, England brings 30 years of poker-playing experience to the final table, where he starts with just 174,000 in chips.

Keith Hawkins

Seat 5: Albert Kim - United States
Albert Kim is a professional poker player from Staten Island, New York. Kim turned pro three years ago and he considers himself primarily a cash-game player. The 28-year-old finished 19th at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, earning $257,334 in prize money - his best career result to date. Kim also cashed in a special event held in Manila as part of the APPT Season 4 schedule back in March (46th - $4,200). When he's not terrorizing cash games, Kim says he enjoys drinking, traveling and reading. Kim will unbag 436,000 in chips to start Sunday's final table.

Albert Kim

Seat 6: Chong Cheong - Hong Kong
A businessman by trade, Chong Cheong's foray into the poker world was anything but ordinary. Chong had been a high volume Baccarat player at Grand Lisboa, in Macau for the week on holiday from Hong Kong. His luck quickly went sour and after he lost all but $10,000 of his gambling bankroll, he decided he'd had enough and called it quits. All attempts at booking travel back to Hong Kong were thwarted, however, by a lingering typhoon, preventing him from leaving the casino. While waiting for the bad weather to die down, Chong stumbled upon a live Texas Hold'em cash game, pulled up a seat, and has been hooked since. The 55-year-old favors tournaments over cash games and has won a handful of local events held at the PokerStars Macau Poker Room. His biggest cash to date came in December of 2008 when he won the Macau Poker Cup Red Dragon Event, earning just over HKD $210,000 (approximately $30,000 USD). Cheong enters the final table with 904,000 in chips.

Chong Cheong

Seat 7: Cole Swannack - New Zealand
Twenty-year-old Cole Swannack from Auckland, New Zealand is the youngest player at the table. He listed "Student" as his occupation, though he also said he's been playing poker professionally for the past year and a half. Primarily a cash-game player, Swannack's best tournament finish to date was a runner-up showing at the 2010 New Zealand Poker Championships in Christchurch, where he collected a respectable USD $23,235 for his efforts. Swannack considers basketball and video games his primary hobbies outside of poker. Swannack's student-status may be in jeopardy if he's able to convert his field-leading starting stack (1,262,000) into a victory come Sunday.

Cole Swannack

Seat 8: Brian Green - Costa Rica
San Jose, Costa Rica native Brian Green is making the most of his first experience playing an APPT event. The 48-year-old businessman has been playing poker for 12 years and has amassed a career live earnings total of just over $650,000 USD. No stranger to high stakes tournament poker, Green finished 7th at the 2006 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, earning $144,500 in prize money - the biggest cash of his career. In 2002, Green was inches away from earning his first World Series of Poker bracelet, finishing runner-up to Jennifer Harman in a $5,000 limit hold'em event ($106,200). Green is a self-proclaimed gym rat with a passion for cycling, and an even bigger passion for his three kids. Green enters Sunday's final table with a very healthy 970,000 in chips.

Brian Green

Seat 9: Kenny Nielsen - Denmark
Kenny Nielsen, a 36-year-old physical therapist from Sorø, Denmark has been playing poker for eight years. Primarily a hobby poker player, Nielsen prefers cash games over tournaments. Nielson is one of two Danish players at the final table. His largest tournament cash to date came back in 2005 when he finished 27th in a $10,000 buy-in WPT event, scoring a $41,705 payday. When asked, "What do you want the world to know about you?" Nielsen replied: "That I have won the APPT in Macau tomorrow!" Nielsen will unbag 791,000 in chips at the start of Sunday's final table.

Kenny NIelsen

Seat 1: Victorino Torres - 396,000
Seat 2: Kai Paulsen - 528,000
Seat 3: Jeppe Drivsholm - 1,223,000
Seat 4: Keith Hawkins - 174,000
Seat 5: Albert Kim - 436,000
Seat 6: Chong Cheong - 904,000
Seat 7: Cole Swannack - 1,262,000
Seat 8: Brian Green - 970,000
Seat 9: Kenny Nielsen - 791,000

The more pessimistic observers looked at today's starting field of 44 and noted we would be in for a long haul. Surely there would be a slow down as the bubble approached? Then once the required 40 were in the money, the journey would be just as slow since no-one wanted to miss their place on the nine-handed final table.

Other, perhaps more wise spectators, who have been enthralled by the energy and enthusiasm of players here in Macau, thought just the opposite. The locals love to play, see flops and bet big. Throw in some internet whizzes from Europe and the US, and there were bound to be big pots and bust-outs aplenty - we would get down to nine in no time.

In the event, the latter were right. We smashed through the bubble after just two rounds of hand-for-hand play, and there then followed a head-long rush to the final table. It was all over in six-and-a-half levels. It was, quite simply, carnage.

When the dust had settled, two players were vying for the chip lead - and that honor, just, went to Cole Swannack from New Zealand with 1,262,000. In second, only 39,000 behind, was Jeppe Drivsholm from Denmark. Chong Cheong from Hong Kong was third with 904,000 after the sort of day that dreams are made of. He seemingly got hands at the right time, and even when he was behind he always had plenty of outs. And more often than not they hit.

Cole Swannack

Cheong was chip leader for much of the day but got pegged back when he lost a big hand, doubling up Swannack, a pot that would pot the New Zealander at the top of the leaderboard. There was a lot of money in the middle already when Swannack moved all in on the [9c][10d][4h] flop and got a call from Cheong, who only started playing poker in Macau one day when a typhoon prevented him from traveling home. Swannack had aces, Cheong A-9 and he didn't improve.

Chong Cheong

That was the story of Swannack's rise. Drivsholm got his stack by busting the Russian Mikhail Mazunin. On a [8c][5d][qh][6d] board, Mazunin moved all in with pocket aces, but found he was up against Drivsholm's disguised nut straight with [7s][9h].

Jeppe Drivsholm

The big stacks at the start of the day had contrasting fortunes: TJ Vorapanich, the overnight chip leader, made it to 14th, winning $140,000 HKD, but Kai Paulsen is still here, ending today on 528,000, good for sixth in chips.

Other notable performances include Team PokerStars Pro Marcel Luske, who displayed his normal dashing style before crashing in 27th place for 76,400. He had found himself with just one, 1,000 blue chip left - barely enough for a big blind at that stage - and went out when his [ac][10c] was outrun by Timothy Cherep's [ad][4s].

Marcel Luske: chip and a chair

All that means we have a pretty action-packed final table set up for tomorrow. Here's how they'll sit down with their stacks:

Seat 1: Victorino Torres, US, 396,000
Seat 2: Kai Paulsen, Norway, 528,000
Seat 3: Jeppe Drivsholm, Denmark, 1,223,000
Seat 4: Keith Hawkins, UK, 174,000
Seat 5: Albert Kim, US, 436,000
Seat 6: Chong Cheong, Hong Kong, 904,000
Seat 7: Cole Swannack, New Zealand, 1,262,000
Seat 8: Brian Green, Costa Rica, 970,000
Seat 9: Kenny Nielsen, Denmark, 791,000

That's a neat spread of countries, and hats off to the Danes, with two of them making it through. Denmark to Macau is not a normal travel route, you wouldn't have thought.

So that's it for today. Be sure to catch up with who has cashed so far right here. Then review the story of play in much more detail on the following links:

Levels 15, 16, 17 & 18
Levels 19, 20 & 21

My thanks go to fellow scribbler Tim Duckworth, who has now left Macau for a long work stretch in Las Vegas, and to Joe Giron, who never seems to miss any of the action with his camera. Actually he seems to have two cameras;

We'll see you tomorrow.

7.35pm Housekeeping
The final nine players will return tomorrow for a 12.15pm start. We'll have a wrap with you shortly.

Take a look at the payouts so far over here, and marvel at the following chips: -- SY

Cole Swannack, 1,262,000
Jeppe Drivsholm, 1,223,000
Brian Green, 970,000
Chong Cheong, 904,000
Kenny Nielsen, 791,000
Kai Paulsen, 528,000
Albert Kim, 436,000
Victorino Torres, 396,000
Keith Hawkins, 174,000

Chip leader: Cole Swannack

7.30pm: Wee Yee Tan out in 10th, final table set
That's it! We're down to nine players after Wee Yee Tan fell to Cole Swannack. John Chong had opened for 38,000 from the cut-off and Swannack made the call from the button before Tan moved in for 98,000. Chong made the call but then Swannack moved all in with for more than a million! Chong got out of the way, shaking his head.

Tan: [jc][9h]
Swannack: [ah][qd]

The flop was a [6h][7h][qh], extending Swannack's lead with top pair and a flush draw. The turn was [3s] ending it for Tan, while the [3h] river served only to improve Swannack to a flush. -- SY

7.25pm: Kronwitter out in 11th
Jonas Kronwitter went all in with [10h][10d] for 170,000 and was called by Brian Green with [qs][10s]. The flop was emphatic, coming [qc][9h][ad], the turn was [4s] and river [ks], sending the German back to Europe with $178,200 HKD. -- SY

Jonas Kronwitter

7.10pm: Aronov out in 12th
Samuel Aronov opened with a bet of 40,000. It was folded around to John Chong in the big blind, who re-raised by another 96,000. Aronov moved all in for 300,000 - instantly called by Chong.

Aronov: [kd][jh]
Chong: [ac][10h]

The flop changed nothing, coming [5c][8h][9c], but the turn was [ad] giving Chong an unbeatable lead. The [2s] river was for display purposes only. Chong stood up and shook Aronov's hand, and the young PokerStars qualifier from the US goes home with $178,200 HKD - about $22,800 USD. -- SY

Samuel Aronov

6.51pm: Short break
There's a ten-minute break before we return for level 21, where blinds will be 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante. -- SY

6.50pm: Big double up for Swannack
Finally something doesn't go John Chong's way. He and Cole Swannack saw a [9c][10d][4h] flop, and with 230,000 in the pot already, Swannack moved all in for around 450,000 more. Chong called.

Chong: [as][9s]
Swannack: [ah][ad]

The aces held up on the [4s] turn and [5d] river, and Swannack moves up to 1.1 million to challenge the chip lead. -- GG

Cole Swannack: more pleased than he looks

6.45pm: Kronwitter doubles
Jonas Kronwitter was all in from the small blind for 88,000 with only Victorino Torres to get through in the big blind. But Torres woke up with [4d][4c], nicely ahead of the German's [ac][2d]. No messing about here, though. The board ran [7c][2c][2s][9s][6h] to give Kronwitter trips. -- SY

6.40pm: Weeeee - Wee Tan doubles
Wee Yee Tan was all in with [4h][4c] for 180,000 - and got a call from Albert Kim with [7s][7c]. Tan was on the verge of elimination until the board ran [6s][4d][2d][6h][2s] to give him a full house. -- SY

Get in: Wee Yee Tan doubles

6.30pm: Binh busted
Binh Nguyen is out in 13th place a victim - yet another one - of John Chong, for whom everything is going swimmingly. Chong opened for 27,000 and Nguyen called from the button. They saw a [3h][qc][6c] flop and it kicked off... Nguyen bet 50,000, Chong instantly moved all in and Nguyen called in a flash - around 200,000 total.

Nguyen: [kc][qh] for top pair
Chong: [5c][3c] for bottom pair and flush draw

Chong has hit most things today - and the turn was [9c] filling his flush. It also gave Nguyen outs for a re-draw flush, but the [2d] river ended his day.

A reminder that you can keep up with all the prize payouts as they happen over on the, you guessed, prize payout page. -- SY

Binh Nguyen leaves

6.20pm: Torres ups the gears
Victorino Torres is getting more involved and has taken two nice pots in a row to move up to 700,000. First he opened for 28,000 and got a call from Kai Paulsen in the big blind. Both checked the [9d][as][kh] flop, Paulsen then check-called Torres' 30,000 bet on the [2d] and also his 60,000 bet on the [qd] river. But Paulsen mucked when Torres produced [kd][4d] for the flush.

Next hand Torres made it 28,000 again and this time got calls from Jeppe Drivsholm and from Paulsen. The flop was [qd][8d][3s] and Torres checked. Drivsholm made it 45,000, getting a fold from Kai Paulsen, but Torres then check-raised to 110,000. That was enough to take another nice pot. -- SY

6pm: Vorapanich downed
TJ Vorapanich, chip leader when they sat down today, is now out. John Chong made it 25,000 and Vorapanich moved in for 51,000. Call. Chong had a measly [4h][3d] to Vorapanich's equally poor [6d][4d], but the board ran [ks][10c][9s][10s][3c] - a cruel river that sent the pot to Chong and Vorapanich to the rail. -- SY

5.55pm: Drivsholm busts one, takes lead
Jeppe Drivsholm and Mikhail Mazunin saw a board of [8c][5d][qh][6d] and all the money went in. It was a huge pot - and here's why... Mazunin had pocket rockets, but Drivsholm was sitting there with [7s][9h] for the nut straight! That sent the Russian home in 15th place, and Drivsholm over the one million chip mark. -- TD

Up: Jeppe Drivsholm

Out: Mikhail Mazunin

5.53pm: Level up
We move into level 20, with blinds at 6,000-12,000 and a 1,000 ante. -- SY

5.50pm: TJ clouted
TJ Vorapanich is down to 60,000 after an almighty tangle with Cole Swannack. On a [4c][9h][3s] flop Vorapanich moved in with [5c][6h] and was called by Swananck with [kh][9d]. Vorapanish failed to make his straight on the [8h] turn and [8d] river. -- TD

5.45pm: Million dollar man
John Chong is the first player to make it through the one million mark - by 40,000 chips. -- SY

5.40pm: Rubie routed
Brendon Rubie's deep run at APPT Macau is over. He had only around 40,000 left, and when Keith Hawkins opened for 23,000, he moved all in. Call:

Hawkins: [js][10d]
Rubie: [8d][10h]

Before the board was dealt, tournament staff announced: "Here we have a battle of the Aussies," much to the fury of proud Englishman Hawkins.

"Whhhhaaaaat!" he said. "I am NOT from Australia. That is the worst insult you could make."

He got a light-hearted apology and the dealer got on with the job in hand. The board ran [6d][6c][7s][4c][3d]. Rubie was out, and we're down to 15. -- SY

5.35pm: Chong soaring
Although he began the hand in front, once the board was spread [Js][2c][Kh][10s][3s], Yoo found himself on the rail in 19th place after being the longest lasting Korean player. - TD

Samuel Aronov opened to 25,000 from middle position and found a caller in Wing Cheong Chong from the button to see a flop of [Kc][2s][As] fall.

Aronov fired out 43,000 and Chong made the call as the dealer produced the [2d] on the turn with Aronov leading for 43,000.

Chong took a little more time before making the call as both players checked the [5d] on the river. Aronov tabled his [4s][4c], but it would be Chong's [Ks][10h] enough to take down the pot and see the Hong Kong native climb to over 910,000 in chips. -- TD

5.05pm: Redraw
Here's the table re-draw with chips:

Table 1
1 Brendon Rubie, 320,000
2 Jonas Kronwitter, 155,000
3 Mikhail Mazunin, 580,000
4 Victorino Torres, 450,000
5 Kenny Nielsen, 480,000
6 Jeppe Drivsholm, 240,000
7 Keith Hawkins, 185,000
8 Kai Paulsen, 710,000

Table 2
1 Binh Nguyen, 220,000
2 Wee Yee Tan, 220,000
3 Samuel Aranov, 485,000
4 Albert Kim, 760,000
5 Brian Green, 610,000
6 John Chong, 760,000
7 TJ Vorapanich, 300,000
8 Cole Swannack, 240,000

5pm: Lebedev leaves
Andriyan Lebedev is the latest to go. He was all-in pre-flop with [qd][10h] but was up against Nielsen's [ah][kh]. The board ran [6d][7h][6h][2h][9h], and with that we were down to 16 players.

There is now a re-draw (which will be with you shortly) and we are down to two tables. -- SY

Adriyan Lebedev

4.55pm: Ip up and and away
Colin Ip is out, but at least he doesn't have far to go home as he lives right here in Macau. He raised, Kenny Nielsen re-raised, Ip shoved, Nielsen called.

Ip: [kh][qh]
Nielsen: [qd][jc]

That was good for Ip, but the board ran [jh][3s][10s][3c][6h] to bust him out. -- SY

Colin Ip leaves

4.50pm: On we go
Having lost more than half the field in four levels, we've now got to get rid of nine more players before our final table is set.

Right now three men are chasing the lead. John Chong has it with 790,000, but not far behind is Albert Kim on 760,000, then Kai Paulsen on 700,000.

Blinds are now 5,000-10,000 with a 1,000 running ante. -- SY

4.35pm: End of the level
That's the end of level 18. We have a ten-minute break and then move up to level 19 with blinds of 5,000-10,000 and a 1,000 ante. We have 18 players remainnig. -- SY

4.22pm: Yoo falls
Young Hyun Yoo saw his remaining chips enter the middle of the pot and Mikhail Mazunin came along for the ride.

Yoo: [Ah][10c]
Mazunin: [Kc][Qh]

Although he began the hand in front, once the board was spread [Js][2c][Kh][10s][3s], Yoo found himself on the rail in 19th place after being the longest lasting Korean player. -- TD

4.15pm: Rubie rivers Broadway
PokerStars sponsored player Brendon Rubie had all his chips in the middle of the pot against Keith Hawkins.

Rubie: [Ad][Qs]
Hawkins: [Kc][10c]

The flop of [Ks][10s][2c] gave Hawkins the lead and had Rubie in trouble, but the [5s] on the turn gave him outs to a flush to go along with his gutshot straight draw.

No spade landed on the river, but instead it was the [Jh] to see the Australian stay alive in the tournament. -- TD

Brendon Rubie

4.12pm: Ngu straightened out
On a board reading [6d][3d][4d][5h] Jessica Ngu found herself all in for her last 182,000 against Samuel Aronov and his [Ac][7c].

Unfortunately for the Singaporean, the river landed the [10c] to see Ngu eliminated in 20th place for a HK$89,100 payday as Aronov climbs to over 450,000 in chips. -- TD

Jessica Ngu

4.05pm: Cherep culled
PokerStars online qualifier Timothy Cherep's run in the Main Event has ended.

Holding [5c][5d], Cherep was in a race against Jeppe Drivsholm's [Qh][10c], and after the board was spread [7s][8h][Jd][8d][9s] the American hit the rail in 21st place for a HK$89,100 payday. -- TD

Cheerio, Cherep

3.55pm: Jensen busts
Mikhail Mazunin made the call preflop to put Patrick Jensen at risk.

Mazunin: [7h][7s]
Jensen: [6s][6d]

The board fell [Jh][3h][9s][Jc][3c] to see Jensen eliminated as Mazunin climbs to over 400,000 in chips. -- TD

Patrick Jensen can't believe it

3.50pm: Cheung eliminated
Wee Yee Tan moved all in from the button and Park Yu Cheung made the call from the small blind for his tournament life.

Tan: [Ac][3h]
Cheung: [Kd][Qc}

The board ran out [Ah][Jd][5c][Qh][Jc] to put the Hong Kong native on the rail. -- TD

3.48pm: Kronwitter triples
Jeppe Drivsholm opened to 18,000 from early position only to have Jonas Kronwitter and Patrick Jensen move all in for 65,000 and 106,000 respectively. Drivsholm made the call and we were off to a showdown.

Drivsholm: [10s][10d]
Kronwitter: [Ks][Kd]
Jensen: [Qc][Qd]

The board was spread [7h][3c][4s][3d][5c] to see Kronwitter triple through to 210,000 as Drivsholm slipped to 150,000 and Jensen to 80,000 in chips. -- TD

3.45pm: The state of play
With 22 left, John Chong has shot into the chip lead after knocking out a succession of players. Kai Paulsen is not far behind, but TJ Vorapanich, our overnight chip leader, has faded a little. Here are some of the notable stacks: -- SY

John Chong, 852,000
Kai Paulsen, 760,000
Mikhail Mazunin, 535,000
TJ Vorapanich, 455,000
Albert Kim, 330,000

A happy John Chong

3.35pm: Rosen departs
We're having trouble keeping up with the bust outs, such is the pace of eliminations here in Macau. On this one Mikail Rose bet 56,500 pre-flop and Albert Kim called. On the [5c][4h][7h] flop Kim moved all in and Rosen called:

Rosen: [kh][ks]
Kim: [7d][6h]

Kim needed to improve and the [8h] turn filled up his straight. Rosen's mini-revival is over. -- TD

3.25pm: Juvonen out
Jukka Juvonen, a PokerStars qualifier here all the way from Finland, is now out and preparing to go home again. On a [3d][2d][jd] flop he got it all in with [qs][qh] but was a mile behind the [6d][7d] of Brian Green from Costa Rica. The [5s] turn and [2s] river changed nothing. -- SY

3.20pm: Chong chops Chieng
Alex Chieng is out, another victim of Jon Chong, who has taken the chip lead at Macau. On a [qh][2h][4h] flop, Chong moved all in with [2c][2d] and Chieng made the call with [jh][qc]. The necessary heart failed to arrive on the [9c] turn or the [ks] river and that was that for the man from France. -- SY

3.14pm: Luske legged
Marcel Luske committed all but one 1,000-denomination chip preflop against Mikhail Mazunin.

Both players checked down the [5s][9s][4h][2s][6c] board to see Luske table his [Ac][Kd] only to be bested by Mazunin's [Ah][3h] for a straight.

Marcel Luske with a chip and a chair... and a smile

The following hand Luske tossed in half his stack for an ante before finding [Ac][10c] and tossing in the other half. Timothy Cherep jammed his short-stack in the pot, and once the remaining active players folded, he tabled his [Ad][4s].

Unfortunately for the PokerStars Team Pro, the board ran out [7c][Kd][9d][4h][5d] to put Luske on the rail in 27th place for a HK$76,400 payday. -- TD

Marcel Luske says farewell to his table

3.10pm: Judges KO'D
Darren Judges open-jammed for his last 79,500 and was called by Brian Green.

Judges: [Kd][Qh]
Green: [As][Qs]

The window card of the [Ks] put Judges in front, but when the flop was spread [Ks][5d][Ad] it put Green back in the lead.

The [Qd] on the turn gave both players two pair but also left Judges drawing to a flush. Unfortunately for the one-time chip leader the [5s] landed on the river to see him sent packing in 28th place as Green climbs to 350,000 in chips. -- TD

3.05pm: Gwinner busts
Henrik Gwinner from Denmark is out, leaving us with 28 players. He was all in pre-flop with [ah][jc] against John Chong's [as][10s]. Gwinner, our day 1B chip leader, begged the dealer not to do anything nasty - but although the window card was [jh] the remaining two cards on the flop were [9c][qc], giving Chong the open-ended straight draw. The turn filled the straight up, coming [kh] and and the [6h] river was irrelevant. -- TD

3pm: The end for Durrer
Michael Durrer is no more, losing a vital race against Kenny Nielsen. Durrer was all in for 85,000 with [10h][10d] against Nielsen's [ac][qc] and the end was sudden as the flop came [ah][jh][7d][ followed by a [5s] turn and [kd] river. -- SY

2.55pm: Chieng still in the game
Alex Chieng doubled up, all in for 53,000 with [10h][10c] against Mikail Rosen's [as][10d]. The board ran an uneventful [2s][8c][2c][qc][4s] and Chieng, hidden behind dark glasses and black hoodie, remains in his seat. -- SY

Alex Chieng

2.50pm: Oscar's closing ceremony
Oscar Teran from Venezuala is out. He was in for his last 65,000 with [7c][8c] on a [6s][9s][qd] flop, called by Keith Hawkins with [kd][qs]. Oscar was on the draw, but only managed a small pair on the [4s] turn and [8h] river. -- SY

Oscar Teran gets up to leave

2.48pm: Swannack rivers Chong
Cole Swannack found himself all in preflop against Wing Cheong Chong.

Swannack: [7h][7s]
Chong: [As][Ac]

Swannack was looking at heading to the rail until the river delivered on a final board of [5d][3s][8h][2c][7d] to see the recent New Zealand Poker Championships runner up double through to over 200,000 in chips. -- TD

2.45pm: Gonzales gone
On a flop of [8c][Jc][8h] Victorino Torres fired out a bet only to have Rundulf Gonzales move all in with Torres making the call.

Torres: [Qs][Js]
Gonzales: [Kc][Qc]

The turn dropped the [Jh] to put a lock on the pot for Torres, and after the meaningless [3h] landed on the river, Gonzales hit the rail in 32nd place for a HK$78,400 payday. -- TD

2.40pm: Level up
We're now in level 17. Blinds are 3,000-6,000 with a 500 ante. -- SY

2.35pm: Pay jump
With just 32 players left we are up to the $76,400 HKD pay bracket ($9,700 USD)

2.30pm: Ta-Ta Tsang
Elton Tsang found himself all in preflop against Wing Cheong Chong.

Tsang: [As][Qh]
Chong: [Jc][9c]

The board ran out [9s][6s][7d][Jd][4h] to see Tsang hit the rail in 33rd place for a HK$63,700 payday as Chong soars to over 610,000 in chips. -- TD

2.20pm: Big pot sends Paulsen to chip lead
We mentioned the stacked tabled in the below post, and the big two have just clashed, sending Paulsen into the clear chip lead. We did not catch all the action, but our vigilant snapper Joe Giron reports Paulsen had [qh][qs] and Vorapanich had [jd][ks]. The board was [qd][9d][2h][kc][8c], which explains why so many chips moved across the table.

Paulsen is now on 800,000 - Vorapanich down to 400,000. -- SY

Kai Paulsen

2.15pm: Lebedev doubles
Keith Hawkins kicked off a big pot with a open raise to 12,500. Michael Durrer, a PokerStars qualifier from Germany, bumped it up to 40,000 - and then Andriyan Lebedev moved all in for 81,000. Hawkins got out of the way but Durrer made the call:

Durrer: [qh][qs]
Lebedev: [ad][kh]

Lebedev hit the flop of [6s][8d][ks] and stayed ahead on the [7d] turn and [7h] river. He doubled to 180,000. -- SY

2.10pm: Killer table
Now sharing the same table are the two chip leaders, Kai Paulsen and TJ Vorapanich. Also there is Brendon Rubie - third in chips at the start of play today. -- SY

Paulsen, right, Rubie, left with shades, Vorapanich, white shirt

2.05pm: Rose out
Barbara Rose is out, leaving Jessica Ngu as the only woman left standing in Macau. Rose pushed all in pre-flop and was called by Mikhail Mazunin and Alex Chieng. The flop was [10d][5h][6h] and the Russian bet 36,000, forcing Chieng out of the pot.

Mazunin found his [ah][ad] had fallen behind Rose's [10h][10c] - but the [ac] on the turn regained him the lead, and the [7s] river kept him there. Mazunin now up to 526,000 -- SY

Barbara Rose can hardly look

2pm: Hawkins cracks aces to triple
Keith Hawkins pushed his last 45,100 into the pot and was called by Victorino Torres before Rundulf Gonzales moved all in from the button for 74,000. Torres made the call and the three hands were tabled.

Hawkins: [Kc][Qs]
Torres: [8c][8d]
Gonzales: [Ac][Ad]

The board ran out [9s][5s][4d][10s][6s] to give Hawkins a flush to triple to over 150,000 as Torres slips to 33,000 and Gonzales slip to 65,000. -- TD

Keith Hawkins

1.50pm: Cedric eliminated
Raffi Cedric opened with a raise to 14,000 and once the action folded round to Wee Yee Tan in the big blind, he put Cedric all in with the Frenchman obliging.

Cedric: [Qh][Qd]
Tan: [7h][7s]

Unfortunately for Cedric the flop fell down [Jd][5d][7d] to give Tan a set but still leave Cedric drawing to a third Queen or a diamond that didn't pair the board.

The [Jh] on the turn cut down Cedric's flush outs, and when the [3h] landed on the river, the PokerStars online qualifier eliminated in 35th place for a HK$63,700 payday. -- TD

1.48pm: Portnoff puts out
Robin Portnoff pushed his short stack all in from middle position and was instantly called by Mikael Rosen from the big blind.

Portnoff: [Qd][Jh]
Rosen: [Ah][Kh]

The board ran out [6c][7d][4h][5h][2h] to see Portnoff fall in 36th place as Rosen soars to 250,000 in chips. -- TD

Chong's aces hold against Kronwitter
Wing Cheong Chong and Jonas Kronwitter both committed a hefty amount of chips preflop in a four-bet pot to see a [8h][7d][5c] flop fall.

Chong fired out 50,000 from under the gun and after nearly three minutes of deliberation, Kronwitter pushed all in with Chong immediately calling for his last 152,200 and tournament life.

Chong: [Ah][As]
Kronwitter: [9c][9h]

The turn of the [7c] changed little, and when the [4s] landed on the river, Chong doubled through to 395,000 as Kronwitter slipped to 115,000 and change. -- TD

1.40pm: Holley bushed
There's no letting up in the action here. Matthew Holley shoved for his last 6,000, Timothy Cherep raised to 39,500 only for Mikael Rosen to move all in over the top for 107,500. It was folded back to Cherep who made an instant call:

Cherep: [ac][as]
Rosen: [9s][9d]
Holley: [jd][3s]

Cherep was loving this - until the flop came [jh][2d][9h] making a set for Rosen. The turn was [js] making trips for Holley but Rosen now had the full house. The river was [qh] and Rosen took a huge pot to move over 240,000, much to Cherep's disgust. -- SY

Happy: Mikail Rosen

Unhappy: Timothy Cherep

1.35pm: Lindberg crushed
Niklas Lindberg goes out in a horrible manner. He shoved for his last 20,000 with [9s][9h] and was called by Brian Green in the big blind with [qs][7c]. The flop was a safe [5h][ad][8c], but the turn was [9d] giving Green the slim chance of a straight. The river took no account of the odds, coming [6h] sending the unlucky Lindberg to the rail.

"That's a hand one player will not forget for a very long time," the floor staff announced over the microphone. -- SY

1.30pm: Rose blossoms
Barbara Rose gets a double up, moving in with pocket nines and staying ahead of A-2 when the board ran 8-K-8-3-5. -- SY

1.25pm: Level up
We move into level 16 with blinds at 2,500-5,000 with a 500 ante. -- SY

1.20pm: Sayonara Suzuki
Japanese player Takuya Sukuki found himself all in preflop holding [As][5s] against Alexandre Chieng's [9d][7d].

The board ran out [4d][8c][2c][7s][Jd] to see Sukuki eliminated in 39th place for a HK$63,700 payday as Chieng climbs to 190,000 in chips. -- TD

1.18pm: Haabak halted
PokerStars online qualifier Jesse Haabak three-bet all in following a Binh Nguyen open. Nguyen made the call and the cards were tabled.

Haabak: [Ah][Jc]
Nguyen: [As][Qs]

The flop of [10s][9s][5c] kept Nguyen squarely in front and left Haabak drawing to just two outs or a running combination for a straight.

Unfortunately for Haabak, the [8s] landed on the turn to send him out in 40th place for a HK$63,700 payday, and just to rub it in, the dealer dropped the [Js] on the river to give Nguyen a straight flush as he moves to over 340,000 in chips. -- TD

1.10pm: Takashi Ogura the bubble boy
Well that was a pretty painless bubble period - for us anyway. Not so for Takashi Ogura, who has busted on the second deal of hand-for-hand play, and is the last player to go home with nothing.

The man from Japan was all-in for around 50,000 with [as][js] and up against Mikhail Mazunin from Russia with [10h][10d]. The flop came [3d][5s][4c], adding a gutshot draw to Ogura's outs. The turn was [4s] and now he had a flush draw as well (so long as it was not a [10s]). So any spade, any two, any ace or any jack would save him - but the river missed them all, coming a harmless [3h].

Everyone now has at least $63,700 HKD - or $8,100 USD. -- SY

Takashi Ogura gets the bad news

1.05pm: Bubble time!
We are now on the bubble!

Play is going hand for hand until we lose one more.

1.02pm: Rosen triples
Jeppe Drivsholm opened to to 9,000 from early position and was three-bet by Takuya Suzuki from the cutoff to 25,100. Sitting in the small blind, Mikael Rosen pushed his last 31,600 into the pot and was called by both Drivsholm and Suzuki.

The flop fell down [6s][9s][3d] an Drivsholm slid out a stack of yellow 5,000-denomination chips amounting to a bet of 100,000. Suzuki took his time before folding his [10h][10c] face up.

Drivsholm: [Jh][9h]
Rosen: [10s][10d]

With Rosen ahead for his tournament life, the turn and river would land the [5s] and [Kh] to see the APPT Manila bubble boy stay alive and triple through to over 100,000 in chips as Drivsholm slips to 190,000 and Suzuki slides down to roughly 60,000 in chips. -- TD

12.45pm: Coetzer out, bubble looms
We're down to 42 players with the elimination of Conrad Coetzer. That means just two more will go out empty-handed. Once the bubble bursts everyone guaranteed $63,700 HKD - about $8,100 USD.

Coetzer had moved all in for 47,700 and Albert Kim made the call from the big blind with [as][2c] - well ahead of Coetzer's [jh][5h]. The board ran [ah][10c][8s][5s][3c] to send the man from South Africa to the rail. -- SY

Conrad Coetzer

12.37pm: Hawkins all in
The UK's Keith Hawkins faced a 10,000 bet pref-flop from Kenny Nielsen and pushed all in for 38,000 more. Nielsen didn't take long to muck. -- SY

12.35pm: Coetzer doubles
Conrad Coetzer, the day's shortest stack, was all in with [7d][7s] and got a call from chip leader TJ Vorapanich holding [as][jd]. The board of [8d][5c][8c][6c][4d] improved Coetzer's hand to a straight, and he's now up to 80,000. -- SY

12.28pm Patry crippled then eliminated
In a battle of the blinds, Guillaume Patry put his big blind opponent Binh Nguyen to the test with an all push from the small blind.

Nguyen called tabling his [8c][8s] to be in great shape against Patry's [4s][2c], and after the board blanked out [7c][3s][6d][Kh][10d] Nguyen doubled through to 190,000 as Patry was left crippled with just 35,000.

A few hands later Patry committed his remaining stack with [ks][Kh] against Kai Paulsen's [Ad][8d], but a board of [2h][8s][3d][8c][10d] would see Patry's kings cracked to push him to the rail as the day's first casualty. -- TD

Guillaume Patry: out

12.20pm: We're off
Bang on time, we're under way. -- SY

11.45am: Serious work begins
Welcome back for day 3 of PokerStars APPT Macau. We're at the business end of things: 44 players are left and only 40 of them will get paid. After we get through the bubble, which may or may not be a drawn out affair, we have one mission - to play down to our final table of nine.

Top of the pops right now is TJ Vorapanich from the US, with 472,900, followed by Kai Paulsen on 416,800 and Brendon Rubie on 299,300. Still in the hunt is Team PokerStars Pro Marcel Luske, who bagged up 93,000 last night. -- SY

We're due to get under way at 12.15pm. Here's how they'll be sitting down:

1 1 - Takuya Suzuki Japan 96,000
1 3 - Timothy Cherep United States 146,800
1 4 - Mikael Rosen Sweden 37,600
1 5 - Matthew Holley Northern Mariana Islands 50,900
1 6 - Barbara Rose Australia 39,500
1 7 - Jeppe Drivsholm Denmark 224,400
1 8 - Robin Portnoff Sweden 88,900

6 1 - Takashi Ogura Japan 67,500
6 3 - Andriyan Lebedev Russia 250,700
6 4 - Keith Hawkins United Kingdom 54,200
6 5 - Victorino Torres United States 86,300
6 6 - Mikhail Mazunin Russia 205,000
6 7 - Kenny Nielsen Denmark 166,100
6 8 - Rundulf Gonzales Philippines 109,400

7 1 - Conrad Coetzer South Africa 36,900
7 2 - Marcel Luske Netherlands 93,000
7 3 - Albert Kim United States 125,300
7 5 - Cole Swannack New Zealand 160,200
7 6 - Yong Hyun Yoo Korea 188,700
7 7 - TJ Vorapanich United States 472,900
7 8 - Sparrow Cheung Hongkong 172,300

15 1 - Jonas Kronwitter Germany 241,900
15 2 - Elton Tsang Hong Kong 233,000
15 3 - Henrik Gwinner United Kingdom 116,200
15 5 - Patrick Jensen Denmark 152,000
15 6 - Lam Trinh United Kingdom 57,600
15 7 - John Chong Hong Kong 148,100
15 8 - Jesse Haabak United States 136,700

16 1 - Colin Ip Macau 189,700
16 2 - Brendon Rubie Australia 299,300
16 3 - Darren Judges United Kingdom 106,700
16 4 - Brian Green Costa Rica 190,900
16 5 - Wee Yee Tan Singapore 112,700
16 6 - Raffi Cedric France 165,000
16 7 - Jukka Juvonen Finland 204,400
16 8 - Niklas Lindberg Sweden 39,300

20 1 - Jessica Ngu Australia 149,700
20 2 - Oscar Teran Venezuela 212,200
20 3 - Alexandre Chieng France 103,100
20 4 - Michael Durrer Germany 218,600
20 5 - Kai Paulsen Norway 416,800
20 6 - Samuel Aronov United States 102,000
20 7 - Guillaume Patry Canada 127,000
20 8 - Binh Nguyen United States 87,400

Chip leader TJ Voranapich

PokerStars Blog reporting team in Macau: Tim Duckworth and Simon Young (words), and Joe Giron (pictures)

What a day. First Brendon Rubie ran away with the chip lead, then Kai Paulsen joined him. TJ Vorapanich caught up as well, before both he and Rubie got pegged back. It looked like Paulsen would take the honor of being top dog - until the last hand of the night when Vorapanich scooped a big pot to leave him way out in front.

We had 160 players starting out, and the plan was to play seven full levels or stop when we made the money with 40 players left. In the event it was close, but the seven levels came first with the tournament screens showing 44 remained in their seats. Tomorrow's mission is clear: play down to our final table of nine.

Vorapanich will sleep easiest tonight. His surge up the leaderboard began when he busted David Steicke, a big stack from day 1B, in one of the larger pots of the day. Steicke's pocket queens could not overtake Vorapanich's kings and the man from the US never really looked back.

TJ Vorapanich

The day began with the ball very much in Darren Judges' court. Chip leader at the start with 170,000, he dwindled in chips but managed to survive with 106,700. That left the likes of Rubie, Paulsen and Vorapanich to take control. Rubie ran with it first, soaring to the lead when he made a brilliant call to bust Jun Liu. With 120,000 in the pot already and the board showing [2d][kd][9c][3d][10h], Lui moved all in for another 100,000. Rubie called, and his pocket queens were superior to Lui's pocket fours.

Brendon Rubie

At one stage PokerStars qualifier Rubie was on 445,000, but he ended bagging up 299,300 after losing a big pot late on against Costa Rican PokerStars qualifier Brian Green. Paulsen was the other big mover of the day, climbing gradually before flopping a set of sevens to beat Julian Powell's pocket aces. That sent him over 300,000 and he ended by bagging up 416,800.

Kai Paulsen

Team PokerStars Pro was left with just one representative at the end - Marcel Luske from Holland. He had started with only 15,000 but finished with 93,000, wining big pots with aces and kings. Team Pro colleagues Raymond Wu, Celina Lin, Tony Hachem and Eric Assadourian failed to make it through.

Marcel Luske

That's your lot until tomorrow. You check out the chip counts here, what money they're all playing for here, and review all of today's action in more detail by clicking the following two reports:

Levels 8, 9 & 10
Levels 11, 12, 13 & 14

My thanks go to Tim Duckworth for his words of wisdom, and to Joe Giron for his powerful pictures. Join us tomorrow at 12.15pm when we'll ease in to the money and then begin the headlong charge towards the final table.

We'll leave you with the seat draw and chips for tomorrow:

1 1 - Takuya Suzuki Japan 96,000
1 3 - Timothy Cherep  United States  146,800
1 4 - Mikael Rosen Sweden 37,600
1 5 - Matthew Holley  Northern Mariana Islands  50,900
1 6 - Barbara Rose Australia 39,500
1 7 - Jeppe Drivsholm Denmark 224,400
1 8 - Robin Portnoff  Sweden  88,900

6 1 - Takashi Ogura Japan 67,500
6 3 - Andriyan Lebedev Russia 250,700
6 4 - Keith Hawkins United Kingdom  54,200
6 5 - Victorino Torres  United States  86,300
6 6 - Mikhail Mazunin  Russia 205,000
6 7 - Kenny Nielsen  Denmark  166,100
6 8 - Rundulf Gonzales Philippines 109,400

7 1 - Conrad Coetzer South Africa 36,900
7 2 - Marcel Luske Netherlands 93,000
7 3 - Albert Kim United States  125,300
7 5 - Cole Swannack  New Zealand  160,200
7 6 - Yong Hyun Yoo Korea 188,700
7 7 - TJ Vorapanich United States  472,900
7 8 - Sparrow Cheung Hongkong 172,300

15 1 - Jonas Kronwitter Germany 241,900
15 2 - Elton Tsang Hong Kong 233,000
15 3 - Henrik Gwinner United Kingdom  116,200
15 5 - Patrick Jensen  Denmark  152,000
15 6 - Lam Trinh  United Kingdom  57,600
15 7 - John Chong Hong Kong 148,100
15 8 - Jesse Haabak  United States  136,700

16 1 - Colin Ip Macau 189,700
16 2 - Brendon Rubie  Australia  299,300
16 3 - Darren Judges United Kingdom  106,700
16 4 - Brian Green  Costa Rica  190,900
16 5 - Wee Yee Tan Singapore 112,700
16 6 - Raffi Cedric  France  165,000
16 7 - Jukka Juvonen  Finland  204,400
16 8 - Niklas Lindberg  Sweden  39,300

20 1 - Jessica Ngu Australia 149,700
20 2 - Oscar Teran Venezuela 212,200
20 3 - Alexandre Chieng France 103,100
20 4 - Michael Durrer  Germany  218,600
20 5 - Kai Paulsen Norway 416,800
20 6 - Samuel Aronov  United States  102,000
20 7 - Guillaume Patry Canada 127,000
20 8 - Binh Nguyen United States  87,400

7.55pm: Play finishes
That's it. Seven levels are done today and we're left with 46 players, a big drop from the 160 who started. They'll come back tomorrow and we need to lose five more before the money kicks in. A full wrap will be with you shortly, as will all the chip counts on the chip count page.

But we can safely say our chip leader is TJ Vorapanich on 472,900, followed by Kai Paulsen, Brendon Rubie and Andriyan Lebedev. -- SY

TJ Vorapanich

7.45pm: Five more hands
That's all we have left to go tonight. We are down to 46 players. -- SY

7.40pm: Now Rubie drop some
After regaining the lead when TJ Vorapanich lost the hand below, Brendon Rubie has also slipped up, losing a big pot when his pocket jacks failed to stand up against Brian Green's A-K. Rubie pegged back to 310,000, while Green climbs to 260,000. -- SY

Brian Green celebrates

7.30pm: Leader slips
TJ Vorapanich slips back to 355,000 after losing a with sixes against the kings of Chong Man Ip from Macau. That leaves Brendon Rubie as the leader once more, sitting on around 400,000. -- SY

7.25pm: Slowdown
As the bubble approaches - we're at 49 players - the play has slowed down considerably. We still have nine to lose. -- SY

7.15pm: Warning for Chong
Keith 'The Camel' Hawkins moved all in for his last 50,000 and John Chong from Hong Kong was chewing over his options. He looked like he may fold, and then flashed Hawkins one of his cards - the [ac]. Marcel Luske said he should not be allowed to do that, as Chong then showed it to the rest of the table as well.

Chong eventually mucked, at which point tournament boss Danny McDonagh warned him he would get a penalty if he did it again. "There is to be no showing of any hand while there is still action," he said. Chong apologised, probably unaware he had broken the rules. -- SY

Keith Hawkins

7pm: We're sniffing the cash
The players are back in their seats for level 14. Only 51 remain, which means we are getting might close to the bubble. Just 40 get paid here, so 11 of these are going to leave empty-handed. Play will end either when we burst the bubble, or when we reach the end of this one-hour level, whichever comes first. -- SY

6.45pm: Break time
The tournament is now on a ten-minute break before returning for the last level of play.

Blinds on recommencement will be 1,500-3,000 with a 500-ante.

6.42pm: Vorapanich to chip lead, Steicke eliminated
On a board of [4h][Ks][6s][5c] with a pot of around 150,000 brewing, TJ Vorapanich fired out a bet of 55,000 into David Steicke.

Steicke sat in the tank deliberating a decision for over three minutes before Vorapancih called time on the Hong Kong resident.

With only 67,000 in his stack and just ten seconds remaining in his allotted one minute, Steicke moved all in with Vorapanich instantly calling.

Steicke: [Qc][Qh]
Vorapanich: [Kc][Kh]

The river landed the meaningless [4d] to send Steicke to the rail as Vorapanich climbs to over 446,000 in chips. -- TD

TJ Vorapanich rakes in the loot

6.15pm: Rubie extends lead
Brendon Rubie is up to 445,000 after winning two more sizable pots. First he had [ac][jh] against an all-in player's [ad][ks] and spiked a jack on the [7c][4c][6h][jc][qs] board. Soon after he found pocket kings and got a short-stack to move all-in with pocket eights - a king on the flop making short work of that one. -- SY

Here are the top of the pops at the moment:
Brendon Rubie, 445,000
Kai Paulsen, 340,000
Mikhail Mazunin, 280,000

6.04pm: Powell falls
On a flop of [7s][8d][2d] Julian Powell found himself all in against Kai Paulsen.

Powell: [As][Ah]
Paulsen: [7d][7h]

The turn landed the [5d] to leave Powell drawing to just one out, and after the river fell the [Ks], the Australian hit the rail as Paulsen soared to 349,000 in chips. -- TD

Kai Paulsen

Luske doubles
Marcel Luske found himself all in holding [Kc][Ks] against an opponent's [4c][4s].

Marcel Luske is pleased

The board ran out [2h][10c][Qc][6h][Qs] to see Luske double through to over 110,000 in chips. -- TD

5.45pm: Level up!
The blinds have just been raised.

We are now playing 1,200-2,400 with a 300-ante.

5.40pm: Huge pot sends Rubie to runaway lead
Brendon Rubie takes a massive pot to eliminate Jun Lui, soaring to 340,000 and the outright chip lead. We picked up the action with the board showing [2d][kd][9c][3d][10h] and with 120,000 in the pot already.

Rubie had checked, before Lui spent an age to decide his move. The clock was called, and that sparked the man from China into life instantly. "All in," he said. It was around 100,000 more to Rubie, who slumped back in his chair before sitting upright again to count his own stack and weigh up his options.

Brendon Rubie, seated right, ponders the all-in from Jun Lui, standing left

He took several minutes before trying to tease some information out of Lui. "You have a king?" he asked. "No English, no English," laughed Lui. Rubie thought some more - then calmly made the call - and with those straight and flush possibilities on the board it was a great one:

Lui: [4h][4c]
Rubie: [qd][qs]

With that, Lui sloped off, and Rubie had a mountain of chips to stack. A call worthy of the chip lead, to be honest. -- SY

Brendon Rubie collects the huge pot

5.30pm: Paulsen going well
Kai Paulsen is over 200,000 and joing those vying for the chip lead. He just busted with pocket aces against kings. -- SY

5.20pm: Swannack runs unsuccessful triple barrel bluff
With the action folding round to PokerStars online qualifier Cole Swannack on the button, he bumped the action up to 4,600 with Jeppe Drivsholm making the call from the big blind.

Drivsholm check-called a 6,200, 14,000 and 26,000-chip bets on each street after the board was spread [2d][Ac][Qh][5d][2h].

Swannack tabled his [8h][6s] for a triple barrel bluff to slip to 110,000 as Drivsholm tabled his [Qc][6c] to rake in the pot and move to 199,000 in chips. -- TD

5.15pm: That's gotta hurt
Wooka Kim, the Japanese player, has been grinding today to keep herself afloat - but just busted in the most horrible way. She had [as][qd] and was all in and in great shape against Domitrios Meryzanis' [ks][10s] when the flop came [qs][qc]6h]. The trips put her a mile ahead, but the [kd] turn brought an "oooh" from the table.... and the river was [kh] bringing even louder "oohs" and the bigger full house to the man from Greece. -- SY

5.05pm: Lim eliminated by Ngu
PokerStars online qualifier Jong-Hyun Lim found herself all in and called by Jessica Ngu.

Lim: [Ad][10d]
Ngu: [6h][6c]

The flop of [Qs][6d][3h] put Ngu squarely in the lead and left Lim drawing to backdoor straight and flush draws.

Unfortunately the [3d] on the turn would be enough to put Lim on the rail, and after the meaningless [Kd] landed on the river, Ngu raked in the pot to soar to just under 70,000 in chips. -- TD

Jessica Ngu, standing left, and Jong-Hyun Lim, standing right, watch the board play out

4.45pm: New chip leader emerges
Mikhail Mazunin, a PokerStars qualifier from Russia, has emerged as the new chip leader with 212,000, ahead of day 1A chip leader Alex Chieng on 186,000 and day 1C leader Darren Judges on 180,000.

As mentioned earlier, Team PokerStars Pro Marcel Luske is also now in the hunt, up to over 75,000 after doubling up with aces. We have 79 of our 160 day two starters remaining, and the all-ins and calls continue at an alarming rate-- SY

Mikail Mazunin

4.35pm: Level over
That was level 11, now for level 12, but not until there's been a ten-minute break. Blinds will be 1,000-2,000 with a 200 running ante. -- SY

4.30pm: Chau KO'D by Powell
With the action folding round to Julian Powell on the button, he tossed in four yellow 5,000-denomination chips to effectively put both the blinds all in.

Chris Chau in the small blind made the call for his last 14,000 in chips as the big blind passed.

Powell: [Qc][Jd]
Chau: [7h][7c]

The final board ran out [Js][6s][Qs][2d][10s] to see Chau hit the rail as the Australian climbed to over 75,000 in chips. -- TD

4.10pm: Luske back in the game
With Raymond Wu's elimination - see post below - Marcel Luske was left as the only Team PokerStars Pro remaining in he field. And the Dutchman, who has been grinding all day, just found a perfect spot to double up to 75,000.

He got it in with [ad][as] and was up against [ah][kh]. No unnecessary dramas on the board, and Luske is now looking menacing. -- SY

Marcel Luske with his aces

4.01pm: Wu walks
With the action folding to PokerStars Team Pro Asia member Raymond Wu in the cutoff, he moved his last 14,900 into the pot.

Wu found a call from an opponent on the button before Victorino Torres moved all in from the big blind for over 115,000 to prompt a fold from the button.

Wu: [Jd][9c]
Torres: [Jh][Jc]

It wasn't looking good for Wu, and after the [Kh][4s][2s][6c][5h] flop board was spread, the Taiwanese high stakes player made his way to the rail. -- TD

Raymond Wu bids farewell

3.50pm: Benton busto
On a board of [Qc][6c][6s] Aaron Benton pushed his last 22,100 into the pot and found a caller from his opponent in the small blind.

Benton: [Ad][Jh]
Opponent: [9h][9s]

The turn and river landed the [6d] and [3s] to see the PokerStars APPT Sydney Champion eliminated from the Main Event. -- TD

Aaron Benton moves all in....

.... turns over his cards....

... and leaves APPT Macau

3.35pm: New level
We're in level 11, with blinds at 800-1,600 and a running ante of 200. We have around 85 players left on ten tables.

The money kicks in with 40 left, and today we play down to that moment, or a total of seven levels, whichever comes first.

Here's a picture our snapper Joe Giron took a little earlier. Don't know about you, but I can't work out what it was that caught his eye...

PokerStars Blog reporting team in Macau: Tim Duckworth and Simon Young (notepad and pen), and Joe Giron (camera)

3.20pm: Level done
That's it for level 10. We move to level 11 with blinds at 800-1,600 with a 200 ante. -- SY

3.21pm: Dinh Le dusted
On a board reading [As][2s][4h][7s][Jc], all the chips went in on the river with Dinh Le holding [A][Q] against his opponent's [7][7].

Unfortunately for Le, his opponent had him slightly covered and therefore meant that the 2007 PokerStars APPT Macau Champion would be forced to hit the rail short of making the money. -- TD

Dinh Le sees the grim news

3.10pm: The state of play
Darren Judges still holds the chip lead. Here are some notable stacks...

Darren Judges, 217,000
Henrik Gwinner, 150,000
Dimitrios Mertzanis, 135,000
Alex Chieng, 120,000
David Steicke, 105,000
Keith Hawkins, 90,000

Team PokerStars Pro Raymond Wu has 80,000, while fellow Pro Marcel Luske says he is "grinding, grinding, grinding" on 24,000.

3.01pm: Benton stays alive
After losing a huge pot with top pair against a straight flush draw, PokerStars APPT Sydney Champion Aaron Benton has found a much needed double up.

Finding himself all in against Dinh Le, it was Benton's [7c][7d] in the lead against Le's [10c][8c].

The board ran out [6d][3h][4h[9c][4c] to see Benton stay alive and double though to just under 30,000 in chips. -- TD

Earlier, Benton spoke to the video team...

2.25pm: Level up
That's the end of level nine. Level 10 is next, with blinds of 600-1,200 with a 100 ante. We'll be playing a total of seven levels today - or we'll finish if we hit the money with 40 players left. -- SY

2.22pm: News on Cheng
Benny Cheng, who was an early chip leader on day 1C and continued to entertain with his fearless play, has lost half his 80,000 starting stack today. But he's not changed his game one bit. Facing a bet of 2,500 and a call he moved all in for 40,000 to take the pot. -- SY

Benny Cheng, all in but no takers

2.20pm: More sickness
There have been some mighty outdraws and suckouts today already. On this one Christopher Koo got all in for 25,000 with [ks][kd] and was in good shape against Binh Nguyen's [as][kh]. But it wasn't an ace which busted Koo, instead the board ran [5d][10d][4s][3h][2s] to make a straight for Nguyen. -- SY

2.10pm: Gwinner on the up
Henrik Gwinner, the Dane who was our day 1B chip leader with 140,700, is now on more than 180,000. Much of that came just now when the board read [10c][qs][jd][2d][ah]. There was already 50,000 in the pot, and Gwinner bet around the that again, forcing an instant fold from his opponent. -- SY

Henrik Gwinner

2.01pm: Scott sent home by Steicke
Four players committed 2,500 preflop to see a [4s][4d][5s] flop fall.

The original raiser checked and was preceded by a bet of 3,500 before David Steicke bumped it to 10,500. With action on Andrew Scott, he opted to move all in for his last 24,200 to force a fold from the original raiser and the preflop aggressor before Steicke made the call.

Scott: [6d][5c]
Steicke: [10h][10s]

The turn and river landed the [Ad] and [7h] to see Scott eliminated by his close friend Steicke who moved to over 115,000 after the hand. -- TD

David Steicke: Up

Andrew Scott: Out

2pm: Celina Lin out, re-tells day 1
Team PokerStars Pro Celina Lin is missing and presumed out of APPT Macau. A little earlier she sent us her trip report from Day 1....

"APPT Macau has always been the most important stop for me and I hope it grows by the year like it has for the past three seasons, and more players from around the world get a chance to enjoy the Vegas of Asia.

It was a surprise for me to see the field of day 1A, the day is meant to be filled with live qualifiers. Instead, because the high rollers event was running, every smart poker player out there decided to show up for what was meant to be the softest day 1.

I was 3-bet the very first hand when the blinds were 50-100, I raised the cut off to 300, I get re-raised to 900 by a European-looking hooded young player. I immediately 4-bet him to 3,000 without a premium hand, he folds. I felt it was important to establish an image where players know I will fight back and I'm not afraid to lose my chips. Unfortunately the table broke soon after.

The second table was extremely aggressive with raise and re-raise and re-re-raise all over the place. I was lucky to accumulate some chips by picking good spots, but was totally card dead for hours.

The third table was brutal. I was seated next to my team mate Raymond Wu, and a fantastic cash games player Nathaniel Seet. I saw a very interesting hand, where on the turn a Singaporean girl checks, euro checks and Philippino guy bets 4,500, then the girl raises to 15,000, and the euro tank-calls for all his 13,500, Philippino player mucks. The girl immediately sends her cards into the muck without hesitation with still the river to come.

The final table I was moved to was filled with big stacks and very aggressive players, I manage to double up with A-A against A-Q on a Q-high flop. I finished the day on 32,000 chips.

The day wrapped up with some delicious Korean BBQ and drinks at at the MGM. I am looking forward to many side events up for registration, with also a ladies event in the mix. I hope day 2 will be more fruitful and I can build a big stack to take to the final table."

Sadly for Celina, here recent elimination brings an end to her main event hopes. -- SY

1.50pm: Yoon eliminated
Daren Yoon has recently bitten the dust.

Beginning the day with an above average stack, Yoon was recently bluffed when he was forced to lay down his Queens on a King-high board with three to the flush against an opponent who barrelled every street - including an all in on the river - with just a pair of tens.

After breaking tables, Yoon was hoping to gain some forward momentum but unfortunately found himself in a coin flip against PokerStars online qualifier Cole Swannack's [Ac][Ks] against his [Qc][Qs].

Yoon unfortunately called heads but flipped tails as the board was spread [8s][Kc][6d][2d][5h] to see the Macau regular eliminated as the field closes in on the final hundred players. -- TD

147pm: Video, video
Here's the take on the start of the day in moving pictures...

1.45pm: 'I don't want to go yet'
This was Kenny Shih, who had only around 4,000 left and got them in the middle with [as][ad]. He was up against [ac][10c], but his fears of busting were soon allayed when the board ran [10h][2d][ah][9c][8s]. -- SY

1.40pm: Luske grinding back up
Team PokerStars Pro Marcel Luske started with 17,000 today and has worked that up to around 28,000 thanks to getting a pair of aces, then hitting a flush in the first level of the day. -- SY

Marcel Luske

1.35pm: Tasty table
Andrew Scott's table has broken and he's just been moved to the same one as his pal David Steicke. Scott has recently doubled to 25,000 but he's a good way off Steicke, who has around 100,000. Also on this table is Aaron Lerner. -- SY

1.30pm: Cohen culled
Facing a raise to 2,500 and a call, Julian Cohen pushed his last 20,525 into the pot.

The big blind passed, and after asking for a count and deliberating for around ninety seconds, the player in the middle made the call.

Cohen: [9d][9s]
Opponent: [Qh][Qd]

The board ran out [4c][10d][8h][4h][4s] to see the PokerStars online qualifier eliminated from his maiden APPT Macau Main Event. -- TD

1.20pm: Blinds up
We move in to level nine with blinds at 500-100 with a 100 running ante. We're down to 134 players. -- SY

1.10pm: Another Team Pro down
This time it was Team PokerStars Pro Eric Assadourain to hit the rail. He moved all in for 10,000 with [ad][3s] but was called by Dider Cicurel with [as][qs]. A tricky spot, and one from which he could not escape when the board ran [9h][jh][10h][6h][jd]. -- SY

Eric Assadourian

1.00pm: Hachem halted
Tony Hachem bet all in with his last few chips from early position and was called by chip leader Darren Judges from out of the blinds.

Hachem: [Ad][Jh]
Judges: [10h][10c]

The board ran out a rather undramatic [7d][3d][7h][5s][Qh] to put the Team PokerStars Pro and recent ANZPT Perth Champion on the rail. -- TD

Darren Judges says farewell to Tony Hachem

1pm: Pedley gathers momentum
On the first hand of the day, Michael Pedley found himself all in holding [Qh][Qc] against an opponent's [Kc][Kd].

The board ran out [3h][8s][5c][Kh][Ad] to see Pedley slip to 8,000 only to double a few hands later.

Most recently however after a raise to 2,200 and a call, Pedley pushed all in for his last 12,525 and was called by just the over-caller.

Pedley: [Ad][Qs]
Opponent: [Jh][Jc]

The board ran out [Ah][10d][5c][Ac][7s] to see Pedley double through to over 32,000 in chips. -- TD

Michael Pedley seems happy enough with that hand

12.55pm: Judges dominating
Darren Judges, our overall chip leader, is having a fine week in Macau. A Brit who works as a property developer in Thailand, he has already won a bounty side event here in Macau this week for $80,000 HKD, and is continuing his surge here in the main event. He is at the same table as Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem - and fellow Team Pro Raymond Wu has also just joined them from a broken table.

On this one Judges opened for 2,500 and got a call from Raffi Cedric, a PokerStars qualifier from France sitting in the big blind.

The flop was [as][9c][qd] and Judges bet 5,000 - enough to force a fold from Cedric, who has around 55,000. Judges, though, is up to 185,000. -- SY

Darren Judges' view of his table with Team Pros Tony Hachem on the left and Raymond Wu on the right

And Judges seems rather pleased with what he sees

12.50pm: Scott tries, misses
Andrew Scott started today with just 14,000 and needed to get busy. He opened with a bet of 2,000 and got a call from Australia's Wayne Stichling in the next seat along. The flop was [10s][7c][8d] and Scott made a continuation bet of 3,500. Stichling eyed up the man from Hong Kong, then surveyed his and Scott's chips. Stichling had considerably more - and he made the call.

The turn was [7d] and now Scott slowed down to a check. Stichling, however, liked the board rather more and bet enough to put Scott all in. Insta fold, and Scott has just 11,000 left. -- SY

12.45pm: Quads for Hawkins
Keith 'The Camel' Hawkins, a well known PokerStars heads-up specialist, tells PokerStars Blog HQ he hit quad kings at the start of the day to eliminate a short-stack player. He now moves up to 75,000. -- SY

12.40pm: Victim for Haabak
Jesse Haabak, a force here on Day 1A, just found pocket kings to knock out a short-stack player holding pocket nines. -- SY

12.38pm: Barclay busto
PokerStars online qualifier Ben Barclay found his short-stack all in preflop, and found a caller in an opponent from the big blind.

Barclay: [Kh][Kd]
Opponent: [Qh][Qs]

The flop of [3h][Qd][8d] saw Barclay domination in the hand flipped upside down, and when the turn and river landed the [4c] and [6d], Barclay made a quick getaway to the rail. -- TD

12.32pm: Vladimir vanquished
On a board reading [6h][5h][Qc][9h][5d] Vladimir Geshkenbein was faced with an all in from PokerStars online qualifier Ramon Cserei.

Geshkenbein took nearly three minutes deliberating before making the call holding [Qd][9d], but it would be Cserei's [Kh][7h] for a flush to take the pot to move to 170,000 while also sending the season three PokerStars APPT Macau High Rollers Champion to the rail. -- TD

12.30pm: Fazzino falls
Facing a raise to 2,000, PokerStars online qualifier Sal Fazzino three-bet to 6,000 only to have the short-stack in the big blind move all in and the original raiser followed also.

Fazzino took his time before making the call after committing a large chunk of his stack - and after tabling his [Jh][Jc] - wasn't in the best shape against the original aggressor's [Kc][Kh] and big blind's [3s][3h].

The board ran out [Ah][Qd][6s][Js][10s] to see Fazzino improve but then get rivered to hit the rail along with the big blind. -- TD

12.27pm: All ins
Cries of all in and call are ringing out from every corner of the room, details to come shortly. -- SY

12.25pm: Action
We're under way - you have to give the tournament staff here in Macau some credit as we've been off on time every day. Here's a chat with Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem...
-- SY

12.01pm: Day 2 soon to begin
After three gruelling days of day one play, the starting field of 342 has been cut down to just 160 who are all fighting for their lion's share of the prizepool.

We are expecting to hit the money today with 120 players likely to miss out on the HK$64,700 min-cash, but most will be aiming high at the HK$3,246,200 first prize, coveted trophy and title of PokerStars APPT Macau Main Event Champion!

With all the flights merged it is the United Kingdom's Darren Judges who is leading the charge with 173,800 in chips. Yapping at his heels however are some very talented players such as Henrik Gwinner (140,700), David Steicke (124,950), Jun Wei Liu (124,475), Ramon Cserei (118,250) and Brendon Rubie (114,375).

Although not blessed with an intimidating chip stack in comparison to those that are looking down from the top of the leaderboard, PokerStars Team Pro's Raymond Wu (87,475), Celina Lin (31,450), Tony Hachem (17,200), Marcel Luske (15,775) and Eric Assadourian (14,575) are all still in the hunt. Throw in Aaron Benton (70,850), Alex Loon (62,075), Daren Yoon (59,650), Vladimir Geshkenbein (49,600) and Nam Le (21,900) and it is still truly anyone's tournament to win!

Play is set to kick off at 12:15pm local time with the PokerStars Blog providing updates of every crucial bust out, massive blow up and rivered two-outer live from the tournament floor of the APPT Macau Main Event.

Don't go anywhere! -- TD

Chip leader Darren Judges

PokerStars Blog reporting team in Macau: Simon Young and Tim Duckworth (words), and Joe Giron (pictures)