Home / Poker News February 2009 / APT Philippines final table report
APT Philippines final table report
Posted by: James Carter. - Wed, 2009-02-04 04:46
Asian Poker Tour Philippines report: It took the 292 player field two long days of play to slim down to the 9 final table participants, but it only took local player Neil Arce a little more than 3 hours to tip the balance his way and to walk away with the $185,000 first prize.
Among the final table participants were Liz Lieu, Casey Kastle and chip leader Steven Yea, who had built up a 754,000 deep stack, well above second place Casey Kastle’s 503,000.
Neil Arce wasted no time getting down to business on the very first hand of the day, as his 9,9 made short work of Cicurel Didier’s A,J on a board of 4,4,8,K,7. Didier was out on the very first hand and picked up $12,000 for his 9th place finish.
Finland’s Vesa Leikos railbirded the first hand and probably inspired by the action decided to shove his short-stack all in on the very next one. Leikos’ A,K ran into Casey Kastle’s 9,9 before the flop, and as the board filled up with A,6,9,3, Leikos was left drawing pretty much dead on the river. The 9,9 had made its second victim in as many hands at the final table of the APT Philippines Main Event.
Chip leader Steven Yea swung his huge stack masterfully. He forced one player after another out of various pots. Liz Lieu became his first victim, followed by Arce and then Kastle. Yea didn’t deal any fatal blows but he successfully managed to add to his stack through sheer aggression. Liz Lieu finally decided that she’d had enough of Yea’s bullying ways and decided to stand her ground on a pair of 2s she’d picked up. Unfortunately for her, Yea picked up a pair of Qs on that same hand and the board didn’t deliver Lieu’s two-outer salvation, which meant she too was out of the tourney.
Ron Kluber was bounced next, followed by Susumu Toge. Cicurel Didier left the game in 4th, and 3-handed play began with Yea holding a solid lead over Kastle and Arce.
Kastle was the first of the three to begin bleeding chips away, and before he knew it he was out in third. His bust-out gave Arce some much needed ammo and he soon caught up with Yea in the chip-count.
The final hand of the event saw Arce’s K,Q going up against Yea’s A,K, and hitting another Q on the turn for the win.
