For many years, Macau and Las Vegas are seeking to stand out as the top gambling destination in the world. Some would say that Las Vegas is a glamorous gambling resort that offers big brand named casinos and an ecstatic atmosphere. Others claim that Macau has taken the lead in that race and the gambling enclave does not seem to have the intentions to step back from its leading position.
Macau is in process of becoming a more enticing draw for poker players. The Asian gambling Mecca attracted the attention of many prestigious poker rooms, which established a tradition to organize some of the biggest live poker tournaments on Chinese soil. Almost a year ago, PokerStars published an article explaining how Macau eclipsed Las Vegas in terms of gambling revenue. Quite unsurprisingly, the cardroom has started to organize some of the largest poker tournaments in Macau. The City of Dreams is currently playing host to Macau Poker Cup 28.
On 4th February, the emblematic Red Dragon Main Event kicked off with a bang. The event featured three starting days, which brought the total attendance to 1,122. The final Day 1C was the largest of the starting fields, attracting 492 players to the poker field. After crushing the competition, the eventual winner will pocket the lion’s share of the guaranteed prize pool, which reached HK$14,692,590. The $30,000 Platinum Package is an additional sweetener to the grand prize.
The Chips are Going Back and Forth
Only 366 players managed to work their way through the packed field and enter Day 2 of the event, which kicked off on 7th February. The money bubble burst some time during Day 2 of the event. The unfortunate bubble soul was Hongshuai Wang, who was busted in 136th place. All the remaining players are guaranteed at least HK$29,200 payday.
By the time the clock announced the end of Day 2, it was Ying Tang who emerged on top of the chip counts with 1,339,000. The event enjoyed the presence of a number of poker heavyweights from around the world. Day 2 of the event concluded with 69 players. Action resumed earlier today and the survivors will play down to a champion.
According to the latest updates, Aleksei Opalikhin is currently the chip leader with a stack of over 2.5 million. The player managed to win a big pot against Chen Li, who had no other choice but to leave the tournament. As for Tang, she was forced to succumb a portion of her monstrous stack to Yugan Wang and step down from her leading position. The entire poker community is anticipating to hear the name of the winner, who is to bank the staggering first-place prize of HK$3,055,000.
