Only 20 years ago, no one could even imagine that sleepy Macau will become the gambling capital of the Far East. Nowadays, Macau has transformed into Asia’s gambling Mecca. Macau is the only Chinese territory where casinos are permitted. Flashing lights and casinos on every corner reincarnate China’s passion for gambling. The fast and furious growth of the gambling industry in Macau has turned into one of the top 10 picks for the best gambling cities around the world.
Being one of the most prestigious cardrooms in the world, PokerStars did not miss the opportunity to leave its footprint on Chinese soil. The red spade is once again a guest to one of Macau’s most elite casino resorts, and more precisely City of Dreams. Players from all over the world hurried to pack their suitcases and organize their trip to Macau, which could lead them further than they could have ever imagined.
Macau Poker Cup 28 is well upon us, with the legendary Red Dragon Main Event currently underway. The event is scheduled to feature three starting flights and three more days of play. The three starting flights are already completed and the full list of the players who made it through to Day 2 of the event is already released.
Results and Figures after the End of the Starting Flights
The last of the regular structured starting flights was by far the busiest with 492 players anteing up the HK$15,000 entry. Simple calculations show that the total number of entries for the Red Dragon Main Event reached 1,122. The guaranteed prize pool of HK$10,000,000 swell further to a total of HK$14,692,590. By the end of Day 1C, the field was trimmed to just 135 players, who are to join the survivors from the first two starting flights.
This means that 345 players in total are to appear on the poker arena and cross swords for the lucrative grand prize and a $30,000 Platinum Package to the 2019 PokerStars Players Championship. Just for a quick flashback, Chunhui Ji completed Day 1A as the chip leader with a stack of 171,800 in chips. Linaqin Luo appeared on top of the chip counts at the end of Day 1B.
A whole lineup of poker heavyweights managed to navigate their way to Day 2 of the event, including two-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael Gathy, WSOP APAC Main Event winner Scott Davies and many more. However, it was Ian Modder from Hong Kong, who managed to seize control of the chip lead after the last starting flight. The player is to bring an impressive tower of 250,300 in chips, leading the pack of survivors into Day 2 of the event.