When the day began there has been no set plan and that did not change as we entered the seventh level of Day 2. With around 80 players remaining, officials were undecided whether to wrap things up on the conclusion of the level, or whether or not they should play on until the bubble burst.
After another thirty minutes of play an executive decision was made that, unless things became ridiculously drawn out, we'd be playing down until the bubble burst. We made it to hand-for-hand before a 30-minute dinner break was called, and QUARTER-HOUR after players returned to their seats the day was done.
It was a double elimination on separate tables to finish proceedings. Patrick Donker and David Evans were all in in danger simultaneously on other sides of the room.
Donker was all in for only two big blinds and was called in three spots. The button, small blind and massive blind all came along, and with some post-flop action he was already out of his seat and expecting to be eliminated. Ultimately the board came down 3♠6♠3♣7♦Q♠ and Donker's A♥T♦ was no match versus 6♣6♦ for a flopped full house.
Donker was given a little bit hope when he received the inside track that Evans was all in on another table, and if he busted they might split the 63rd place prize money.
Evans got his money in good with K♠K♦ against Nikolaos Haidaris's A♦K♣ but an ace at the J♣6♦A♥ flop proved an excessive amount of to get over after the 9♦ turn and 2♠ river arrived to signal the top of his tournament.
Donker and Evans must be content with chopping $4,290.
On the opposite side of the coin was our end-of-day chip leader Tristan Bain. He knocked out Tony Hachem earlier in proceedings with pocket aces against pocket kings and steamrolled his solution to the chip lead within the later stage of the day. He returns in pole position tomorrow with an excellent 575,000 in chips.
Chip boss - Tristan Bain
Others, however, weren't so lucky. We started the day with 262 players and 200 were met with elimination. Team PokerStars Pro Celina Lin was a kind of who fell by the wayside, exiting in particularly brutal fashion. Lin got all of it in for an enormous pot holding Q♥9♥ for the nuts on a board of 6♣T♦J♠8♠ but she saw she could only chop the pot at best when her opponent tabled Q♠9♠ for a similar hand but an extra freeroll to the flush. Unfortunately for the Team Pro the K♠ rolled off at the end and Lin was sent hurtling to the rail.
As for the survivors though it is a solid mixture of seasoned pros and recreational players. Among those still in contention are Ricky Lim (386,500), Corey Kempson (352,000), Peter Aristidou (291,500), Srdjan Brkic (261,500), James Broom (188,000), Andrew Hinrichsen (135,500), Alan Lau (112,500) and Henry Szmelcer (83,500).
You can take a look at everyone who qualified for tomorrow at the Day 3 seating draw right here.
They'll all be back again from 12:15pm local time tomorrow as we play right down to a last table. Who will run it up and secure their seat before an APPT Main Event champion collects the title and $235,875 on Tuesday? Tune in to the PokerStars Blog to seek out out!
Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: Asia Pacific Poker Tour]
David Wilkes, 54, has probably covered more miles to come back to UKIPT events than any prior finalist, flying over from his home in Spain for just about they all. His favourite places to play was Barcelona and Dublin, beautiful cities both, the latter with "the most efficient banter," although he tries to wait a minimum of one live poker festival every couple of months. Wilkes, now retired, have been playing poker for seven years ("four of them properly") after starting out in cash games and small weekly tournaments, and has cashed once or twice in UKIPT events, although this represents his biggest live win to date
Graham Parkin, 46, a self-described cash game grinder (now based here though originally from Kidderminster) started to play seriously around five years ago, that specialize in No Limit Hold'em cash two years ago. Parkin reminisces about his experiences on the UKIPT: "Just how much fun they are, and friendly - we've got numerous banter always". Parkin has made multiple final table of deep-stacked live events, racking up over $50,000 in cashes since 2011, but should he win the principle Event here it'll represent his biggest tournament prize to date.
London-based businessman Jeremy Wray played his first UKIPT long ago in Season 1 and says: "I LIKE live events and that i couldn't miss the last one. I'd love to win the last one - that is the reason for entering." Poker may be very much a hobby for Wray as his business interests and five children keep him busy. For Wray, poker is ready the intellectual challenge and he says he likes playing against better players than himself. You'll often find him playing for higher stakes at the EPT and his largest live cash to this point came on the PCA in 2014 where he finished 22nd for just over $60,000. Wray has ridden the emotional rollercoaster to get thus far and after you have unlucky at the first hand of play on Day 2 when he had jacks cracked by tens, but he cracked aces right back to survive.
Nathan Webb is a 35 year old head of finance, who's played poker recreationally for over a decade before turning his mind (and whatever free time he has what with an entire time career and 15 month old daughter) to the study of the sport. From reading Harrington to winning $2,000 in a WCOOP event a year ago, Webb waited for the Birmingham UKIPT stop to roll around to make use of this bankroll to play his first ever live Main Event. His patience has paid off as he's come straight through to the final, having finished Day 1 as overall chip leader (although not without periods he describes as "a grind - hard work!"
Ludovic Geilich, UKIPT4 Marbella winner and recently-crowned WCOOP PLO 6-Max High Roller champion is among the most well-known players at the UKIPT. From a background of near-professional snooker as a teenager, Geilich discovered poker in private clubs in Glasgow where he split his time playing and dealing as a dealer. He built and lost a bankroll repeatedly over - as he says, "rinse and repeat" - until finally his bankroll management caught up along with his talent and because his win in Spain has taken shots at big tournaments worldwide, meanwhile learning from his mistakes. "I learned when to not put the foot down," he admits, "Although I still love to put the foot down." Expect a large rail and shouts of "Lu-do!" should he look just about taking his second title.
David Clarkson is a UK and Ireland Poker Tour regular, and although he has a facet event win and half-a-dozen other cashes to his name, that is his first appearance on a UKIPT Main Event final table. To win would mean his biggest live cash thus far but he has a larger one within the online arena having cashed for $72,000 when he won a SCOOP event on PokerStars this year. "I WOULD LIKE to be the last ever winner of a UKIPT," Clarkson said on a break before the general table. He heads to the general second in chips, his online and live experience combining to make him a powerful opponent.
Ted Jackson-Spivack turned 24 today and says: "IT IS GOING TO be an even birthday whatever happens, but winning the tournament will be the best present ever." He's already locked up his biggest live cash which comes as no surprise as he's usually to be found playing mixed games online on PokerStars. He went to college with fellow mixed game stud Adam Owen and the 2 of them honed their skills during break time before graduating via freerolls to real money play. It's greater than paid off for him as he now plays full time and this September he had his biggest online cash thus far when he finished third in a WCOOP PLO/8 event winning over $12,500. In addition to playing UKIPT events he travels to EPT stops where he mostly plays the mixed game tournaments on offer.
Krishna Nagaraju, 37, used to play three-card poker in India, before catching the live game bug from his Icelandic roommate in Denmark and moving directly to play regularly in London, the town he now calls home. From this idiosyncratic beginning, Nagaraju reckons he's been playing seriously live for around three years, mainly at PokerStars LIVE on the Hippodrome Casino. Working in business development in London, he has still managed to rack up 16 live cashes this year, amassing over $100,000 in winnings. Though he can have been a UKIPT regular as much as this point, he says he is probably not playing so frequently as his wife is expecting and gave him strict instructions to win this event.
While Barney Frank's bill proposing regulation of Internet gambling continues to await its day before committee, more support is materializing for the measure. This week, four new co-sponsors added their names in support of Frank's try to license and regulate online casinos and gambling sites.
and was in front against the 
of Josephy. The 
flop, however, turned things around in a big way and Pons was short of some help. The 
at the turn and 
at the river didn't improve the Spaniard and he made his exit in ninth place, good for $1,000,000.
. Vojtěch Růžička, the initial raiser, five-bet with the 
and action got back to Wong who called all in for only a little more. The board brought no help to Wong and he made his exit in eighth place, good for $1,100,076.