The Day 1 chip leader from Serbia, Milos Petakovic continued his dominating performance on Day 2 of the APT Super High Roller and won his first-ever APT event, along with the KRW 145,650,000 (~$109,990) first-place prize. Despite tough opposition in the form of WSOP Main Event final tablist Joseph Cheong, Natural8 ambassador Yu-Chung Chang, and three-time bracelet winner Yan Shing Tsang, Milos managed to convert his Day 1 chip lead into a win.
Day 2 Action
16 players returned for Day 2, and with only 11 players making the money, we anticipated a tight opening to the day. However, chips were flying early, and Natural8’s Yu-Chung Chang found himself in two early all-in pots. The first was up against notable tournament pro Calvin Lee, whose KJ bested Chang’s AQ to stay alive in the tournament. Just a few hands later, Chang had AK against the TT of Sparrow Cheung, this time managing to score the elimination and get back up to 1.5 million chips.
After an impressive Day 1, Milos showed no signs of slowing down, and after eliminating Chin Wei Lim in 14th place, he found himself with 5.4 million chips. The elimination of Abraham Ceesvin in the 13th place saw the tournament go hand-for-hand, and Milos used the tournament bubble to start applying pressure to his opponents.
However, things didn’t go as planned, and after Wing Po Liu and Yu-Chung Chang doubled up against him, he found himself back down to under 4.5 million chips. Just after Chang found a double to stay alive, the bubble burst, as Kokwai Sim shoved A7s into the AKs of Tan Shing Tsang and couldn’t improve.
With that elimination, each player was guaranteed KRW 13,240,000 (~$10,000), and the action started to loosen up as the threat of the bubble no longer loomed. Tien Loon Ling was eliminated just after the bubble burst after his QJs ran into the KQo of Tsz Him Chan. Just a couple of hands after that, Joseph Cheong became the final table bubble boy, after his 95s couldn’t overcome the AJo of Tsz Him Chan.
Final Table
Going into the final table, Milos held the chip lead with 4.9 million chips, over 1 million chips more than second place Saelor Thanisorn. With four stacks 20bb or under, the table was split between the haves and the have-nots, as there was a considerable gap between Yan Shing Tsang in 4th place with 3.4 million and Wing Po Liu in 5th place with 1.6 million.
In the first hand of the final table, we had an all-in and call, as the UK’s Asa Smith shoved their last 700,000 over Yu-Chung Chang’s 120,000 open. Chang made the call with AK and found himself in a flip against Smith’s pocket eights. The ace on the flop put Chang in a commanding lead, and the turn and river were no help to Smith, eliminating him in 9th place for KRW 15,090,000 (~$11,400).
One hand later we saw the elimination of Tsz Him Chan in 8th place for KRW 19,860,000 (~$15,000) - Chan’s AK was unable to overcome the KK of Nozomu. We then went three for three, as Calvin Lee was the latest to be eliminated from the final table after his QQ couldn’t dodge an ace and lost against the AQ of Yu-Chung Chang. Lee received KRW 25,420,000 (~$19,200) for their 7th-place finish.
The action continued after the break, as Yan Shing Tsang found himself all-in and at risk with JJ against the QQ of Saelor. A queen on the flop all but sealed the win for Saelor, and the 5 on the turn confirmed Tsang’s elimination in 6th place for KRW 32,310,000 (~$24,400).
After four eliminations in four hands at the final table, the players managed to play a few hands without busting anyone - although Chang came close to being eliminated before spiking an ace on the river to stay alive against Nozomu.
Nozomu and Petakovic were locked in a battle for the chip lead, and after trading the lead multiple times, Nozomu surged into the lead after the eliminations of Wing Po Liu in 5th place and Natural8’s Yu-Chung Chang in 4th place. However, during three-handed play, Petakovic took a commanding chip lead, holding over half the chips in play at one point.
From that point, Milos never looked back and continued to grow his chip lead throughout the three-handed play. He eventually eliminated Saelor in 3rd place for KRW 67,790,000 (~$51,190) after his Q6 flopped top pair and rivered a flush against Saelor’s A9.
When heads-up play began, Milos had a nearly 2:1 chip lead, and it seemed like he was in total control. However, he lost a huge pot early on in the match when his 77 was cracked by the K4 of Nozomu, giving the Japanese player a huge chip lead. Despite this setback, he continued to battle it out and eventually re-established his chip lead.
After getting it in with 85 against Milos’ AJ on a flop of K42, Nozomu was left with just under three big blinds, and it seemed inevitable that Milos would seal the win. The next hand Nozomu shoved with 83o, hoping to find a double and gain some momentum, but he would have to overcome the KJo of Petakovic. The Q55 flop was great for Milos, and the Jack on the turn sealed it for the Serbian. Milos won KRW 145,650,000 (~$109,990) for his efforts, along with his first APT trophy.
Event #9 APT Incheon Super High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Prize (KRW) | ~Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milos Petakovic | Serbia | 145,650,000 | $109,990 |
| 2 | Shimizu Nozomu | Japan | 103,540,000 | $78,190 |
| 3 | Thanisorn Saelor | Thailand | 67,790,000 | $51,190 |
| 4 | Yu-Chung Chang | Taiwan | 52,170,000 | $39,400 |
| 5 | Wing Po Liu | Hong Kong | 41,310,000 | $31,200 |
| 6 | Yan Shing Tsang | Hong Kong | 32,310,000 | $24,400 |
| 7 | Calvin Sungwon Lee | United States | 25,420,000 | $19,200 |
| 8 | Tsz Him Chan | Hong Kong | 19,860,000 | $15,000 |
| 9 | Asa Gregory Smith | United Kingdom | 15,090,000 | $11,400 |
After such a dominating performance, will Milos establish himself as a force on the APT circuit? Will Natural8’s Yu-Chung Chang use this momentum to claim another APT title? Let us know on social media and stay tuned for all the latest poker news and events.
Image Source: The Asian Poker Tour
