Iona Finkenrath is slowly but surely blinding down without any major action and Hayato Kitajima, who started the final table as chip leader, has also lost quite a few chips lately after being very passive previously.
Jessie Leonarez had opened to 100,000 and Kitajima three-bet to 250,000 from one seat over. The Filipino called and led the flop to enforce a fold from the Japanese.
Then, Kitajima raise-folded to a shove of Aaron Lim, forfeiting another 85,000 chips.
Last but not least towards the very end of the level, Leonarez limped the small blind and Kitajima raised to 90,000 and received a call. The flop was checked and the Filipino then check-called a bet of 100,000 on the turn. The river was checked through and Kitajima's ended up second best to the of Leonarez.
Jessie Leonarez opened to 80,000 and Thomas Lee made the call. Both players checked the flop before the turn was revealed.
Lee checked, Leonarez led for 130,000 and Lee check-raised to 330,000 total. Leonarez called and after the river, Lee took the lead, making it 625,000.
Leonarez made a quick call with , but his flush was no good. Lee held for a bigger one, took down the sizable pot and crested the 3 million-chip mark, increasing his lead on the field.
The action folded around to Winfred Yu and he moved all in for his last four big blinds, approximately 160,000 in chips. Terry Fan was sitting in the cutoff, one seat over, and moved all in himself. Fast forward another seat, Aaron Lim declared all in from the button and the players in the blinds quickly folded.
Yu:
Fan:
Lim:
The flop didn't change much, Yu found bottom pair but still had the worst hand. Both the turn and the river were bricks and Yu was eliminated in 8th place for a payday of PHP 598,700 while Fan more than doubled up.
"I am back" he said and high-fived with PokerStars Team Pro Celina Lin on the rail.
Jessie Leonarez raised to 65,000 and was then reminded by the dealer and floor staff that the new minimum raise is 80,000, tossing in the extra 15,000 chips. Thomas Lee called in the big blind and the flop featured a check-raise by the Canadian from 110,000 to 275,000.
Leonarez called and the on the turn promised a lot of action potential. Lee fired 425,000 straight away and the Filipino moved all in. Lee snap-folded and was shown the by his opponent!
Jessie Leonarez opened to 65,000 and Winfred Yu called, then checked the flop.
Leonarez continued for 100,000 and Yu flatted. They both checked the turn, but when the river came down and Yu bet 200,000, Leonarez pushed all in for 345,000 more.
"I don't think I can fold this hand," said Yu, making the call, only to muck when Leonarez turned over for the flopped full house.
Terry Fan raised to 65,000 from under the gun and was called by Aaron Lim as well as Thomas Lee. After the flop, Fan checked and Lim bet 90,000. Both his opponents called and the very same story repeated itself on the turn for 255,000. The river then got checked to Lee and the Canadian's bet of 600,000 enforced two folds.
Lim leaned over to his table neighbor and asked "can you show one?", which triggered a smile by Lee and both cards went straight into the muck.
Terry Fan raised to 65,000 and local hero Jessie Leonarez three-bet to 160,000 with pretty much exactly the same amount behind out of the small blind. Fan asked his opponent how much more he had, gave it even more thought and then put his opponent all in. Leonarez called and they turned them over:
Fan:
Leonarez:
The flop changed nothing while the turn card reduced the outs of Fan significantly. The dealer then burned and turned the river and the Filipino doubled up.
Ying Lin Chua made it 60,000 under the gun and Thomas Lee bumped it to 170,000 from the cutoff.
Chua called and they went heads-up to an flop. Chua check-called a 125,000 bet from Lee and the turn came down. This time Chua took the lead, betting 185,000 and Lee called.
The river was the and Chua moved all in. Lee wasted very little time making the call with . Chua was bluffing with and hit the rail ninth.
Iona Finkenrath opened to 60,000 from early position and Ying Lin Chua three-bet to 100,000 before the action reached Thomas Lee in the big blind. The Canadian four-bet to 250,000 and that won the pot.
One hand later, Aaron Lim raised from the button to 60,000. Douglas Olsson three-bet to 180,000 out of the big blind and was called, the Swede then check-folded the flop to a 165,000-bet of the sole remaining former APPT champion.