China have dominated poker in Macau over the past few years. Not surprising considering its proximity to the 'Vegas of the East'. In lots of ways it's only a pure numbers game with China often making up 50% or more of the tournament field. It's because of this that it's somewhat surprising that we have not had a Chinese Red Dragon winner since Team PokerStars Pro Celina Lin claimed her second in 2012.
Until now, as China's Zhenru Xie has just won the MPC21 Red Dragon Main Event.
The odds were always in China's favour leading into the MPC21 Red Dragon final table. Four of the nine participants were from China. The overpowering chip leader was among those four. Once again, it was a game of odds.
Then, one by one, all of the players from China started falling to the rail.
Eventually, when just four players remained, the chances were swiftly skewed within the other direction. It was China Vs. Taiwan Vs. Japan Vs. Australia. Odds were now against China so as to add another title to their country's very large trophy cabinet.
First Taiwan fell. Then Japan. Now all China had to do was watch Australia fall.
However, Australia had something to fight for - in 20 editions of the Red Dragon, an Aussie hasn't ever won the Red Dragon. The hopes of the nation were on Mathew Ryan.
He chipped away, became a large chip leader and it was looking like we'd be crowning the primary Australian Red Dragon champion.
Then, in two hands, the tables turned.
China had won.
The man to place another tick in China's 'W' column... Zhenru Xie.
There were a variety of key hands and massive moments on the final table that ensured Xie was capable of win the title, the HK$1,667,000 top prize, a Slyde 'Titanium' design watch worth CNY 52,800 (approximately USD $8,480) and the immortal Red Dragon trophy.
But if I needed to put my finger at the main reason Xie won, it needed to be on account of his railbirds. Not just did they outnumber the entire other competitor's rail, but their passion was unmatched by any others.
Especially that of Xie's wife Fei.
It isn't an exaggeration in any respect to mention that Fei had her fingers tightly crossed for all of the final table. As a poker blogger from the West who doesn't speak the language, I'LL not have understood what she was shouting between hands, but I knew that crossed fingers meant she hoped and wishing for her husband to get lucky when he had to.
It worked.
For Xie to get where he's right now, two things needed to happen:
1. His wife Fei needed to make her knuckles white in a desperate plea for success. 2. Eight players needed to be eliminated from the tournament.
The first elimination on the final table would see Wai Leong Chan, the start-of-day short stack, move all in preflop holding King-Queen, which bumped into Pete Chen's A♥K♣. The board ran out 5♠6♥J♦9♦A♦ and with that, Chan was sent home in 9th place, collecting HK$135,600.
Leong had only lasted a couple of minutes on the final table and Emning Zhang wouldn't last for much longer. It was a 2♥6♣5♦ flop that will see the demise of Enming Zhang. He got all his chips in holding 3♥2♦ for a couple of twos and a straight draw, while he was bobbing up against the chip leader Hu Liu's set of fives. No help came at the turn or river and Zhang was sent home in 8th place for a HK$175,000 score.
Then, just moments later, Vietnamese pro John Hoang was eliminated when he got right into a preflop raising war holding Q♦Q♠ and bumped into Yamashita's K♦K♠. Hoang picked up HK$232,000 for the 7th place finish and with that the general table was right down to just six players within 25 minutes.
While the velocity of attrition wouldn't continue at this pace for the rest of the general table, it still wouldn't take long to get to heads-up. There were, however, various fireworks before we got to that time.
First Chen Wang was eliminated in 6th place collecting HK$290,000. Chen was unlucky when was within the small blind with A♣T♦ against Pete Chen's A♥2♦ and wasn't in a position to stay ahead when Chen hit a couple of deuces.
Then, only a twinkling of an eye after five-handed play began, the chip leader Hu Liu gifted an enormous pot to Takuya Yamashita when he shoved with just ace-high on a low flop and bumped into Yamashita's set of fours. This hand would make Yamashita the chip leader, but Yamashita's lead didn't last for long though, as he first doubled Liu up after which doubled up the eventual champion.
At this point Liu were playing the 'all or nothing' kind of poker, entering into 10, 15, 20, 30 big blinds in preflop. Two cards was all he needed. While that strategy was quite effective that one time he aroused from sleep with pocket kings, it didn't work when he did the similar thing with A♦8♠ and bumped into Xie's A♥K♠. That was the top of Liu as he picked up HK$350,000 for the 5th place finish.
Pete Chen were the quite achiever on the final table as much as this point, but his quest for the title came to an result in 4th place. Chen's final hand saw him all in preflop holding 3♠3♦ and he was unable to enhance against Ryan's 9♦9♥. Chen couldn't be too upset about his finish. Not just did he take home HK$491,000, he also picked up enough Asia Player of the Year points to storm into the highest position at the leader board.
If anyone could come clear of the overall table thinking they deserved to win (rather then Zhenru Xie, after all) it was Yamashita. On several occasions Yamashita had the most productive hand and had players in peril. Not just did he have his Q♣Q♥ cracked by J♦7♦ and his A♠A♦ cracked by A♣J♣ in all in situations, he also had a superiour holding on his final hand. It was just that this time he did not have enough chips to sustain the beat as his A♣8♣ would fall to Xie's J♥9♦ to look Yamashita eliminated in 3rd place for a HK$658,000 result.
Following Yamashita's elimination, Xie would begin heads-up with a slight chip lead over his opponent in Ryan. However, that wouldn't last long as Ryan stormed into the lead and gave the look of becoming the champion.
Then Ryan got aggressive holding K♦8♥ at the turn of a 8♠3♠3♥A♣K♥ board and bumped into Xie's A♦3♣, and suddenly the tables had turned. Ryan was all the way down to 900,000 and had a ten-to-one chip deficit. Eventually Ryan shoved the button with J♦4♠ and Xie called with 7♠2♠. The board ran out 9♣8♥7♥A♥5♣ and it was far and wide. For his runner-up finish Ryan, an Aussie living in China, picked up HK$1,100,000.
Congratulations must exit to China's Zhenru Xie. He won the third-largest Red Dragon, receiving HK$1,667,000, at the side of a Slyde 'Titanium' design watch worth CNY 52,800 (approximately USD $8,480) and the most efficient looking trophy in poker, the Red Dragon.
MPC21 Red Dragon - final table resultsPlayers: 808Total prize pool: HK$7,837,600Places paid: 1081st: Zhenru Xie (China) - HK$1,667,000 2nd: Mathew Ryan (Australia) - HK$1,100,0003rd: Takuya Yamashita (Japan) - HK$658,000 4th: Pete Yen Han Chen (Chinese Taipei) - HK$491,0005th: Hu Liu (China) - HK$350,000 6th: Chen Wang (China) - HK$290,000 7th: John Quoc Tuan Hoang (Vietnam) - HK$232,0008th: Enming Zhang (China) - HK$175,000 9th: Wai Leong Chan (Malaysia) - HK$135,600
Click here for full MPC21 prize pool and payouts
Zhenru Xie isn't the just one who deserves recognition here at MPC21. We also needs to congratulate Danny McDonagh, Fred Leung and the entire team at PokerStars LIVE Macau for another time exceeding expectations. Saying that this was the third largest Red Dragon is underselling the tournament. You see, the Red Dragon is held twice a year and either one of the bigger Red Dragons were held in January, that's a major time for poker on this region. This edition of the Red Dragon is well the biggest of its kind to be held within the August date slot. PokerStars LIVE Macau just proves time and time again that there's still numerous growth available for poker in Asia.
Maybe the rationale McDonagh and his team was such a success in Macau is that the players just appear to have such a lot fun within the tournaments here. Not just primarily events just like the Red Dragon, but in addition within the fun promotions and events that PokerStars LIVE Macau hosts all year round.
Take, for instance, the 'Flipout' tournament that may be being held at the moment directly following the completion of the MPC21 Red Dragon final table. It is a live version of the whole Tilt tournament that sees players automatically all in preflop in a shootout-style event.
The players here like it. They're all screaming for his or her seven-deuce and nine-four to carry up. They're jumping up and down and cheering for his or her friends or even for his or her opponents after they hit runner-runner cards to make a flush and win their Flipout table. Maybe it is the culture of Baccarat in Macau that makes the players enjoy this event so much, but irrespective of why they enjoy it, that is what poker is all about... Having fun. There must be more fun in poker and that is what PokerStars LIVE Macau attempt to provide.
That's all from us here on the PokerStarsBlog. I NEED to take this chance to thank McDonagh, Leung and all of the remainder of the PokerStars LIVE Macau team. Again they've been brilliant hosts. A LARGE thanks also to Kenneth Lim and Long Guan for all their expert photography and corporate at the tournament floor within the week. You'll take a look at their work at Kenneth Lim Photography.
The next tournament here at PokerStars LIVE Macau is the ACOP Platinum VI series which runs at from September 25th-28th. Then, after that, this region's biggest tournament, the Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP), occurs from October 24th - November 9th. There are satellites into the ACOP running at PokerStars across the clock, so you should definitely check that out and perhaps we can see you here in October. Thanks for tuning in!
Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: PokerStars Macau]
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