Who Will Emerge as the 2014 WSOP APAC Main Event Champion?
Welcome to the final day of the 2014 World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific. Today, the AU$10,000 Main Event, a tournament that attracted 329 players and created a prize pool of $3,125,000, will see the final six players return for the televised final table, which will air with a 30-minute delay on ESPN2 beginning at 4 p.m. local time (1 a.m. ET).
The man best positioned to make a run at the AU$850,136 first prize is a familiar face on the poker circuit in Jack Salter. Earlier this year Salter won an Aussie Millions side event and then followed that up with an European Poker Tour Grand Final runner-up finish. Now, Salter is in prime position to capture his first bracelet. His 3.225 million in chips is 35 big blinds ahead of Scott Davies, who sits in second with 2,210,000. This marks Davies' eighth WSOP cash and second final table of 2014.
Macau and Melbourne regular Henry Wang played an exciting brand of poker and sits in third place, whereas 2010 WSOP Player of the Year and two-time bracelet winner Kassela sits in fourth overall. Kyle Montgomery, who finished as the Day 2 chip leader, and local player Ang Italiano round up the rear. Italiano having won her seat into this event for just AU$130 after played two "Phase One" $65 satellites. She lost the first, but won the second to earn entry into an AU$250 "Phase Two." She then won that before winning a AU$1,100 "Phase Three" to win her seat in this Main Event. Can she possibly turn it into a championship bracelet?
Here's how the final table stacks up:
| Seat | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Kassela | USA | 1,250,000 | 42 |
| 2 | Scott Davies | USA | 2,210,000 | 74 |
| 3 | Kyle Montgomery | USA | 950,000 | 32 |
| 4 | Henry Wang | Taiwan | 1,700,000 | 57 |
| 5 | Ang Italiano | Australia | 510,000 | 17 |
| 6 | Jack Salter | England | 3,255,000 | 109 |
Cards will be in the air at 3:30 p.m. local time in Crown Melbourne's Studio 3. The PokerNews Live Reporting team will provide extensive hand-for-hand coverage on our way to crowning a winner, so stay tuned. Don't forget to tune into ESPN2 at 4:00 p.m. local time (1 a.m. ET) if you want to watch the final six player duke it out.