Scott Margereson's Final Table Domination
The prestigious APT High Roller event, with a buy-in of approximately $3,700, attracted a total of 295 entries, creating a prize pool of 1,274,400,000 KRW (~$958,195). This made it the richest APT High Roller ever held in South Korea.
The tournament narrative for Scott Margereson was full of twists. At one point before the final table, he was down to just nine big blinds but managed a crucial comeback, tripling his stack with A-K, and from that moment, he was unstoppable.
Entering the final table as the chipleader, Margereson displayed unprecedented dominance, personally eliminating seven of his eight opponents. In the heads-up, the Brit faced Japan's Yoshifumi Takahashi with a massive chip lead.
The final showdown lasted just one hand. Takahashi went all-in with A d 9 d and Margereson called with K d 8 h. The flop 9 h 6 s K s gave the Brit a higher pair, maintaining his lead through the turn 5 d and river 6 d.
Margereson claimed a $190,110 prize, the prestigious Rose Gold Mega Lion trophy, and a $10,000 entry to the APT Championship in Taipei.
Final Table Results of the APT High Roller:
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Winnings (KRW) |
Winnings (~USD) |
|
1. |
Scott Margereson |
United Kingdom |
252,850,000 KRW |
$190,110 |
|
2. |
Yoshifumi Takahashi |
Japan |
168,100,000 KRW |
$126,390 |
|
3. |
Hongsheng Zhang |
China |
122,960,000 KRW |
$92,450 |
|
4. |
Kunal Patni |
India |
99,250,000 KRW |
$74,625 |
|
5. |
Jiaxian Pan |
China |
77,810,000 KRW |
$58,500 |
|
6. |
Martin Sedlak |
Germany |
58,890,000 KRW |
$44,280 |
|
7. |
Wouter Beltz |
Netherlands |
43,260,000 KRW |
$32,525 |
|
8. |
Yaoyu He |
China |
31,780,000 KRW |
$23,900 |
|
9. |
Chih Wei Fan |
Taiwan |
26,360,000 KRW |
$19,820 |
Camaraderie in the Heads-up
The dynamic High Roller - Ultra Stack with a buy-in of 4,300,000 KRW (~$3,100) drew 141 entries, generating a prize pool of 523,650,200 KRW (~$394,000).
Dutchman Tom Verbruggen claimed the title, marking his third career victory on the APT circuit. Verbruggen entered the final table as the chipleader and, despite several swings during the finale, managed to maintain the necessary luck in crucial all-in confrontations.
The final heads-up clash held a special sentiment, as Verbruggen faced his long-time friend Jun Li, with whom he started playing poker in small clubs in Beijing seven years ago.
Verbruggen entered the heads-up with a massive 8:1 chip lead. In the decisive third hand, Li went all-in with J s 5 h, while Verbruggen called with A d 3 h. Although Li led after the turn Q s 2 s Q c 5 d, the river 4 c completed a straight for Verbruggen, sealing his victory.
Final Table Results of the High Roller - Ultra Stack:
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Winnings (KRW) |
Winnings (~USD) |
|
1. |
Tom Verbruggen |
Netherlands |
125,713,200 KRW |
$94,520 |
|
2. |
Jun Li |
United Kingdom |
85,390,000 KRW |
$64,200 |
|
3. |
Chaoui Roqai Mehdi |
Morocco |
56,310,000 KRW |
$42,340 |
|
4. |
Trinh Anh Tuan |
Vietnam |
46,520,000 KRW |
$34,980 |
|
5. |
Hang Xu |
China |
37,350,000 KRW |
$28,080 |
|
6. |
Higor Seibel |
Brazil |
29,280,000 KRW |
$22,015 |
|
7. |
Pete Chen |
Taiwan |
21,950,000 KRW |
$16,500 |
|
8. |
Xiubo Li |
China |
16,240,000 KRW |
$12,210 |
|
9. |
Yuichi Sumida |
Japan |
12,570,000 KRW |
$9,450 |
Sources: APT, YouTube
