Joseph Cheong Wins $1.34m At Manilla Super High Roller Event

US pro Joseph Cheong has won the  Asian Poker Tour Manila Millions, after defeating a field of 18 players on his way to capturing the title, and collecting the HK $10.428m ($1,343,122) first-place prize.
The HK$1m buy-in ($130k) re-buy tournament atracted a small but talented array of pros to create a prize pool worth HK$24m ($3,100,000). Amongst those players competing in the high-roller event were the likes of  Joe Hachem, Sam Trickett, Philipp Gruissem, David Steicke, Andrew Robl, David Benefield and Winfred Yu.
By the time the final table of seven had been reached, however, a further three players had to be eliminated before the money places were paid. The first player to go home empty handed was UK’s Thomas McDonald in 7th place, followed by Norway’s Tore Lukashaugen in 6th, before US pro David Benefield became the bubble-boy in 5th holding A-K to Peter Chan’s pocket queens.
With Benefields departure, the four remaining players; Joseph Cheong, Richard Yong, Peter Chan and Paul Phua had at least guaranteed themselves a minimum of HK$3.151m ($405,000) for their efforts. Paul Phua (4d-2d) then collected that sum after going all-in on Ad-8d-8c-7c board only to walk into the full-house of Joseph Cheong holding 8-7.
Joseph Cheong (Ks-2s) followed up by making a higher flush than  Peter Chan (Qs-6s) on a 6s-7h-4s-5d-3s board to send the Canadian home in 3rd for ($531,040). One more hand was all it would then take before  Malaysia’s Richard Yong found himself all-in holding A-K to Cheong’s A-10. Unfortunately for Yong, though, the board rolled out 10-9-3-2-4 to consign him to a runner-up finish worth us$843,379, while Joseph Cheong walked away with the $1,343,122 top prize. With his latest victory in the Phillipines, 2010 November Niner Cheong now takes his live career earnings to $7,981,768.
The final table payouts were as follows:
1. Joseph Cheong HKD $10.428m ($1,343,122)
2. Richard Yong HKD $6.548m ($843,379)
3. Peter Chan HKD $4.123m ($531,040)
4. Paul Phua HKD $3.151m ($405,847)