Mai Jie Wins 2015 Boyaa Poker Tournament

The 2015 Boyaa Poker Tournament (BPT) was jointly organized by Boyaa Interactive and the Poker King Club, with 1% of the prize money donated to the charitable organization, the Macau Bishop Hill Children’s Centre. A total of 298 players subsequently qualified for the USD $500,000 guaranteed tournament (BPT) in Macau, and three days later it would be professional magician Mai Jie who would triumph over the field to lift the trophy, and collect $113,628 in prize money.
The tournament was held at the Venetian Macau, and proved to be a truly international affair, with the entrants chosen from around 2.2 million players across Asia who earned a place in the event via numerous online qualifiers hosted at BPT Tables. The tournament was free to enter, too, and aimed to promote the BPT brand amongst both international and domestic customers. As a result, the tournament included players from such countries as China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Middle East, and Europe.
By the end of Day 1 just 143 people remained, which was then reduced to 45 people by end of Day 2, with the final table of nine eventually reached on Day 3 of the competition. Amongst the notable finalist was Phuwadol Chuthanuwong (8th), Jansukon Tawatchai (5th), and Ho Kwok Sze Calvin (4th). In the end, however, it was amateur Chinese player Mai Jie who would face off against Li Chao for the title.
Eventually, the deciding hand was played with Mai Jie moving all-in preflop holding K-10, only to be called by his remaining opponent with A-9. The dealer subsequently laid out a 10-6-4-K-J board to consign Li Chao to a runner-up finish, while Mai Jie took down the tournament. He was then presented with a cheque for $113,628 by Boyaa Interactive CEO David Zhang, and Poker King Club President Winfred Yu.