Michael Chi Zhang Takes Down the €50,000 Super High Roller

Michal Chi Zhang caused something of an upset at the King’s Casino, Rozvadov by outlasting a host of stellar names in the partypoker MILLIONS Germany €50,000 Super High Roller.

partypoker MILLIONS €50,000 Super High Roller Results

Player | Player | Country | Prize
1 | Michael Chi Zhang | United Kingdom | €800,000
2 | Mustapha Kanit | Italy | €500,000
3 | Timothy Adams | Canada | €362,500
4 | Tobias Ziegler | Germany | €319,423
5 | Felipe Ramos | Brazil | €180,000
6 | Dietrich Fast | Germany | €130,000

The €50,000 Super High Roller attracted 47 entries, including 11 re-entries, among them were some of the best poker talent in the world. Team partypoker was well-represented with Sam Trickett, Philipp Gruissem, Patrick Leonard and Joao Simao all competing, although none of this talented quartet made it through to the second day’s play.

Neither did the likes of Bertrand Grospellier, Niall Farrell, Adrian Mateos, Stefan Schillhabel, Steve O’Dwyer, Christoph Vogelsang, or Ole Schemion. Zhang, however, bagged up 4,895,000 chips and went into Day 2 fourth from eight in chips.

Zhang prefers to grind high stakes cash games online but also has a penchant for live tournaments. After winning £113,000 from one tournament in 2017 and then cashing in the 2017 Caribbean Poker Party, Zhang felt it was time to rub shoulders with poker’s elite in some Super High Roller events. It is a decision that has reaped dividends.

It only took four hands for the eight-handed final table to lose its first player. The Italian known as “Big Tony” raised to 350,000 during the 80,000/160,000/160,000a level, Mustapha Kanit called and Timothy Adams made up the difference from the big blind. A nine-high flop with two hearts saw the action check to Big Tony and he moved all-in for 1,305,000 chips. Kanit ducked out of the way, but Adams called and showed . Big Tony could only muster the so when the turn and river were none of his outs, Big Tony exited in eighth-place.

Three hands later, Patrik Antonius burst the bubble and fell in seventh-place. Fresh from winning the first of two €25,000 Super High Rollers, Antonious three-bet shoved for 3,385,000 over the top of an Adams raise to 325,000 and Adams called. Antonius turned over pocket sixes, which lost to Adams’ pair of eights in the hole.

Ramos sent to the rail

Felipe Ramos: Fifth-place finisher

Dietrich Fast was the first player to receive prize money after busting in sixth-place on the 12th hand of the final table. Fast moved all-in for 2,065,000 from the button with ace-seven and Adams called in the small blind with ace-eight. Neither player improved when all five community cards were on show and Adams took the pot with his eight-kicker.

It took another 19 hands before the player count reduced again. Brazil’s Felipe Ramos looked down at ace-jack and decided to three-bet all-in for 3,980,000, or approximately 20 big blinds, after Kanit had min-raised to 400,000. Kanit called, showed ace-queen and caught an unnecessary queen on the river to send Ramos to the rail.

Four-handed played lasted 32 hands and ended with the elimination of Tobias Ziegler. With blinds now 150,000/300,000/300,000a, Ziegler committed his 4,550,000 stack from the button with a pair of red sixes and Zhang re-shoved from the small blind for 7,050,000 with what turned out to be ace-nine of clubs. Zhang caught two pair on the flop and when Ziegler couldn’t find any of his two outs, he headed to the cashier’s desk to collect €260,000.

The remaining three players discussed a deal for what was left of the prize pool but those discussions fell through so the tournament continued along its natural path.

Ill-timed move by Adams

Timothy Adams: Third-place for €362,500

On hand 78 of the final table, Zhang limped in from the small blind with and the called when Adams made it 1,100,000 to play with . Both players checked the flop and Zhang checked again on the turn. Adams bet 1,500,000 and Zhang called. The river was the and Zhang checked with his two pair. Adams decided to shove for 10,850,000. Zhang eventually called and Adams was gone.

Adam’s chips gave Zhang a 30,625,000 to 16,350,000 chip lead over Kanit and he never relinquished his advantage. Only a handful of pots went to showdown and Zhang was getting the better of it and even lead by 40,900,000 to 6,100,000 chips at one stage.

Kanit, who is no stranger to playing for the highest stakes, clawed his way back into contention when he doubled up with against Zhang’s but the last laugh was Zhang’s on hand 134.

After Kanit limped in, Zhang bet 17,925,000 which was Kanit’s entire stack. Kanit called with and Zhang showed . The flop kept Zhang ahead, as did the turn and when the landed on the river, Kanit bust in second-place and a delighted Zhang secured an €800,000 payday, by far the largest of his career to date.

The partypoker MILLIONS Germany Main Event commences on February 14th with the first of four starting flights. Follow all of the action, as it happens, via the My partypoker Live page and app.