Nanonoko wins APPT Macau

Randy ‘Nanonoko’ Lew finally proved he can do more than push buttons online with victory at APPT Macau this week, seeing off a stacked field which included some guy called Phil Ivey, to bank HK$3,772,000 ($483,902).

Lew, better know for his online multitabling skills, has had to wait a while for his first big-money title, but turned around a final table short-stack to end his live tournament drought in dramatic fashion.

After battling his way into a heads-up bout with Zuo Wang, Lew ground down the Chinese pro before finally tipping the scales in his favor when his pocket sixes became trips on the flop to crush Wang’s A-9.

The final hand was a real cooler, with Lew’s Q-T flopping top two pair on a Q-T-8 board, against Wang’s K-Q. A 5 on the turn and Jack on the river meant Nanonoko now has a title to his name, and over $600,000 in career earnings.

Earlier in the week, the big story was the return of Phil Ivey, who made his first tournament appearance since the events of Black Friday in April. Ivey failed to cash, but most believe he was only playing the tournament to waste time before challenging the world’s biggest cash games in Macau. Is Ivey back for good? Watch this space…

Here’s how APPT Macau finished up:

1. Randy Lew $484,617
2. Jimmy Pan $304,106
3. Jeff Rossiter $167,791
4. Fabian Spielmann $130,918
5. Zuo Wang $103,938
6. Kai Yat Fam $83,896
7. Daniel Nordstrom $63,982
8. Tan Tai Zheng $47,922
9. David Steicke $33,828