Guo Dong wins APT Macau 2016

China’s Guo Dong has outlasted a field of 108 players to win the APT Macau main event at Casino Lisboa, pocketing a cool HK$530,000 in the process.

Sitting second in chips heading into the fifth and final day, Guo showed the virtues of patience against a high quality final table, taking his time and avoiding big pots during the early stages before flexing his muscle as the field was whittled down.

He entered heads-up play holding a 2׃1 chip lead over Spanish pro Sergio Aido before sealing victory just two hands later to claim the biggest win of his career.

Asked about his small-ball strategy, which saw him limping into multiple pots to avoid sizeable pre-flop clashes, Guo said, “I am quite confident with my post flop skills, so with everyone holding around 30 to 40 big blinds it is very easy to get three-bet or four-bet and I preferred to stay away from big hands.

“I didn’t want to put myself in that situation. I try to control the pot so I won’t have big swings. I trust myself so I want to keep it simple.

“In poker you can’t just play your hands, you have to play aggressive and play many hands. You want to try to make others make mistakes while making less or no mistakes for yourself. That strategy works for me. So keep it small and play post flop.”

The event represented the first time the Asian Poker Tour has visited Macau in three years.