Final table contender Derek Yu

Two contestants on the poker-based reality TV show Asian Poker Showdown, presented by PokerStars.net, managed to cash in the Macau Poker Cup festival, held at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino between March 3-7.

Derek Yu, 34, made the final table in Event 6, an impressive result considering the size of the 154-strong field. The HK$500 rebuy tournament had a HK$50,000 guarantee, but the total prize pool would eventually be more than double that, with HK$108,000 on offer. Yu earned himself HK$6,500 for his seventh place finish.

Another contestant, 20 year-old Joachim Chia, made it into the money in the Red Dragon Main Event, finishing in 33rd place for HK$17,800.

It was the first time that either player cashed in a major live tournament, and it would seem that spending time on the set of Asian Poker Showdown, under the tutelage of Team PokerStars Pro Bryan Huang, has proved to be beneficial to the contestants in terms of helping them to sharpen up their poker skills.

Huang himself did not cash in the Main Event, but managed to cash in three side events (including two final tables) for a total of HK$29,400.

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You can read more about Asian Poker Showdown in Baller Magazine, the official regional magazine partner of the show. You can also watch all the latest episodes on www.asianpokershowdown.com.