Live updates from day 3 of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Level 26 (blinds 30,000-60,000, ante 5000)

7.30pm: Time is not on their side

The remaining four players at the final table have returned from their recent break, under a collective warning from APPT Tournament Director Danny McDonagh. They have been advised that due to the excessive length of time taken by players in their decision-making, if the trend continues they will be on the clock permanently and receive lesser time banks to act within each hand they play. That rule has been quickly applied to Daoxing Chen. Dermot Blain raised from the button before the flop to 210,000 and Chen called, going to the flop that read [6c] [jc] [7s]. Both players checked and the dealer produced the [ts] on the turn; Chen checked and Blain opened for 275,000. Chen went into his usual routine of leaning over the table to see how much was in his stack, then appeared to gather several stacks to raise before pausing again. The clock was called and Chen insta-mucked.

7pm: Champ pops by to take a look

Two all-ins - one each from Daoxing Chen and Dermot Blain - have met with no interest as the temperature starts to build at the APPT Macau Main Event final table. With 10-time WSOP bracelet winner Johnny Chan an interested spectator, Blain shoved over the top of Chen's pre-flop re-raise to 350,000 after the Irishman had made it 160,000. No clock required for "Bao Bao" this time, as he released the hand without much thought. Chen quickly regained those chips with a pre-flop all-in bet of his own to scoop up the an almost identical pot from Darkhan Botabayev. The atmosphere around the final table is one of the best we've ever experienced on the APPT, with more and more spectators joining the rail as the evening progresses. Everyone on the main gaming floor is popping over to see what all the fuss is about - poker is undoubtedly taking centre stage in Macau tonight.

6.45pm: Body punches, but no KO blows

The routine of "raise, fold" has been broken in a few small pots, mostly between Daoxing Chen and Darkhan Botabayev, including one battle of the blinds. On a flop of [7s] [2c] [5s], Chen checked to Botabayev from the small blind, Botabayev fired out 135,000 from the big blind but Chen quickly raised another 315,000. After a minute in the tank Botabayev laid it down; Chen flashed [7h] [7c] for a flopped set and raked in the pot. Dermot Blain has rarely thrown his hat into the ring against the two adversaries at the other end of the table while Mike Kim is quite happy to mostly watch on. In one hand, Kim folded to Chen on the button who raised it up to 160,000. Botabayev called from the small blind but Blain grabbed a stack of orange chips and moved them into the middle, raising it up an additional 465,000. The others mucked. That's about the best we can muster.

6.30pm: Slow, like a boat to China

Do we wish we had a girlfriend as hot as one of the Pussycat Dolls? Just one of weighty issues being discussed at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino tonight as play in the APPT Macau Main Event grinds to glacial progress early in the 26th level of play. Blinds are up to 30,000/60,000 and an ante of 5000, and players have been happy to take their turn at scooping up small pots without any significant action in the past 30 minutes. Just 600,000 in chips separates the four players, with Irishman Dermot Blain on 2.4 million ahead of Daoxing Chen (2 million), Darkhan Botabayev (1.95 million) and Mike Kim (1.85 million). Could be here for a while. Botabayev, that's 107 points in Scrabble with a triple-word score and 50 bonus points.

Live updates from day 3 of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Level 25 (blinds 25,000-50,000, ante 5000)

6pm: Chen agonises before folding best hand

Darkhan Botabayev has just flexed his muscle against chip leader Daoxing Chen. After Chen raised it up before the flop to 125,000 from the button, Botabayev re-raised to 375,00 from the small blind. Chen asked for a count then made the call. The flop read [8c] [9c] [5c] and Botabayev announced he was all-in for 1.4 million. Chen shot him a nasty look, asked for another count, asked to spread the pot, stood up, sat down, thought long and hard, stood up again, took his jacket off and put it on the back of his chair before sitting back down again. APPT tournament director Danny McDonagh gave him two minutes to act upon his hand. "One is enough," barked Chen in Chinese, sending the gallery into laughter. That soon turned to gasps of shock when Chen open-mucked [jc] [jh]; "Bao Bao" would have had Botabayev on the ropes if he had called as the Kazakh flashed [10h] [10d]!

5.45pm: Because you are gold, Mike Kim

With Spandau Ballet's Gold booming over the casino PA - one of those great Macau moments that smacks you between the eyes when you least expect it - the toe-tapping stopped when PokerStars Sponsored Player Mike Kim moved his last 640,000 into the middle against Darkhan Botabayev. It was the Kazakh who was in the lead with [ac] [kh] against the [kd] [10s] of Kim. The flop and turn of [2h] [5d] [6d] [5h] were of no help for the Korean PokerStars Player, but the ever-appearing [10h] spiked on the river, doubling Kim up! We're now on to Shirley Bassey - say what you like but the lady can sure belt out a tune.

5.30pm: "Bao Bao" takes a bow bow

Crowd favourite Daoxing "Bao Bao" Chen has been relatively quiet compared to his performance yesterday, but he has slowly started to play to his audience, which has perhaps helped him to forget stretching the clock on every decision. In a recent hand, he managed to take down a pot worth more than 800,000 from Dermot Blain. Blain raised it up pre-flop to 110,000 and Chen called from the big blind, then both players checked the flop of [3c] [kh] [10h]. On the turn of the [4c], Chen fired out 175,000 and Blain called; he would then call Chen's bet of 375,000 on the river [3h]. Chen tabled [jh] [8h] for the flush and Blain sent his cards into the muck. That earned Chen a round of applause from his rail, and most of the casino joined in the celebrations for the PokerStars Macau regular.

Live updates from day 3 of the PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Level 24 (blinds 20,000-40,000, ante 4000)

5pm: Levy on a roll against Swiss

PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Grant Levy had closed to within a few thousand chips of Swizterland's Vladimir Geshkenbein in the APPT Macau High Roller event with just nine players remaining. Geshkenbein is on 1.35 million ahead of Levy (1.3 million), 2009 APT Manila champ Neil Arce (750,000), Gap Young Kim (675,000), In Wook Choi (550,000), Jonathan Karamalikis (450,000), dual WSOP Main Event winner Johnny Chan (300,000), Danny Huynh (225,000) and Nicholas Wong (215,000). APPT tournament director Danny McDonagh has informed us that the final eight players will take a dinner break and may return to PokerStars Macau to start the final table if the feature table is still being used in the Main Event.

4.45pm: Pontus Kers eliminated in 5th place

Dermot Blain didn't have to wait too long for that bathroom break after all - he folded under the gun and rushed off, and while he was gone Darkhan Botabayev raised it up to 100,000 from the small blind. Swedish PokerStars Qualifier Pontus Kers then looked down at [ks] [6s] and took his chance to move all in for 360,000 in total. Botabayev looked sick but made the call, knowing he was behind with his [9c] [7d]. However he would high five his mates on the rail when the flop came down [2s] [9h] [ad]. The crowd all leaned forward after the dealer peeled off the [8s], giving the last Scandinavian and PokerStars Qualifier more outs with the flush draw along with his kings. Kers' mates bellowed for the king and the spade, but it wasn't to be as the river bricked out the [8c]. Kers was sent to the rail in fifth place, collecting HKD $887,200 for his efforts.

4.30pm: Bad beat for Blain

Irishman Dermot Blain, who won his seat into the APPT Macau Main Event via a live satellite at PokerStars Macau, may be having his fair share of cards and chips moving his way, but he was unable to score a bathroom break while the television crew changed the tapes. Just as he finished asking the question and explaining his predicament - tricky given that Daoxing Chen barely speaks a word of English - the tournament director announced that they were ready to resume play, so he'll have to hold on for a little while longer.

4.15pm: Blain rockets to lead

Darkhan Botabayev and Dermot Blain have been clashing in a few pots, but in one major hand, Blain has taken a fair chunk of change and is now our chipleader on more than 3,000,000. Botabayev raised it up to 110,000 from the button preflop, only to have Blain call from the small blind and it was off to the flop of [6s] [7d] [js]. Blain checked, Botabayev led out for 150,000 and Blain called. On the turn of the [5h], Blain opened for 250,000 and Botabayev came along for the river [10h], after which Blain checked again. Botabayev took the opportunity to fire out 500,000, sending Blain into the tank. He made the call; Botabayev tabled [ac] [8s] for nothing but air. Blain rolled up [jh] [8h] and the pair was good enough to take a huge pot.

4pm: Final five close on top prize

Despite the relative inexperience of the remaining five players, there are no signs of panic at the APPT Macau Main Event final table. Play has settled into a nice rhythm, with Dermot Blain and Daoxing Chen dominating play while Darkhan Botabayev and Mike Kim have been carefully picking their spots. Special mention to Pontus Kers, who has been among the shorter stacks for the past few hours of play (stretching back into yesterday afternoon) but he's still here at the business end of the event. The crowd is five-deep around the final table, with a mixture of local poker players and fans plus many intrigued onlookers spending their Sunday afternoon at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino.