Ichihara Etsuko bested 118 contenders in a two-night battle that included the semi-finals on Saturday and the final heat on Sunday night.
The second place winner who took home $28,000 was Watanabe Noboru. The third prize of $12,000 went to Kim Na Yong while the fourth to seventh place winners won $1,000 each: Onuma Masayuki, Son Hyun Woo, Otomo Yuji and Sakuma Tamotsu.
Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino promotions and marketing manager Chell Funtanar said the participants were a mix of new and regular players that included five Chinese and 17 Koreans. The rest were Japanese.
Funtanar said the preliminary round on Saturday night started with two heats at seven tables with seven players per table. The number of players was narrowed down to three tables with seven players each during the third heat.
From the 49 players who made it to the semi-finals occupying seven tables with seven players each, only seven made it to the final table — five males and two females.
Funtanar said the tournament was the last this year. All the other tournaments set for next year will be for baccarat which will feature a new and improved format to make it more exciting for the players.
Funtanar said the first baccarat tournament is set for Jan.14-15, 2012. For more information, call Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino at 328-2233 or fax 328-1133.
