APT Main Event

Day 2 of the PHP 85,000 APT Manila 2024 Main Event made tour history, setting a new record for the largest Philippines Main Event field in tour history with 1,081 entries.

China’s Zhen Chen topped the chip counts, amassing 1,094,000 chips and emerging as the only player to cross the million-chip mark.

The day began with 369 players, all vying for a payout spot to earn a share of the Philippines' biggest-ever guaranteed prize pool of PHP 100 Million (~$1.7 Million).

A minimum cash prize was set at PHP 167,000 ($2,840), and by the end of the day, 159 players had secured their place in the hallowed money spots.

The bubble burst quickly, wrapping up in just 15 minutes and concluding the Day 2 action with 42 minutes remaining on the clock on level 17, with Norway's Mikal Blomlie finishing as the bubble boy.

Blomlie’s all-in with pocket sevens was called by South Korea’s Jae Wook Shin, whose Ace-Ten found a pair on the flop, ending Blomlie’s tournament run.

However, Blomlie didn't leave empty-handed, receiving a PHP 20,000 ticket (~USD 340) to Event #81: Double Stack PHP 15,000,000 GTD.

By evening’s end, the remaining players had bagged their chips, all locking up a place in Day 3. With several former APT Champions still in contention, the quest for the PHP 18,060,000 ($307,020) top prize promises to be an intense battle as the tournament action unfolds.

Close behind Chen, former APT High Roller Champion Vincent Huang from New Zealand bagged the second-largest stack with 974,000, while the Philippine’s Lester Edoc followed with 777,000.

Defending APT Mini-Main Event Champion Tom Verbruggen from the Netherlands, who topped the Flight D chip counts, finished with nearly the same stack after surrendering a significant portion of his chips to Chen. Two-time Main Event champion Mike Takayama also progressed to Day 3, sitting in thirteenth with a stack of 495,000.

Other notable players advancing include Thomas Ward (357,000), David "Spade" Erquiaga (331,000), Renniel Galvez (193,000), and Richard Marquez (83,000).

The top ten stacks can be found below.

A full APT Manila Main Event Day 2 Survivor List can be found by CLICKING HERE.

A full APT Manila Main Event Day 3 Seat Draw can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Players are all in the money and are currently bagging their chips as the day ends.

A recap of the day will follow shortly.

Action was picked up with Jae Wook Shin raising to 53,000 from the small blind, and Mikal Blomlie responding with an all-in shove for 158,000 on the button. Shin quickly called.

Mikal Blomlie: 7♠ 7♦

Jae Wook Shin: A♣ T♣

Since it was hand-for-hand play, players and spectators alike waited a moment before the hand could be displayed. Finally, the dealer revealed the flop: T♥ 4♠ 6♥ , giving Shin top pair and leaving Blomlie in need of a seven to stay in the game.

No longer hoping to catch a set, Blomlie stood up and began to gather his things even before the turn and river were dealt. The dealer then revealed the Q♣ on the turn and the 9♣ on the river, confirming Shin’s win and sealing Blomlie’s elimination.

Jae Wook Shin raised to 12,000 from middle position and received calls from Alexander Lynskey from the hijack and Keijiro Shimojo from the big blind.

On the flop of T♦ 3♠ 6♥ , Shimojo and Shin checked the action to Lynskey, who then bet 11,000. Only Shin dropped in the call.

Both players kept their pace and checked through a runout of 7♥ K♥ to a free showdown. Shin tabled A♠ J♣ for ace-high while Lynskey flipped over the sailboats with 4♦ 4♣ , which shipped the pot to his way.

Everyone love a good underdog story.

Back in his Day 1 Flight, Korean player Jin Woo Choi was down to 4,800 chips earlier that day, but made a come back to bag his chips at the end of Day 1 and advance to the Day 2 leg.

Here at the Day 2 leg, Choi was fighting for his APT Manila Main Event life and went all-in with the threat of being the bubble, but his Queens held up instead to give him a double-up and a chance to continue his journey.

Choi also survived past the bubble and became one of 159 players to make it in the money and be guaranteed a minimum payout of PHP 167,000 ($2,840). Well done!

I think we deserve to cheers a few beers.

Now on to win the championship!

On the soft bubble, big stack Vincent Huang opened from the cut-off to 12,000 and got three-bet by Morita Takuya in small-blind to 60,000. Huang made the call and they were off to see a flop of 4♠ 4♦ 2♠ . Not afraid, Takuya put out a continuation bet of 120,000. Huang made call and the turn brought the 9♣ . Takuya moved all-in and got quickly called by Huang.

Morita Takuya: K♥ K♠

Vincent Huang: 2♥ 2♦

Takuya would have needed to either river a four or a king to keep his tournament dreams alive, but the 9♥ appeared on the river, busting the Japanese players just short of the money. Vincent Huang, however, will be in a great position to run deep in the Main Event.

With a few eliminations happening since play resumed, the APT Main Event is now hand-for-hand!

161 remain!

Six one-hour levels have been played so far with 166 poker hopefuls still going at it. Action will play until there are only 159 players left.

Zhen Chen seems to have the biggest stack with the way he's built a castle where he's seated.

Big-stacked Manh Tuan Nguyen raised to 11,000 from under the gun with action ending up to Yukako Hiroi, who pushed all-in from the small blind for 87,000. Nguyen could make the call with his stack and maybe experiencing a slight scratch, but decided to fold to award the pot to Hiroi.

In the next hand, the big-stacked Edilberto Gopez Jr. made the 10,000 min-raise from the cut-off when Hiroi three-betted to 33,000. Gopez Jr. folded and Hiroi was able to scoop up some more chips to improve her stack to a comfortable spot.

Stay tuned as Hiroi and the rest of her table will be on the APT Main Event featured table. The livestream can be watched here:

YouTube

Twitch

Zhen Chen opened to 12,000, and Kinam Kim three-bet to 130,000.

Before making his decision, Chen asked, 'Do you want a double up?' Kim responded, 'It’s your option.' Chen replied, 'No, it’s your choice; if you want, I can, you know...' 'No, no, no... you choose,' Kim insisted. 'Can I choose?' joked Robert Bryan, drawing laughter from the table.

In the end, Chen returned his cards to the dealer.

Currently, 170 players are remaining, which means just eleven more eliminations are needed before the bubble bursts.

The shot clocks have been distributed to the tables, meaning players now have 30 seconds to act with each decision.

Edward Yam is among the recent bustouts after he three-bet shoved for around 70,000 from the small blind, and was put at risk by Aznar Ramdrick on the button.

Edward Yam: K♥ Q♥

Aznar Ramdrick: A♥ J♥

Yam couldn't connect with any piece of the 6♠ 4♥ 6♥ 6♦ 3♠ runout, which meant he was eliminated just shy of the money.

Jun Li raised to 10,000 from under the gun and Tak Chong defended from the big blind.

On the flop of J♠ 7♣ J♦ , Chong checked to Li, who then bet 8,000. Chong snap-called to see the 3♥ turn, where both players checked through.

A T♠ landed on the river, where Chong checked his strategy and bet 12,000 and faced a call from his opponent. Chong tabled K♦ 8♠ for king-high while Li showed 7♠ 5♠ for a flopped pair of sevens to win the pot.

Min Sung Lee pushed around his big stack in a Button vs Big Blind against Kwok Chun Yip. When Yip checked on the flop, Lee pushed a stack to put Yip all-in. Yip folded and looked down at only 3,500 chips.

On the next hand, Yip put is 2,500 big blind, leaving a solitary 1K chip in front of him. Action fell to Jeonghoon Park at the cut-off, who raised to 11,500. When it was Yip's turn, he called his last 1,000 all-in.

Yip turned over a T♣ 2♦ against a very strong A♠ K♥ . The flop came 6♣ 8♠ J♦ with Park's big slick saying ahead. The Q♦ on the turn gave Yip 7 outs and hit one on the river when the 9♦ completed his straight. Yip had his bag in his hand and was all set to leave, but was called back to his seat again.

"Please don't mention my name.," he said to me. I pined in, "You know if you win the whole thing, this is the momemnt where it starts."

A few hands after, Yip raised 15,000 from the cut-off and stole some blinds.

Who knows - that could be the turning point.

The action was picked up on the flop that showed 5♣ Q♦ 4♦ with around 27,500 chips in the middle. Kwun Ngan checked over from the big bind, and Zhen Chen bet 8,000 from early position, which Ngan called.

Both players checked through after the 7♦ fell on the turn. The river brought 2♠ , where Ngan checked to Chen, who sent a bet of 25,000. Ngan snap-called.

Ngan tabled a flopped top air of queen with Q♥ J♦ against pocket eights from Chen, who lost the pot yet still sat comfortably with hie remaining stack of around 950,000 chips.

Joven Huerto opened for 10,000 on cut-off to be called by Gabriel Goh from big blind to see a flop of T♥ 6♠ 6♦ .

Goh passed the action to Huerto who took the opportunity to bet 13,000 to be called by Goh again. Both players checked the turn 3♠ .

When Goh checked the river Q♣ , Huerto continued the pressure with 20,000 making Goh fold.

A few hands later, Goh and Huerto found toe to toe once again in a sick exchange.

Pre-flop, Huerto opened for 9,5000 to be three-bet by Goh to 30,000. Huerto not succumbing to the pressure, jammed all-in for about 130,000 for his tournament life. Goh snap called.

Joven Huerto: A♦ K♥

Gabriel Goh: A♠ Q♥

Ahead pre-flop, Huerto was quite happy to see the flop of 4♦ 6♠ K♠ as it gave him some security that he would win the hand.

The turn 2♠ placed Huerto in a precarious situation as it gave Goh a flush draw. Praying hard not to get sucked out of the hand, Huerto's fears came to life when the dealer dealt T♠ giving Goh the nut flush and eliminating Huerto in an unfashionable manner.

Minh Ha raised to 8,000 from under the gun, and Tak Chong three-bet to 25,000 from middle position, which Ha shoved all in. Chong dropped in a call to put his opponent at risk.

Tak Chong: A♥ Q♠

Minh Ha: A♦ K♦

Ha picked up the lead with a king at the table. The flop came 6♣ 6♥ 9♠ , improving nothing for both players and Chong was looking to spike a queen to eliminate his opponent. However, a dry runout showed 6♦ 3♥ , keeping Ha alive in the field.

There was over 50,000 in the pot right beside a board that read 5♠ 7♦ 5♥ Q♦ Q♥ Junwoo Lee fired 25,000 from the button after Richard Marquez checked his big blind option. Marquez looked at the board and felt confident that his ace would split the pot. Marquez was wrong. Lee flipped over T♦ T♠ for a better two-pair while Marquez showed the A♠ while mucking the other card.

Aznar Ramdrick raised to 8,500 from early position and Andrei Vavilonskii three-bet to 25,000 from the button. Ramdrick called.

They saw a flop of 2♦ 2♣ 7♣ where Ramdrick check-called a bet of 20,000 from Vavilonskii.

A 9♣ dropped on the turn where both players checked to the 5♦ river. Ramdrick checked, and Vavilonskii fired 90,000. Ramdrick quicky called.

Vavilonskii confidently showed A♣ J♣ for the nut flush, but Ramdrick held 5♥ 5♣ for a full house to scoop the pot.

With over 80,000 in the pot and a board showing 3♣ 7♦ 8♥ J♣ J♠ , Kyosuke Nagami fired a bet of 60,000 after Masakazu Miyamoto checked his option in the big blind. After much contemplation between looking at his cards and getting assurances from his chip stack, Miyamoto made the brave call.

Nagami turned over A♦ Q♦ , losing out to Miyamoto's Q♠ 8♠ , whose paired eight made the difference. Nagami's stack was crippled to just 12,000, while Miyamoto's rose to over 200,000.

In the next hand, Nagami shoved all 12,000 from under the gun with Xiangyu Zhao re-raising to 24,000 to isolate from three seats over. No one else joined the party for both to have a showdown.

Nagami turned over Q♥ J♥ which was dominated by the A♥ J♦ of Zhao. Nagami was in search of ladies or hearts, but he was heartbroken when the board fell 7♦ 8♣ 5♠ 3♣ 9♦ . Zhao's hand went on to deliver the final death blow to kick Nagami out of the APT Manila Main Event.

Zhen Chen opened the cutoff to 8,000 and Vera De called on the button, then Hsuan-Cheng Lai shoved all in 82,000. Only Chen dropped in a call to put Lai at risk.

Hsuan-Cheng Lai: 8♣ 8♦

Zhen Chen: T♥ T♦

Chen still held the lead with his pocket tens when a clean flop rolled off 4♣ 6♦ 2♦ , giving both a backdoor flush draw. The dealer swiftly delivered a runout of 9♠ K♣ , giving no help to Lai, who picked up his backpack and headed to the exit.

Moroccan player Chaoui Mehdi opened from the cut-off and tripled off on J♣ 9♦ 6♠ 7♦ 8♠ board. Kunwoo Kim was faced with a difficult decision on the river where he had to decide whether to call the 55,500-chip bet on that scary board. In the end, he made the call and the players revealed their cards.

Chaoui Mehdi: A♠ 2♠

Kunwoo Kim: 9♠ 8♦

Rene David raised to 8,500 from middle position and was called by Sung Jin Yun from the hijack.

Both players checked through the flop of 6♥ 4♥ 8♣ and saw a 9♣ fall on the turn, which they kept the pace and checked again.

A 2♣ landed on the river, and the pace of this hand didn’t change as the two checked to a free showdown. David table ace-high with A♠ 7♠ while Yun also showed ace-high with A♦ J♣ , resulting in the pot going in Yun’s way for his kicker jack.

Takuya Morita raised to 10,000 from under the gun, and Seitaro Aso three-bet to 27,500 from the cutoff, which Mathias Schell shoved all in. Morita carried no hesitation and dropped in a call. Aso got out of the way.

Mathias Schell: A♥ 9♣

Takuya Morita: A♠ K♥

Morita improved to two pair on the flop of A♣ 6♥ K♠, and Aso breathed a sigh of relief, saying, 'Safe, safe.' The dealer completed a dry runout with T♦ 3♠ , resulting in Schell’s elimination from the table.

Action was folded around to create a Battle of The Big Blinds with Yan Wen Yee raising to 10,000 from the small blind and Michihiko Matsuda pushing all-in for 76,000 more. Yee took a while to check the status of his own stack in case of future damages, but he eventually said "call." Matsuda's K♣ 9♠ trailed the A♥ 6♥ of Yee. Both players hit their top pairs on a flop of A♦ K♠ J♦ . Matsuda had 5 outs to make a better hand, but the J♠ turn and 8♦ river didn't help, taking him out of the tournament and off to an early dinner.

Players are on their second break for a chance to stretch their legs and crack their backs after four hours of poker action. The field has dwindled down to 208 players from a pack of 442 (369 Day 1 survivors and 73 last minute registrants).

Action will continue until the bubble bursts for the 159 players who will earn a guaranteed payout of at least PHP 167,000 ($ 2,840). Those 159 will return back for Day 3 action tomorrow where everyone will be clawing their way up the payout ladder. Of course, all eyes are on the grand prize payout of a life-changing PHP 18,060,000 ($ 307,020) to go along with a coveted APT lion trophy.

Pawanat Inthuyos limped in from the small blind and Hisashi Yamanouchi checked it from the big blind.

The action went check-check on the flop of A♣ T♦ T♠ , and both player read a board-pairing T♣ on the turn, which they also checked through.

The river showed 7♦ , prompting a small bet of 3,000 from Inthuyos, but it was enough to make his opponent fold.

Terence Navales kicked off the action with a 6,000 raise from under the gun, only to be met with an aggressive three-bet to 22,000 from Joemark Vasay immediately to his left.

After the rest of the table folded, Navales decided to go all-in for 76,000, putting his tournament life on the line. Vasay snap-called, eager to see the showdown.

Terence Navales: Ad Ah

Joemark Vasay: As Ks

Navales watched intently as the dealer revealed the flop: 6h 5s T♦ . With no help for Vasay, the turn brought a Q♣ , and the river completed the board with an 8♥ .

The aces held strong, and Navales celebrated as the pot was pushed his way.

Moses Saquing raised to 6,000 from early position and received four callers to bring it into the streets.

On the flop of K♥ 9♥ Q♦ , a string of checks followed until Lou Marcial bet 11,500 on the button, which only Rishi Mehra dropped in a call from the small blind.

Both saw the 6♥ land on the turn, and the action went check-check. The 3♠ dropped on the river, where Mehra bet 21,000 only to face a raise to 60,000 from Marcial. After thinking for a while, Mehra made the call.

Mehra tabled a flush with 5♥ 4♥ , but it was still no match for a straight from Marcial’s J♥ T♥ .

Blind versus blind Keijiro Shimojo was put all-in on the river by William Teoh in the small-blind. By this time there were around 65,000 in the middle and Shimojo had 58,000 in his stack. The board read J♣ T♦ 5♦ 4♦ A♣ and it took Shimojo multiple minutes of consideration time as a wrong call would have meant the end of his tournament life. In the end he did decide to call.

Keijiro Shimojo: J♠ T♠

William Teoh: 5♥ 7♦

Nice call by Shimojo's who doubles up while at the same time decimating Teoh's stack.

Action was folded around to Yukako Hiroi, who made a 6,500 raise from the button and was met by Yongkyun Kim on the big blind. Both players were unwrapped a flop of A♠ 2♠ 8♣ . Kim checked and Hiroi pushed a bet of 40,000, covering Kim's stack. After a brief pause to check his cards, Kim made the fold.

Right after, action again folded to Yukako Hiroi at the cut-off where he raised for the same 6,500. Kim moved all-in for his last 23,300 and the big-stacked Hiroi didn't have a problem calling. Kim was ahead with T♠ T♣ but the flop of 5♥ 4♠ A♠ paired Hiroi's A♥ 9♥ to take the lead. Kim just one of two-outer, but the poker gods misinterpreted the request and sent a K♥ K♦ to complete the board and send Kim out of his seat.

Kinam Kim raised to 6,500 from middle position and Kazuhiro Shirazawa shoved from the hijack for 66,000. David Erquiaga called from the big blind, and Kim folded.

Kazuhiro Shirazawa: A♠ J♦

David Erquiaga: K♦ K♣

Shirazawa needed to connect with the board if he wanted to survive, and did just that on the A♥ T♣ 9♠ flop. The T♥ turn brought no help to Erquiaga, and neither did the 3♦ river, which meant Shirazawa doubled up

Ferdinand Lu raised to 7,500 from the small blind and Hyeonho Shin defended from the big blind.

On the flop of 5♣ 9♠ K♦ , Lu bet 5,000 and Shin called to see an 8♣ land on the turn, where Lu checked the action to his opponent. Shin then bet 13,000 and got a call from Lu.

The river brought a board-pairing 8♠ and the action went check-check. At showdown, Lu turned over two pair with A♥ 9♣ , while Shin also flipped over two pair with 9♥ 5♥ , which was not enough to win the pot.

Keisuke Tajiri limped in from the small blind and Wonchul Bae checked from the big blind to take it to the streets.

The action went check-check on the flop 5♠ J♥ 3♣ , and both player saw a 4♠ fall on the turn, which they decided to check through again.

The river brought 6♦ , prompting a bet of 5,000 from Tajiri, and Bae put in a raise to 15,000. Tajiri dropped in a call to take it to a showdown. Bae swiftly tabled a rivered straight with T♦ 7♥ , leaving Tajiri to muck his hand with an ace shown.

Zhun Wang made a raise to 6,000 and was re-raised all-in by Misaki Tominaga for her last 40,000. Wang made the call, showing A♠ Q♦ , and Tominaga showed 9♥ 9♠ .

Tominaga made a set on a flop of 9♦ 6♦ A♦ leading over Wang's pair of aces. However, the diamonds were a threat, and true enough, the 2♦ on the turn and the 4♦ on the river were just too many diamonds for Tominaga to beat. Wang's diamond queen proved crucial from sharing the flush board.

Mid-way through Level 14, there are currently 230 players remaining in their seats.

That means around 70 more players need to be eliminated before the bubble bursts and play ends for the day.

Misaki Tominaga just limped from under the gun and action folded all the way around to the big blind Michael Gabby Concepcion, who checked to see a flop of K♣ K♦ 4♠ . Concepcion check-raised the 3,000 bet of Tominaga to 8,000. Tominaga matched to see a A♦ turn. Concepcion check-folded when Tominaga bet out 10,000, and earned herself some more chips to keep her head above water.

With two of the biggest stacks on the table clashing, action was picked up on a completed board of 8♣ 9♠ Q♦ 8♦ Q♥ . Tom Verbruggen had bet 85,000 and sat waiting while Zhen Chen went deep into the tank before finally making the call.

Verbruggen showed 6♠ 6♣ for two pair, but Chen revealed 9♥ 9♦ for a full house. Verbruggen leaned back, visibly frustrated, as Chen scooped up the substantial pot.

The APT Manila Main Event attracted a record-breaking 1,081 entries, marking the largest Main Event field in APT tour history for the Philippines.

A huge PHP 18,060,000 (~$307,020) awaits the eventual champion, with a min-cash being worth PHP 167,000 (~$2,840)

A full APT Main Event Payout List can be found by CLICKING HERE.

After Ji Ping Li limped from the hijack, Lun Wei Chang raised to 15,000 from the cutoff. Raymundo Gomez Jr. moved all-in on the button for 55,000. The blinds folded, and Li re-shoved for 59,500, prompting Chang to fold and setting up a heads-up showdown.

Raymundo Gomez Jr.: T♥ T♦

Ji Ping Li: A♦ K♦

The flop came 9♠ Q♦ Q♠ , keeping Gomez's tens in the lead and leaving Li hoping for an ace or king. However, the turn 7♦ and river 2♣ sealed the hand for Gomez, doubling him up and leaving Li with just 5,000 chips. Gomez celebrated as he raked in the pot.

Czar Marcos raised from under the gun to 5,500 and received two calls from Jaejoong Kim from the hijack and Marius Zalpys from the big blind called.

Three players saw a flop roll off 5♣ 3♠ A♥ , where Zaplys checked the action to Marcos who then bet 11,500. Only Kim dropped in a call.

The 2♦ came on the turn, prompting a bet of 18,000 from Kim after Marcos checked over. After thinking for a while, Marcos tossed his cards into the muck.

Christian Lortie opened the button to 5,000 and Kiyoung Kim defended from the big blind.

On the 2♦ A♦ 7♥ flop, Kim checked the action to Lortie, who bet 3,000. Kim called to see the T♣ turn, where the action went check-check.

The dealer soon delivered a board-pairing T♥ , and the two decided to check it to a free showdown. Kim turned over K♥ 6♥ for king-high, and it was enough to make his opponent muck the hand.

Yan Wen Yee had the all-in button in front of him along with just over 100,000 of his chips. There was maybe another 60,000 chips beside a board of 6♥ 4♠ 6♦ 9♠ J♠ .

In the next seat over, Michikiko Matsuda was in deep thought about whether or not to make the call. Matsuda looked at his chip stack, stared down Yee, stared at the board, peeked at his cards, wondered if unicorns really existed, and eventually folded to give Yee the huge pot.

Joemark Vasay limped in from the small blind and Teng Yang Hoo defended from the big blind.

Both read the 8♣ 5♦ 8♥ flop, and the action went check-check. The two saw the A♦ land on the turn, where Vasay bet 3,000 and Hoo dropped in a call.

The river brought a 5♥ and Vasay checked the action to his opponent. Hoo then bet 8,000 only to face a raise to 16,000 from Vasay. After tanking for a long time, Hoo made the call to take it to a showdown. Vasay tabled K♦ 9♣ for a bluff and conceded the pot as Hoo flipped two pair with A♣ 4♣ .

Action was picked up with Seungho Baek firing a bet of 15,000 from middle position on a board of 9♥ J♥ 6♥ 3♠. Flo Campomanes, in the small blind, made the call.

On the river, Campomanes led out with 18,000, prompting Baek to respond by pushing in a hefty stack worth 85,000.

Without much hesitation, Campomanes called, only for Baek to reveal A♥ Q♥ , securing the nut flush that he’d hit on the flop. Frustrated and left short-stacked, Campomanes mucked his hand.

The action was picked up when a board rolling off K♣ A♣ 5♦ T♥ T♠ with around 7,500 chips in the middle. Jeonghoon Park bet 5,500 from the small blind and Min Sung Lee snap-called from the big blind.

After Park tabled runner-runner trips with T♣ 9♣ , Lee immediately tossed his card into the muck and relinquished the pot.

Pei-Hsi Lin min-raised to 5,000 from early position and was called by Ferdinand Lu on the small blind. Jun Obara raised to 17,500 from the big blind, forcing Lin out while Lu dared to keep on to see a flop of 9♦ 5♥ K♥ Lu check-called a 10,500 bet to see a J♠ Once again, Lu check-called the 20,500 bet of Obara to reveal a Q♠ on the river.

Lu took a moment before shoving all-in and Obara almost snap-called even before the dealer could count the exact count. Lu flipped over J♣ T♣ to show a straight while Obara mucked his cards. The dealer announced that Obara's stack was covered and he was on his way to exit.

A player asked, "Don't you have to show cards?" And Obara flipped over some painted cards, which not everyone caught because the dealer was too fast. There were mumblings about a set or a two pair. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't enough to defeat Lu's straight as Lu makes a huge improvement to his chip count.

Neel Joshi was making his way through Day 2 quite smoothly and had run up his stack from 67,000 up to over 150,000, before he encountered a roadblock in Daniel Smiljkovic.

The action was a missed, but by the time the two got to showdown on the 8♣ 8♠ 4♦ J♦ A♥ board, Joshi and Smiljkovic had piled all of their chips into the middle.

Joshi had rivered top two holding A♠ J♥ , but unfortunately for him, Smiljkovic had turned top boat with J♠ J♣ to earn the knockout and the chunky pot.

Two hours of poker action have passed for Day 2 of the APT Manila Main Event. Players are given a break!

Currently, 301 players remain, and play will end when the bubble bursts, which will be when there are 159 players left.

Li Ta Hsu limped in from the small blind and Conor Berry-Grimsley checked to take it to the streets from the big blind.

On the 8♠ 6♣ Q♠ flop, bringing flush possibilities, Hsu bet 2,200, and Berry-Grimsley called to see the board-pairing Q♥ fall on the turn, where the action went check-check.

The T♥ dropped on the river, prompting a bet of 4,500 from Hsu, which was enough to force his opponent to muck the hand.

The action was picked up when three players moved to the flop, which rolled off 8♣ 4♠ 9♣ with around 15,500 chips in the pot. Woojin Kim bet 8,000 from under the gun, making Elliot Damashek fold. However, Thanh Nguyen shoved all in and Kim snap-called.

Woojin Kim: T♥ T♣

Thanh Nguyen: J♦ J♠

Nguyen picked up the lead with his Hooks against the pocket tens from Kim. The runout swiftly came 9♥ 2♦ , improving nothing for two players, which meant Nguyen stayed alive in the tournament.

Action folded around to Joven Huerto, who raised from the button to 4,500. Hao-Shan Huang defended his big blind and both were given a flop of A♥ Q♦ 5♦ Huang check-called the 6,500 continuation of Huerto to open a 6♥ on the turn. Huang again check-called for 12,000 to see a T♦ on the river. Huang checked again and Huerto didn't waste any time pushing his remaining 23,300 in the middle.

Huang tanked for a long time, staring occassionally at Huerto to try and get a reaed. Huerto didn't flinch an inch. Huang eventually counted off the chips from his huge stack and made the call, flipping over A♣ 4♠ for the ace top pair. Huerto showed the diamond flush with J♦ 9♦ to take down the pot and double-up.

Alexander Keating opened to 10,000 and was quickly met with a re-raise to 24,000 from Lou Marcial on the button. Rishi Mehra, patiently waiting in the small blind, called, while Ilia Dropbin on big blind and Keating folded, leaving Marcial and Mehra in a heads-up showdown.

The flop revealed T♣ Q♦ 8♥, and Mehra checked. Without hesitation, Marcial shoved all-in for his tournament life. Mehra took a moment, weighed his options, and made the call.

Lou Marcial: J♠ 9♠

Rishi Mehra: K♦ J♦

Marcial had flopped a straight, while Mehra needed a nine to complete a higher straight and turn the tables. However, the turn K♥ and river 6♣ brought no help for Mehra, who had to part with a significant chunk of his stack as Marcial celebrated his crucial double-up.

Martins Ivanovs opened the button to 4,000 and Siyoung Lee defended from the big blind.

On the flop of 5♦ K♣ T♥ , Lee checked it to Ivanovs, who bet 2,500 and Lee called to see the 7♣ fall on the turn, where Lee checked over again, which Ivanos then bet 3,500. This time Lee raised it to 10,000 and Ivanos made the call.

After the Q♣ landed on the river, Lee thought for a while and counted out around 12,000 chips. However, before dropping the bet in the middle, he hesitated again. Instead of a bet, he announced, “Check” to the dealer. Ivanovs sent another bet of 11,000, and Lee went into the tank. After a long time, Lee eventually threw his hand into the muck.

“King-queen?” asked Lee. “A seven,” replied Ivanos.

Joshua Figuerres raised to 4,000 from under the gun and was defended by Cheol Ho Shin from the big blind.

Both players read a T♣ 8♦ Q♦ flop, and the action went check-check. A 4♥ fell on the turn, where Shin bet 5,000 and Figuerres called.

After the river brought the 5♠ , Shin fired out 12,000 this time and forced Figuerres to return his cards back to the dealer.

Minkyun Kim shoved all-in for 45,000 after the turn on a board of 4♥ 2♥ 7♦ 9♦ There was maybe another 40,000 already in the pot. Seitaro Aso counted out thr 45,000 and looked how his stack would be without it, then he stared at the board, thinking of what Kim could possible have. Then, Aso tanked some more before finally pushing a chip to call.

Kim flipped over K♦ K♠ and Aso congratulated "nice hand" before revealing 7♣ 6♣ for a pair of sevens. The 8♣ on the river kept Kim ahead and awarded him a crucial double-up and some.

Khoa Ngo Anh put all his chips at risk against the stack of Jin Woo Choi on a board of 5♦ K♦ Q♥ K♠ 4♠ Anh had an A♠ Q♦ showing two pairs with an ace kicker. However, Choi had the better hand with a fullhouse, showing 5♥ 5♠ to take down the huge pot and send Anh to the rail.

Jin Woo Choi was in danger of being eliminated on his Day 1 flight with only 4,800 chips left. I covered the hand that bounced him back to 9,600. Choi was able to make a bag at the end of the flight and now continues his journey here on Day 2.

William Teoh opened the hijack to 4,000 and Ryosuke Tomuro defended from the big blind.

Both read the 7♣ 2♠ J♥ flop, and Tomuro checked the action to Teoh, who then bet 5,500. Tomuro called.

The A♦ fell on the turn, where Tomuro checked over again. Teoh fired out 11,000 and Tomuro snap-called to see the river bring a 4♥ , which Tomuro kept his strategy and checked to his opponent. Teoh bet a barrel of 40,000, forcing Tomuro to much his hand.

Ionut-Aurelian Stochita made the flop fee 3,500 from under the gun. Everyone stood down except for Woo Kuk Lee, who defended his big blind. The flop came Q♥ K♦ 8♥ . Lee check-called the 3,500 continuation bet of Stochita to enter a 4♣ turn. Both players checked to see an A♣ river. Lee checked and Stochita pressured with 11,000. Lee surrendered and awarded the pot to Stochita, leaving his stack a little more vulnerable.

Khoa Ngo Anh made the min-raise of 3,200 and was called by Edilberto Gopez Jr. on the button and Dohwan Kim from the big blind. The dealer presented a flop of 5♥ 9♣ 8♥ Action checked around to Gopez Jr. who put out 6,000. Kim stepped aside while Anh stayed on to see a 7♣ on the turn. Anh check-called the 10,000 bet of Gopez Jr.,. to see a A♠ river. Anh checked and Gopez Jr., checked behind for a showdown. Anh turned over A♣ 6♣ to make a straight while Gopez Jr. mucked.

Laurence Hall opened for 3,200 on the button and was met with an all-in shove from Jaegeol Cho, who put his tournament life on the line. Hall, sitting comfortably with one of the largest stacks in the field, made the call without hesitation.

Jaegeol Cho: J♣ J♥

Laurence Hall: A♠ 2♣

The flop came 5♣ 4♠ 9♠ , keeping Cho's jacks in the lead but giving Hall potential outs with an overcard and a gutshot straight draw. The turn K♥ and river 2♥ didn’t connect with Hall, allowing Cho’s jacks to hold. Cho sighed with relief as he secured a crucial double-up.

Hao-Shan Huang raised to 3,400 from middle position and received two callers.

Three players saw a flop of 5♥ 5♠ 8♥ roll off, and Toan Truong from the small blind checked the action to Huang, who bet 4,200. Only Truong dropped in a call.

The turn brought the 6♥ , bringing the flush possibilities, and Truong checked over again. Huang then fired a barrel of 14,500 this time, forcing his opponent to fold.

There was around 70,000 in the pot on a board that read 2♠ 3♣ 8♥ 4♦ K♠ .

Jack Sinclair bet out 52,500. Khoa Ngo Anh got a stack of chips and said "all-in." Sinclair took a peek at his hole cards, shook his head and mucked.

Seungyong An opened the cutoff to 3,200 only to be jammed by Junwoo Lee from the button. An called.

Junwoo Lee: J♣ J♥

Seungyong An: A♣ Q♠

An took over the lead from Lee on the flop of 2♣ 5♠ A♦ with a pair of aces. Soon the dealer delivered a dry runout of T♠ 2♥ , which sent Lee to the exit.

Action was picked up with two players with their stacks in the center of the table. Yu Ying Chou was all-in for his tournament life against Nellie Park.

Yu Ying Chou: J♥ T♥

Nellie Park: K♦ Q♣

The board ran out Q♠ 8♥ 9♣ K♠ K♣ . Chou initially made a straight on the flop, but Park found a fortunate full house on the river, leaving Chou dismayed as he was eliminated from the tournament.

Batdelgerekh Gantumur shoved all in from the small blind and called by Tom Verbruggen on the button.

Batdelgerekh Gantumur: T♥ 8♥

Tom Verbruggen: K♠ 7♦

The clean flop ran out 2♣ Q♦ 5♣ , keeping Verbruggen's lead. The turn brought a board-pairing Q♠ , which improved nothing for both players. However, the river brought a T♣ , improving Gantumur to a pair and keeping him alive.

Dylan Lim raised to 3,200 from under the gun and received three callers, Tom Verbruggen from middle position, Emmanuel Segismundo from the hijack, and Kim Enriquez from the big blind.

Four players read the flop of 4♣ Q♦ T♣ , where Enriquez and Lim checked over and Verbruggen bet 6,000, which Segismundo shoved all in for around 20,0000 and Verbruggen only dropped in a call.

Tom Verbruggen: K♣ J♣

Emmanuel Segismundo: A♦ Q♠

Verbrggen picked up a flush draw, but Segismundo got a flopped pair of queens. Soon the dealer delivered a runout of 7♣ 3♦ , which stood at Verbruggen’s side and sent Segismundo out of the tournament early.

This week just keeps getting better and better for William Teoh. Not only did the Malaysian player win the APT Super High Roller, he has also just picked pocket aces early on Day 2 of the Main Event.

A preflop-raising battle ensued between Teoh and Mongolia's Munkh Ganbold, which resulted in the latter getting his stack of around 70,000 into the middle.

Munkh Ganbold: Q♣ Q♥

William Teoh: A♥ A♠

Ganbold couldn't believe his eyes, and the runout of 5♦ 5♣ 4♦ 2♣ A♠ meant he was eliminated, as Teoh improved to a full house.

"When I saw the aces, I thought why again? Like seriously,"

"Dealer, seriously?!" said an amused Teoh, who probably doesn't mind being dealt premium hands all the time, and now has around 250,000 chips in his stack.

On a flop of 5♠ 8♦ 9♣ , Tom Verbruggen, on the button, waited for Kim Enriquez to respond to his 17,000-chip bet. After some thought, Enriquez made the call.

The turn brought the 7♠ , and both players checked. On the 2♦ river, Enriquez passed the action again, prompting Verbruggen to fire a hefty bet of 90,000. This put Enriquez in a difficult spot, as calling would cut his stack in half if he lost. He carefully counted and separated chips, before finally making the call.

Verbruggen revealed K♠ K♥ , and with no answer for the kings, Enriquez mucked. Verbruggen scooped the pot, further strengthening his stack.

Day 2 of the APT Manila Main Event is underway with the 369 qualifiers from Day 1 already taking their seats here at the Grand Ballroom in the City of Dreams, Manila. A few players were still able to meet the registration deadline, so expect that number of Day 2 participants to improve.

Meanwhile, there is a feature table that will be streaming at the following links:

YouTube

Twitch

The players at that table are Sean Ooi, Jemar Cadangdang, Will Ysmael, Martin Gonzales, Gerardo Lubas, David Wang, Hishashi Yamanouchi and Joseph Cheong.

Joseph Cheong has the biggest stack on the table with 189,900. Cheong recently won the APT Superstar Challenge taking home an APT trophy and a champion's payout of a little over PHP 8 Million. Cheong has some stiff competition at the table.

Australian David Wang has the shortest stack in the table, but will be looking to make a strong run. Want has made 2 final table appearances already in this APT Manila series, including a runner-up finish at the ₱ 120,000 No Limit Hold'em - High Roller Double Stack,.

Martin Gonzales of the Philippines has a stack of 69,200, and will hope to improve that to add another cash to has 30 ITMs this 2024 alone.

Featured Table Starting Chip Counts

Jui Tai opened from the cutoff to 3,200 and Norway's Tor Welo shoved for 23,600 from the small blind. When it got back to Tai, he asked for a count, then dropped the call.

Tor Welo: Q♥ J♥

Jun Tai: A♥ 9♦

Welo needed to connect with the board, but it was Tai who kept his lead as the 9♠ 3♦ 8♣ flop gave him a pair of nines. That pair improved to two pair on the A♠ turn, which left Welo drawing to one of the four tens in the deck. Luckily for Welo, the T♦ dropped on the river, which gave him the nuts and doubled up his stack.

Cards are in the air for Day 2 of the APT Main Event.

Registration is officially closed! For the live streaming, you can always get the access through the below links.

YouTube

Twitch

Good morning, poker fans!

The stage is set, players are ready, and Day 2 of the PHP 85,000 APT Main Event is set to kick off at 11:00 am local time. Survivors from all four opening flights will return to compete together.

After making it through the opening flights, a total of 369 players bagged up their chips and will take their seats in the Grand Ballroom for Day 2. Registration remains open until play starts at 11:00 am. Contestants will play through ten 60-miutes levels untill the bubble burst.

Shortly after registration closes, the payouts will be calculated and converted roughly to USD, then posted on the APT blog.

The top ten stacks going into Day 2 can be found below.

A full APT Main Event Day 2 Seat Draw can be found by CLICKING HERE.

There will be a feature table for live streaming (with a 30-minute delay), which you can access by clicking the links below.

YouTube

Twitch