APT Main Event

A total of 249 entries showed up for Flight A of the APT Main for a chance to win their share from the guaranteed PHP100,000,000 prize pool. After ten 60-minute levels of poker action, only 82 players were able to bag up their chips and take them to Day 2 on November 3, 2024.

The Philippines' very own Edilberto Gopez Jr. was the one with the top chip count at the end of the day with a total of 338,900. Gopez Jr. just booked a runner-up cash in The Mystery Bounty Hunter -Sponsored by Natural 8 yesterday, and is in great position to earn another big cash.

South Africa's Edgar Antezana has the second largest stack with 309,700 while South Korea's Jaejoong Kim rounds up the top three with 308,300.

Some of the notable players who also bagged their chips at the end of Flight A included recent APT Manila Single Day High Roller -Freezout champion Nang Quang Nguyen (189,100) and the highly-decorated Mike Takayama (161,000).

Some of the big names that missed the cut included APT Manila Single Day High Roller-Mystery Bounty champion John Matsuda, 2018 WSOP Europe Main Event champ Jack Sinclair and Philippines All-Time Money List Number One Marc Rivera and Number three Lester Edoc.

These players may still be back with three more Day 1 flights to come. Flight B opens tomorrow on 11:00AM, November 2, 2024. On November 3, Flight C kicks off at 11:00AM with the final Flight D dealing at 6:00PM later in the day.

Meanwhile, here are the top ten chip counts of Flight A.

Flight A of the APT Main Event has come to a close, stay tuned for a full recap of the day's events.

Table 29 turned to a party table as the end of Flight A was winding down. Beers and wine were flowing and lots of laughs and smiles all around.

Jordan Westmorland raised to 3,000 from under the gun with Nellie Park the next seat over making the call.

Park turned to the field reporter (ME) and asked "Are you writing down hands?" to which Westmorland replied. "He's writing down how you get schooled."

Meanwhile, Siyoung Lee also made the call from the button with small blind Gavin Flynn and big blind Joseph Magnotti folding to focus on drinking to the ire of Park.

"It's a cheap raise, you should play," noted Park.

Three players were treated to a flop of A♥ 8♥ 6♣ Westmorland bet 4,500 with Park calling behind. Lee stood down and a 6♠ came on the turn. Both checked to see a free T♣ on the river.

Westmorland fired 10,000 and warned Park not to call. Park did anyway. Westmoland flipped A♦ K♦ and Park mucked, saying "You know I hit the ace. I thought we would split."

But No. Westmorland's king kicker took down the pot.

Schooled.

Jun Li pushed all-in for a little over 30,000 on a board of 4♣ A♣ 5♥ J♥ T♦ and Daniel Smilijkovic called to turn over A♦ 5♦ to show two-pair while Li mucked his hand and turned his chips over to the middle, stood from his seat, and tapped the table for "Nice Hand" before he walked away. Smilijkovic stacked his bounty.

The tournament director has announced that five more hands will be played tonight before the survivors bag up.

Joseph Cheong opened from early-position, which got answered by a three-bet to 8,000 from Benjamin Kim. Edgar Antezana on the button put in a cold four-bet to 25,000. Kim called and both players went to the flop, which came down J♣ 6♥ 3♠ . Both players elected to check.

The turn brought the K♠ and Kim checked once more. Antezana bet out 25,000, but that was not enough for Kim who raised it up to 110,000. The South African Antezana responded with a quick all-in, which Kim likewise snapped it off.

Edgar Antezana: K♥ K♣

Benjamin Kim: J♥ J♠

Kim was left with only one out, which did not arrive on the river. What a massive cooler, which probably made Antezana the chip leader of Day 1a of the Main Event.

Yu Yung Chou of Taiwan raised to 2,500 from early position and found three callers behind. Four players entered a flop of A♣ 8♠ 2♦ where it checked to Chou, who fired 2,500. Neel Ajit Joshi called. When the action came back to Lester Edoc in the small blind, he raised to 11,500. Lee Wee Liew on the big blind got out of the way.

Chou went into deep meditation, played with his chips and took a peek at his cards, then played with his chips again before finally making the call. Joshi stepped out of the way for two players to see the J♦ on the turn.

It was Edoc's turn for deep thought, taking a very long moment before deciding to check.

Chou's tank after the flop was no match for his double-tank after the turn. The Flash ran around the world twice when Chou finally bet out 6,000, then Edoc didn't take too long to fold.

Benjamin Leblond opened from early-position and William Ysmael defended his big-blind. Leblond continued with a tiny bet on A♠ J♦ 2♦ , which got raised to 4,500 by Ysmael. The Filipino continued to fire 11,200 on the 7♠ turn, which Leblond called once more. Another 7♣ appeared on the river and Ysmael went for a polarizing overbet equaling 40,000 chips, leaving himself just 12,000 behind. Leblond went into the tank but eventually decided to fold.

Desperately short-stacked Kwok Chun Yip raised to 2,400 from the hi-jack with Lester Edoc calling from the big blind with a rather formidable stack. Both players saw a flop of J♣ 6♠ 3♠ . Edoc took his sweet time before checking. With not so many chips to choose from, Yip picked up a 5,000 and put it in. Edoc took a moment to make Yip nervous before folding.

Gyeongbyeong Lee raised to 2,400 and got called by Alex Chong on the button and Shenghao Wu in the big blind. All three players were treated to a flop of 8♣ J♥ 6♣ where Wu checked to the raiser and Lee obliged with a 5,000 continuation-bet. Chong got out of the way and Wu stuck around.

A 3♣ fell on the turn and both players checked for a free K♥ on the river, where Wu checked and Lee fired 10,000. Wu waved the white flag and surrendered the pot to Lee.

Jaejoong Kim raised to 1,800 from the hi-jack and Joseph Cheong re-popped to 7,200 from the button. Kim made the call and both were shown a flop of 6♥ 3♥ 4♣ Kim check-called the 8,000 that Cheong fired to see a 9♥ on the turn. Both checked it down all the way to the 8♠ river and beyond. During show-and-tell Kim flipped a J♦ 4♦ for a pair of fours whille Cheong mucked in disgust.

Siyuan Liu raised to 2,400 from under the gun and called the re-raise of 8,500 of table mate Maxim Sorokin when action folded back around to him. Both players saw a flop of 2♥ 4♠ 7♥ . Liu check-called the 15,000 bet of Sorokin for his last 11,700.

Siyuan Liu showed A♥ 4♥ hitting a pair of fours ahead of Sorokin's A♦ K♦ . The turn 8♣ and river 3♦ booked the win for Liu for a desperate double-up.

Jack Sinclair, who won the WSOP Europe Main Event back in 2018, just clashed in a pot with Edilberto Gopez, who finished second in the Mystery Bounty Hunter event here in Manila just yesterday.

On a flop of Q♦ A♠ 8♠ with around 7,000 in the pot, Sinclair in the big blind check-called a bet of 3,000 from Gopez to see the A♥ pair the board on the turn, where Sinclair went into check-call mode again when Gopez fired 10,000.

A K♦ completed the runout, and both players quickly checked it down with Sinclair showing a pair of queens with Q♥ 5♥ , but Gopez had the winner with trip aces holding A♦ 9♣ for the pot.

It's been a great day for Gopez, who is amongst the chip leaders with a stack of around 240,000 as the last level of the night closes in. Sinclair on the other hand, dropped below starting stack and has close to 35,000 now.

Over on Table #40, Yohwan Lim, Patrick Clarke, Grant Gardner, and Mike Takayama are all battling with each other.

In the latest hand, Grant Gardner made it 2,500 on the button and Mike Takayama called out of the small blind.

They went to a flop of Q♥ 8♦ 2♠ where Takayama checked, Gardner bet 2,200, Takayama raised to 9,000, and Gardner quickly folded.

Despite that minor setback, Gardner still sits with a healthy stack of around 90,000. Takayama is also approaching the six-figure mark. Will we see any of these names at the top of the pack at the end of Level 10...only time will tell.

With around 45,000 in the pot on a board of J♥ 4♥ 6♣ A♠ 5♠ Both Ilia Drobin on the button and Ramos Soriano checked the river for a showdown. Both showed a lot of hearts with Drobin's A♥ 7♥ catching the top pair against the K♥ 9♥ of Soriano who missed the flush.

"Good thing I didn't flush," Soriano quipped.

On the following hand, the pot reached around 25,000 on a board of Q♠ T♠ 5♣ 9♦ 6♠ Both checked the river with Drobin flipping over a K♠ 8♠ , hoping to draw a bet from Gerardo Lubas, who sniffed something fishy and checked his 9♣ 9♥ .

Lubas beamed, "I had a feeling you were on a flush."

Toshihide Sawada opened from middle-position and got three-bet to 7,500 by Maxim Sorokin on the button. He made the call and both players went to see a flop that read J♣ 8♦ 5♦ . Both players elected to check. The turn brought the T♣ and Sawada led out for 11,000. The Russian Sorokin responded with a raise to 26,000, which Sawada called.

The river was a spicy one, namely the 5♣ , bringing in the flush as well as pairing the board. Sawada checked and Sorokin went all-in for around 32,000. This sent the Japanese deep into the tank. After a couple of minutes he reluctantly folded his hand, showing J♥ T♥ .

Players are on their last 15-minute break of the day.

Currently, there have been 241 entries with 113 players still in their seats.

Andrej Nagy raised to 2,100 from under the gun and was called by Napat Chokejindachai from the hi-jack. Both players saw a flop of 2♥ J♥ 7♦ where Nagy made a continuation-bet of 3,100 and Chokejindachai stayed on to see a T♥ on the turn. Both players slowed down to see a free T♦ on the river. Both doubled-tapped for a "show cards" moment with the K♦ J♦ of Chokejindachai way ahead of the A♠ 9♠ of Nagy to win the pot.

Chokejindachai has made a lot of cashes in APT Events in both Korea and Taiwan, including a championship in a NLH Turbo 8-Max event at last year's APT Taipei.

Junichi Kato opened from middle-position and got a caller in person of Woojin Kim next to him before Hao-Shan Huang came in for a squeeze to 7,500 from the cut-off. The preflop action did not stop there, as William Ysmael on the button clicked it back to 15,500. The action went back to the original opener who decided to go all-in for around 33,000. It folded to Ysmael who was priced in and made the call.

Junichi Kato: Q♥ Q♠

William Ysmael: A♥ 8♥

The flop T♥ 6♠ 3♥ gave Ysmael a flush draw to go along with the over card, and after a brick 6♦ on the turn, the Filipino did indeed get there with the 9♥ on the river. Junichi Kato took is bust out with a laugh.

The Korean Siyoung Lee opened from middle-position just to get three-bet to 5,500 by Gavin Flynn next to him. Lee made the call and both players went to see a flop, which came down 9♣ 7♦ 4♣ . Lee checked and Flynn made a one-third continuation bet. Lee called.

The 6♥ on the turn went without any action. Lee checked a third time on the T♦ river, which enticed Flynn to bet 8,000. After about a minute of deliberation time, Lee decided to call, but had to muck his hand after Flynn tabled K♠ T♠ .

On a completed board of 4♥ 7♣ 4♦ 5♦ K♣ , Martin Gonzales moved all-in, putting his tournament life on the line against Sehoon Jin.

Martin Gonzales: 5♣ 5♠

Sehoon Jin: K♠ Q♣

Gonzales hit a full house on the turn, securing the pot and a key double-up.

Colin Tsang went all-in for his last 22,000 and Seitaro Aso re-raised to isolate fo a heads-up duel.

Colin Tsang flipped K♠ K♥ and Aso turned A♦ Q♦ The dealer fanned a flop of A♠ 9♣ T♥ for Aso to overtake with a pair of aces. Tsang already stood from his seat and picked up his gear before the dealer threw the 3♣ turn and the 7♣ river. Seitaro took down the huge pot while Tsang... well, he was nowhere in sight.

Nellie Park raised to 1,600 from the hi-jack and Siyoung Lee defended the big blind with a call for both players to see a flop 4♥ A♣ 3♥ Lee check-called the 1,100 c-bet of Park to see a J♠ on the turn. Lee checked and Park put the pressure with a 3,500 bet. Lee looked at his chips and decided that surrendering was the better option. Park took down the put, leaving Lee with a few crumbs.

With a completed board of 9♠ 5♥ 6♣ J♠ Q♥ , Lee Wee Liew was all-in for 18,100, putting Jui Tai in the hot seat as he deliberated on the call. After some thought, Tai moved his chips to the center.

Lee Wee Liew: Q♣ J♣

Jui Tai: 7♥ 7♦

Liew’s two-pair on the river secured him the double-up, leaving Tai to ponder the outcome.

Daniel Neilson raised to 1,600 from middle position, receiving calls from Vivencio Nachor on the cutoff and Grant Gardner in the big blind.

The flop came Q♥ 4♦ Q♠ , and after a check from Gardner, Neilson continued his aggression with a 1,600 bet. Both Nachor and Gardner called. On the 2♠ turn, Neilson upped his bet to 4,000, and both players stuck around.

The river brought the 6♥ , prompting checks from Gardner and Neilson. Nachor seized the moment, shoving all-in for 15,500. Gardner quickly folded, but Neilson called.

Nachor revealed a rivered boat with 6♣ 6♦ , besting Neilson’s flopped full house, who held 4♥ 4♣ .

Three players agreed on an 1,800 fee to see a T♦ Q♣ 3♠ flop. Action was checked to the initial raiser and Vincent Chauve obliged with a c-bet of 3,000. Only Keisuke Tajiri amde the call to see a T♥ on the turn. Both checked to open a 6♠ on the river. Tajiri check-called the final 3,500 bet of Chauve. Chauve flipped J♣ J♦ and Tajiri mucked, awarding the pot to Chauve.

Nellie Park raised to 1,600 from the button and Hidenari Tomita called from the small blind. Then, Moses Saquing re-raised to 6,100 in defense of his big blind. Park made the call and Tomita stepped down.

Heads-up to a flop of A♥ T♠ J♦ , Saquing led for 3,000 and Park called to find a K♦ on the turn. Both players double-tapped to see a free 6♣ on the river. Saquing fired 11,000 and Park took her time to assess the situation then threw a chip to signify a call.

Saquing showed A♠ 2♥ for top pair and Park mucked her hand with a K♣ somersaulting on the table for all to see. Saquing took down the pot for a near double-up.

Former APT Champion and the only Filipino WSOP bracelet holder, Mike Takayama, entered the APT Manila Main Event Flight A after the dinner break and quickly made an impact, doubling his stack in just 30 minutes.

Action folded to the blinds. Terrance Scott Leung completed the small blind and Ha Eun Jeong checked the big blind for a frienldy peek at the flop of 9♥ K♦ Q♣ . Leung led for 1,100 and Jeong matched to see an A♣ on the turn. Leung fired another 2,1000 and Jeong stayed on to see a 4♥ on the river. Leung bet out 5,600 and Jeong threw a chip in for the call. Leung showed K♠ J♥ for a pair of kings, but lost to Jeong's A♦ 8♦ for a pair of aces.

Since the dinner break, a few new additions to the Main Event have brought the Flight A total up to 207 and counting. Some of those new additions include local boys Mike Takayama and Florencio Campomanes. Vincent Huang, who is fresh off a third-place finish in the APT Super High Roller, also just jumped in.

After Level 7, three more levels will be played before the survivors bag up their chips ready for Day 2, which will play out on Sunday, November 3.

Flight A of the APT Manila Main Event falls on October 31, 2024. Halloween!!! And in the spirit of the occassion, American poker pro Angelina Rich came to the felt dolled up as Wednesday Adams. Whether or not the resemblance intimidates her opponents remains to be seen .As of the break, Rich has a pretty decent stack.

If only we could award her Best In Costume.

Players are on a 60-minute dinner break.

Liu Yu Chi moved all-in from UTG for his remaining 3,600 and got called by Daniel Benor at the button for a show-down.

Liu Yu Chi: T♥ 8♥

Daniel Benor: 5♦ 5♣

Chi flopped a straight when the dealer peeled 6♦ 7♦ 9♦ but Benor had outs, even a possible straight flush. The 8♥ on the turn gave Benor a small straight, but Chi was still ahead, and then the river T♠ gave them a split pot with Chi shaking his head and Benor joking, "My straight is longer! 5 to 10."

In the following hand, Chi pushed all-in again for 4,000 and was called Ka Yue Colin Tsang and Daniel Benor for a three-way entering a flop of T♠ J♣ 3♠ Both checked to see a 2♦ turn. Tsang check-folded when Benor made a 3,600 bet, leaving Chi and Benor to the final duel.

Benor showed J♥ Q♦ for a top-pair to keep ahead of Chi's A♥ 5♦ . Chi had seven outs, but the 6♥ on the river wasn't one of them. Benor takes down the pot and Chi is sent to the rail.

Yohwan Lim was all-in for 22,600 on a flop of J♥ 4♥ 6♣ , matched by Kunwoo Kim with 37,000 already committed. Both waited as Bien Mai, who covered both, deliberated over his own hand following his initial 3,500 bet. After some thought, Mai folded, leaving Kim and Lim to go heads-up to showdown.

Yohwan Lim: Q♣ J♠

Kunwoo Kim: A♦ J♣

Both had paired the jack, but Kim held the stronger hand with his ace kicker. The turn 6♠ and river 5♦ provided no help for Lim, who was eliminated as Kim collected the pot.

Zhen Chen got the ball rolling with a raise to 1,400 with Edilberto Gopez Jr. making the call from the button. Enrico De Rosa re-popped to 6,700 from the small blind with only Gopez Jr. staying on to see a flop of 8♥ K♠ T♥ De Rosa led with 3,500 and Gopez Jr. stuck around to see a 7♥ on the turn. De Rosa slowed down and gave Gopez Jr. to chance to fire 8,000. De Rosa matched to see a Q♣ on the river. Both checked. De Rosa turned K♣ J♠ and Gopez Jr. mucked.

In two straight hands, Do Joon Kim had met the raises of other players, but failed to book a win. With a dwindling stack, Kim finally took one down to breathe.

Kim raised to 1,200 from the button and was called by Gabriel Jin Luong Goh at the big blind to enter a flop of 7♠ A♠ J♠ both checked to see a 7♥ turn. Goh checked and Kim bet 1,500. Goh gave up, and Kim was finallly able to bring some chips his way for some breathing room.

On a flop of A♣ 6♦ 5♦ , Patrick Clarke checked, allowing Siyoung Lee to lead with a 2,400 bet. Both players opted to check on the K♦ turn, but the action escalated on the 7♠ river.

After Lee fired 10,000, Clarke responded with a strong check-raise to 38,000. With only 19,000 remaining, Lee ultimately decided to fold, conceding the pot to Clarke who showed his hand - 9♣ 9♦ .

The action heated up with Jordan Westmorland all-in on a completed board of 3♠ T♠ 8♠ 6♥ K♣ , while Ngo Khoa Anh faced a crucial choice with about 30,000 chips remaining.

Anh took his time considering his options, prompting the dealer to call the clock on him. With just 10 seconds left, he ultimately decided to call for his tournament life.

Ngo Khoa Anh: 5♠ 5♥

Jordan Westmorland: K♠ 6♠

Anh’s pocket fives fell short against Westmorland’s flush, which was already completed on the flop. Consequently, Anh was eliminated, and Westmorland collected the chips.

Keisuke Tajiri raised to 1,100 from under the gun and was called by Joseph Magnotti from the button and Lkhagvasuren Lkagvajamts on the big blind. All three players were thrown a flop of Q♥ 8♦ A♦ . Action came around to Tajiri who bet only 1,000 to get everyone to fold, adding more chips to his growing towers.

On a following hand, A pre-flop pot of 6,200 was built by Magnotti at the cut-off and Tajiri at the big blind after a raise re-raise call tug-of-war. Both players checked down until the river was shown 9♣ 7♦ K♠ 7♥ 4♣ . Tajiri fired 3,200 and Magnotti surrendered.

Nellie Park didn't know what kind of action she started when she raised 1,000 under-the-gun. Everyone folded to Mitchell Chang on hi-jack position who three-bet to 3,300. Bien Mai on cut-off and Gavin Flynn on small blind made the call but Cheng Wong on big blind had very different plans.

Wong four-bet to 11,600 which got the initial raiser out of the way. Chang, however, responded with a shove all-in for 43,000 at risk of being eliminated. Mai and Flynn folded action to Wong who called for heads-up showdown.

Mitchell Chang: A♦ K♦

Cheng Wong: 8♣ 8♠

The dealer flopped 4♦ 8♦ 9♣ giving Wong a set but making Chang hope has he had a flush draw. The 4♥ turn, however, dashed his hopes as this gave Wong a full house. Completing the boards was a 5♠ .

Angelina Rich raised to 1,200 from the lo-jack and got called by Hyeontae Sim from the cut-off. Both players were peeled a flop of Q♥ 4♥ 3♦ . Rich check-called the 2,800 bet by Sim and did the same for 6,800 after a 4♣ showed on the turn. A 2♣ came on the river and Rich check-called the 7,300 all-in by Sim. Sim turned over K♥ Q♦ showing a better hand than the J♣ J♠ of Rich for a crucial double up.

Korean Seonghun Jeong is on a tear!

Lou Forteza Marcial raised from under the gun to 1,000 with Weiliang Tai completing from the hi-jack. Seonghun Jeong from the cut-off pumped it to 4,5000. Marcial stood down with only Tai sticking around to see a flop of K♠ 9♦ 5♠ . Tai tapped his option to Jeong who put 3,000 on the betting block. Tai took a peek at his cards, then surrendered the pot to Jeong, who is building some towers.

Players are on a 15-minute break.

American James Bonanno and Russian Ilia Drobin were still having a mildly heated exchange about a previous hand where Drobin lost a huge pot to Bonanno.

A few hands after, Drobin raised from under the gun to 1,000 with Bonanno making the call from the small blind to see a Q♥ 4♥ T♦ flop. Both checked to see a J♠ on the turn. Bonanno double-tapped the action to Drobin who fired 1,300. Bonanno stood down to give up the pot.

There was some silence while Drobin stacked his chips.

Jun Lai, seated between the two players, exclaimed - "Finally, peace."

Canadian poker pro Benjamin Leblond went on a streak to build his chip stack a little higher.

In a battle of the blinds, both SB Philipp Zukernik and BB Benjamin Leblond agreed on 1,200 a-piece to see an A♣ 8♠ Q♦ flop. Both checked to see a free 3♣ on the river. Zukernik led with 2,400 and Leblond called to see a K♦ on the river. Zukernik slowed down and Leblond took a moment before firing 8,500. Zukernik took pause, checked his cards, counted his chips and threw in the call. Leblond flahsed a J♠ T♠ for a straight while Zukernik showed an A♥ before mucking.

On the following hand, 3 players built a pre-flop pot of 3,600 for access to a T♠ Q♠ 8♠ flop. All three checked down to see a K♠ turn and a 2♦ river. Benjamin Leblong acted first from the big blind and bet out 800. Hao-Shan Huang at the cut-off folded, but Joven Huerto on the button called. Leblond showed a 5♣ 3♠ for a flush. Huerto confessed "straight no good" and mucked his cards.

Benjamin Leblond already cashed in two events in this series, including a 4th place finish on the ₱ 35,000 No Limit Hold'em - Turbo High Roller (Event #8).

Action began on a flop of 5♣ 5♥ 6♣ , with Patrick Clarke betting 1,200 from middle position. Eunso Park, in the small blind, called the bet.

The turn brought the J♦ , Park checked and Clarke led out again, this time for 4,300. Park called once more, keeping the action alive. Both players checked the river, which showed the 3♥ . Park then revealed 9♥ 9♠ for two pair, taking down the pot as Clarke opted to muck his hand.

With Level 4 kicking off moments ago, Flight A has surpassed 100 entries in the Main Event.

A reminder of the schedule for the remainder of the tournament. Flight A always has the longest levels, set at 60 minutes. A new hybrid blind structure has recently been implemented for Flights B, C and D, which can be seen below. From Day 2 onwards, blinds return to 60-minute levels for the remainder of the tournament.

Action was picked up on a completed board of 3♠ K♠ 7♠ T♣ 2♠ , where Elliot Damashek found himself all-in, prompting Patrick Clarke to carefully evaluate his options.

After a lengthy deliberation, Clarke opted to fold, revealing a Q♠ . Damashek then revealed his hand, Q♦ T♥ , as he scooped the pot. Clarke was left pondering whether he made the right decision in folding.

Alessio Isaia opened the action with a raise to 700 from the hijack, prompting a re-raise from Juan Manuel Contreras to 2,500 in the cutoff. After all other players folded, Isaia made the call to see the flop.

The dealer revealed Q♦ 9♣ 5♣ , and Isaia checked. Contreras seized the initiative, leading out with a bet of 3,200, which Isaia called. The turn brought the 2♦ , and after being allowed to act first again, Contreras moved all-in.

Isaia, left with only 26,000 behind, paused to weigh his options before ultimately deciding to fold, allowing Contreras to take down the pot without further resistance.

Joseph Magnotti initiated the action with a raise to 700, drawing a three-bet from Juan Manuel Contreras to 2,400 on the button. Keisuke Tajiri had other plans, escalating the stakes with a four-bet to 7,500 from the small blind. Magnotti couldn't handle the pressure and folded, but Contreras made the call.

On the flop of Q♠ 9♥ 7♠ , Tajiri passed the action to Contreras, who led out with a bet of 5,500, prompting a call from Tajiri. A♠ the action continued, Contreras upped the ante with a 15,500 bet on the turn. After careful consideration, Tajiri decided to fold, leaving Contreras to scoop the pot.

Meng Ting Hsieh opened the cutoff to 800 and Lkhagvasuren Lkhagvajamts called from the button.

They went to a flop of 8♦ 7♠ 4♣ where Ting continued with a bet of 1,000, which Lkhagvajamts called.

A 5♠ dropped on the turn and Hsieh slowed down with a check, then Lkhagvajamts bet 2,000. Hsieh called.

When the 8♥ paired the board on the river, Hsieh led out for 4,000, and Lkhagvajamts called.

Hsieh showed 4♦ 4♠ for a full house, and Lkhagvajamts had no choice but to muck.

Three players pitched in for a 3,600 pre-flop pot when the dealer opened a 9♣ 2♦ 2♣ flop. The big blind checked to initial raiser, Maxim Sorokin, who led out with 1,500 from the hi-jack. Sunghwan Kim called from the button and big blind Siyuan Liu stepped aside.

The two remaining were given 8♣ on the turn. Sorokin fired again for 2,500 and Kim completed to open a 3♦ river. Sorokin continued the pressure for 3,500, but Kim did not continue. Sorokin added yet another significant pot to his stack, which has the beginnings of a very huge chip wall.

Russian poker pro Maxim Sorokin has over US$600,000 in total live earnings, mostly from WSOP events. A big win in this Asian Poker Tour Manila Main Event would certainly boost his career winnings closer to the 1,000,000 mark.

Players are on a 15-minute break.

With a sizable pot on a completed board of 5♠ 6♠ 7♠ J♥ K♥ , Munkh Erden Ganbold faced a raise to 16,000 from Shunsuke Tsugi after his own 8,000 bet. After careful deliberation, Ganbold opted to call, only to see Tsugi reveal A♠ 8♠ , securing the nut flush on the flop.

A♠ Tsugi raked in the pot, Ganbold shook his head, voicing his regret over his handling of the hand.

Action was folded to the blinds when small blind Enrico de Rosa raised to 600 and Toshihide Sawada defended the big blind. Both saw a flop of J♦ 5♣ 7♦ . De Rosa led for 300 and Sawada called to enter a Q♠ turn. De Rosa bet 500 and Sawada called again for a T♠ top open on the river. De Rosa continued the pressure with a bet of 1,000 and Sawada again called. De Rosa flipped a J♣ 7♣ for a two-pair and Sawada mucked.

The hand after, De Rosa min-raised to 400 from the button and Siyuan Liu defended his big blind. The dealer peeled a flop of 5♦ 9♠ K♠ . Both players checked down the 6♣ turn and 7♣ river. On the show-cards moment, De Rosa's A♣ 6♦ made a pair to beat the A♦ 2♥ of Sawada.

De Rosa has been a regular with the Asian Poker Tour since 2022 and has made some significant cashes. He already made ITM in the opening event PHP 12,000 No Limit Hold'em - Philippines National Cup (Event #1), and is hunting down another significant cash to add to his US$ 140,000 in total live earnings.

It was a brief tournament life for Ilia Drobin. Having just sat down with his fresh 40,000 stack, Drobin immediately went all-in when the action reached him. Kinam Kim quickly called, revealing pocket aces to Drobin’s pocket kings. The board didn’t offer any help, and Drobin’s tournament run came to an abrupt end almost as soon as it began.

Players are on a 15-minute break.

With a substantial pot on a completed board of 2♠ K♠ T♦ Q♥ A♠ , Sung Jin Yun led out from under-the-gun with a 5,500 bet.

Yujiro Fukushima responded by raising to 13,000, and after a moment, Yun decided to call. Fukushima turned over Q♠ 9♠ for a flush, and Yun immediately mucked his hand.

Alessio Isaia raised 500 from the hi-jack. Keisuke Tajiri re-popped to 1,500 from the button. On the small blind, Juan Manuel Contreras pumped it to 4,500. Isaia's next move was a pump to 11,500. After a moment, Tajiri made the call. Then, after a few more deep breaths, Contreras completed to see a flop of J♥ 4♣ 5♦ . Action slowed down with checks all around to see 6♠ on the turn and 5♣ on the river.

Contreras led with 10,000. Isaia folded. Tajiri matched. Contreras flipped over a formidable A♥ Q♥ but was outclassed by the Q♦ Q♣ of Tajiri to take down the HUGE pot.

With the much-anticipated APT Manila Main Event now underway, players are steadily filling the tables to compete for a historic PHP 100 million (~$1.7 million) prize pool—the largest in Philippine poker history. The stage is set for an exciting day of action.

Action fell to Siyoung Lee who raised 300 from the button and called the 1300 four-bet from Elliot Sy Damashek at the small blind. Both players were treated to a Q♣ 7♦ 5♠ flop. Damashek led for 1,000 and Lee matched to see A♥ on the turn. Damashek fired 3,000, submitting Lee to a fold and taking down a huge pot.

In the next hand, pre-flop action was folded to Damashek who raised to 400 from the button with Terrance Scott Leung engaging from the small blind. Both are given a 6♥ 3♦ 4♦ flop. Leung check calls a 500 bet from Damashek to open a 5♦ on the turn. Lee led out for 1,300 with Damashek matching to peel a 3♠ on the river. Both players check. Damashek's A♣ 5♣ held a better kicker over the 5♣ 8♣ of Lee and took down another big pot to slowly build his chip stack.

On a board of Q♦ 3♦ 8♦ T♠ , with around 1,500 in the pot, Siyoung Lee checked it over to Terrance Leung, who fired 1,000. Lee called.

They both saw the 6♠ drop on the river and again Lee checked, then Leung fired a pot-sized bet of 4,000. Lee thought for just a second and called.

Leung didn't want to take part in showdown, so just mucked his cards, and Lee was awarded the pot without the need to show his cards.

Sung Jin Yun opened with a bet of 300 from early position, attracting calls from Toshihide Sawada, Charles Victoria in the small blind, and Seung Hoon Lee in the big blind.

On a flop of 2♦ Q♣ K♥ , action checked around to Sawada, who bet 500. Only Lee stayed in, calling to see the turn.

On the 9♣ turn, Lee checked, and Sawada continued the heat with a 1,200 bet. Lee decided to call, keeping the action alive.

When the river fell 6♥ , Sawada applied the pressure with a strong 5,500 bet. Unable to keep up with Sawada’s aggression, Lee finally mucked his hand, conceding the pot.

Here's a peek at some of the early entries in Flight A of the Main Event.

Cards are in the air and play is underway here in City of Dreams, Manila for the APT Main Event.

After a two-year hiatus, the highly anticipated PHP 85,000 APT Manila Main Event is finally back, kicking off today with the largest guaranteed prize pool in Philippine poker history—an incredible PHP 100,000,000!

The cards will be in the air starting at 11:00 AM (GMT +8), with registration open until 11:00 PM. Players entering Flight A of Day 1 will play through ten 60-minute levels, starting with a stack of 40,000 chips.

Stay tuned here for regular updates as the action unfolds in this much-awaited APT Manila Main Event!