Christopher Mateo Wins APPT Cambodia Main Event

It was redemption for Filipino player Christopher Mateo at APPT Cambodia as he overcame the runner up hump to finally hoist the coveted Main Event title and PokerStars shard trophy. Coming into the final table as chip leader, Mateo maintained his big stack throughout then ran circles around Donghyup Kim at heads up to claim what he was denied back in 2023.

“I feel so good. I am so nervous and happy. This is so special to me because in 2023 I finished second in Manila and now I finally did it. I got the trophy!”

At six handed, Mateo admitted to switching to a tight strategy noticing everyone was overly active and aggressive. By four handed, he flipped the script, raking in more pots than he had all day. After Kim knocked out the remaining players, it was heads up with Mateo in the lead and never relinquished.

“Kim was aggressive but I was more aggressive. I knew how to play him. I grinded him down until he was short and I did it. I finally won the event.”

Final Table Results

APPT Cambodia Main Event

The third annual APPT Cambodia Main Event took place at NagaWorld Integrated Resorts in Phnom Penh, ran from November 21 to 25, 2024 attracting 518 entries across three starting days. With each entry at US$ 1,650, the half a million USD guarantee was obliterated for a larger US$ 746,153 prize pool.

Main Event Review

• Date: November 21 o 25, 2024
• Buy in: US$ 1,650
• Guarantee: US$ 500,000
• Entries: 518
• Prize pool: US$ 746,153

Final 9 Recap

Returning today, the final 9 players were each guaranteed US$ 13,953. On just the second hand, Vaicheslav I was eliminated by Ziad Zebib on a flip however he Zebib wasn’t able to hold on to the new found chips as he also fell on a flip to Christopher Mateo. Despite finishing in 8th place Zebib was one of the Main Event’s success stories having won his seat via the flipout then turning his US$ 165 investment into a payout of US$ 17,700.

APPT Manila Championship winner Trong Hieu Ngo was nearly out when his Q♦Q♥ ran into Sven McDermott‘s K♠K♣ however with a queen turning up on the river, Trong celebrated as McDermott was chunked to 1 bb and was soon out in 7th place.

At six-handed, chips shifted rapidly leading to the fall of Ceesvin Abraham on a bad beat by Kim. David Erquiaga followed in 5th place with Trong also coming from behind. Down to four players, Nicola Spicher could not keep pace with the leaders and was drained out leaving the final three. On a side note, Spicher was overheard saying that he was in for eight bullets. Then it seems his fourth place finish turned a profit.

At this stage, it was anyone’s game with each one well-stacked and the average quite deep. That changed when Kim got the better of Trong, denying him a back-to-back title. Trong pushed into Kim’s aces to finish in 3rd place.

The final two players quickly struck an ICM deal that ensured six figures to both. When play resumed, the tide shifted. Mateo’s counter aggression outmatched Kim to steadily chip away at his stack. With the counts heavily in his favor, Mateo sealed the deal with a decisive top pair finish for a well deserved victory.

Read up on the Final Table action via the SMP LIVE Updates.

Links:

APPT Cambodia – Schedule
APPT Cambodia – Festival Results
APPT Cambodia – Photo Gallery