Long-awaited World Poker Tour returns to the Philippines in February

After a three-year absence, the World Poker Tour heads back to the Philippines! For the first time, the much-awaited festival will be held at the luxurious Okada Manila.

WPT VP of Global Tournament Management, Angelica Hael expressed,

“WPT is thrilled to partner with Okada Manilla for the first time as part of the WPT Philippines festival this February 6-17. Players can expect a first-class experience at this magnificent resort and another massive turnout as the WPT looks to set yet another record in the Asia-Pacific region.”

WPT Philippines is the seventh festival on the tour’s Asia Pacific Season XVIII. It takes place from February 6 to 17. 21 events are lined up with PHP 25 million (~US$ 495,000) in guaranteed prize money. Key events to mark down are the PHP 5 million guaranteed All Bankrolls Kickoff and the PHP 20 million guaranteed Main Event. WPT Live Events Specialist, Danny McDonagh detailed what to expect,

“The WPT Philippines festival is for players of every bankroll size. The All Bankrolls Kickoff event carries a massive PHP 5 million guarantee and offers players the chance to buy-in for PHP 5,000, PHP 10,000, and PHP 20,000 across six Day 1 starting flights. Players can look forward to a min-cash of PHP 30,000 for this event. Also on the schedule is the PHP 75,000 Main Event with a PHP 20 million guarantee, which should attract yet another incredible field on the World Poker Tour.”

All Bankrolls Kickoff – PHP 5 million guaranteed

Taking a closer look at the PHP 5 million (~US$ 99,000) guaranteed All Bankrolls Kickoff, this inviting new event is designed to drag everyone out of the woodwork. It features six starting flights of varying buy-ins and each plays down to ITM with a minimum PHP 30,000 payout. The event takes place from February 6 to 9. See the schedule below and pick your spots.

Flight 1: February 6 – PHP 5,000 buy-in at 230pm (ITM at 3% of the field)
Flight 2: February 6 – PHP 10,000 buy-in at 7pm (ITM at 6% of the field)
Flight 3: February 7 – PHP 5,000 buy-in at 1230pm (ITM at 3% of the field)
Flight 4: February 7 – PHP 10,000 buy-in at 330pm (ITM at 6% of the field)
Flight 5: February 7 – PHP 20,000 buy-in at 730pm (ITM at 12% of the field)
Flight 6: February 8 – PHP 20,000 buy-in at 1230pm (ITM at 12% of the field)
Final Day: February 9 at 1230pm

Main Event – PHP 20 million guaranteed

The star attraction of WPT Philippines is the PHP 20 million (~US$ 395,500) guaranteed Main Event slated for February 14 to 17. Buy-in is PHP 75,000 (~US$ 1,500) with a single re-entry allowed per day.

Day 1A: February 14 at 4pm
Day 1B: February 15 at 12pm
Day 2: February 16 at 1pm
Final Day: February 17 at 1pm

This is the only event where players earn points towards the WPT APAC Player of the Year race. Three players currently share the top spot: Hamish Crawshaw (WPT Vietnam), Hari Varma (WPT Australia), and Brian Tougias (WPT Cambodia).

Other Events

Other games certain to light up the tournament floor are the three (3) high rollers, the two-day events, and the freezeouts. For players with extremely deep pockets, the Super High Roller 2-Day event is a perfect fit. It runs from February 13 to 14. Buy-in is PHP 500,000 (~US$ 9,900). As for the Single Day High Roller and the High Roller event, these two events always draw a powerhouse lineup. The SDHR is on February 14 with a buy-in of PHP 150,000 (~US$ 3,000); the HR event book-ends the festival taking place from February 16 to17. Buy-in is PHP 200,000 (~US$ 4,000).

Two-day events are among the most popular and to satisfy everyone’s appetite five varied games are offered ranging from PHP 15,000 (~US$ 300) to PHP 55,000 (~US$ 1,100).

Main Event Warm Up: February 8 to 9 – Buy-in PHP 55,000
Pot Limit Omaha: February 10 to 11 – Buy-in PHP 20,000
Short Deck Hold’em: February 11 to 12 – Buy-in PHP 15,000
6 Max NLH: February 12 to 13 – Buy-in PHP 55,000
Superstack Classic: February 16 to 17 – Buy-in PHP 25,000

Adding extra spice to the action, WPT Philippines serves up six freezeout games, a rarity in the region. Buy-ins range from PHP 10,000 (~US$ 200) to PHP 15,000 (~US$ 300). More events fill the roster. Check out the WPT Philippines schedule for the complete list of games.

WPT Philippines 2020  – Complete Schedule