Manila Megastack 13: Henrik Tollefsen among early winners; Rommel Angeles wins Kickoff

Hosted at Okada Manila, the Manila Megastack is one of PokerStars’ most recognisable series in Philippines, offering hundreds of thousands of dollars across its 24 tournaments. These tournaments take place in Manila between September 27^th and October 6^th, with the opening 5 events having already seen a winner crowned.

Event 2 – ₱12,000 Kickoff (₱3,000,000 GTD) – Winner: Rommel Angeles

By far the biggest of the opening five events, the Kickoff had a ₱3,000,000 (US$57,827) guarantee attached and a buy in of ₱12,000 (US$231). The assembled field of 341 players boosted the prize pool up to ₱3,492,931 (US$67,328) with 43 players going on to cash.

This three-day event saw 341 hopefuls slowly ground down to the final table by the end of the second day. As you might expect, the Philippines was well represented at the final table, and that remained the case after the elimination of China’s Jiankeng Pan in 9^th place. The remaining runners continued to fall throughout the final day until just three remained.

Richard Marquez would be the next player to hit the rail, bringing the action heads up, with Korea’s Wang Yong Lee and Rommel Angeles, representing the Philippines battling it out for the title. To the delight of those watching, it was hometown favourite Angeles who managed to get the best of his opponent. He picks up the title and serious bankroll boost for his victory.

Here are the final payouts:
1^st – Rommel Angeles (Philippines) – ₱810,000 (US$15,613)
2^nd – Wang Yong Lee (Korea) – ₱514,000
3^rd – Richard Marquez (Philippines) – ₱322,000
4^th – Junho Hyeon (Korea) – ₱252,000
5^th – Mike Takayama (Philippines) – ₱183,000
6^th – Martin Corpuz (Philippines) – ₱147,000
7^th – Yinfei Xiao (China) – ₱117,000
8^th – Ferlyn Cabaling (Philippines) – ₱99,000
9^th – Jiankeng Pan (China) – ₱82,000

Event 4 – ₱25,000 NLH 6-Handed Single Re- Entry – Winner: Juan Salgado

This event saw 30 runners pay the buy in of ₱25,000 (US$482) to step forward and contest this title. This created a prize pool of ₱654,750 (US$12,621). The event played down to a winner over the course of the opening day, with only 5 players going on to pick up a prize.

The early stages of the final table were a tense affair, with the players still not having locked up any prize money. When the bubble did finally burst however, there were just five players still in contention. William Overmire and Minh Tri Vu hit the rail soon after, with Ricardo Torres eventually being forced aside too.

This left just Juan Salgado from Argentina and the UK’s Neil Raine to duel for the trophy. The players soon came to an agreement which flattened the payouts somewhat, before playing the event out to its conclusion. Salgado emerged triumphant, taking the title and the top prize.

The final payouts are as follows:
1^st – Juan Salgado (Argentina) – ₱226,994 (US$4,375)
2^nd – Neil Raine (United Kingdom) – ₱182,306
3^rd – Ricardo Torres (Philippines) – ₱106,400
4^th – Minh Tri Vu (Vietnam) – ₱76,900
5^th – William Overmire (United Kingdom) – ₱62,150

Event 5 – ₱10,000 6+ Holdem Turbo Re-Entry – Winner: Henrik Tollefsen

Event 5 saw players getting to grips with the increasingly popular game, 6+ Holdem. The ₱10,000 (US$193) event attracted 23 runners, generating a prize pool of ₱196,328 (US$3,784). Only four players made the money, with the minimum payout set at ₱23,528.

The latter stages saw George Salud from the Philippines pick up 4^th place, with Sweden’s Roger Spets managing to take a creditable 3^rd. After a heads-up tussle for the title, it was Henrik Tollefsen who managed to secure the win, defeating Korea’s Jung Woong Park to close the deal.

Here are the final payouts:
1^st – Henrik Tollefsen (Norway) – ₱82,500 (US$1,590)
2^nd – Jung Woong Park (Korea) – ₱55,000
3^rd – Roger Spets (Sweden) – ₱35,300
4^th – George Salud (Philippines) – ₱23,528

Other events

Event 1 – ₱6,000 (US$116) NLH Re-Entry
Entries: 33
Prize Pool: ₱169,013 (US$3,258)
Winner: Wilfredo Maliksi (Philippines) – ₱67,600 (US$1,303)

Event 3 – ₱10,000 (US$193) NLH Knockout Single Re-Entry
Entries: 34
Prize Pool: ₱256,224 (US$4,939)
Winner: Jin Hyungmoon (Korea) – ₱102,500 (US$1,976)

Article by Craig Bradshaw

More: Manila Megastack 13 – Full Schedule