WPT Philippines 2020 Main Event : Live Updates
Bulgaria’s Dimitar Blazhev wins the WPT Philippines Main Event for Php 4,812,000 (~US$ 95,200)
It took a total of 195 final table hands for the Main Event title to be captured, 81 of those were at heads up. After a grueling heads up battle that lasted over two hours, the newest Asia Pacific Season XVIII Main Event champion emerged! Bulgaria’s Dimitar Blazhev defeated Kunwoo Kim to take home the top dog payout of Php 4,812,000 (~US$ 95,200) and the WPT Deepstacks Champion’s Trophy. Along with the prizes, Blazhev earned 900 points towards the APAC Player of the Year race.
Congratulations to the champion! We will have a recap for you soon. For now, you can browse the live updates to catch up on the action.
8:50PM: Kunwoo Kim eliminated in 2nd place – Php 3,372,000 (~US$ 66,700)
Level 32: Blinds 75k-150k ante 150k
After two hours of heads up play, the final hand of the Main Event arrived. It was heads up hand #81. Kunwoo Kim raised to 400k, Dimitar Blazhev three-bet shoved, Kim tanked then called for his tournament life.
Blazhev 
Kim 
The final board ran 
, ace held to end Kim in 2nd place. He earned Php 3,372,000 (~US$ 66,700) for his largest live score.
8:45PM: Dimitar Blazhev building a distance
Level 32: Blinds 75k-150k ante 150k
Dimitar Blazhev checked on Kunwoo Kim’s limp, the flop ran 
, no bets. On the turn 
, Blazhev led for the minimum 150k, Kim called. It was back to checking on the 
river. Blazhev won it with 
higher kicker to Kim’s 
.
Blazhev claimed the next pot as well, limping in and Kim checking. The flop ran 
, both checked. On the turn 
, Kim bet 300k, Blazhev called. On the river 
, Kim folded to a 500k bet.
Blazhev up to 6.7M, Kim down to 3.6M.
8:40PM: Dimitar Blazhev back on top
Level 31: Blinds 75k-125k ante 125k
Heads up hand #77, the board completed 
, Dimitar Blazhev bet 350k, Kunwoo Kim folded. Blazhev 5.5M, Kim down to 4.8M.
8:30PM: Dimitar Blazhev boosts a bit
Level 31: Blinds 75k-125k ante 125k
It was Dimitar Blazhev’s turn to take in some heavier pots. He earned 500k off Kunwoo Kim on a board that completed 
. Limped pot preflop, both checked the flop, Kim check-called 150k on the turn. Kim check-folded to a 250k river bet.
Five hands after, Kim raised to 300k, Blazhev called, flop 
. Both checked. On the turn 
, Blazhev led for 300k, Kim folded. Back to even.
8:25PM: Kunwoo Kim retakes the lead
Level 31: Blinds 75k-125k ante 125k
Kunwoo Kim is on a roll here, claiming a majority of the larger pots. Heads up hand #66, Dimitar Blazhev limp called a 300k raise by Kim. On the flop 
, Kim led for 575k, no call.
Next hand, Kim raised from the button and was called. On the flop 
, Kim bet 300k, Blazhev check-called. On the turn , Kim fired 1M, Blazhev check-folded. Kim up 5.4M to 4.9M.
8:15PM: Blinds up, Kunwoo Kim wins the pot
Level 31: Blinds 75k-125k ante 125k
Limped pot, flop ran 
, Kunwoo Kim check-called 125k. No bets on the turn. The river 
, Kim banged out 200k, Blazhev folded.
8:10PM: Kunwoo Kim evens it up
Level 30: Blinds 50k-100k ante 100k
Kunwoo Kim claimed several pots in succession to bring it up to just 100k difference. Heads up hand #53 Dimitar Blazhev limped, Kim checked. At the flop 
, Kim check-called 100k. No bets on the 
turn. The river , Kim led for 200k, no call.
Next hand, Km limped, Blazhev checked, flop 
. Blazhev led for 125k, called by Kim. On the turn 
, Blazhev check-foled to a 400k bet.
Right after, another pot to Kim. Blazhev limped, Kim checked, flop , Kim check-called 125k. No bets on the turn. Kim bet 200k on the 
river to win it.
8:00PM: Kunwoo Kim four-bet jams
Level 30: Blinds 50k-100k ante 100k
Kunwoo Kim raised from the button, Dimitar Blazhev three-bet to 650k, Kim four-bet jammed, quick fold from Blazhev.
7:25PM: Hefty pot for Dimitar Blazhev
Level 29: Blinds 40k-80k ante 80k
Hand #33, Dimitar Blazhev limped, Kunwoo Kim checked. Heavy betting action at the flop , Kim check-ed, Blazhev bet 80k, Kim raised to 280k, Blazhev three-bet to 925k, Kim folded.
7:15PM: Kunwoo Kim grinds for chips
Level 29: Blinds 40k-80k ante 80k
Kunwoo Kim picked up 400k from Dimitar Blazhev to rise to 3.8M. One of the hands sawm him three-bet jam preflop. Another he had 
on a board 
.
7:05PM: Dimitar Blazhev with a 2:1 lead
Level 29: Blinds 40k-80k ante 80k
Dimitar Blazhev picks up a few pots to rise to a 2:1 chip lead. The first big one he raised to 200k from the button, called by Kunwoo Kim. No bets on the flop 
. Blazhev fired 165k on the 
turn, called by Kim. Another bet on the river but Kim quickly check-folded.
Blazhev won a larger pot on a board showing .. Kim raised to 200k preflop, Blazhev called. On the flop, Blazhev check-called 200k. On the turn, Blazhev led for 200k, called by Kim. Blazhev fired 1.5M on the river, Kim folded.
Blazhev 6.9M, Kim 3.4M.
6:55PM: Kunwoo Kim with the flush
Level 29: Blinds 40k-80k ante 80k
Kunwoo Kim made up some of the lost chips with flush on a board 
. It was a limped pot then Kim bet 200k on the river. Dimitar Blazhev check-called.
6:50PM: Another good pot for Dimitar Blazhev
Level 29: Blinds 40k-80k ante 80k
After a five small pots, a decent one arrived. Button Dimitar Blazhev raised to 200k, Kunwoo Kim called. Both checked the flop . On the turn , Blazhev bet 175k, Kim check-called. Blazhev bet 350k on the river, Kim check-folded.
6:35PM: Dimitar Blazhev wins the first heads up hand
Level 29: Blinds 40k-80k ante 80k
First hand button Dimitar Blazhev raised to 200k, called by Kim. Flop was checked by both. The turn 
, Kim led for 250k, Blazhev called. The river was checked again by both. Kim had 
, Blahev took it with .
6:30PM: Heads up between Kunwoo Kim and Dimitar Blazhev
Level 29: Blinds 40k-80k ante 80k
After all the paparazzi pics, heads up is underway between Kunwoo Kim and Dimitar Blazhev.
Km 5,370,000
blazhev 4,950,000
Chips in play 10,320,000
Average stack 5,160,000
6:20PM: Mark Dela Cruz crippled then eliminated in 3rd place – Php 2,168,000 (~US$ 42,900)
Level 29: Blinds 40k-80k ante 80k
Mark Dela Cruz was knocked out in 3rd place by Kunwoo Kim but before doing so, it was Dimitar Blazhev who crippled him down to 4.5 bbs. Small blind Blazhev limped then called a raise by big blind Dela Cruz. At the flop 
, Blazhev check called a 300k c-bet. No bets on the turn. The river , Blazhev fired 1M and Dela Cruz called. Blazhev showed trips for the win. Dela Cruz revealed his 
hole cards.
Down to just 360k, Dela Cruz put it all in two hands later. He was on the big blind. Kim raiased on the button and Dela Cruz tossed in the rest of his chips. Kim , Dela Cruz , the board 
.
6:00PM: Dimitar Blazhev doubles up
Level 28: Blinds 30k-60k ante 60k
Dimitar Blazhev got full pay off the leader Kunwoo Kim to bring him to 3.62M. He raised from the button to 140k, called by sb Mark Dela Cruz and bb Kunwoo Kim. On the flop , Kim bet 200k, Blazhev jammed for 1.57M, Dela Cruz got out of the way, Kim called.
Blazhev , Kim , both had top pair. With the turn and river , Blazhev’s kicker played and shipped it. Kim down to 4.75M. Dela Cruz down to 1,95M.
5:45PM: Mark Dela Cruz takes from Kim
Level 28: Blinds 30k-60k ante 60k
Button Mark Dela Cruz raised to 130k, both blinds called and the flop came . All three checked. On the turn , Dela Cruz fired 275k, Kim check-called, big blind folded. The river 
was checked down. Kim showed missed draw, Dela Cruz shoved 
missed draw but higher spread to take the pot. Dela Cruz up to 2.6M, Kim dipped to 5.65M.
5:35PM: Final 3 chip counts
Level 28: Blinds 30k-60k ante 60k
Kunwoo Kim 6M
Dimitar Blazhev 2.25M
Mark Dela Cruz 1.975M
Average stack 3,440,000
Chips in play 10,320,000
5:20PM: David Erquiaga falls in 4th place – Php 1,397,000 (~US$ 27,600)
Level 28: Blinds 30k-60k ante 60k
David Erquiaga will not be taking the top spot in the APAC Player of the Year race. He fell short in 4th place to Kunwoo Kim. This earned him 630 points added to his 750 points to take 4th rank with 1380 points. He is positioned just below the top three joint leaders each with 1500 points.
The hand that ended Erquiaga saw Kunwoo Kim raise to 150k from utg, called by sb Erquiaga and bb Dela Cruz. At the flop Erquiaga led fro 170k, Dela Cruz folded, Kim raised to 500k, Erquiaga tank-jammed for 1.64M more, Kim reluctantly called.
Kim’s call was a good one. He dominated with to Erquiaga’s . The turn and river completed the board. Kim shipped it and climbed over 6M.
5:10PM: Dimitar Blazhev in action
Level 28: Blinds 30k-60k ante 60k
It was Dimitar Blazhev’s turn to stir up the table and in return, he climbed to 2.95M. The first pot was a double up through David Erquiaga. After Mark Dela Cruz opened 150k from utg, sb Blazhev shoved, bb Erquiaga called, Dela Cruz folded. Blazhev , Erquiaga was dominated with board ran dry for Erquiaga to bring him down to 1.74M.
Next hand, Blazhev three-bet Kunwoo Kim’s 140k raise to make it 400k. Kim called. On the flop and turn no bets. On the river , Kim immediately folded when Blazhev slid out a bet. Kim dropped to 2.9M.
5:00PM: Kunwoo Kim rising…
Level 28: Blinds 30k-60k ante 60k
We haven’t seen Kunwoo Kim in many pots until now. He won a couple of good ones off leader David Erquiaga. First was a double up. Kim jammed from the button with , Erquiaga called on the big blind with . A nine came on the flop and held throughout. Board was .
He also siphone more off Erquiaga check-raising from 400k to make it 1M on a board . Erquiaga folded. Erquiaga down to 2.7M, Kim in the lead with 3.1M.
4:50PM: Rogel Del Rosario empties out in 5th place – Php 1,077,000 (~US$ 21,300)
Level 27: Blinds 25k-50k ante 50k
After losing the lead, Rogel Del Rosario continued to spiral downwards and was out in 5th place. It took three hands to do it. The first one he raised 110k from utg+1, got called by big blind Mark Dela Cruz. At the flop and turn , Dela Cruz check-called 200k and Del Rosario’s jam. Del Rosario showed , Dela Cruz had better , the river doubled up Dela Cruz to 3M, Del Rosario down to 525k.
Two hands after Del Rosario dropped to 275k with Erquiaga winning a small pot holding on a board . No bets on the board. Del Rosario showed .
Four hands later it was all over for Del Rosario. He pushed with , Erquiaga called with . The board favored Erquiaga running 
for a flush.
We are down to four players. Erquiaga up to 4.8M.
4:40PM: Good call by David Erquiaga earns him the lead
Level 27: Blinds 25k-50k ante 50k
David Erquiaga grabbed another pot and this time much bigger to take the chip lead off Rogel Del Rosario. Action opened with button Del Rosario bumping it up to 150k, called by Erquiaga on the big blind. On the flop both checked. On the turn , Erquiaga check-called 175k. Then on the river , Erquiaga bet 225, Del Rosario raised to 750k, Erquiaga tanked then found the courage to call. When Del Rosario showed , Erquiaga for a higher pair. Erquiaga shipped it while commenting to Del Rosario “you always check the nuts but this time you bet”. Del Rosario said “good call”.
Erquiaga up to 3.9M, Del Rosario down to 2.050M.
4:30PM: David Erquiaga calls Blazhev a tight player
Level 27: Blinds 25k-50k ante 50k
David Erquiaga picked up two pots back-to-back against Dimitar Blazhev to rise to 2.55M. The first pot Blazhev raised 125k from utg, called by Erquiaga from utg+1. At the , Blazhev folded to a 100k bet.
Next hand, Erquiaga raised to 110k from cutoff, Blazhev defended on the big blind. No bets on the flop and turn for the board to complete . Blazhev led for 65k, Erquiaga raised it to 140k, Blazhev folded. Erquiaga showed his winning hand to Blazhev while saying “you’re so tight”.
4:10PM: Final 5 chip counts
Level 27: Blinds 25k-50k ante 50k
Rogel Del Rosario 3,295,000
David Erquiaga 2,080,000
Dimitar Blazhev 1,880,000
Mark Dela Cruz 1,815,000
Kunwoo Kim 1,250,000
4:00PM: Christos Vlahos exits in 6th place – Php 891,000 (~US$ 17,600)
Level 27: Blinds 25k-50k ante 50k
Hand #60 of the final table brought the downfall of Christos Vlahos in 6th place. From utg+1, he shoved with 705k holding . Small blind Rogel Del Rosario shoved his monster stack to isolate. He had . The board ran . Del Rosario shipped it.
We are down to 5 players. Del Rosario ahead with 3.4M. Average stack is 2,064,000.
3:55PM: Mark Dela Cruz’s turn to hit Del Rosario
Level 27: Blinds 25k-50k ante 50k
After Rogel Del Rosario paid a chunk to David Erquiaga, he lost a bit more to Mark Dela Cruz. From utg+1, Del Rosario raised to 110k, big blind Dela Cruz defended. On the flop and turn , Dela Cruz check-called 110k and 225k. On the river , both checked. Dela Cruz won it with two pair. Del Rosario down to 2.590M.
Dela Cruz also won the next hand on a battle of the blinds against Kunwoo Kim. His flush earned him 175k off Kim’s stack.
3:45PM: David Erquiaga’s straight holds against Del Rosario
Level 27: Blinds 25k-50k ante 50k
First hand after the break brought immediate action between David Erquiga and massive chip leader Rogel Del Rosario. The hand opened with a button raise of 110 by Del Rosario, Erquiaga defended on the big blind. At the flop , Erquiaga check-called 100k. The turn, Erquiaga led for 250k, Del Rosario shoved his huge stack, Erquiaga tank-called for his tournament life.
Erquiaga had straight, Del Rosario with trips, the river secured the win for Erquiaga. He doubled up to 2.1M. Del Rosario dropped to 3M.
3:30PM: Break time chip counts
Level 27: Blinds 25k-50k ante 50k
Seat 1 – Christos Vlahos – 705,000
Seat 2 – Mark Dela Cruz – 1,270,000
Seat 3 – Kunwoo Kim – 1,355,000
Seat 4 – Rogel Del Rosario – 4,050,000
Seat 5 – Dimitar Blazhev – 1,905,000
Seat 6 – David Erquiaga – 1,065,000
Average stack 1,720,000
3:20PM: Christos Vlahos’s turn to double up
Level 26: Blinds 20k-40k ante 40k
Earlier, Christos Vlahos doubled up David Erquiaga to bring his stack below 10 bbs. He made up some of the lost chips off the same challenger. Action folded to the small blind Erquiaga who pushed with , big blind Vlahos risked it with . No hits on the board for both players for a double up to 670k. Erquiaga dropped to 1M.
3:10PM: Rogel Del Rosario commands with 4M
Level 26: Blinds 20k-40k ante 40k
Rogel Del Rosario won a pot against Dimitar Blazhev to amass 4M in chips. The board completed , both had a pair but Del Rosario’s kicker played. Blazhev with , Del Rosario . Del Rosario won the 440k pot.
3:00PM: David Erquiaga doubles up through Vlahos
Level 26: Blinds 20k-40k ante 40k
After getting chunked, David Erquiaga shoved on the next hand from small blind with , was called by big blind Christos Vlahos with . The board favored Erquiaga running for a double up. Vlahos plummeted to 375k.
Two hands after, Erquiaga picked up more chips. He raised to 100k from cutoff, Kinwoo Kim defended. On the flop , Kim bet 140k, Erquiaga shoved, Kim folded. Erquiaga up to 1.36M. Kim down to 1.2M.
2:50PM: Dimitar Blazhev takes a chunk from Erquiaga
Level 26: Blinds 20k-40k ante 40k
Battle of the blinds, Dimitar Blazhev limped in, big blind David Erquiaga raised to 165k, Blazhev called. On the flop , Blazhev check-called 130k, then both floated the turn . On the river , Blazhev checked, Erquiaga took a stab with 200k, Blazhev answered with a shove. Fold from Erquiaga who dropped to 510k.
2:40PM: Ryo Naito eliminated in 7th place – Php 784,000 (~US$ 15,500)
Level 26: Blinds 20k-40k ante 40k
The only Japanese player in the lineup, Ryo Naito, won’t be bringing the trophy back home. He fell in 7th place to Rogel Del Rosario. The hand opened with hijack Del Rosario bumping it up to 90k, button David Erquiaga three-bet to 290k, big blind Naito shoved his 1.155M. Del Rosario joined and announced all in, Erquiaga folded and is down to 1.030M.
Naito
Del Rosario
Naito’s final board was . He earned Php 784,000 (~US$ 15,500) for his deep run. This is his largest live cash.
We are down to 6 players. Average stack is 1,720,000. Del Rosario is chip leader with 3.9M.
2:30PM: Dimitar Blazhev vs Christo Vlahos
Level 26: Blinds 20k-40k ante 40k
Christos Vlahos raised to 80k from utg, called by small blind Dimitar Blazhev. Vlahos c-be the flop and was called. On the turn both checked. The river , Blazhev led for 140k, no call. He boosted up to 1.77M, Vlahos dropped to 1.35M.
2:15PM: Rogel Del Rosario puts pressure on Erquiaga
Level 25: Blinds 15k-30k ante 30k
Rogel Del Rosario has watched David Erquiaga muscle him with big bets and seemed to return the punch. Action opened with hijack Del Rosario raising to 60k, button Erquiaga three-bet to 180k, tank-called by Del Rosario. No bets came on the flop but on the turn, Erquiaga fired 400k, Del Rosario tanked then check-raised to 1M. Erquiaga tank-folded.
Del Rosario goes up to 2.33M, Erquiaga goes slightly below average to 1.45M. Average stack is 1.474M.
2:00PM: Ryo Naito with the better spread
Level 25: Blinds 15k-30k ante 30k
Hijack Ryo Naito raised to 70k, Dimitar Blazhev defended on the big blind. At the flop , and turn , Naito betr 95k and 135k, both called by Blazhev. The river , botrh checked. Blazhev with , Naito won it with higher spread.
1:45PM: Vikaash Shah exits in 8th place – Php 613,000 (~US$ 12,100)
Level 25: Blinds 15k-30k ante 30k
Hand #16 and another player was booted out. India’s lone representative, Vikaash Shah pushed with that ran into button Dimitar Blazhev’s . The board came to ensure the win for Blazhev and Shah an 8th place finish for Php 613,000 (~US$ 12,100).
Blazhev up to 1.68M. We are down to 7 players. Average stack is 1.474M.
1:40PM: First double up goes to Ryo Naito
Level 25: Blinds 15k-30k ante 30k
Ryo Naito three-bet jammed with and initial raiser Christos Vlahos called with . The board came for a double up tp Naito to 915k, Vlahos down to 1.6M.
1:30PM: Rogel Del Rosario with jacks again, rises over 1.75M
Level 25: Blinds 15k-30k ante 30k
Rogel Del Rosario very active with yet another pot claimed. From utg with , he raised to 60k, called by big blind Kunwoo Kim. At the flop , Kimled for 50k, called by Del Rosario. Betting switched on the turn with Kim check-calling 75k. The river , Kim led again for 50k and was called. Kim showed two pair, Del Rosario won it with a higher two pair.
1:20PM: Jongjun Park first to fall – 9th place for Php 481,000 (~US$ 9,500)
Level 25: Blinds 15k-30k ante 30k
On just the fifth hand of the final table, the first casualty was delivered with Jongjun Park eliminated by Rogel Del Rosario. From utg, Park jammed (515k), no callers until it reached the end of the orbit with Del Rosario on the big blind. He called and showed . Park needed to hit with overcards. No luck came with the board running . Park earned Php 481,000 (~US$ 9,500) for his efforts for his largest live score.
Del Rosario at 1.5M. We are down to 8 players.
1:15PM: David Erquiaga takes first big pot
Level 24: Blinds 15k-25k ante 25k
After four opening hands without a board, we finally got to see significant action. It was between two local players. Utg Rogel Del Rosario raised to 60k, APAC POY contender David Erquiaga three-bet to 155k. Del Rosario tank-called. Both players slowed down at the flop with a check. The turn brought a 125k bet by Del Rosario, called by Erquiaga. On the river , Del Rosario switched up and checked, Erquiaga fired 400k, no call.
Erquiaga up to 1.78M, Del Rosario down to around 1.1M.
Here we go! Final day of the Main Event! A new Asia Pacific Main Event champion will emerge today!
The past three days witnessed 344 entries with 79 advancing to Day 2. Yesterday the bubble burst at the fall of Kyungkun Lee, then Yeongpil Han bubbled to the final table. Sending him there was Australia’s Christos Vlahos who brings in the largest stack.
Here are the final 9 players.
Christos Vlahos – Australia – 2,105,000 -84 bbs
Kunwoo Kim – Korea – 1,695,000 – 68 bbs
David Erquiaga – Philippines – 1,440,000 – 57 bbs
Rogel Del Rosario – Philippines – 1,385,000 -55 bbs
Mark Dela Cruz – Philippines – 1,200,000 – 48 bbs
Dimitar Blazhev – Bulgaria – 850,000 – 34 bbs
Ryo Naito – Japan – 600,000 – 24 bbs
Vikaash Shah – India – 595,000 – 23 bbs
Jongjun Park – Korea – 450,000 – 18 bbs
Chips in play: 10,320,000
Average stack: 1,146,666
Opening blinds: resume Level 24 at 15k-25k ante 25k clock counting down from 11:20
Buy-in: Php 75,000 (~US$ 1,500)
Entries: 344
Prize pool: Php 22,523,400 (~US$ 445,400)
Remaining payouts
1st Php 4,812,000 (~US$ 95,200)
2nd Php 3,372,000 (~US$ 66,700)
3rd Php 2,168,000 (~US$ 42,900)
4th Php 1,397,000 (~US$ 27,600)
5th Php 1,077,000 (~US$ 21,300)
6th Php 891,000 (~US$ 17,600)
7th Php 784,000 (~US$ 15,500)
8th Php 613,000 (~US$ 12,100)
9th Php 481,000 (~US$ 9,500)
Live updates running here until a champion is crowned so keep refreshing for all the new posts.
12:00AM: Day 2 closes with Final 9 formed
At the fall of Yeongpil Han in 10th place, we have reached the end of Day 2 with the final 9 players determined.
Chips in play 10,320,000
Average stack 1,146,666
Players by rank
Christos Vlahos – Australia – 2,105,000
Kunwoo Kim – Korea – 1,695,000
David Erquiaga – Philippines – 1,440,000
Rogel Del Rosario – Philippines – 1,385,000
Mark Dela Cruz – Philippines – 1,200,000
Dimitar Blazhev – Bulgaria – 850,000
Ryo Naito – Japan – 600,000
Vikaash Shah – India – 595,000
Jongjun Park – Korea – 450,000
Players by seat
Seat 1 – Christos Vlahos – Australia – 2,105,000
Seat 2 – Vikaash Shah – India – 595,000
Seat 3 – Ryo Naito – Japan – 600,000
Seat 4 – Mark Dela Cruz – Philippines – 1,200,000
Seat 5 – Kunwoo Kim – Korea – 1,695,000
Seat 6 – Rogel Del Rosario – Philippines – 1,385,000
Seat 7 – Jongjun Park – Korea – 450,000
Seat 8 – Dimitar Blazhev – Bulgaria – 850,000
Seat 9 – David Erquiaga – Philippines – 1,440,000
When they return on Monday, February 17 for the final race to the crown, they resume at Level 24 blinds 15k-25k ante 25k clock counting down from 11:20. Cards in the air at 1pm
We will have a finalist presentation and recap shortly.
11:55PM: Yeongpil Han rivered in 10th place – PHp 405,000 (~US$ 8,000)
Level 24: Blinds 15k-25k ante 25k
Yeongpil Han will not be joining the finalists, he finished 10th at the hands of his nemesis Christos Vlahos. This was the third time Han was all in and Vlahos calling. Han limped from the button, sb Vlahos limped, bb Rogel Del Rosario checked. At the flop , action was checked to Han, he shoved, Vlahos called, Del Rosario folded.
Vlahos flush draw
Han
Han had top pair but was sweating it with Vlahos on a flush draw. The turn kept Han ahead but the river awarded the flush.
11:50PM: Graeme Siow out in 11th place – Pp 405,000 (~US$ 8,000)
Level 24: Blinds 15k-25k ante 25k
After getting crippled by Dimitar Blazhev, Graeme Siow was all in with , two players called then big blind Mark Dela Cruz raised to 200k, no takers for a showdown. Siow , Dela Cruz , the board saw only number to rail Siow in 11th place.
11:45PM: Dimitar Blazhev avoids the rail, cripples Siow
Level 24: Blinds 15k-25k ante 25k
Biutton Graeme Siow all in for 380k, small blind Dimitar Blazhev joined with 355k. Siow with , Blazhev . The board ran for a straight to double up to 405k, Siow down to 25k.
11:35PM: Markus Garberg eliminated in 12th place – Php 405,000 (~US$ 8,000)
Level 24: Blinds 15k-25k ante 25k
On a flop , Markus Garberg was all in from cutoff and small blind Kunwoo Kim tank-called then showed set. Garberg had . The turn ensured the win for Kim, the river was . Garberg out in 12th place, Kim goes up to 1.4M.
11:30PM: Vikaash Shah survives against Erquiaga
Level 24: Blinds 15k-25k ante 25k
Big blind Vikaash Shah gambled with three-bet shoving, initial raiser utg Daivd Erquiaga called with . A queen was on the window, the board completed . Shah up to 815k, Erquiaga dipped to 1.28M.
11:25PM: Second shove does the job for Yeongpil Han
Level 24: Blinds 15k-25k ante 25k
Yeongpil Han shoved in back-to-back hands and both times he was called by chip leader Christos Vlahos. The first hand split it with both holding A-6 suited and improvement on the board. The next hand, Han all in with , Vlahos with . When the flop came , Han was still behind. On the turn , he called out “clover” and he got just that with a on the river. Han up to 415k, Vlahos just over 2M.
10:50PM: Joshua Chargualaf denied by Vlahos in 13th place – Php 345,500 (~US$ 6,800)
Level 23: Blinds 10k-20k ante 20k
Action folded to the small blind, Joshua Chargualaf limped, Christos Vlahos shoved, Chargualaf caled for his tournament life. Vlahos , Chargualaf , the board favored Vlahos running for a winning straight. Chargualaf out in 13th place, Vlahos leads the final 12 players with 2.145M.
10:40PM: Kunwoo Kim wins the flip
Level 23: Blinds 10k-20k ante 20k
Chip leader Christos Vlahos raised from cutoff, small blind Kunwoo Kim shoved 295k, Vlahos called. Kim opened , Vlahos with overcards, the board ran , no improvement for Vlahos to award Kim the double up. Kim up to 640k
10:30PM: No second trophy for Xin Lin, 14th place – Php 345,500 (~US$ 6,800)
Level 23: Blinds 10k-20k ante 20k
Xin Lin has been using his event trophy as a card protector throughout the Main Event and it has brought him into the cash stage. However, he will have to settle for 14th place having just fallen to Joshua Chargualaf. From cutoff, Lin shoved with , button Chargualaf called with , the board ran low with no hit for either player. Chargualaf shipped it and is well over 800k.
10:20PM: Daniel Sammarco’s aces cracked, exits in 15th place – Php 345,500 (~US$ 6,800)
Level 23: Blinds 10k-20k ante 20k
Another player bit the dust and he was dusted in brutal fashion. Action opened with Joshu Chargualaf raising to 50k, hijack Christos Vlahos called, small blind Jongjun Park also called, then big blind Daniel Sammarco jamed for 230k. Only Vlahos called.
Vlahos
Sammarco
The board ran for a full house to Vlahos. Sammarco departed in 15th place. Vlahos up to 1.92M.
10:10PM: Dimitar Blazhev doubles through Dela Cruz
Level 23: Blinds 10k-20k ante 20k
Dimitar Blazhev all in with dominated by Mark Dela Cruz with . Dela Cruz has been on a rush busting players on lucky draws but this time it was the opposite. It was Blazhev that got lucky with the board running . He dobuled up to 350k.
10:00PM: Junya Kubo railed by Erquiaga in 16th place – Php 286,000 (~US$ 5,600)
Level 23: Blinds 10k-20k ante 20k
David Erquiaga booted out another player to rise to around 1.6M. Taking the fall was Junya Kubo who shoved with 160k from utg, called by both mid plaeyr Vikaash Shah and Erquiaga on hijack. At the flop and turn , no bets landed. The river , Shah check-folded to Erquiaga’s 50k bet. Erquiaga showed set, Kubo out wiht .
9:50PM: Chip counts at the break
Level 23: Blinds 10k-20k ante 20k
16 players
Chips in play 10,320,000
Average stack 645,000
Table 1
Junya Kubo 160k
Markus Garberg 920k
Dimitar Blazhev 170k
Vikaash Shah 840k
David Erquiaga 1.235M
Ryo Naito 510k
Mark Dela Cruz 1.453M
Graeme Siow 275k
Table 2
Christos Vlahos 1.575M
Rogelio Del Rosario 950k
Kunwoo Kim 365k
Jongjun Park 695k
Daniel Sammarco 250k
Yeongpil Han 225k
Xin LIn 150k
Joshua Chargualaf 655k
9:45PM: Naoyo Fujihisa departrs in 17th place – Php 286,000 (~US$ 5,600)
Level 22: Blinds 8000-16000 ante 16000
After taking several big hits to his stack, Naoya Fujihisa looked for a spot to shove it and did so from the big blind. Rogelio Del Rosario opened from utg to 35k, mid position Daniel Sammarco called, Fujihisa all in, Del Rosario called and Sammarco folded.
Fujihisa
Del Rosario
The board ran . Out went Fujihisa, Del Rosario up to 951k.
9:45PM: Youngsin Ko booted in 18th place – Php 286,000 (~US$ 5,600)
Level 22: Blinds 8000-16000 ante 16000
Youngsin Ko was the first one out of the final two tables. After button David Erquiaga raised, he three-bet jammed on the big blind a massive 383k. Erquiaga called with , Ko had . The board ran . Higher pair to Erquiaga to ship it and go over 1.2M.
9:40PM: Rogelio Del Rosario doesn’t call Kim’s push
Level 22: Blinds 8000-16000 ante 16000
From utg+1, Rogelio Del Rosario raised to 35k, beside him Kunwoo Kim called and bb Christos Vlahos called. At the flop , Del Rosario c-bets 35k, Kim jams for 204k, Vlahos folds, Del Rosario tank folds.
9:30PM: Table draw
18 players remaining
Chips in play 10,320,000
Average stack 573,333
Table 1
Junya Kubo
Markus Garberbg
Dimitar Blazhev
Vikaash Shah
David Erquiaga
Ryo Naito
Youngsin Ko
Mark Dela Cruz
Graeme Siow
Table 2
Christos Vlahos
Naoya Fujihisa
Rogelio Del Rosario
Kunwoo Kim
Jongjun Park
Daniel Samarco
Yeongpil Han
Xin Lin
Joshua Chargualaf
9:20PM: Qibing Wang unlucky, falls to Dela Cruz in 19th place – Php 237,000 (~US$ 4,700)
Level 22: Blinds 8000-16000 ante 16000
Qibing Wang could not believe the result of this hand but he was not surprised either. Action folded around to the small blind Mark Dela Cruz who has been very luck at the table. Dela Cruz raised to 36k, bb Wang shoved 283k, Dela Cruz tank-called. Wang with , Dela Cruz , Wang said to Dela Cruz “if you get lucky, you will never lose.” Sure enough, Dela Cruz got lucky when the board ran . Dela Cruz improved to a set, Wang was out, Dela Cruz shipped it and is over 1.5M for the chip lead.
9:10PM: Jongjun Park lands lucky two outer against Fujihisa
Level 22: Blinds 8000-16000 ante 16000
Naoya Fujihisa’s stack took another hit. He raised to 51k from hijack, small blind Jongjun Park shoved, snap-called by Fujihisa with . Park with . Upon seeing the aces, Park stood up then immediately sat back down when the flop ran to give him a commanding full house. He doubled up when the turn and river completed the board. Park up to 627k, Fuijihisa down to 270k.
9:05PM: Yeongpil Han ships a double up Erquiaga
Level 22: Blinds 8000-16000 ante 16000
Utg+1 Davd Erquiaga raised to 36k, small blind Yeongpil Han three-bet all in with 158k, Erquiaga called. Han showed , Erquiaga challenged with , the board ran , and Han breathed a sigh of relief when the board completed. Han now has 356k, Erquiaga dropped to 515k.
9:00PM: Jeonggyu Cho calls to his doom in 20th place – Php 237,000 (~US$ 4,700)
Level 22: Blinds 8000-16000 ante 16000
Jeonggyu Cho lost a previous pot to Mark Dela Cruz and faced him once again for all his chips. The hand saw Cho raise to 35k from cutoff, big blind Dela Cruz jammed, Cho called for his tournament life with . Dela Cruz had . The board kept Dela Cruz ahead running trips. Cho eliminated, Dela Cruz up to 942k.
8:55PM: Daniel Sammarco gets full pay from the leader
Level 22: Blinds 8000-16000 ante 16000
Daniel Sammarco earned a double up through Christos Vlahos with his dominating throughout. The board was . Sammarco up to 340k.
8:50PM: Mark Dela Cruz claims another pot, rises to 633k
Level 22: Blinds 8000-16000 ante 16000
Pot had built to 150k when the flop ran . Utg Jeonggyu Cho bet 160k, Mark Dela Cruz jammed for 323k, Cho folded and showed . Cho dropped to 240k, Dela Cruz up to 633k.
8:45PM: Christos Vlahos with a huge double through Fujihisa, sits with 1.38M
Level 21: Blinds 6000-12000 ante 12000
From lo-jack, Christos Vlahos raised to 26k, chip leader hijack Naoya Fujihisa three-bet to 75k, Vlahos four-bet shoved with , Fujihisa called with . The board ran . Vlahos had 676k to double up to 1,380,000. Fujihisa dropped to 844k.
8:40PM: Motokatsu Uhara railed in 21st place – Php 237,000 (~US$ 4,700)
Level 21: Blinds 6000-12000 ante 12000
Mark De la Cruz avoided the rail earlier when he rivered a flush. He did the same this time but instead, he railed Motokatsu Uhara. Action folded to the button Uhara who shoved his 108k, big blind Dela Cruz called. Uhara , Dela Cruz , the board spread . Dela Cruz at 373k.
8:30PM: Markus Garberg takes a chunk from Jeonggyu Cho
Level 21: Blinds 6000-12000 ante 12000
Catching the action on a board showing and 120k in the pot. Cutoff Markus Garberg raised to 500k and button Jeonggyu Cho had 150k out front. Cho opted to fold. Garberg claimed it and is now at 992k.
8:25PM: Simen Gulbrandsen railed in 22nd place for Php 192,000 (~US$ 3,800)
Level 21: Blinds 6000-12000 ante 12000
Norwegian battle, Simen Gulbrandsen all in with , Markus Garberg challenged with , no help came for Gulbrandsen. The board was . Garberg up to 745k.
8:15PM: Thijs Hilberts dominated by Chargualaf, out 23rd for Php 192,000 (!US$ 3,800)
Level 21: Blinds 6000-12000 ante 12000
Action opened with a 25k raise by Kunwoo Kim from mid position, button Thijs Hilberts shoved, small blind Joshua Chargualaf joined with a much larger stack, Kim folded for a showdown.
Hilberts
Chargualaf
The board ran . Chargualaf shipped it and is up to 640k. Hilberts out in 23rd place.
8:05PM: Mark Dela Cruz wins the race against Garberg
Level 21: Blinds 6000-12000 ante 12000
From mid-position, Markus Garberg raised to 27k, called by small blind Ryo Naito, then big blind Mark Dela Cruz shoved for 204k. Garberg called, Naito tank-folded. Cruz showed , Garberg , the board came for the nut flush to Cruz and a double up to 459k. Garberg dropped to 646k.
8:00PM: David Erquiaga pays two double ups
Level 21: Blinds 6000-12000 ante 12000
David Erquiaga dropped to 480k after doubling up two players, Graeme Siow and Junya Kubo. First to ship it was Siow who pushed with , Erquiaga tank-called with . The board ran . No one had clubs. Siow’s kicker played. He is up to 350k.
Next player paid was Kubo with pocket queens holding against Erquiaga’s pocket jacks. Kubo climbed to 260k.
7:40PM: Chip counts at the break
Level 21: Blinds 6000-12000 ante 12000
Chips in play 10,320,000
Average stack 448,695
Table 1
Simen Gulbrandsen 222k
Markus Garberg 560k
Jeonggyu Cho 738k
Vikaash Shah 765k
Motokatsu Uhara 223k
Ryo Naito 774k
Mark De La Cruz 99k
Qibing Wang 340k
Table 4
Christos Vlahos 86k
Naoya Fujihisa 1.080M
Rogel Del Rosario 500k
Kunwoo Kim 360k
Jongjun Park 390k
Daniel Sammarco 355k
Thijs Hilberts 222k
Joshua Chargualaf 410k
Table 5
Graeme Siow 170k
Xin Lin 434k
Yeongpil Han 155k
Dimitar Blazhev 285k
Youngsin Ko 440k
Junya Kubo 100k
David Erquiaga 770k
7:30PM: Kunwoo Kim doubles up through Del Rosario
Level 20: Blinds 5000-10000 ante 10000
Cutoff Rogel Del Rosario raised to 22k, beside him Kunwoo Kim shoved with Del Rosario called with . The board favored Kim, for a double up to Kim to around 350k.
7:20PM Ryan McAllister railed by Siow in 24th place – Php 192,000 (~US$ 3,800)
Level 20: Blinds 5000-10000 ante 10000
Ryan McAllister all in with , Graeme Siow put pressure with two overcards , the flip went Siow’s way. Board was for a straight to Siow and McAllister 24th place.
7:10PM: Jun Obara out in 25th place – Php 166,000 (~US$ 3,300)
Level 20: Blinds 5000-10000 ante 10000
Jun Obara tumbled out next. He risked it all with but faced Xin Lin with better . Both got a piece of the board but in the end it was still Lin on top .
7:05PM: Julien Weymouth’s kings cracked out 26th for Php 166,000 (~US$ 3,300)
Level 20: Blinds 5000-10000 ante 10000
Julien Weymouth’s run ended in 26th place. He had and Christos Vlahos , the board favored Vlahos as it ran for a higher pair.
7:00PM: Zackery Lowrie out in 27th place – Php 166,000 (~US$ 3,300)
Level 20: Blinds 5000-10000 ante 10000
Zackery Lowrie 5 bb all in with , Jun Obara called with , the board ran .
6:45PM: Eliminations 28th to 36th – Php 140,500 (~US$ 2,800)
Level 20: Blinds 5000-10000 ante 10000
28th Takumi Matsuzaka – Japan
29th Yuka Asaka – Japan
30th Si Yang Phua – Singapore
31st Daniel Holmedahl – Norway
32nd Sebastian Schade – Germany
33rd Adones Carmona – Philippines
34th Sean Ragozzini – Australia
35th Kristian Wiermhyr – Norway
36th Olivier Duran – France
6:30PM: Table draw… 27 remaining
Level 19: Blinds 4000-8000 ante 8000
Table 1
Simen Gulbrandsen
Markus Garberg
Jeonggyu Cho
Vikaash Shah
Motokatsu Uhara
Ryo Naito
Youngsin Park
Mark Dela Cruz
Qibing Wang
Table 4
Christos Vlahos
Naoya Fujihisa
Rogel Del Rosario
Kunwoo Kim
Jongjun Park
Daniel Sammarco
Thijs Hilberts
Julien Weymouth
Joshua Chargualaf
Table 5
Zackery Lowrie
Graeme Siow
Xin Lin
Yeongpil Han
Dimitar Blazhev
Jun Obara
Ryan McAllister
Junya Kubo
David Erquiaga
6:28PM: Takumi Matsuzaka eliminated
Level 19: Blinds 4000-8000 ante 8000
Short stacked Takumi Matsuzaka was all in with , Rogel Del Rosario had . No help came to send him out in 28th place. Del Rosario up to 460k.
6:25PM: Yuka Asaka runs into Vlahos’s aces
Level 19: Blinds 4000-8000 ante 8000
Yuka Asaka was all in with pocket jacks but ran into Christos Vlahos with pocket aces. Her run ended in 29th place. Vlahos is up to 540k.
6:20PM: Si Yang Phua falls to Sammarco
Level 19: Blinds 4000-8000 ante 8000
POY contender Si Yang Phua was just taken out by Daniel Sammarco. It was a battle of the blinds with Sammarco with , Phua with . The board ran empty for Phua. He finished in 30th place. The only POY contender remaining to overtake the leaders is David Erquiaga.
6:15PM: Daniel Holmedahl goes up and out
Level 19: Blinds 4000-8000 ante 8000
Daniel Holmedahl was railed next in 31st place but before falling, he doubled up through Youngsin Ko. Ko raised to 20k from mid-position, Holmedahl shoved from the small blind with , Ko tank-called with . Ko was ahead but when the board ran , Holmedahl paired up to stay alive.
Several hands later, Homedahl was all in again. He had dominated by Jeonggyu Cho with . No improvement for Holmedahl. Cho approaching 1M.
6:10PM: Naoya Fujihisa breaches a million, rails Schade
Level 19: Blinds 4000-8000 ante 8000
Naoya Fujihisa crossed over a million after sending Sebastian Schade out 32nd place. Fujihisa limped from utg, cutoff Kunwoo Kim raised to 25k, small blind Sebastian Schade three-bet to 79k, back to Fujihisa with the call. Kim tank-folded.
At the flop , Schade wasted no time counting and just shoved. Fujihisa quickly called. Schade opened which was way behing Fujihisa’s set. The turn was and river for a full house to Fujihisa and 1.090M.
5:45PM: Si Yang Phua dropping
Level 19: Blinds 4000-8000 ante 8000
Si Yang Phua dropped to to around 10 bbs after losing two pots back-to-back. The first hand he raised to 18 from utg, +1 McAllister three-bet all in for 161k, Phua folded. Next hand, Phua called button Dimital Blazhev’s 20k raise and saw a flop land Phua check-called 16k. The turn and river , no bets seen. Phua had , Blazhev won it with pair.
5:40PM: Xin Lin rails Carmona
Level 19: Blinds 4000-8000 ante 8000
End of the line for Don Carmona. After a very exciting day for him watching his stack swing wildly, it all came to an end at the hands of Xin Lin. Takumi Matsuzaka opened for 27k, Carmona jammed, Xin Lin joined with more behind, Matsuzaka tank-folded. Lin , Carmona , board came for a full house to Lin. Lin up to 326k. Downt o 32 players.
5:35PM: Chip counts at the break
Level 19: Blinds 4000-8000 ante 8000
Table 1
Mark Dela Cruz 330,000
Sean Ragozzini 80,000
Jun Obara 356,000
Youngsin Ko 217,000
Markus Garberg 464,000
Jeonggyu Cho 715,000
Julien Weymouth 170,000
Daniel Holmedahl 75,000
Simen Gulbrandsen 240,00
Table 2
Ryan McAllister 320,000
Qibing Wang 165,000
David Erquiaga 500,000
Graeme Siow 300,000
Jongjun Park 250,000
Dimitar Blazhev 220,000
Daniel Sammarco 330,000
Kristian Wiermyhr 90,000
Si Yang Phua – 230,000
Table 4
Rogel Del Rosario 425,000
Joshua Chargualaf 354,000
Yuka Asaka 128,000
Xin Lin 217,000
Zackery Lowrie 150,000
Christos Vlahos 581,000
Vikaash Shah 576,000
Takumi Matsuzaka 160,000
Don Carmona – 185,000
Table 5
Motokatsu Uhara 80,000
Ryo Naito 520,000
Junya Kubo 190,000
Yeongpil Han 60,000
Sebastian Schade 430,000
Thijs Hilberts 165,000
Naoya Fujihisa 740,000
5:30PM: Jeonggyu Cho vs Julien Weymouth
Level 18: Blinds 3000-6000 ante 6000
Raise preflop by cutoff Jeonggyu Cho, called by button Julien Weymouth, the flop ran . Cho c-bet 24k, Weymouth called. On the turn , Cho sent out 66k and won the pot.
5:20PM: Good pot for Ryan McAllister
Level 18: Blinds 3000-6000 ante 6000
Late positioned player Ryan McAllister min-raised to 12k, called by two players button Jongjun Park and big blind Daniel Sammarco. At the flop , Park bet 20k, only McAllister check-called. On the turn no bets. McAllister bet 65k on the river , Park folded. McAllister won it to rise to 328k.
5:15PM: Sebastian Schade takes two from Kunwoo Kim
Level 18: Blinds 3000-6000 ante 6000
25k in the pot, Sebastian Schade and Kunwoo Kim faced off. The flop was , both checked. On the turn , sb Kim led for 15k, utg+1 Schade called. On the river , Kim fired 20k, called by Schade. Kim showed K-J, Schade won it with pocket kings.
Three hands later, Kim raised to 23k from hijack, Schade three-bet to 68k from small blind, Kim folded. Schade up to 295k.
4:55PM: POY players face off
Level 18: Blinds 3000-6000 ante 6000
POY contenders Si Yang Phua and David Erquiaga are seated at the same table and were bound to face off. We did catch a hand between them. Button Phua raised to 12k, Erquiaga defended on the big blind. At the flop , no bets. On the turn , Erquiaga slid out 12k, Phua check-called. It was back to checking on the river . Erquiaga showed , Phua won it with two pair. Phua up to 270k, Erquiaga with 410k.
4:45PM: Eliminations 37th – 43rd – Php 115,000 (~US$ 2,300)
Level 18: Blinds 3000-6000 ante 6000
37th Johnson Tan – Philippines
38th Andre Berg – Norway
39th Scott Iain Alm – UK
40th Johnnie Moreno – USA
41st Michael Saludes – Philippines
42nd Christopher Mateo – Philippines
43rd Hidekazu Tanaka – Japan
4:40PM: Don Carmona lands two double ups
Level 18: Blinds 3000-6000 ante 6000
Don Carmona was down to around 50k during the bubble round but after reaching the money round, he was able to bring up his stack on two winning shoves. The first one was surviving against . The next was pocket tens staying ahead of pocket sevens.
4:30PM: David Erquiaga doubles up
Level 18: Blinds 3000-6000 ante 6000
Getting to the table as they were counting out the chips. The board was , Erquiaga had , Krisitan Wiermhyr with . Not sure when the shoves were but Erquiaga is up to 160k, and Wiermhyr down to around 50k.
4:20M: Bubble bursts! Zackery Lowrie rails Kyungkun Lee
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
The bubble has been delivered! Short stacked Zackery Lowrie and Kyungkun Lee were both all in. Lowrie with , Lee with , the board bricked . Lee eliminated.
4:10PM: Bubble round: No look Yuka Asaka survives! Triples up
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
Yuka Asaka was down to 12k and was on the big blind. Having to pay the ante and bb, she was down to 2k behind. Utg+1 Johnson Tan raised to 12k, button Christopher Mateo called, Asaka tossed in her 2k and said she didn’t look at her cards. When the board ran , no bets fired between Tan and Mateo. Asaka opened for a flush. Mateo had and Tan with , both missed. Aksaka tripled up to 29k.
4:05PM: Bubble round: Joshua Chargualaf vs Rogel Del Rosario
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
Battle of the blinds, the pot was at 35k when the dealer laid the flop . Sb Joshua Chargualaf check-called bb Del Rosario’s 58k bet. On the turn , no bets. On the river , Chargualaf bet 48k, Del Rosario immediately called. Chargualaf showed top pair, Del Rosario mucked. Chargualaf up to 323k, Del Rosario down to 122k.
4:00PM: Bubble round: Zackery Lowrie triples up to 84k
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
Short stacked Zackery Lowrie was all in with and had to stay on top of his callers Junya Kubo with and Kyungkun Lee . When the board ran , no hits for anyone, Lowrie tripled up to 84k.
3:55PM: Bubble round: Christos Vlahos chunks Carmona
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
Just before this hand, Don Carmona raised then folded to a three-bet shove from Christopher Mateo. Mateo showed ace-jack offsuit, Carmona said he had ace-queen suited. Next hand, he did get it in there. Carmona raised to 15k, button Xin Lin called, bb Christos Vlahos three-bet to 45k. Back to Carmona, he shoved with , Lin folded, and a fast call by Vlahos with . The board ran dry for Carmona as it went {2sd}. Vlahos doubled up to 511k, Carmona down to 50k.
3:50PM: Bubble round: Graeme Siow rises to 480k
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
Graeme Siow brought his stack up to 480k. Kristian Wiermhyr opened for 12k, sb David Erquiaga three-bet to 40k, bb Siow four-bet to 100k, no callers.
3:45PM: Bubble round: Junya Kubo pushes for the pot, Sammarco folds
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
Rogel Del Rosario raised to 12k, beside him Daniel Sammarco three-bet to 35k, Junya Kubo four-bet to 80k, only Sammarco called. At the flop , Kubo pushed with around 190k, Sammarco tank-folded. Kubo up to 400k.
3:40PM: Dimitar Blazhev busts Kalaquin bubble round reached
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
Dimitar Blazhev railed Elmer Kalaquian with winning the draw against on a board running . 44 remaining. Hand for hand begins!
3:30PM: Don Carmona rivers Morales out
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
All in on the turn between Don Carmona and Francesco Morales, both had the straight . Board was , Morales , Carmona with a flush draw. The river awarded the flush. Morales eliminated. Carmona up to 300k.
3:20PM: Youngsin Ko ends short stacked Teh
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
Youngsin Ko had , short stacked Kah Boon Teh , four spades showed up for a winning flush to Ko. 46 remaining.
3:10PM: Three quick bust… bubble round approaching..
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
We are nearing the bubble with three short stacks quickly dusted off here. Recent busts were Jay Tolon, Moses Saquing, and Jaeho Kim. 3 to the money. We will go hand-for-hand once we reach 44 players.
3:00PM: Break time chip counts; 50 remain, 43 ITM
Level 17: Blinds 3000-5000 ante 5000
Chips in play: 10,320,000
Average stack 204,500
Table 1
Mark De La Cruz 240k
Jun Obara 373k
Jaeho Kim 56k
Markus Garberg 595k
Jeonggyu Cho 500k
Julien Weymouth 100k
Daniel Holmedahl 200k
Simen Gulbrandsen 136k
Table 2
Elmer Kalaquian 191k
Qibing Wang 100k
David Erquiaga 347k
Graeme Siow 381k
Jongjun Park 228k
Dimitar Blazhev 84k
Scott Iain Alm 285k
Kristian Wiermhyr 127k
Hidekazu Tanaka 170k
Table 4
Christopher Mateo 235k
Sebastian Schade 141k
Francesco Morales 175k
Xin Lin 265k
Johnson Tan 220k
Jay Tolon 58k
Vikaash Shah 470k
Takumi Matsuzaka 140k
Don Carmona 180k
Table 5
Motokatsu Uhara 110k
Ryo nato 320k
Andre Berg 181k
Yeongpil Han 110k
Olivier Duran 140k
Moses Saquing 70k
Maoya Fujihisa 385k
Table 6
Kah Boon Teh 57k
Sean Ragozzini 85k
Youngsin Ko 181k
Zackery Lowrie 66k
Ryan McAllister 157k
Junya Kubo 235k
Kyungkun Lee 59k
Thijs Hilberts 315k
Joshua Chargualaf 1990k
Table 7
Christos Vlahos 275k
Rogel Del Rosario 320k
Daniel Sammarco 411k
Si Yang Phua 165k
Michael Saludes 152k
Yuka Asaka 25k
Johnnie Moreno 58k
Kunwoo Kim 355k
2:50PM: Vikaash Shah pushes out Mateo
Level 16: Blinds 2000-4000 ante 4000
Strange hand went down at action table 4 with a flop at 10-10-7, Vikaash Shah checked, Christopher Mateo bet 37k, Shah raised to 91k, Mateo three-bet to 200k, Shah jammed for 250k total for only 50k more to Mateo, he folded. Shah now at around 500k. Mateo down to around 200k.
2:40PM: Jun Obara gains off Weymouth
Level 16: Blinds 2000-4000 ante 4000
Action between mid-positoned Jun Obara and button Juiien Weymouth saw 30k in the pot preflop when the board ran , Obara check-called a 15k half pot bet. On the turn and river , no bets landed. Obara showed , Weymouth mucked and is down 250k. Obara up to 260k.
2:30PM: Markus Garberg continues to rise
Level 16: Blinds 2000-4000 ante 4000
Pot was 55k, Markus Garberg fired 43k from cut off on a board showing . Small blind Julien Weymouth check-called. Garberg showed the top pair, Weymouth mucked. Weymouth down to 290k, Garberg over 600k.
2:20PM: Jeonggyu Cho up to 465k
Level 16: Blinds 2000-4000 ante 4000
Plenty of action taking place at table 1. Jeonggyu Cho soared to 465k after railing a player who three-bet shoved with pocket fives and couldn’t crack Cho’s pocket tens.
2:15PM: Julien Weymouth chunks Lubas
Level 16: Blinds 2000-4000 ante 4000
We missed the action on this hand but we did see Julien Weymouth shipping a sizable pot against Gerard Lubas with a set of twos. Lubas was down to his last 7k and lost it to Markus Garberg. Weymouth up to 340k.
2:10PM: Zheko Dinev gets lucky then departs
Level 16: Blinds 2000-4000 ante 4000
After losing costly pots, Zheko Dinev was down to his last 70k, he gambled with 4-5 offsuit and got very lucky against Ulrik Scotwin’s K-K, when the board showed 4-5-4-5-7. With 158k built up, he entered another hand and lost on a cooler. On the small blind with , big blind Xin Lin ahead with , all in preflop, the board further ensured the win for Lin with an ace on the flop. After the count, Lin was ahead by just 500. Dinev eliminated. Lin up to 340k.
2:00PM: Opening level see 19 bust
Level 16: Blinds 2000-4000 ante 4000
Plenty of players dropped on the opening round, 19 to be exact. We are down to 60 players. Money is at 43. Leading is Markus Garberg with 540k.
1:50PM: Si Yang Phua at 175k
Level 15: Blinds 1500-3000 ante 3000
POY contender Si Yang Phua is running well with two double ups and a KO of a short stack to climb to 170k. He doubled up with pocket kings over pocket nines then busted a short stack. David Erquiaga is at a separate table and has the same amount of 170k.
1:40PM: Markus Garberg rises to over 500k
Level 15: Blinds 1500-3000 ante 3000
Markus Garberg is in command here with over 530k. Helping him get there was the elimination of Jessie Leonarez. From mid position, Garberg had 
, he raised and got three callers to the flop 
, all checked. On the turn, Leonarez check-raised all in, Garberg called. Leonarez had 
. The river was a rag card.
1:30PM: Action packed table 4
Level 15: Blinds 1500-3000 ante 3000
Table 4 iis providing plenty of stories for the media. Right offf the starting gun, Christopher Mateo delivered the first bust of Day 2 sending Masayo Suzuki out. Mateo had and won the flip when an ace came on the board to dust . Mateo up to 360k.
Zheko Dinev is also at the table and he was seen doubling up Johnson Tan. Dinev had , Tan , the board was to save Tan from elimination. He now has around 250k while Dinev dropped to around the same amount.
Next to double up was event winner Xin Lin with staying ahead of Sebastian Schade’s . He jumped to 220k while Schade is just above 140k.
Filling up seat 9 where Suzuki sat for one hand was Edilberto Gopez. However he couldn’t handle the heat and quickly fell to Vikaash Shah. gopez had , Shah dominated with , the board ran dry. Shah up to 230k.
Mateo won another pot to bring him up to 470k. He won two more pots to get there. The first one saw utg Shah raise to 8k, late-position Mateo three-bet to 26k, cutoff dinev called, Shah called. At the flop , Mateo c-bet 42k, no callers. Several hands later, Tan lost roughly 120k of his chips to Mateo when trips lost to a flush.
1:00PM: Asia Pacific Player of the Year race
Level 15: Blinds 1500-3000 ante 3000
The Asia Pacific Season XVIII Player of the Year race is on with two players in contention to steal the top spot, namely Si Yang Phua and David Erquiaga. Phua leads with 900 points however he had the shorter stack today of 80,000 around 26 bbs. He will need to place a minimum of 4th place to overtake the leaders.
As for Erquiaga, he has 750 points. He will need to finish at least 2nd place to overtake the leaders. He has a good stack entering today with 189,500 of around 63 bbs.
Currently leading are Hamish Crawshaw, Hari Varma, and Brian Tougias, all of them with 1500 points. Only Crawshaw was able to attend however he busted out in Day 1B Same goes for Sim Jae Kyung aka Simba running 7th with 1263 points. He missed his chance to overtake when he failed to advance today.
Welcome to Day 2 of the Main Event!
Good afternon players! Cards are in the air for the Main Event with 79 players remaining. The goal for today is to reach the money then onwards to securing a seat to the final table of 9 players.
The event got underway on February 14 and is set to conclude tomorrow February 17 once a champion is crowned. The past two days drew 344 total entries to break the Php 12 million guarantee for a much larger Php 22,523,400 prize pool. Only 43 players stand to profit.
Currently leading in the pack is Bulgaria’s Zheko Dinev with 387,000. We didn’t catch much of his starting day action so we will be keeping a close watch today. At his table is another big stack, Christopher Mateo with 310,500 putting him in third rank
Have a look at the numbers below and keep refreshing for all the live posts.
Buy-in: Php 75,000 (~US$ 1,500)
Prize pool: Php 22,523,400 (~US$ 445,400)
ITM: 43 places
1st prize: Php 4,812,000 (~US$ 95,200)
Opening blinds: 1500 – 3000 ante 3000
Level duration: 60 minutes
Bagging time: Final table (9 players)
Chips in play: 10,320,000
Average stack: 130,632
10:00PM: Day 1B ends with 55 players
218 entries for Day 1B ended with only 55 remaining. Great news, the Php 12M guarantee was blown to bits for a much larger Php 22.5 million. All the info will be in our recap so stand by for that. For now, chip counts below on who made it through the day. Among the players advancing was Si Yang Phua. He may be the only player remaining in contention for the POY top spot. Hamish Crawshaw and Sim Jae Kyung failed to reach Day 2.
| Zheko | Dinev | Bulgaria | 387,000 |
| Christopher | Mateo | Philippines | 310,500 |
| Christos | Vlahos | Australia | 306,000 |
| Rogel | Del Rosario | Philippines | 287,000 |
| Scott Iain | Alm | Uk | 248,500 |
| Daniel | Holmedahl | Norway | 204,000 |
| Hidekazu | Tanaka | Japan | 202,500 |
| Kristian | Wiermyhr | Norway | 199,500 |
| Mark | Dela Cruz | Philippines | 195,500 |
| Zackery | Lowrie | New Zealand | 182,000 |
| Jongjun | Park | Korea | 177,000 |
| Wei Lik | Siow | Singapore | 175,500 |
| Jiannan | Yu | China | 169,000 |
| Ryan | Mc Allister | Usa | 156,500 |
| Moses | Saquing | Philippines | 151,500 |
| Johnson | Tan | Philippines | 147,000 |
| Jeonggyu | Cho | Korea | 136,500 |
| Koji | Takagi | Japan | 135,500 |
| Jinho | Hong | Korea | 133,500 |
| Elmer | Kalaquian | Philippines | 132,500 |
| Sungchang | Park | Korea | 112,000 |
| Teh Kah | Boon | Malaysia | 109,500 |
| Xin | Lin | China | 109,500 |
| Edilberto | Gopez | Philippines | 108,000 |
| Takumi | Matsuzaka | Japan | 107,000 |
| Kyungkun | Lee | Korea | 102,000 |
| Dimitar | Blazhev | Bulgaria | 99,500 |
| Youngsin | Ko | Korea | 97,500 |
| Johnnie | Moreno | Usa | 92,000 |
| Attia | Abdellatif | Tunisia | 87,000 |
| Gerardo | Lubas | Philippines | 82,500 |
| Jessie | Leonarez | Philippines | 82,000 |
| Toshiyuki | Watanabe | Japan | 81,500 |
| Si Yang | Phua | Singapore | 80,000 |
| Olivier | Duran | France | 77,500 |
| Emmanuel | Segismundo | Philippines | 77,000 |
| Qibing | Wang | China | 77,000 |
| Taijin | Kim | Korea | 76,500 |
| Mathias | Eriksson | Finland | 76,000 |
| Ulrik | Scotwin | Denmark | 69,000 |
| Junya | Kubo | Japan | 66,000 |
| Tsuyoshi | Matsuura | Japan | 62,500 |
| Jian Xiang | Soin | Singapore | 61,000 |
| Yuka | Asaka | Japan | 53,000 |
| Masaya | Suzuki | Japan | 51,500 |
| Koki | Takeishi | Japan | 51,500 |
| Seungmin | Kang | Korea | 50,000 |
| Marvin | Sumendap | Indonesia | 48,500 |
| Michael | Saludes | Philippines | 45,500 |
| Ryo | Naito | Japan | 44,500 |
| Joseph | Talamayan | Philippines | 44,500 |
| Thijs | Hilberts | Netherlands | 43,500 |
| Hoai Linh | Tran | Vietnam | 42,000 |
| Adones | Carmona | Philippines | 32,000 |
| Felipe | Quijano | Philippines | 32,000 |
9:55PM: Zheko Dinev in action
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 2500
The last two hands we saw Zheko Dinev in action. From the button, he limped, sb limped and bb Elmer Kalaquian checked. On the flop , Dinev bet 4500, no callers.
The final hand, cutoff Dinev limped again, button Ryan McAllister raised to 10k, Dinev called. At the flop , McAllister c-bet 10k, Dinev check-folded.
9:50PM: Edilberto Gopez bluffs for the pot against Hilberts
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 2500
Earlier in the day, Edilberto Gopez and Thijs Hilberts battled for a big pot that ended with Gopez shoving on the river and Hilberts tank-folding. Same situation here, like previous both were on the blinds. On a board showing and 87.5k in the pot, sb Gopez shoved (45.5k), Hilberts tanked with around 30k+ then folded. Gopez showed bluff.
9:45PM: Graeme Siow with the nut flush
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 2500
Preflop raise to 5500 by utg Graeme Siow, three players called. On the flop , all checked. On the turn, button Leonarez bet 10k, only Siow check-called. On the river , back to checking. Siow was first to show and had .
9:35PM: Daniel Holmedahl denies Jessie Leonarez
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 2500
Mid-position Daniel Holmedahl raised to 5500, sb Jessie Leonarez three-bet to 13k, Holmedahl answered with a 35.5k, Leonarez folded. Holmedahl at 215k.
9:25PM: Last level of play
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 2500
63 players have reached the last level of play here. 40 minutes before the survivors bag up. Currently ahead is Zhekov Dinev with 345k. Let’s see if he will be able to hold it to the end of the day.
9:20PM: Christopher Mateo hits Matsuzaka’s stack
Level 13: Blinds 1000-2000 ante 2000
From utg+1, Takumi Matsuzaka raised to 4500 then called cutoff Chirstopher Mateo‘s three-bet to 10.5k. At the flop , Mateo c-bet 13.5k, Matsuzaka check-called. No bets on the turn. The river , Matsuzaka checked, Mateo bet 32k, Matsuzaka called. Mateo showed for the pot as Matsuzaka mucked. Mateo at 240k, Matsuzaka dropped to 135k.
9:15PM: Christos Vlahos adds more
Level 13: Blinds 1000-2000 ante 2000
Christos Vlahos was already sitting with well over 200k when he won another pot to bring him up to 273k. He maintains his status at third rank.
9:10PM: Moses Saquing takes from Siow
Level 13: Blinds 1000-2000 ante 2000
Raised pot to 12k, the flop was , mid-position Moses Saquing bet 6500, sb Graeme Siow check-called. On the turn , Saquing fired 12k, Siow check-raised to 27k, Saquing called. On the river , no bets. Siow showed , Saquing won it with top pair. Saquing at 212k, Siow dropped to 115k.
9:00PM: Rogel Del Rosario vs Christopher Mateo
Level 13: Blinds 1000-2000 ante 2000
Pot at 16k preflop, the cards landed , Christopher Mateo checked, Rogel Del Rosario bet 12.5k, Mateo tank-folded.
8:45PM: Big stack update…
Level 13: Blinds 1000-2000 ante 2000
Rogel Del Rosario 300k
Zheko Dinav 290k
Christos Vlahos 255k
Scott Iain Alm 249k
Takumi Matsuzaka 200k
Christopher Mateo 200k
Edilberto Gopez 177k
8:00PM: Payouts are up!
Level 12: Blinds 800-1600 ante 1600
7:35PM: Three locals lead with over 200k
Level 11: Blinds 600-1200 ante 1200
85 players remaining. Three players over 200k lead the race and they are all from the Philippines: Edilberto Gopez, Rogel Del Rosario, and Christopher Mateo.
7:25PM: Edilberto Gopez doesn’t show Hilberts, rises over 200k
Level 11: Blinds 600-1200 ante 1200
On a flop and a raised pot in the middle, sb Edilberto Gopez bet, bb Thijs Hilberts raised to 30.2k, Gopez callled. On the turn , Gopez led out 30k, Hilberts called. On the river , Gopez all in for 66.5k, Hilberts tanked with 46k behind. Hilberts asked Gopez if he would show one card if he (Hilberts) folded, Gopez didn’t react. Hilberts folded. Gopez scooped and is over 200k.
7:20PM: Pete Chen loses the flip, Rogel Del Rosario zooms to 210k
Level 11: Blinds 600-1200 ante 1200
Pete Chen is out of the Main Event and the player that sent him there was Rogel Del Rosario. Chen opened for 2700, Del Rosario three-bet to 12.5k, Chen tank-jammed, snap-called by Del Rosario. Chen , Del Rosario , the board ran low. After the count, Chen had 4k less. Del Rosario zoomed to around 210k.
7:15PM: Victor Chong ends Takayama
Level 11: Blinds 600-1200 ante 1200
We got to the table as Mike Takayama‘s chips were being shipped to Victor Chong. Chong had , Takayama . We missed the board. Chong up to 75k.
6:25PM: Registration closed!
Level 10: Blinds 5000-1000 ante 1000
That’s it! Registration is closed for the Main Event. Day 1B dragged in 218 entries to add Php 14,273,550 to the Day 1A tally. This more than smashed the guarantee and the original Php 20M that was advertised. Here’s a look at the numbers.
Day 1A: 126 entries for Php 8,249,850
Day 1B: 218 entries for Php 14,273,550
Total entries: 344
Overall prize pool: Php 22,523,400
We will have the payouts for you once it is up on the screens.
6:20PM: Elmer Kalaquian calls out the triple up
Level 9: Blinds 400-800 ante 800
Elmer Kalaquian pushed his short stack (7800) from utg, was called by Felipe Quijano and Edilberto Gopez. Before the hand ended, Kalaquian told the SMP reporter he was going triple up. When the board completed and no side pot was generated, Kalaquian showed his good for a triple up.
6:10PM John Lee with a double KO, rises to 130k
Level 9: Blinds 400-800 ante 800
Scoop scoop for John Lee to bring him up to 130k . From mid-position he raised to 2k, found two callers, then cutoff jammed for 13.8k, sb joined with 30.9k, Lee made it a three-way with the largest stack. Two initial callers folded. At the showdown, Lee had dominating and . Board ran clean. Lee shipped it.
6:00PM: Nathanael Seet takes some from Park
Level 9: Blinds 400-800 ante 800
Two players built up the pot to 12.5k then watched the flop come . Nathanael Seet bet 3800, Sung Chang Park called. No bets on the turn. The river came . Seet fired 9500, Park folded. Seet up to 43k, Park slipped to 85k.
5:55PM: Scott Iain Alm up to 92k
Level 9: Blinds 400-800 ante 800
Scott Iain Alm raised to 2500, next to act three-bet all in for 9700, called by Olivier Duran and Alm. Both players checked down the board . All in player had , Duran , Alm won it with to ship it and boot one out. He now has 92k.
5:45PM: Level 9 begins! Last level to enter
Level 9: Blinds 400-800 ante 800
Current Day 1B entries at 213, prize pool Php 13.9M, this is the last level to enter. Combined with Day 1A, prize pool is over 22.1M and 339 entries. Due to the lifting of the Taiwan travel ban to the Philippines, pro Pete Chen has arrived. He is a WPT Asia POY champion. Another player in the field is Singapore’s Graeme Siow.
5:15PM: Lee Sukwon with over 140k
Level 8: Blinds 300-600 ante 600
At table 1, Lee Sukwon is chip leader with over 140k. We stuck around to try to get a hand on him and got lucky. He won two small pots back-to-back. First one, he raised to 1600 from utg, called by the big blind. At the flop , he c-bet 2500, bb check-folded.
Next hand, Sangjun Lee raised to 1500, called by two players, then bb Lee three-bet to 6500. No callers.
5:06PM: Level 8 begins
Level 8: Blinds 300-600 ante 600
More have arrived, we are at 201 entries with Php 13.1M prize pool. Combine that with Day 1A, we are over the original Php 20M guarantee with 327 entries. Two more levels to join the action.
5:05PM: Junho Hyeon boots Daewoong Song
Level 7: Blinds 300-500 ante 500
All in preflop, Junho Hyeon , Daewoong Song , board bricked. Out went Song.
5:00PM: Taijin Kim rails Huu Dung Nguyen
Level 7: Blinds 300-500 ante 500
3200 in the pot and an ace-high flop, Taijin Kim bet 3k, Huu Dung Nguyen jammed, Kim called. Kim had A-4 top pair, Nguyen K-9. No help on the turn and river of Nguyen. He busted and re-entered half an hour later. Kim up to 47k.
4:45PM: John Beveridge gets some from Spiess
Level 7: Blinds 300-500 ante 500
John Beveridge is just under 60k after winning a small pot against Hubert Spiess. A pot of 5200 preflop saw a board . One player checked, Beveridge bet 1500, Spiess called, first player folded. No bets on the turn and the river came . Beveridge bet 2k, Spiess called, Beveridge had trips, Spiess showed one card pair.
4:35PM: Lester Edoc bets every street
Level 7: Blinds 300-500 ante 500
Utg Lester Edoc raised to 1100, big blind Vu Duc Trung defended. At the flop , Trung check-called a c-bet of 800. Same on the turn with 2200 bet by Edoc. Then with the river , Edoc bet 5500, this time Trung check-folded.
4:25PM: Level 6 ends with 184 entries
Level 6: Blinds 200-400 ante 400
Another level went by and the numbers continue to escalate. 184 is the current tally. Today’s prize pool is at Php 12M and rising, impressively breaking the guarantee this heat alone. Combined with Day 1A results, we are now over the original Php 20M guarantee and over 300 entries. Among the new arrivals were Victor Chong, Brett Kennedy, Flo Campomanes, Cao Ngoc Anh, Sven McDermott, and Christopher Mateo.
Chip leaders:
Edilberto Gopez 140k
Johnny Moreno 124k
John Tech 116k
Takumi Matsuzaka 100k
Hamish Crawshaw 90k
4:15PM: Last hand of the level sees Jinho Hong ends Talamayan
Level 6: Blinds 200-400 ante 400
Players were getting up for the second break of the day but not for two players at the far table. Jinho Hong and Joseph Talamayan were in a hand. The board was , Hong was all in and Talamayan called for his tournament life. Hong had nut flush and Talamayan shook his head in disappointment while showing his lower flush. the river made no difference. Hong up to 78k.
4:05PM: Felipe Quijano drops Alfonso Daja
Level 6: Blinds 200-400 ante 400
Two players all in on a turn board , Alfonso Daja was ahead with two pair, Felipe Quijano with top pair . When the river dropped , Quijano took the lead to bounce out a very upset Daja. Quijano with 36.5k.
4:00PM: Christos Vlahos ends Vu Duc Trung
Level 6: Blinds 200-400 ante 400
Vu Duc Trung is back and looking to make it through after yesterday’s fall. His first bullet here didn’t pan out though. On a board , he was all in with top two pair but Christos Vlahos had better with set. Vlahos up to 70k, Trung out then quickly re-entered.
3:55PM: Pot for Si Yang Phua
Level 6: Blinds 200-400 ante 400
5400 built up preflop, the cards ran . Koji Takagi bet 2800, POY contender Si Yang Phua raised to 6700, Takagi tank-folded. Phua is sitting at the same table as the other POY contender Sim Jae Kyung aka Simba. Both are back from missing the mark at Day 1A.
3:45PM: Level 5 ends with 150 entries
Level 5: Blinds 200-300 ante 300
20 more entries to bring the running total to 150 so far. Today’s pot is now at Php 9.2M. Among the new players were Si Yang Phua, Huu Dung Nguyen, and Vu Duc Trung. Chip leader is Edilberto Gopez with 150k.
3:35PM: John Tech rails Seungmook Jung
Level 5: Blinds 200-300 ante 300
John Tech and Seungmook Jung were all in on a flop . Jung with top pair, Tech with two pair, the turn gave Jung a straight flush draw but with on the river, Jung was eliminated. Tech up to 86k.
3:25PM: More good vibes for Johnny Moreno
Level 5: Blinds 200-300 ante 300
Johnny Moreno aka Johnnyvibes knocked out another player to bring him to 90k. His dominated throughout.
3:15PM: Vamerdino Magsakay cripples Bardah
Level 5: Blinds 200-300 ante 300
Vamerdino Magsakay claimed a pot that in turn sent Ronnie Bardah down then out. With 4800 in the pot, three players looked on a board . Bardah bet 3300, called by Huu Dung Nguyen, Magsakay check-raised to 10k, tank-called by Bardah, Nguyen folded. On the river , Magsakay bet 14k, Bardah tank-called. Magsakay showed the straight with , Bardah mucked. With less than 5k, Bardah busted on the next hand.
3:05PM: Renato Villanueva rises to 90k
Level 5: Blinds 200-300 ante 300
Getting to the table with a full board and 37k in the pot, big blind Renato Villanueva raised 10k, button player tank-folded. Villanueva up to 90k.
2:55PM: Level 4 ends with 130 entries
Level 4: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
Steadily climbing, 130 entries at the end of Level 4. Among the new arrivals was defending WPT Philippines champion Ying Lin Chua from Malaysia. Also pulling seats were Mike Takayama, John Tech, Linh Tran, Thomas Lee, Jinho Hong, Joseph Talamayan, Seungmook Jung, and just before the new round, Martin Gonzales.
2:45PM: Adonis Carmona gets there on the river
Level 4: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
A small pot of around 3k was in the middle when two players laid out huge bets on a flop . One player had 9k out front, Adonis Carmona all in for 35.5k, he was eventually called. Player had set, Carmona with flush draw, the turn came , no help to Carmona but with the river , he completed the flush and celebrated his win while his challenger filed out. Carmona with 74k.
2:35PM: Hamish Crawshaw at 90k
Level 4: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
POY joint leader Hamish Crawshaw delivered a double knockout unfortunately we missed the hand. He now has 90k.
2:25PM: Johnnyvibes at 101k
Level 4: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
Johnny Moreno aka johnnyvibes shipped a pot to rise to 101k. The hand opened with cutoff Renato Villanueva raising to 600, called by button Moreno, then three-bet to 1800 by the small blind. The flop was checked and the turn board was . Small blind led out, Villanueva raised to 6300, Moreno three-bet all in, sb all in, Villanueva folded.
Moreno straight
Sb set
The river didn’t improve the set to bust out. Villanueva down to around 40k.
2:15PM: First break of the day
Level 4: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
First break of the day just completed. 104 entries so far, 97 seated. That puts today’s prize pool at Php 6.8M. Combined with Day 1A, we are well over the Php 12M guarantee. Among the new players joining the action were Lester Edoc, Linh Tran, Twitter personality Johnnyvibes, and Ronnie Bardah.
Chip leaders are Edilberto Gopez at 86k, Johnson Tan 79k, and Takumi Matsuzaka with 73k.
1:50PM: Ryan McAllister jams for the pot
Level 3: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
Four way action on a flop with 2200 built preflop. Big blind Edgar Kim bet 1k, hijack Vincent Huang and button Ryan McAllister called. Small blind check-folded. On the turn , check by Kim, Huang bet 3k, called by McAllister and Kim. On the river , Huang bet 5500, McAllister shoved (20k), Kim check-folded, Huang folded as well. McAllister at 43k.
1:40PM: Michael Kim Falcon falls to Crawshaw
Level 3: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
Michael Kim Falcon was on his second bullet and had already lost just over half his starting stack when the rest went to Hamish Crawshaw. Crawshaw opened for 800, two players called, then Falcon shoved his 13.9k ammo. Crawshaw called, the rest bowed out. Falcon was dominated to Crawshaw’s . The flop gave some hope for a possible flush but it didn’t materialize with the turn and river . Crawshaw up to 77k.
1:30PM: Edilberto Gopez wins back-to-back pots
Level 3: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
Edilberto Gopez is off to a great start. He just won back-to-back pots to bring his stack to 86k. The first one was against Shota Nakanishi. With 12.1k in the pot and a flop showing, utg Nakanishi bet 6k, hijack Gopez called. On the turn , action switched up with Gopez laying out 6k and Nakanishi check-calling. Nakanishi took charge and fired 14k on the river , Gopez called. Nakanishi two pair, Gopez won it with flush.
Next hand Gopez raised to 600, called by two players. On the flop , Gopez bet 1100, cutoff Jhih Lou Wang called, bb check-folded. On the turn, Wang bet 1100, Gopez check-raised to 4300, Wang called. The river , Gopez bet 16k, Wang folded.
1:20PM: More players arrive including POY contenders
Level 3: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
The room is filling up with new arrivals jumping in the second level. Another 38 turned up for a current tally of 85 . The Php 12M guarantee has been obliterated. We are well over Php 14M and rising. The original Php 20M guarantee will likely be reached as well. Among the latest arrivals were POY contenders Hamish Crawshaw and Sim Jae Kyung. Also out there are Phachara Wongwichit, Seitaro Aso, Edgar Kim, William Kang, Michael Mariakis, and Ryan McAllister. As for the locals here are kickoff winner and 3rd placer Edilberto Gopez and Joseph Sia.
1:10PM: Good pot for Michael Mariakis
Level 2: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
Heavy preflop action began with utg Hidekazu Tanaka raising to 800k, called by Michael Mariakis and Eum Mi Kwon. Button Seitaro Aso – 6 Max NLH champion – three-bet to 3300, Tanaka, Mariakis, and Kwon called. On the flop , action was checked to Aso, he c-bet 3500, only Mariakis called. On the turn and river and , no bets. Mariakis showed , Aso mucked. Mariakis just over starting stack.
1:00PM: Takumi Matsuzaka busts Falcon
Level 2: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
On a king high turn board, Takumi Matsuzaka {A-K) shoved and Michael Kim Falcon (K-Q) called for his tournament life. Both hit the king but Matzuka’s kicker held to the end.
12:50PM: Vincent Huang with aggressive bets against Yu
Level 2: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
With 11.4k in the pot and a board , bb Vincent Huang bet 7500, button Jiannan Yu called. On the river , Huang shoved (17.3k), Yu tank-folded. Huang up to 43.7k, Yu down to 17k.
12:40PM: Level 1 brings 47 entries, closing the gap on the Php 12M gtd
Level 2: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
Great start! We are headed for a big turnout here. The first level has quickly gone with 47 entries and for a prize pool of Php 3M. Just Php 756k more to breach the Php 12M guarantee. Should happen soon!
12:30PM: Rehg Delos Reyes first bust
Level 1: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
Within the first half hour of play brought on the first casualty and it was Rehg Delos Reyes. one of the few ladies in the field. Prior to her fall, Delos Reyes lost on two pair to a set. This brought her to half stack of around 160 bbs however, she proceeded to lose that as well ten minutes later.
12:20PM: Notables in action
Level 1: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
Here’s a list of some notable players already slugging it out. We have Jim Bonanno, Thijs Hilberts, Kim Hak Do, Anthony Abram, and just arriving was Michael Kim Falcon. Falcon has already won an event here. He took his seat next to Bonanno who exclaimed “Oh no! You’re sitting next to me? To my left?”
Welcome to Day 1B of the Main Event!
Good afternoon players! Cards are in the air for the last starting day of the Main Event. This is your final chance to jump in and take part in this brewing pot. Day 1A drew 126 entries to bring the prize pool ot Php 8.25M. The event does guarantee Php 12M and the way it’s going, we are headed for a crushing.
Live updates will be running throughout the day. For now, here’s all the info you need:
Dates: February 14 to 17
Venue: Coral Lounge at Okada Manila
Buy-in: Php 75,000 (~US$ 1,500)
Guarantee: Php 12,000,000 (~US$ 237,300)
Re-entry: one allowed per day
Day 1A: 24 advanced out of 126 entries (completed)
Day 1B: Saturday, February 15 at 12pm
Day 2: Sunday, February 16 at 1pm
Final Day: Monday, February 17 at 1pm
Starting stack: 30,000
Opening blinds: 100 – 100 ante 100
Starting day level duration: 40 minutes
Registration: closes at the start of Level 10
Bagging time: end of Level 14
Day 2 and Final day level duration: 60 minutes
Final heads up level duration: 30 minutes
Day 1A Top 5
| Jaeho | Kim | Korea | 312,000 |
| Julien | Weymouth | Guam | 290,000 |
| Francesco | Morales | Italy | 252,000 |
| Joshua | Chargualaf | Usa | 249,000 |
| Markus | Garberg | Norway | 247,500 |
2:10AM: Day 1A ends with 24 remaining
After 14 rounds, Day 1A is in the bag. 126 entered, 24 players remained. They return on Sunday, February 16 at 1pm for Day 2. We will have a recap for you shortly. Prize pool is currently over Php 8M. The likelihood of exceeding the Php 12M guarantee is very high. One more starting day left. For now here are the chip counts by rank.
| Last Name | First Name | Country | Chips |
| Kim | Jaeho | Korea | 312,000 |
| Weymouth | Julien | Guam | 290,000 |
| Morales | Francesco | Italy | 252,000 |
| Chargualaf | Joshua | Guam | 249,000 |
| Garberg | Markus | Norway | 247,500 |
| Kim | Kunwoo | Korea | 239,000 |
| Gulbrandsen | Simen | Norway | 199,500 |
| Ragozzini | Sean | Australia | 194,000 |
| Erquiaga | David | Philippines | 189,500 |
| Sammarco | Daniel | USA | 181,000 |
| Berg | Andre | Norway | 160,000 |
| Schade | Sebastian | Germany | 154,000 |
| Uhara | Motokatsu | Japan | 138,000 |
| Obara | Jun | Japan | 136,000 |
| Jeremias | Joseroy | Philippines | 128,500 |
| Shah | Vikaash | India | 127,500 |
| Fujihisa | Naoya | Japan | 125,000 |
| Han | Yeongpil | Korea | 119,000 |
| Rivera | Marc | Philippines | 78,500 |
| Akahori | Kaname | Japan | 74,500 |
| Tolon | Wilson | Philippines | 71,500 |
| Edoc | Redentor | Philippines | 59,000 |
| Chen | Zhining | China | 51,500 |
| Kikiuchi | Masahiro | Japan | 18,500 |
2:05AM: Vikaash Shah wins the last hand
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 ante 2500
Vikaash Shah faced off with big stacked Julien Weymouth. Three-way raised pot to 19k saw a flop . Shah bet 14k, Sean Ragozzini folded, Weymouth check-called. On the turn no bets came and the river was . Shah bet 21k, Weymouth check-folded. Shah closed the day with 127.5k.
2:00AM: Seungmook Jung out in two
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 ante 2500
Two shoves and Seungmook Jung tumbled out. The first loss was against Redentor Edoc who had , Jung with , the flop paired both of Jung’s cards to take the lead but Edoc was luckier with both of his cards pairing up for a runner-runner higher two pair. Shortly after, Jung was all in with but was way behind Weymouth’s .
1:55AM: Si Yang Phua falls to Akahori
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 ante 2500
POY contender Si Yang Phua fell to Kaname Akahori with unable to improve against . Both had 38k at the shove.
1:50AM: No callers for Marc Rivera
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 ante 2500
Marc Rivera was very happy to ship this pot. From lo-jack raised to 5500, cutoff Markus Garberg three-bet to 16k, Naoya Fujihisa called, back to Rivera who shoved (48k). Garberg tank-folded followed by Fujihisa who also folded.
1:45AM: Daniel Sammarco takes from Erquiaga
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 ante 2500
With 19k already brewed and a flop , utg+1 Daniel Sammarco bet 12k, cutoff David Erquiaga called. On the turn , Sammarco bet 22k, Erquiaga folded. Sammarco up to 185k.
1:40AM: Kunwoo Kim enters 300k range
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 ante 2500
Kunwoo Kim has joined Jaeho Kim with around 300k after railing a player. Kim had pocket jacks that held against A-K.
1:35AM: Seungmook Jung takes from Weymouth
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 ante 2500
22k in the pot, flop . Hijack Julien Weymouth check-called a 5500 bet by cutoff Seungmook Jung. On the turn , Weymouth check-called another 12.k bet. The river , Weymouth checked, Jung bet 28.5k, Weymouth folded. Weymouth down to 185k, Jung up to 155k.
1:30AM: Good pot for Joshua Chargualaf
Level 14: Blinds 1500-2500 ante 2500
Pot was 39.5k preflop, two players stared down a board . Small blind David Erquiaga bet 20k, utg+1 Joshua Chargualaf called. On the turn , Erquiaga checked, Chargualaf bet 17k, Erquiaga tank-folded. Chargualaf up to 145k.
1:15AM: Sebastian Schade survives the showdown
Level 13: Blinds 1k-2k ante 2k
Hand opened with lo-jack Kunwoo Kim raising to 6k, hijack Jun Obara called, button Jaeho Kim called, then big blind Sebastian Schade shoved. Kunwoo and Obara called, Jaeho folded. The board ran with no side bet produced. Schade had which was good enough against Kunwoo’s and Obara’s . He stays in the running with 130k.
1:10AM: Sean Ragozzini ends Huerto
Level 13: Blinds 1k-2k ante 2k
Joven Huerto was down a short stack and pushed it all with however he ran into Sean Ragozzini’s who proceeded to take all of his chips. Ragozzini up to 180k.
1:00AM: Jaeho Kim catches Obara’s bluff
Level 13: Blinds 1k-2k ante 2k
From utg+1, Jaeho Kim raised to 6k, bb Jun Obara defended. At the flop and turn , no action. On the river , Obara bet a huge 32k, Kim tanked then found the courage to call. It was a good one. Obara showed bluff, Kim won it with . Kim now at 300k. Obara down to 155k.
12:45PM: Chip leaders at the final break
Level 13: Blinds 1k-2k ante 2k
Markus Garberg 270k
David Erquiaga 250k
Jaeho Kim 225k
Jun Obara 225k
Kunwoo Kim 220k
Julien Weymouth 208k
Daniel Sammarco 185k
Francesco Morales 180k
34 remaining
Average stack 111,176
Two levels left before bagging time.
12:15PM: Huu Dung Nguyen eliminated by Fujihasa
Level 12: Blinds 800-1600 ante 1600
Having once enjoyed being way on top, Huu Dung Nguyen will now have to re-enter in Day 1B if he hopes on winning. His big stack downsized until he was all in with 
. Naoya Fujihasa had . Nguyen paired up both his cards by Fujihasa also found a partner for a winning set. Fujihasa at over 100k.
11:50PM: Markus Garberg breaches 200k
Level 11: Blinds 600-1200 ante 1200
Markus Garberg became the first player to breach 200k by railing Hotaka Ishiguro on a set over set. Garberg had pocket tens, Ishiguro pocket threes, both connected on the board Garberg had the higher set. He is up to 203k.
11:45PM: Daniel Sammarco takes from Tsurumaki
Level 11: Blinds 600-1200 ante 1200
Button Ayumo Tsurumaki raised to 5k, bb Daniel Sammarco defended. At the flop , Sammarco check-called 3k. On the turn, Sammarco check-raised from to bring the bet from 10k to 25k. Tsurumaki folded. Sammarco up to 157k.
11:40PM: Julien Weymouth rails Malinab
Level 11: Blinds 600-1200 ante 1200
Julien Weymouth celebrated his win here. Arvhin Malinab was all in with , Weymouth had him well covered with . When a jack showed up on the turn, it was a sure win for Weymouth who climbed to 160k.
11:30PM: David Erquiaga in action
Level 11: Blinds 600-1200 ante 1200
Stopping by table 1 provided us with plenty of hands from POY contender David Erquiaga. He first won an 11k pot on an uncalled raise on the flop. Next hand he earned a little more. Utg Ayumo Tsurumaki raised to 3k, sb Erquiaga called. At the flop and turn , Erquiaga called 6k and 10k. On the river both checked. Erquiaga won it with pair, Tsurumaki had overcards that missed.
Immediately after, Erquiaga and Tsurumaki faced off again. Button Erquiaga raised to 3k, bb Tsurumaki defended. At the flop , Tsurumaki led for 5k, Erquiaga folded while showing . He has around 106k.
11:25PM: Masahiro Kikiuchi ends Holmedahl
Level 11: Blinds 600-1200 ante 1200
All in preflop, Daniel Holmedahl with fell to Masahiro Kikiuchi’s .
11:20PM: Huu Dung Nguyen grinds
Level 11: Blinds 600-1200 ante 1200
Huu Dung Nguyen is on a mission to regain the towers he lost. He won a pot against Simen Gulbrandsen to bump up a bit. With 6k in the middle and a board , Gulbrandsen led for 3300, Nguyen raised to 8k, called by Gulbrandsen. On the river , both checked. Gulbrandsen had missed, Nguyen with top pair.
11:15PM: Aggressive Jun Obara triple barrels
Level 11: Blinds 600-1200 ante 1200
Pot was built up to 8400 when the flop came . From the button, Jun Obara bet 3400 and small blind player check-called. The turn and river Obara fired 4800 and 6500, both check-called. Obara showed two pair for the pot.
11:00PM: Markus Garberg hits Huu Dung Nguyen
Level 10: Blinds 500-1000 ante 1000
Huu Dung Nguyen was enjoying his chip leader status at his table that is until Markus Garberg was moved to his immediate left. Both players had well over 100k when they tangled. Catching the action on a board with 42k in the pot, Nguyen checked, Garberg fired 24k, Nguyen tank-called. Garberg showed , Nguyen mucked. Garberg up to 175k, Nguyen dropped to 98k which is still well above average.
10:45PM: Jaeho Kim gets lucky, busts Vincent Huang
Level 10: Blinds 500-1000 ante 1000
Vincent Huang has just fallen here. He was all in with pocket queens that dominated his challenger Jaeho Kim who had pocket jacks, however a jack appeared on the board.
10:35PM: Registration closes at 126 entries
Level 10: Blinds 500-1000 ante 1000
That’s it! Registration has closed for Day 1A. The tally is 126 entries with the pot currently at Php 8.25M. 59 players remaining. Five more levels remaining until they bag up at the end of Level 14. Good news for the Main Event, the Philippine government lifted the travel ban on all travelers to and from Taiwan. With one more starting day available, we should see some players jump on a flight to get here before reg closes. Already confirmed to come is Pete Chen.
For now, here are the current chip leaders…
Huu Dung Nguyen 160k
Yeongpil Han 155k
Julien Weymouth 150k
Jun Obara 150k
Kaname Akahori 130k
10:20PM: Si Yang Phua vs Vincent Huang
Level 9: Blinds 400-800 ante 800
On a turn board (10d) with 10.8k in the pot, Si Yang Phua checked, Vincent Huang bet 7300, Phua raised to 20k, Huang called. On the river , Phua led for 15k, Huang called. Phua showed straight, Huang mucked while showing two pair.
10:00PM: Julien Weymouth scores a big one
Level 9: Blinds 400-800 ante 800
Passing by Julien Weymouth’s table, his second bullet is paying off. He is now at 150k. He scored a big takedown help him get there and he was kind enough to give us the story. From utg, Weymouth raised to 2200, sb player called. At the flop , Weymouth c-bet 3800, sb check-jammedk, Weymouth called. Sb had nut flush draw, Weymouth , the turn was and river to give Weymouth the straight.
9:45PM: Three-way drives Markus Garberg over 100k
Level 9: Blinds 400-800 ante 800
Three-way showdown Markus Garberg dominating throughout. He had and was up against Toshiyuki Watanabe and a player with . The board came . He zoomed to 110k.
9:35PM: Huu Dung Nguyen up to 140k
Level 8: Blinds 300-600 ante 600
Everytime we pass by Huu Dung Nguyen’s table he is scooping up a pot which meant we missed the hand. It happened again. However we stuck around, saw him lose one then win one. The winning hand had a board with 21.8k in the pot, Nguyen checked, Hotaka Ishiguro bet 13k, Nguyen shoved, Ishiguro tank-folded.
9:25PM: Full house over full house! Michael Raymond falls to Sean Ragozzini
Level 8: Blinds 300-600 ante 600
Michael Raymond was on a steady run however it ended abruptly at the hands of Sean Ragozzini. We happened to catch it only on the river betting. The board was , three players in, bb Raymond bet 7k, utg Ragozzini raised it to 22k, third player folded, Raymond put it all out front, quick call by Ragozzini. Raymond full house on the river, Ragozzini higher full house. Ragozzini up to 90k.
9:15PM: Simen Gulbrandsen vs Kunwoo Kim
Level 8: Blinds 300-600 ante 600
Two big stacks engaged for a pot. Utg Kunwoo Kim raised to 1400, only Simen Gulbrandsen called. At the flop , Kim sent the action to Gulbrandsen who bet 1600, Kim called. On the turn , Kim switched up and slid out 3k, Gulbrandsen stuck with him. The river saw no bets. Gulbrandsen took the pot with pair to Kim’s .
9:00PM: Motokatsu Uhara lands quads against Yu
Level 7: Blinds 300-500 ante 500
Crazy hand went down at table 4 between Jiannan Yu and Motokatsu Uhara. Raised pot preflop saw the cards spread . Big blind Uhara shoved and Yu snap-called with flush. The turn came and river for quads to ship a double up. Yu dropped to 20k.
8:45PM: Thomas Syversen doubles up Sandro Bruni
Level 7: Blinds 300-500 ante 500
Action folded to the button Thomas Syversen who raised to 1400, big blind Sandro Bruni shoved 10.3k. Syversen called and showed but was behind Bruni’s . No help came on the board for Syversen to pay the double up. Bruni at 22k, Syversen dropped to 35k.
8:40PM: Huu Dung Nguyen exposes Erquiaga’s bluff
Level 7: Blinds 300-500 ante 500
Huu Dung Nguyen is over 130k after calling out David Erquiaga’s bluff. The pot was at 17.2k when we got there with a board . Big blind Nguyen checked, Erquiaga bet 8k, Nguyen called. Erquiaga with missed draw, Nguyen with two pair.
8:15PM: Second break of the day; numbers and big stacks
Level 6: Blinds 200-400 ante 400
Second break of the day. Screens have the numbers at 119 entries with 88 on the floor. Average stack is 40,568. Pot is at Php 7.8 million. POY joint leader Hamish Crawshaw and PSPC finalist Marc Rivera have joined the action. Three more levels of registration open for today. Current chip leaders:
Simen Gulbrandsen 108.6k
Masahiro Kikiuchi 108k
Francesco Morales 103.5k
Kunwoo Kim 100k
Huu Dung Nguyen 100k
Ayumo Tsurumaki 100k
Kaname Takahori 100k
8:10PM: Double up for Simen Gulbrandsen off Kitamura
Level 6: Blinds 200-400 ante 400
Simen Gulbrandsen is over 100k while once upon a time chip leader Kei Kitamura is down to 20k. The hand opened with utg Si Yang Phua limped, William Ysmael raised to 1600, called by Kitamura, button Gulbrandsen three-bet to 7k, called only by Kitamura. At the flop , Gulbrandsen c-bet 6k, Kitamura check-raised to 15k, called. On the turn and Kitamura fired 12k, called again by Gulbrandsen. On the river , Kitamura shoved, called by Glubrandsen. Kitamura second pair, Gulbrandsen , top pair. Gulbrandsen up to 108,600.
7:50PM: Jaeho Kim on the rise as Simba falls
Level 6: Blinds 200-400 ante 400
Battle of the blinds. A big pot worth 15.4k was already brewed preflop when the cards came . Small blind Jaeho Kim bet 20k which was more than what big blind Sim Jae Kyung (Simba) had. Simba tank-called for his tournament life and showed . However, he needed help against Kim’s . It was not to be with the turn and river . Simba packed up, Kim up to 73k.
Several hands later, Kim won another another good one. This time it was against Marek Weber. The board was with 18k in the pot. Weber had 10k out front, Kim made it 20k, Weber tank-folded. He now has over 100k.
7:40PM: Masahiro Kikiuchi ships it as Loke ships out
Level 6: Blinds 200-400 ante 400
Hand opened with one player raising to 1100, button Jia Rong Loke three-bet to 3500, big blind Masahiro Kikiuchi four-bet to 10k, initial raiser folded, Loke shoved, called by Kikiuchi.
Loke
Kikiuchi
The board bricked . Kikiuchi shipped it and is up to 124k.
7:30PM; Vu Duc Trung rails Kim Changhan
Level 5: Blinds 200-300 ante 300
We only caught the action as the pot was being pushed to Vu Duc Trung and Kim Changhan filing out. The board was , Kim had 
two pair, Trung had better higher two pair. Trung up to 66k.
7:15PM: Double KO for Qibing Wang
Level 5: Blinds 200-300 ante 300
Crazy hand went down at table 3 with two players getting the boot. Utg Jun Obara opened for 800, mid-position Richard Marquez, button Qibing Wang and bb player called. Heavy action on the flop . Marquez bet 1500, Wang raised to 4k, bb player check-jammed, Obara folded, Marquez and Wang joined all in.
Bb draw
Marquez straight
Wang set
The turn was and river for a full house to Wang. He now sits with around 70k.
7:00PM: 104 entries and rising… early big stacks
Level 5: Blinds 200-300 ante 300
We are past the halfway mark of today’s registration. The screens say 104 entries with 88 at the tables. Among them were Henrik Tollefsen, and Si Yang Phua. We forgot to mention Sim Jae Kyung who took his seat at Level 3. Currently with a big lead is Kei Kitamura with over 100k. Other big stacks are listed below:
Toshiyuki Watanabe 75k
Jose Mari Cinco 63k
Masahiro Kokiuchi 63k
Rok Pajek 60k
Marek Weber – 58k
Michael Kim Falcon 54k
Sandro Bruni 52k
Chan Kian Bing 52k
Average stack is 36,280.
6:00PM: First break of the day
Level 3: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
First break info. 88 entries, 80 at the tables. Registration open until the start of Level 10. Average stack is 33,000, just 3k above starting stack. Pot is already at Php 5.7M.
5:50PM: Toshiyuki Watanabe climbs to 63k
Level 3: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
With 25k in the pot and a full board showing , Julein Weymouth checked, Toshiyuki Watanabe bet 165.k, Weymouth tank-folded. Watanabe has more than doubled his starting stack with around 63k.
5:40PM: Nice pot for Jia Rong Loke
Level 3: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
On a full board and 16.3k in the middle, Jia Rong Loke bet 5k, Juannan Yu called. Loke won it with trips. He now has 42k, Yu down to 18k.
5:30PM: Daniyal Kazi with the double bust
Level 3: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
Daniyal Kazi shipped to stacks while simultaneously booting two players. On a turn board , three players all in. Kazi with , the other two had and . The river granted Kazi the flush. He is at 60.6k.
5:20PM: Full of full houses
Level 3: Blinds 100-200 ante 200
Catching the action on a board 7-J-J-5-5, Daniyal Kazi paid Marek Weber to 10k on the river for his dominated 7-7 full house. Weber had K-J. Weber up to 58k, Kazi down to 22k.
5:00PM: Japan battle between Uhara and Nakamoto
Level 2: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
Keisuke Nakamoto raised to 300, button Motokatsu Uhara three-bet to 900, Keisuke called. No bets on the flop , Uhara bet 1k on the turn, check-called by Keisuke. On the river , Uhara announced 2500, and took the pot with Keisuke folding.
4:45PM: Michael Kim Falcon puts the heat on
Level 2: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
Button Daewoong Song raised to 300k, blinds called. When the flop came |, there was plenty of betting action. Sb Michael Kim Falcon checked, big blind Luqman Alghanim bet 600, Song raised to 1600, Falcon raised to 4k, no callers.
4:40PM: No show for Thijs Hilberts against Torres
Level 2: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
Big stacked at table 5 is Thijs Hilberts and added more to his stack against Ricardo Torres. Fromt utg+1, Hilberts raised to 500, button Torres called. At the flop , Hilberts c-bet 800, Torres called. No bets on the turn to lay down the river . Hilberts bet 1800, Torres raised to 4k, Hilberts called, Torres mucked and is down to 26k. HIlberts up to 53k.
4:30PM: Good start with 60 entries
Level 1: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
We are off to a great start here. The screens say 60 entries with more making their way to the floor. Among them are series event winners William Kang, Sandro Bruni, Joshua and Chargualaf. Notable players are Linh Tran, Richard Marquez, Jun Obara, and Markus Garberg.
4:20PM: Hotaka Ishiguro’s boat earns some off Bruni
Level 1: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
Event winner Sandro Bruni raised to 400 from cutoff and sb Hotaka Ishiguro called. On the flop , Bruni c-bet 1100, called by Hotaka. On the turn no bets but on the river Hotaka took the reins and bet 2k, Bruni called, Hotaka showed full house to rise to 48.3k. Bruni dropped to 21k.
4:15PM: Failed bluff by Julien Weymouth awards Kim Changhan
Level 1: Blinds 100-100 ante 100
The first big pot we caught was at table 1. Action opened with Christos Vlahos raising to 300 from cutoff, called by button Julien Weymouth, then three-bet to 900 by Kim Changhan on the small blind. At the flop , Weymouth bet 1700, Kim check-called, Vlahos check-folded. On the turn and river , same action with Weymouth firing 3800 and 9000, both check-called by Kim. Weymouth showed his missed draw, Kim won it with . Weymouth down to 11.4k, Kim up to around 50k.
Welcome to the Main Event!
Good afternoon players we have now reached the highlight tournament of WPT Philippines here at Okada Manila. From February 14 to 17 is the Main Event featuring a Php 12,000,000 (~US$ 237,300) guarantee. Buy-in is Php 75,000 (~US$ 1,500). One re-entry allowed per day.
Day 1A: Friday, February 14 at 4pm
Day 1B: Saturday, February 15 12pm
Day 2: Sunday, February 16 at 1pm
Final Day: Monday, February 17 at 1pm
Starting stack: 30,000
Opening blinds: 100 – 100 ante 100
Starting day level duration: 40 minutes
Registration: closes at the start of Level 10
Bagging time: end of Level 14
Day 2 and Final day level duration: 60 minutes
Final heads up level duration: 30 minutes
Live updates will be running throughout until a winner is declared. One contest we will also be tracking is the Asia Pacific Season XVIII Player of the Series race. The Main Event is the only event where players earn points. Currently sharing the top spot is Hari Varma (WPT Australia), Brian Tougias (WPT Cambodia) and Hamish Crawshaw (WPT Vietnam). They have 1500 points. Crawshaw is currently here and has already cashed at the 6 Max and the Super High Roller.
Other players with points that could overtake the leaders are Sim Jae Kyung aka Simba and David Erquiaga.
Good luck to all!
1 - Vlahos Christos - Australia - Seat 1 - 2,105,000
2 - Shah Vikaash - India - Seat 2 - 595,000
3 - Naito Ryo - Japan - Seat 3 - 600,000
4 - Dela Cruz Mark - Philippines - Seat 4 - 1,200,000
5 - Kim Kunwoo - Korea - Seat 5 - 1,695,000
6 - Del Rosario Rogel - Philippines - Seat 6 - 1,385,000
7 - Park Jongjun - Korea - Seat 7 - 450,000
8 - Blazhev Dimitar - Bulgaria - Seat 8 - 850,000
9 - Erquiaga David - Philippines - Seat 9 - 1,440,000
1 - Dinev Zheko - Bulgaria - Table 4 Seat 3 - 387,000
2 - Mateo Christopher - Philippines - Table 4 Seat 1 - 310,500
3 - Vlahos Christos - Australia - Table 7 Seat 1 - 306,000
4 - Del Rosario Rogel - Philippines - Table 7 Seat 2 - 287,000
5 - Alm Scott Iain - Uk - Table 2 Seat 7 - 248,500
6 - Holmedahl Daniel - Norway - Table 1 Seat 8 - 204,000
7 - Tanaka Hidekazu - Japan - Table 2 Seat 9 - 202,500
8 - Wiermyhr Kristian - Norway - Table 2 Seat 8 - 199,500
9 - Dela Cruz Mark - Philippines - Table 2 Seat 6 - 195,500
10 - Lowrie Zackery - New Zealand - Table 6 Seat 4 - 182,000
11 - Park Jongjun - Korea - Table 2 Seat 5 - 177,000
12 - Siow Wei Lik - Singapore - Table 8 Seat 6 - 175,500
13 - Yu Jiannan - China - Table 7 Seat 4 - 169,000
14 - Mc Allister Ryan - Usa - Table 3 Seat 5 - 156,500
15 - Saquing Moses - Philippines - Table 9 Seat 1 - 151,500
16 - Tan Johnson - Philippines - Table 4 Seat 5 - 147,000
17 - Cho Jeonggyu - Korea - Table 1 Seat 6 - 136,500
18 - Takagi Koji - Japan - Table 5 Seat 5 - 135,500
19 - Hong Jinho - Korea - Table 2 Seat 4 - 133,500
20 - Kalaquian Elmer - Philippines - Table 2 Seat 1 - 132,500
21 - Park Sungchang - Korea - Table 1 Seat 2 - 112,000
22 - Boon Teh Kah - Malaysia - Table 6 Seat 1 - 109,500
23 - Lin Xin - China - Table 4 Seat 4 - 109,500
24 - Gopez Edilberto - Philippines - Table 9 Seat 2 - 108,000
25 - Matsuzaka Takumi - Japan - Table 3 Seat 6 - 107,000
26 - Lee Kyungkung - Korea - Table 6 Seat 7 - 102,000
27 - Blazhev Dimitar - Bulgaria - Table 3 Seat 8 - 99,500
28 - Ko Youngsin - Korea - Table 6 Seat 3 - 97,500
29 - Moreno Johnnie - Usa - Table 8 Seat 8 - 92,000
30 - Abdellatif Attia - Tunisia - Table 5 Seat 6 - 87,000
31 - Lubas Gerardo - Philippines - Table 9 Seat 6 - 82,500
32 - Leonarez Jessie - Philippines - Table 1 Seat 1 - 82,000
33 - Watanabe Toshiyuki - Japan - Table 5 Seat 4 - 81,500
34 - Phua Si Yang - Singapore - Table 3 Seat 4 - 80,000
35 - Duran Olivier - France - Table 9 Seat 3 - 77,500
36 - Segismundo Emmanuel - Philippines - Table 2 Seat 3 - 77,000
37 - Wang Qibing - China - Table 2 Seat 2 - 77,000
38 - Kim Taijin - Korea - Table 3 Seat 9 - 76,500
39 - Eriksson Mathias - Finland - Table 8 Seat 1 - 76,000
40 - Scotwin Ulrik - Denmark - Table 8 Seat 9 - 69,000
41 - Kubo Junya - Japan - Table 6 Seat 6 - 66,000
42 - Matsuura Tsuyoshi - Japan - Table 9 Seat 5 - 62,500
43 - Soin Jian Xiang - Singapore - Table 8 Seat 4 - 61,000
44 - Asaka Yuka - Japan - Table 8 Seat 7 - 53,000
45 - Suzuki Masaya - Japan - Table 4 Seat 9 - 51,500
46 - Takeishi Koki - Japan - Table 7 Seat 5 - 51,500
47 - Kang Seungmin - Korea - Table 9 Seat 7 - 50,000
48 - Sumendap Marvin - Indonesia - Table 1 Seat 3 - 48,500
49 - Saludes Michael - Philippines - Table 7 Seat 6 - 45,500
50 - Naito Ryo - Japan - Table 5 Seat 2 - 44,500
51 - Talamayan Joseph - Philippines - Table 5 Seat 7 - 44,500
52 - Hilberts Thijs - Netherlands - Table 6 Seat 8 - 43,500
53 - Tran Hoai Linh - Vietnam - Table 7 Seat 8 - 42,000
54 - Carmona Adones - Philippines - Table 3 Seat 3 - 32,000
55 - Quijano Felipe - Philippines - Table 8 Seat 2 - 32,000
1 - Kim Jaeho - 312,000 - Korea
2 - Weymouth Julien - 290,000 - Guam
3 - Morales Francesco - 252,000 - Italy
4 - Chargualaf Joshua - 249,000 - Usa
5 - Garberg Markus - 247,500 - Norway
6 - Kim Kunwoo - 239,000 - Korea
7 - Gulbrasndsen Simen - 199,500 - Norway
8 - Ragozzini Sean - 194,000 - Australia
9 - Erquiaga David - 189,500 - Philippines
10 - Sammarco Daniel - 181,000 - Usa
11 - Berg Andre - 160,000 - Norway
12 - Schade Sebastian - 154,000 - Germany
13 - Uhara Motokatsu - 138,000 - Japan
14 - Obara Jun - 136,000 - Japan
15 - Jeremias Joseroy - 128,500 - Philippines
16 - Shah Vikaash - 127,500 - India
17 - Fujihisa Naoya - 125,000 - Japan
18 - Han Yeongpil - 119,000 - Korea
19 - Rivera Marc - 78,500 - Philippines
20 - Akahori Kaname - 74,500 - Japan
21 - Tolon Wilson - 71,500 - Philippines
22 - Edoc Redentor - 59,000 - Philippines
23 - Chen Zhining - 51,500 - China
24 - Kikuchi Masahiro - 18,500 - Japan
1st - PHP 4,812,000
2nd - PHP 3,372,000
3rd - PHP 2,168,000
4th - PHP 1,397,000
5th - PHP 1,077,000
6th - PHP 891,000
7th - PHP 748,000
8th - PHP 613,400
9th - PHP 481,000
10th - PHP 405,000
11th - PHP 405,000
12th - PHP 405,000
13th - PHP 345,500
14th - PHP 345,500
15th - PHP 345,500
16th - PHP 286,000
17th - PHP 286,000
18th - PHP 286,000
19th - PHP 237,000
20th - PHP 237,000
21st - PHP 237,000
22nd - PHP 192,000
23rd - PHP 192,000
24th - PHP 192,000
25th - PHP 166,000
26th - PHP 166,000
27th - PHP 166,000
28th - PHP 140,500
29th - PHP 140,500
30th - PHP 140,500
31st - PHP 140,500
32nd - PHP 140,500
33rd - PHP 140,500
34th - PHP 140,500
35th - PHP 140,500
36th - PHP 140,500
37th - PHP 115,000
38th - PHP 115,000
39th - PHP 115,000
40th - PHP 115,000
41st - PHP 115,000
42nd - PHP 115,000
43rd - PHP 115,000
Overall poker festival dates are:
Thursday, February 6 - Monday, February 17, 2020
WPT Philippines 2020 Main Event dates are:
Friday, February 14 - Monday, February 17, 2020
Main Event Schedule
Day 1A - Friday, February 14 at 4:00 pm
Day 1B - Saturday, February 15 at 12:00 pm
Day 2 - Sunday, February 16 at 1:00 pm
Day 3 Final - Monday, February 17 at 1:00 pm
Buy In
PHP 80,000
Prize Pool
Php 12 million guaranteed (~US$ 236,500)
Event News & info - Schedule