PASAY CITY, Philippines—The unique “turbo” Day 1A—also known as the “Night Flight”—of the “2M for 2K” tournament to inaugurate the metropolis’ newest and most vibrant poker facility MIKES ROOM drew 88 entries to bring the total Day 1 runners to a staggering 424.
“We expected a massive turnout overall,” said Mike Kim, “but today’s field still managed to surpass our expectations.”
Day 1a turbo notables and survivors
Among the notables spotted in this speed-up version of the tournament were Flo Campomanes—who finished third in the APPT Macau Main Event in 2015, Solaire 13th Month titlist Jay Tolon and former APT champion Rhen Holz Villanueva.
The turbo nature of the night flight brought in a different flavor as the aggression escalated and it had players not used to this fast structure on pins and needles. But for a few, they were at ease with it especially those who came from an online background.
Janno Riga led the eight night flight survivors to enter Day 2 (to be played on Sunday, June 26th) with 180,000 in chips. Not far behind was Ann Charisse Bajas with 177,500 in holdings while Mark de la Cruz was in third with 147,000.
424 entries
In all, the first day of an event that has a guaranteed prize pool of PhP2,000,000 ($43,066) —with the grand champion pocketing PhP1,000,000 ($21,531) —saw 280 entries from the “day” flight, 88 from the “night” flight and 56 from the ingenious Cebu Day 1 for a total of 424; one of the biggest single Day 1 fields in Philippine poker history.
“I’m proud of the turnout and support of the poker community in this tournament,” said Vic de Guzman, the General Manager of MIKES ROOM. “It appears to be a validation of the trust bestowed upon MIKES ROOM by the players and I see it as the start of many good things the card room has to offer.”
Day 1B is set for Friday (June 24th) at 2PM with a similar turbo edition in the evening.
Also, the Players’ Party happens at about midnight as a form of thanksgiving to all those who support the facility as well as the official opening of MIKES ROOM.
Keep it locked here on www.somuchpoker.com all week long as we follow the path that leads to a poker millionaire via the “2M for 2K”.
Read: “2M for 2K” officially inaugurates MIKE’S ROOM, Cebu Day 1 kicks off
Read: “2M for 2K” Day 1A Recap: 280 entries, Martin Ealdama Chip leader
Chips Count
1. Janno Riga 180,000
2. Ann Charisse Bajas 177,500
3. Mark de la Cruz 147,000
4. Lee Deok Hee (Korea) 138,500
5. Arman Bermudo 102,000
6. Joey MilaÑez 66,000
7. J.R. Villanueva 50,000
8. Alexander Tan 29,000
Article by Noel Zorate
Louis Hartwell
Graduated in Media Communication at the University of Lausanne, Louis Hartman is a co-founder of somuchpoker.com. He began his career in Cambodia as freelance journalist. In same time he was making his living by playing poker every night at that time. Intense learner, he read dozens of poker strategy books to improve his skills during many years. With a strong interest about poker "behind the scene" in Asia and his communication skills, Louis launched Somuchpoker in 2014.
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