A look at the Final 8 players of the APT Manila 2016 Main Event

It was a big day at the APT Manila 2016 with the Final 8 players of the Main Event established late last night. The highlight event began three days ago with a total of 57 players coughing up the PHP55,000 entry fee. The total prize pool amounted to PHP2,764,000 with the eventual winner looking to earn a hefty chunk of PHP766,000.

Here is a look at the Final 8 contenders:

Ireland’s Gary Thompson with 398,500 chips

Irishman Gary Thompson will be entering the Final 8 as the chip leader with a massive stack of 398,500. This will be his first appearance at an APT Main Event final table and by the way he has been running, he is in fine shape to take it to the finish line.

Korea’s SJ Kim with 364,000 chips

Korea’s SJ Kim is one of the most decorated players at the Final 8. Kim is an APT regular with many side event trophies under his belt. His deepest APT Main Event run was a 4th place finish last year in the APT Asian Poker Series Manila where he earned his biggest score of US$21,773. Prior to that, Kim also had a 6th place finish at the APT Cebu 2015 Main Event. Kim already has one side event title in this festival and is looking for his first APT Main Event championship title. Recently, he ran deep at the Lucky Fish Poker Room grand opening event with a 3rd place finish. Kim enters the Final 8 second in command with 364,000 chips.

Vietnam’s Nguyen Hoang Huy with 129,000 chips

In the third spot is Vietnam’s Nguyen Hoang Huy with 129,000 chips. Nguyen is a newcomer to the APT circuit. He was the cause for celebration at yesterday’s Day 2 action, delivering the bubble to the money.

Korea’s Sung Ho Kim with 118,500 chips

Korean Sung Ho Kim has been seen at several APT events and ran deep at the APT Asian Poker Series Experience Manila Main Event with a 10th place finish. His largest score was back in 2013 at the APPT Cebu Cup finishing in 2nd place for US$4,380 cash prize.

Vietnam’s Tien Quyet Pham with 112,000 chips

Vietnam’s Tien Quyet Pham may not have many trophies on his shelf but he does have many ITMs. Pham’s biggest live earning was at the APPT ACOP in November 2015. He placed 5th at the No Limit Hold’em event for a payout of US$9,431. Although this is his first APT Main Event appearance, his list of deep runs at various events outside of the APT circuit makes him one to watch out for.

Peru’s Yohn Paredes with 109,500 chips

Peru’s Yohn Paredes is a regular APT circuit player and has made it into the Main Event final table twice. His deepest run was a fourth place berth at the APT Cebu 2015 for his largest payout of US$11,647. He returned to the APT Cebu this year placed 5th at the Main Event for a cash prize of US$9,183. Last month, he placed 17th at the Baby Dragon event of the Macau Poker Cup 25 for a score of US$3,854.

Filipino Alexis Lim with 101,000 chips

Filipino Alexis Lim is a regular at the APT and PokerStars Live Manila scene. Last month, he placed 3rd in the APT Philippines III Opening Event and earned his biggest live payout of US$6,230. He also placed 15th at the Main Event. Back in May, Lim won the PokerStars Live Manila Megastack 5 Knockout Bounty event for a US2,883 cash prize. Lim may be on the lower end of the chip rung but his stats show he can take it even deeper.

China’s Linglin Zeng with 92,500 chips

China’s Linglin Zeng takes the eighth spot with 92,500 chips. Playing mainly in the USA, she ran well at this year’s WSOP cashing in several events. Out of all the players in the Final 8, Zeng surpassed them all in tournament earnings. She earned her biggest score at the 2016 WSOP with a 5th place finish at the US$3,000 No Limit Hold’em event taking home US$130,191 and US$48,845 at the US$1,500 Monster Stack event. In August, she placed 7th at a Main Event of the 12th Annual Arizona State Poker Championship for a pot of US$56,625.

The Main Event action resumes today at 130pm Philippine time. We will have the final results as soon as it concludes.

Article by Triccia David