Only a week away until the revival of Ace Poker League (APL) in the Philippines. Formerly known as Asia Poker League, APL Manila marks a significant return for the South Korean-based brand. Following the global health crisis, APL suspended all events outside of South Korea, where it played a pivotal role in fostering the poker boom in the country. With the Philippines currently experiencing a drought in international poker tournaments, the timing couldn’t be better for APL’s comeback.
What to expect at APL Manila
Pre-pandemic, the brand organized numerous events in the Philippines, uniquely venturing into Pampanga, a province where a bustling Korean population added to the tour’s popularity. With this unique appeal, players can expect a surge in participants from that region making the journey to APL Manila.
In addition to players already in the country, APL has also confirmed the participation of around 50-70 Korean and international players, many of whom attended the record-breaking APL Seoul event last month.
The Philippines is only the beginning of APL’s return with numerous international destinations in the pipeline. Recently, APL CEO Judic Kim visited Taiwan to discuss upcoming events with the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association (CTP Club) at Asia Poker Arena. The prospect of APL Taiwan has already been hinted at. It will also be of no surprise to see APL make its way back to Vietnam, promising an exciting APL 2024 roster on the horizon.
APL Manila – ₱25 Million guaranteed
APL Manila runs from November 27 to December 3 at 2Ace Poker Manila. The event features 12 trophies and a substantial ₱25,000,000 (~$447,350) in guarantees. Highlighting the series is the MAIN EVENT which is backed by an ambitious ₱20 Million (~$357,880) guarantee. This is the largest guarantee ever put forth by the brand in the Philippines. Buy in is ₱57,000 (~$1,020).
Info for travelers
2Ace Poker Manila is located in HK Sun Plaza, Macapagal Blvd, in Pasay City. This is one of the busiest parts of Metro Manila with restaurants, malls, casinos, and many hotels nearby.
For players flying in, NAIA Terminal 1, 2, 3, 4 are roughly 20-40 minutes away depending on which terminal you arrive in. To ensure a smooth and safe ride to the area, it is advisable to book Grab Car as taxis will most often overcharge.
International travelers should also exchange some cash to local currency Philippine Piso as only casinos and select poker rooms accept foreign currency,
Tricia David
Tricia David has long experience as a recreational poker player and has been covering poker events since 2010 for numerous outfits in Asia. She spent one year working part time with Poker Portal Asia then became editor and lead writer for all event coverage of the Philippine Poker Tour (PPT). Under the PPT, she overlooked content for their website, and produced live updates on all their events. In addition, she served as the live and online events website content writer for the Asian Poker Tour. Currently, she does live events reporting in Asia for online news site Somuchpoker and is also one of their news contributors.
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