APPT Manila Main Event Review
Dates: August 3-6, 2023
Buy in: PHP 65,000 (~USD 1,174)
Guarantee: PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 361,366)
Prize pool: PHP 76,832,730 (~USD 1,382,368)
Day 1 Results
Day 1A: 395 entries / 91 advanced
Day 1B: 646 entries / 148 advanced
Day 1C: 313 entries / 113 advanced
Day 2: August 5, 2023, Saturday
Final Day: August 6, 2023, Sunday
APPT Manila Main Event Day 2 Chip Counts
01:21: Day 1C closes with Hiroshi Irimajiri bagging the biggest stack
Level 13: 1,000 – 2,500 ante 2,500
Day 1C action concludes with 113/313 runners advancing into Day 2. Japan’s Hiroshi Irimajiri tops the flight’s ranks with 340,500 in the bag, despite losing a pretty bad beat right before action closed. Play resumes on Saturday, August 5th at 13:00, good luck to all the players!
01:16: Lucky sevens for Zhang Hui
Level 13: 1,000 – 2,500 ante 2,500
Another all-in preflop situation, Zhang Hui flicked in his less than 20 BB stack with 
. Hiroshi Irimajiri as the original raiser takes the sweet spot with 
but is left crushed after a seven popped up on the flop. No king on the turn and river meant Zhang’s set good for the win.
Zhang Hui survives with 90,000 in chips, Hiroshi Irimajiri down to 340,000.
01:05: Conrad Lumaban cripples Paul Magadan
Level 13: 1,000 – 2,500 ante 2,500
An all-in preflop situation, Paul Magadan was hoping to spike an ace with 
up against big blind Conrad Lumaban’s 
. The board however, spared Lumaban from a bad beat after a runout of 
awarded him the win. Lumabas rakes in the pot, cruising to a 120,000 high.
Paul Magadan crippled to 3,000.
00:55: William Teoh’s set no good
Level 12: 1,000 – 2,000 ante 2,000
A burly 70,000 pot was already in the middle on board 
when action was seen. Iwao Taisakn with the all-in of 20,000 tabled 
for the nut flush, leaving opponent William Teoh’s 
no good by the river.
Iwao Taisakn boosts to 110,000 as Teoh slips to 60,000 with one level left to play.
00:45: Domination nation for Vamerdino Magsakay
Level 12: 1,000 – 2,000 ante 2,000
Folded to Alvin Jeff Sembrano on the hi-jack, the local runner slammed his 32,000 stack in, called by Vamerdino Magsakay behind. Sembrano tables 
, ahead of Magsakay’s 
and completes the win on a king-high board.
Alvin Jeff Sembrano doubles to 69,000 with Vamerdino Magsakay still with a healthy stack of 275,000.
00:34: Cao Ngoc Anh gives up the river
Level 11: 1,000 – 1,500 ante 1,500
Action began with an early open from John Powell, met with a small three-bet to 7,500 by Cao Ngoc Anh on the big blind. Completing his raise, the two saw a flop of 
. Anh continued with an 8,000 bet, called by Powell. A peeled on the turn and saw Powell check-call another 14,000. River showed with action being a check-check. Anh reveals 
for a pair of fives, no good against Powell’s top pair 
.
John Powell bumps up to 85,000 in chips.
00:21: Junnie Pamplona pays off aces
Level 11: 1,000 – 1,500 ante 1,500
All the chips piled high in the middle on a flop of 
with a 24,000 pot already built preflop. Junnie Pamplona with an overpair 
was drawing thin against Foo Kuan Yuen Gerald’s nutted . Missing a nine on the run out, Foo takes a full double up to 64,000 in chips.
00:20: Day 1C Registration closes
Level 11: 1,000 – 1,500 ante 1,500
Final numbers are in! A massive turnout of 1,354 entries collected across three starting flights sees a record prize pool of PHP 76,832,730. Three levels to go for Day 1C before action closes today. Play resumes Saturday, August 5 at 13:00.
22:27: Day 1B wraps up
Level 13: 1,000 – 2,500 ante 2,500
After 13 levels of play, a total of 148/646 runners remain with 2019 APPT Manila Main Event champion emerging as the day chip leader with 423,500.
22:09: Florencio Campomanes emerges as chip leader
Level 13: 1,000 – 2,500 ante 2,500
Beginning with an open from Florencio Campomanes and a call from the cut-off, Ashley Patterson decided to come along from the big blind. The three went on to see a flop of 
. Checked to Campomanes, he fired a bet of 5,000, called only by Patterson. The turn of saw Patterson again with a check-call of 16,000. A 
completed the board and Campomanes threw in a final bet of 42,000. Patterson made the call, leaving himself 7,500 behind. Campomanes shows for the nut flush for the win.
Florencio Campomanes sits atop with 430,000 in chips.
21:51: Li Oleg delivers double bust
Level 13: 1,000 – 2,500 ante 2,500
Folded to the button, Pak Paul jammed his 25,000 stack and saw Ryan Jerico Platon reshove his last 35,000. Li Oleg called on the big blind as the three faced up their hands.
Pak
Platon 
Li
The board ran 
, awarding Li’s two pair jacks and eights the three-way pot. Li soars to 120,000 in chips.
21:33: Christopher Mateo banks another one
Level 12: 1,000 – 2,000 ante 2,000
A chunky 100,000 pot was already in the middle by the time these two players got to the river. On a board of 
, Christopher Mateo was seen leading out a 34,000 bet. A huge chunk of Yuta Tanabe’s stack, Tanabe opted to fold and move on to the next hand.
Christopher Mateo sits comfortably with a 290,000 stack.
21:29: Nino Pansier rivers the nuts
Level 12: 1,000 – 2,000 ante 2,000
Button vs blind, Nino Pansier dusted Kang Minku after his 
rivered the nut straight on a board of .
Kang
Nino Pansier rises to 115,000 in chips.
21:14: Hirotaka Kihara milks two streets
Level 12: 1,000 – 2,000 ante 2,000
Action began on Hirotaka Kihara with an open to 4,500 from early position, called behind by Luan Haitao on the hi-jack. Flop saw and Kihara fire a 4,000 continuation bet. Haitao made the call and peeled a on the turn. Kihara threw in another 13,000 bet, called again by Haitao. River came 
and went check-check. Kihara reveals 
top pair, beating Haitao’s for the pot.
Hirotaka Kihara ascends to 200,000.
21:03: Tens good for Marko Puskadija
Level 12: 1,000 – 2,000 ante 2,000
Marko Puskadija dusts another after he called a 20,000 jam from Philip John Kalin with . Kalin needed to spike an ace to turn his fate around but had no luck board .
Kalin
Marko Puskadija bumps up to 100,000.
20:59: Ryosuke Yamazaki cracks aces
Level 12: 1,000 – 2,000 ante 2,000
On a board of 
, Ryosuke Yamazaki was willing to risk it all with 
for a chance to claim the 83,000 in the middle, Unbeknownst to him, opponent Archie Mariano had and called Yamazaki’s 23,000 shove. Lucky for Yamazaki, one of his outs popped up on the river , shipping him the 130,000 pot.
Archie Mariano drops down to 10,000 in chips remaining.
20:50: Chase Cokaliong packs in more chips
Level 11: 1,000 – 1,500 ante 1,500
With 52,000 in the middle, Chase Cokaliong was seen firing a bet of 35,000 on a board of . Small blind defender Li Ho Kuen couldn’t make the call, giving Cokaliong the 87,000 pot as he tabled his hand for a straight.
Chase Cokaliong piles a 210,000 stack.
20:40: Vincent Wong dodges elimination
Level 11: 1,000 – 1,500 ante 1,500
Chips piled high in the middle preflop with 77,500 going towards the winning end of a flip. Terry Gonzaga with was immediately drawing thin after Vincent Wong’s flopped two-pair . A blank turn and river meant no chips for Gonzaga as Wong takes down the pot.
20:03: End of registration
Level 11: 1,000 – 1,500 ante 1,500
That’s it for Day 1B as 260/643 players remain in the running for a spot in Day 2’s games. Collected pot boasts PHP 62,135,775, making this a Main Event not to miss!
Day 1C Turbo open for registration until 23:30.
20:00: Philip Jon Kalin gets max value
Level 10: 600 – 1,200 ante 1,200
Action was reported with all the chips in on the turn on a board of 
. Zhigang Chen was in trouble after Philip Jon Kalin turned over , leaving his in much need of a spade. The river completed Kalin’s boat, awarding him the 140,000 pot. Chen slips to 15,000 left.
19:36: Pak Valeriy catches bluff
Level 10: 600 – 1,200 ante 1,200
On a board of and a 28,000 pot in the middle, Cho Miyoung was seen pushing an all-in bet of 36,100. Fairly quick call from Pak Valeriy with top pair good enough to beat Cho’s .
Pak Valeriy continues with 160,000 in chips.
19:25: Flush over flush sends Richard Tolentino out
Level 10: 600 – 1,200 ante 1,200
With 30,000 in the middle, the board 
saw both players Richard Tolentino and Oliver Duran go head to head by the river. Tolentino found no way out as he called off his remaining chips with . Duran with for the nut flush raked in the pot, building his stack to a high of 180,000.
19:16: Chierro De Leon ahead all the way
Level 9: 600 – 1,200 ante 1,200
Vying for a pot of 13,000 on flop , Jiejun Zhang was spotted check-calling a small bet from opponent Chierro De Leon. Turn saw and was checked round. completed the board, urging Zhang to fire a 5,000 bet. De Leon makes the call and secures the pot with top pair .
Zhang
Jiejun Zhang down to 5,000.
19:09: Ace wins the race for Marko Puskadija
Level 9: 600 – 1,200 ante 1,200
All the chips were piled high in the middle with Sun Yujie in need of a win to survive. Sun revealed up against Marko Puskadija’s . Sun’s dreams however, were instantly knocked out as the flop peeled ace-high with no jacks on the turn and river.
Marko Puskadija sits with 55,000.
18:56: No call for Rodolfo Cruz
Level 9: 600 – 1,200 ante 1,200
Left with no room for a smaller bet, Rodolfo Cruz slammed his remaining 30,000 on a board of with 70,000 already in the pot. Hyun Seungwoo gives up the fight and folds his way to 50,000 in chips.
Rodolfo Cruz scoops up the 100,000 pot.
18:50: Ryosuke Yamazaki rails Garcia Molina
Level 9: 600 – 1,200 ante 1,200
Having defended his big blind, Garcia Molina pushed his remaining 11,000 in with on a flop of . Original raiser Ryosuke Yamazaki made the call with , crushing his opponent’s two pair. No help came on the turn and river, thus eliminating Garcia Molina.
Ryosuke Yamazaki up to 115,000 in chips.
18:41: Tanaka Hideyasu cripples Fairat Basbaydar
Level 8: 500 – 1,000 ante 1,000
With 15,000 in the middle on a board of , action was seen on Tanaka Hideyasu with a check-raise all-in for 30,400. Original raiser Fairat Basbaydar on the button made the call with for top pair straight draw. Hideyasu was ahead with and continued on to win after the river filled up .
Tanaka Hideyasa climbs to 75,000, leaving Fairat Basbaydar with 8,000 in chips.
18:33: Bad beat for Jung Kyungsik
Level 8: 500 – 1,000 ante 1,000
Getting all the chips in by the turn, Jung Kyungsik was a huge favorite with on board . Yuta Tanabe with , however spiked a lucky river to take the pot. Jung is eliminated while Tanabe survives with 62,000 in chips.
18:13: Easy call for Benjamin Mangaliman
Level 8: 500 – 1,000 ante 1,000
After value betting 2,000 on the river, Benjamin Mangaliman happily called an all-in for 20,000 on a board of . Opponent shows , dominated by Mangaliman’s .
Benjamin Mangaliman is up to 50,000 in chips.
18:11: Liao Po Hsun doubles through Takashi Aoyagi
Level 8: 500 – 1,000 ante 1,000
On a board of 
and 25,000 in the middle, Liao Po Hsun on the big blind moved all-in for 16,700 after a check from small blind Takashi Aoyagi. Takashi made the call only to muck his hand upon seeing his opponent’s two pair .
Liao Po Hsun doubles to 58,400.
18:10: Day 1B sees record field!
Level 8: 500 – 1,000 ante 1,000
A massive 609 entries is seen on today’s APPT Manila Main Event Day 1B! One more flight to go, Day 1C Turbo starts at 20:00. Could a PHP 100,000,000 pot be in the works?
17:51: Choi Chan Sung rocks the boat
Level 7: 400 – 800 ante 800
On a board of and 8,000 in the middle, Choi Chan Sung check-raised a 7,000 river bet from Eum Tuong Hoon to 22,500. Hoon makes the call with trip tens, no good against Choi’s full house eights over tens.
Choi Chan Sung reaches the 100,000 mark.
17:43: Mori Tadamasa saved by the river
Level 7: 400 – 800 ante 800
An all-in preflop situation, a pot of 50,000 was up for grabs in this hand with Jiejun Zhang’s tournament life at risk with . Facing Mori Tadamasa’s , Zhang almost faded the ace or king, up until the river fell for his ultimate defeat.
Tadamasa wins the flip and climbs to 70,000 in chips.
17:33: No showdown for Christopher Mateo
Level 7: 400 – 800 ante 800
A pot of 10,000 was seen in the middle on a flop of , big blind Tetsuya Minoshita led out a hefty bet of 8,000, called by Christopher Mateo on the button. Tetsuya then proceeded to check-call the turn and check once more when the river showed another . Mateo pushed a bet of 15,000 and Tetsuya threw his hand in the muck.
Christopher Mateo cruises with a stack of 85,000.
17:07: Wang Weixuan flops the world
Level 6: 300 – 600 ante 600
After having fired a three-bet from the small blind, Wang Weixuan was up against two players – Kim Kilsoo who cold-called from the big blind and Archie Mariano as the original raiser. The three headed on to a flop of with Wang checking his option. Kim bet 17,000 and Mariano raised all-in for 39,300. Wang reshoved once more and Kim folds his face up. Mariano with the premium was left drawing thin after Wang revealed trips . No king followed on the runout, awarding Wang the pot.
Wang Weixuan up to 130,000.
16:47: Three bet squeeze no good for Johnson Tan
Level 6: 300 – 600 ante 600
Following an open from the lo-jack and a call-call, Johnson Tan from the big blind threw in a raise to 5,600, called only by Terry Gonzaga on the small blind. Flop came and Gonzaga check-raised all-in Tan’s continuation bet. Tan makes the fold and slips to 15,000 in chips.
Terry Gonzaga rises to 60,000.
16:38: Mitsuo Zushi doubles up with top pair
Level 6: 300 – 600 ante 600
Playing for 29,000 in the middle on a board of , Ho Sik Kang on the big blind was spotted check-calling a 10,000 all-in for his straight draw with . Mitsuo Zushi, the aggressor remained ahead all the way as he revealed with the river completing the board.
Having missed his outs, Ho Sik Kang drops down to 47,000 in chips, Mitsuo Zushi boosts to 42,000.
16:32: Bell John Perez flops big
Level 5: 200 – 500 ante 500
With 14,000 in the middle, a three-way pot was running on a flop of . Action went check-check to Yuya Koga on the button who threw in a bet of 5,500. Bell John Perez answered with an all-in for 26,300, called by Sam Alkhamisi with . Yuya folds and Perez reveals a flush . The turn and river failed to complete Alkhamisi’s boat as he drops down to 1,000.
Bell John Perez surges to 72,000 in chips.
16:23: Chen Yinglei wins flip
Level 5: 200 – 500 ante 500
A blind vs blind all-in preflop situation, Kapoor Sanjeev’s was no match against Chen Yinglei’s with a queen-high board face up on the table.
Chen Yinglei soars to 70,000 while Kapoor Sanjeev diminishes to 3,000 in chips.
16:17: Yosuke Ujihara delivers double bust
Level 5: 200 – 500 ante 500
Action began with an open from Aoki Daisuke, called by Yosuke Ujihara on the small blind and an all-in for 10,000 from Tracy Crisostomo on the big blind. Both players make the call and the three tabled a board of 
.
Yosuke –
Crisostomo –
Daisuke –
Top pair wins the hand for Yosuke Ujihara, busting both his opponents in quick fashion.
16:07: Hirai Kaito piles it high
Level 5: 200 – 500 ante 500
A three-way battle ensued with Hirai Kaito scooping the bulk of the pot after the board ran a one-card diamond flush on the river. Short stacked Francis Junior James had his chips already in preflop while action saw Yuto Hishikawa build a sidepot with . Kaito called both Hishikawa’s flop bet and turn jam with , rivering the queen-high flush to bust Yuto.
Hirai Kaito – 55,000
Francis Junior James – 9,000
16:02: David Daenzel gets paid three streets
Level 5: 200 – 500 ante 500
On a board of , David Daenzel on the button fired three streets and was check-called all the way by Teck Eric Teo. Daenzel shows for the win while Teck mucks his hand, not after showing the .
David Daenzel climbs to 60,000 in chips.
15:55: Record turnout with 492 entries in for Day 1B
Level 5: 200 – 500 ante 500
Listed pot has brewed over the PHP 50 Million mark with registration still open for the next six levels.
15:48: Two pair no good for Tavalera Ireneo
Level 4: 200 – 400 ante 400
On a board of , Tavalera Ireneo and Nicholas Seow battled head on with a flopped two-pair for Ireneo and set for Seow. The river made no changes as Seow collected the pot, surging to 60,600 in chips.
15:41: Easy win for Mike Takayama
Level 4: 200 – 400 ante 400
Quick take down for Mike Takayama as he tabled against Mansour Khorram Shahi’s . No sweat for Takayama as the board revealed , giving his stack a 40,000 boost to 100,000.
15:33: Ashley Patterson delivers bust
Level 4: 200 – 400 ante 400
Ashley Patterson’s big blind defense panned out pretty well after he peeled top pair with on a flop of 
. Patterson led out a bet of 1,000 and was raised by opponent Daiki Shingae to 4,600. Patterson re-jammed for 8,000 more, called by Shingae with for the nut flush draw. Runout revealed , leaving Shingae with just ace-high.
Ashley Patterson scoops up the pot and sits with 65,000.
15:22: Pocket threes good for Vamerdino Magsakay
Level 4: 200 – 400 ante 400
Winning flips is definitely a great way to accumulate chips and just like that, Vamerdino Magsakay scooped up Cho Wooram’s 9,000 stack with . On the flop, Cho was ahead with but the runner runner club gave Magsakay the win with his flush.
Vamerdino Magsakay up to 42,000.
15:17: Yuki Yokota bricks the river
Level 4: 200 – 400 ante 400
With a 10,000 pot in the middle on board , Joshua Lebowitz got his opponent to pay in full after shoving against Yuki Yokota’s 8,000 turn bet. Yokota made the call with and was left disappointed after missing his combo draw with river .
Joshua Lebowitz climbs to 45,000, Yuki Yokota dwindles to a short stack of 3,100.
15:00: Lee Junhui Johnny loses race
Level 3: 100 – 300 ante 300
Lee Junhui Johnny’s remaining 11,000 flew in the middle as his clashed against under the gun raiser Kevin Bortfeld’s . The river unfortunately for Lee, completed Bortfeld’s flush on board , knocking him out early in the game.
Kevin Bortfeld bounces back to 33,000 in chips.
14:56: Hajime Watanabe gets paid
Level 3: 100 – 300 ante 300
With 15,300 in the middle on a board of , Hajime Watanabe was seen raising all-in to 19,000 total following a 6,900 bet from Lu Bernard Trong Huy. Lu made the call with but found himself way behind Watanabe’s set .
Hajime Watanabe cruises to 53,300 while Lu is left with 3 BBs.
14:40: Overpair for Feras Elnatsha takes the cake
Level 3: 100 – 300 ante 300
Following a three-bet situation preflop, all the chips fell in on the turn with a jack-high board faced up. Opponent at risk turned up for top pair, top kicker but was no good against Feras Elnatsha’s overpair .
Feras Elnatsha climbs to 75,000 in chips.
14:33: Lee Jyunkyu crushes aces
Level 3: 100 – 300 ante 300
With already close to 10,000 in the middle by the turn , Arlon Carrera sent out a massive overbet of 32,000, snap-called by Lee Jyunkyu behind with . Carrera reveals but remains drawing dead against Lee’s nut straight.
Lee Jyunkyu gets an early double to 70,000 while Arlon Carrera is crippled down to 3,500.
14:25: Phenix Oesterstroem sends one out early
Level 2: 100 – 200 ante 200
Numerous players have already been cleaned out this early in the game. One of the fallen was a player all in holding flush draw on a turn board that missed on the river . Phenix Oesterstroem shipped it with straight.
Phenix Oesterstroem – 48,000
14:20: 313 entries and rising
Level 2: 100 – 200 ante 200
Just before the end of Level 2, the field had increased significantly with another 144 added to the numbers for a total of 313 entries. The rate it’s going, it will surpass Day 1A in no time. Registration closes at the start of Level 11 which gives latecomers plenty of time to jump in. Buy in is PHP 65,000.
13:10: Big field brewing, 169 players
Level 1: 100 – 100 ante 100
Yesterday’s turnout may be dusted here at Day 1B with a roaring 169 players pulling up seats within the first ten minutes. Registration closes at the start of Level 11 which gives latecomers plenty of time to jump in. Buy in is PHP 65,000.
13:02: Shuffle up and deal!
Level 1: 100 – 100 ante 100
Day 1B action begins, good luck to all the players!
The Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila Main Event action is in full swing with Day 1B and Day 1C commencing 13 levels of play today at Okada, Manila, Philippines. The two scheduled flights running today will be players’ final chance to cut a piece of the massively brewing prize pool. Yesterday’s Day 1A action saw an extensive 395 entries to break the PHP 20M guarantee by Level 8.
Day 1B action begins at 13:00 with Day 1C (Turbo) set to follow at 20:00. Late registration is open until the end of Level 10.
APPT Manila Main Event
Dates: August 3-6, 2023
Buy in: PHP 65,000 (~USD 1,174)
Guarantee: PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 361,366)
Day 1 Results
Day 1A: 395 entries / 91 advanced
Day 2: August 5, 2023, Saturday
Final Day: August 6, 2023, Sunday
