APPT Manila pays out over USD 3.6M, sets new Main Event record; Yuanning Wu is biggest earner; John Tech most ft cashes, Philippines bags 10 events

Non-stop thrilling poker gripped the Philippines as the renowned Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) festival, presented by PokerStars LIVE, concluded its eleven day run. The annual celebration took place from July 27 to August 6, 2023 at the world class Okada Manila Hotel. Players from all over the world battled for the 39 trophies on display resulting in an impressive festival prize pool of PHP 204.1 Million (~USD 3.6 Million).

Topping the headlines was the Main Event which set a new record prize pool for APPT Manila. China’s Yuanning Wu emerged victorious to walk away as the festival’s biggest earner while Filipino Christopher Mateo was a strong runner up.

Other highlights, John Tech collected the most final table cashes, Chierro De Leon gave the Philippines its 10th trophy to edge past China, and Qiang Xu was the only player to win two events. Here are the highlights and more.

APPT Manila – Full Festival Results

Festival review

Festival prize pool: PHP 204,193,229 (~USD 3,631,555)
Trophy events: 39
Entries: 6,465
Record prize pool: Main Event – PHP 76,832,730 (~USD 1,382,368)
Biggest earner: Yuanning Wu – Main Event champion – PHP 11,414,730 (~USD 207,750)
Most final table cashes: John Tech – 5 final table cashes
Multi-winners: Qiang Xu
Largest single day field: Mini Main Event – 462 entries
Trophy winners by flag: Philippines (10), China (9), Japan (7), South Korea (3), Hong Kong (1), Netherlands (1), Norway (1), Russia (1), Taiwan (1), Singapore (1), UK (1), USA (1), Vietnam (1).
Special mention: Christopher Mateo – 2nd biggest earner – PHP 10,650,028 (~USD 189,409)

Record breaking APPT Manila Main Event

The crown jewel of APPT Manila did not disappoint as players poured in droves to challenge for the coveted Main Event title. In the aftermath, it drew 1,354 entries – just 10 entries shy of the record – and with buy in at PHP 65,000 each, it established a new APPT Manila record prize pool of PHP 76,832,730 (~USD 1,382,368), which was PHP 10 Million more than the previous best. 

Biggest earners

The record breaking Main Event prize pool meant a massive haul for the champion. While over PHP 13M was reserved, a heads up deal evened it out for both players to walk away with a minimum of PHP 10M each. The final two played for the remaining cash and PS shard trophy resulting in a victory for China’s Yuanning Wu. He earned career high PHP 11,414,730 (~USD 207,750), the largest first prize ever awarded for this event.

Despite falling in 2nd place, Christopher Mateo also filled his pockets with a bundle of winnings amounting to PHP 10,650,028 (~USD 189,409). In addition to the Main Event, he cashed at 5 other events which included a victory at Event 3: Hyper Turbo Re-entry.

Most final table cashes

Strong run for Filipino John Tech, closing out the series with five final table cashes, the most by any player. This earned Tech a combined PHP 6,478,940 (~USD 115,230).

• Main Event – 4th place – PHP 4,074,000
• Megastack Freezeout – 4th place – PHP 298,000
• APPT Super High Roller – 2nd place – PHP 1,552,000
• 25K NLH Re-Entry – 5th place – PHP 142,700
• 50K Hyper Turbo – 1st place – PHP 412,240

Multi-winner

China’s Qiang Xu was the only player to win two trophies . His first trophy was on Day 2 of the series where he outlasted the 17-player field of the ₱40K NLH Freezeout tournament for PHP 249,340 (~USD 4,550). Four days later, Qiang claimed a much larger payout for his victory at the Mini High Roller. He topped a field of 48 entries to pad up his winnings a large PHP 1,498,520 (~USD 27,370).

Largest single day field

It was a mad dash on the final day as players flooded the felt to try to capture the remaining spadies. The Mini Main Event pulled in a massive crowd of 462 entries for a healthy closing day prize pool of PHP 5,915,488 (~USD 105,525). This was the largest single day side event turnout. Japan dominated the final table with 7 out of 9 representing the flag. Their own Yuki Honjo shipped it for a hefty payout of PHP 1,154,448 (~USD 20,530).

Most Trophies by Flag

It was neck and neck in the trophy race with China, Philippines, and Japan dusting the rest of the flags. However, on the final day, it was the Philippines edging China by one for a total of ten trophies claimed. The last Filipino champion to be crowned was Chierro De Leon for his victory at the 6 Handed High Roller Turbo.

• Christopher Mateo – Event 3: Hyper Turbo Re-Entry
• Alexis Lim – Event 20: Turbo Re-Entry
• Jester Intia – Event 22: Deepstack Freezeout
• Mike Takayama – Event 25: APPT Super High Roller
• Emmanuel Segismundo – Event 28: Deepstack Re-Entry
• Lester Edoc – Event 29: Single Day High Roller – Re-Entry
• Junnie Pamplona – Event 36: Knockout Hyper Turbo
• Chierro De Leon – Event 49: 6 Handed High Roller Turbo
• Bonifacio Mondalo – Event 51: 25K NLH Turbo Re-Entry
• John Tech – Event 54: 50K Hyper Turbo

Up next for PokerStars LIVE

APPT Manila may be in the books but that doesn’t mean the action stops. Just added, a special weekend tournament dubbed the Okada Manila Special featuring PHP 3 Million in guarantees. The event runs from August 10 to 13, 2023. Buy ins are very affordable, ranging from PHP 2,500 to PHP 6,600.

• Opening Event – PHP 500,000 guarantee – PHP 6,500 buy in – August 10, 2023
• Turbo Re-Entry – PHP 2,500 buy in – August 10, 2023
• MAIN EVENT – PHP 2,000,000 guarantee – PHP 6,600 buy in – August 11 to 13, 2023
• Knockout Turbo – P1K bounty – PHP 3,500 buy in – August 11, 2023
• Freezeout Hyper Turbo – PHP 3,500 buy in – August 12, 2023
• Mystery Bounty – PHP 500,000 guarantee – PHP 6,600 buy in – August 13, 2023
• 6 Handed Turbo Re-Entry – PHP 5,000 buy in