Strong Start At APPT Manila: Ryan Platon and Junhui Lee Top Okada Millions Flights; Kyung Ho Moon Wins Early Bird

After much anticipation,  early goers of APPT Manila were the first to experience this year’s grand venue, the stunning Cove Manila situated within Okada Manila in the Philippines. The presentation was nothing short of spectacular with the glass domed ceiling drawing plenty of attention. Spread throughout the vast space were 86 PokerStars tables dedicated to both tournament poker and cash games. Here are day’s highlights.

APPT Manila – SCHEDULE
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APPT Manila Opening Day Highlights

Moon Kyung Ho Wins The Early Bird

The first champion of the day was Kyung Ho Moon at the Early Bird event to lock up nearly a quarter of the PHP 1,000,000 (~USD 17,100) prize pool. Moon entered heads up against Federick Cruz after Himawari Narita‘s bluff failed, pushing with gutshot on a flop . Moon had top pair. The turn and river were no help.

Heads up opened with Moon at 40 bb and Cruz with 12 bb. Moon grinded down his opponent and finished him off with one-card flush beating on a board . Moon locked up PHP 236,000 (~USD 4,000) and a seat worth PHP 80,000 to the upcoming APPT Manila Main Event.

Date: July 24, 2024
Buy in: PHP 7,500 (~USD 128)
Guarantee: PHP 1,000,000 (~USD 17,100)
Entries: 131
Prize pool: PHP 1,000,000 (~USD 17,100)
ITM: 17 places

*Champion also received APPT Manila Main Event seat worth PHP 80,000

Place	Player	Flag	Payout in PHP
1	Kyung Ho Moon	Korea	236,000
2	Federick Cruz	Philippines	147,500
3	Himawari Narita	Japan	105,500
4	Tonton Tan	Philippines	81,000
5	Paul Gerard Hendee	USA	62,500
6	Jun Soungju	Korea	48,000
7	Chang Kyo Han	Korea	38,000
8	Battulga Ganbold	Mongolia	31,500
9	Alvir Inocentes	Philippines	26,000
10	Hyeon Ung Ra	Korea	22,000
11	Shu Pin Wang	Taiwan	22,000
12	Ruzzel Jose	Philippines	19,000
13	Lenart Ecarma	Philippines	19,000
14	Quoc Tuan Vu	Vietnam	16,500
15	Middharth Mishra	India	16,500
16	Andrew Leathem	UK	14,500
17	Rodolfo Cruz	Philippines	14,500

Okada Millions 3M Guarantee – Day 1

The opening day crowd favorite was the Okada Millions which featured a P3M guarantee. Over the two flights, a combined 327 turned up to boost the pot to PHP 4,605,599 (~USD 78,680). Both flights bagged up at ITM for a total of 50 players advancing to Day 2.

Flight A

Flight A drew 108 entries with 17 players securing a piece of the pot. During the bubble round, it was the “survival of the short stacks”. Henry Chan was down to 2 bb and doubled up twice to end the day with 13 bb. Kai Paulsen shoved four times and found no callers to steal the blinds and antes and bag up 16 bb. Jae Yi Chang tripled up then doubled up to bag up 13 bb.

In the end, it was Mike Takayama denying Youngmin Kim’s 4 bb a double up with pairing on the board to burst the bubble. Takayama bagged up the fourth largest stack of 25 bb while closing as flight leader was Ryan Platon with 59 bb.

Flight B

Flight B drew a significantly larger field of 219 entries with only 33 making the cut. Among them was Kim Michael Enriquez who eliminated Jundy Walker on the bubble with over that missed the board. Enriquez bagged up the second largest stack of this flightwith 57 bb and was topped by Junhui Lee with 58 bb.

Date: July 24 to 25, 2024
Buy in: PHP 16,500 (~USD 280)
Guarantee: PHP 3,000,000 (~USD 51,250)
Entries: 327
Prize pool: PHP 4,605,599 (~USD 78,680)

Flight A: 108 entries / 17 ITM
Flight B: 219 entries / 33 ITM

Day 2 Players

Rank	Player	Flag	Stack
1	Ryan Platon	Philippines	596,000
2	Junhui Lee	Philippines	589,000
3	Kim Michael Enriquez	Korea	573,000
4	Tae Joon Jeon	Korea	354,000
5	Christian Lortie	Canada	331,000
6	Woosang Lee	Korea	294,000
7	Richard Marquez	Philippines	285,000
8	Winifred Obedoza	Philippines	284,000
9	Terry Gonzaga	Philippines	271,000
10	Zhenbo Alang Fu	China	270,000
11	Daejin Jung	Korea	257,000
12	Mike Takayama	Philippines	250,000
13	Noel Regencia	Philippines	236,000
14	Seonghun Park	Korea	235,000
15	Boon Seng	Singapore	217,000
16	Feng Ji Chua	Singapore	209,000
17	Jihun Choi	Korea	205,000
18	Jharome Pena	Philippines	205,000
19	Sangjun Kang	Korea	199,000
20	James Mendoza	Philippines	198,000
21	Kim Taeil	Korea	198,000
22	Marco Almerez	Philippines	197,000
23	Yohei Katsuragawa	Japan	176,000
24	Gun Jegal	Korea	172,000
25	Christopher De Lara	Philippines	171,000
26	Adones Carmona	Philippines	169,000
27	George Salud	Philippines	166,000
28	Kai Paulsen	Norway	162,000
29	Dohyeop Kim	Korea	161,000
30	Tonton Tan	Philippines	150,000
31	Benhur Ybarsabal	Philippines	150,000
32	Dexter Santos	Philippines	148,000
33	Renniel Galvez	Philippines	140,000
34	Henry Chan	Canada	137,000
35	Jae Yi Chang	Korea	130,000
36	Tobias Fabech	Denmark	128,000
37	Joseph Sia	Philippines	123,000
38	Wyngard Brillo	Philippines	121,000
39	David Erquiaga	Philippines	121,000
40	Joseph Talamayan	Philippines	120,000
41	Edgar Asehan	Philippines	114,000
42	Arlon Carrera	Philippines	102,000
43	Yo Han Ko	Korea	102,000
44	Ryo Suzuki	Japan	101,000
45	Paul Uy	Philippines	100,000
46	Natalio Liares	Philippines	84,000
47	Panagiotis Petrou	Greece	76,000
48	Jeremy Mercado	Philippines	73,000
49	June Meimban	Philippines	28,000
50	Hosin Seo	Korea	26,000

First timers to PokerStars LIVE Manila

If you’re new to the scene, PokerStars LIVE Manila stands as one of the metropolis’s most popular poker hubs. Daily tournaments and cash tables are offered. The poker room is conveniently situated within Okada Manila making it easily accessible for guests staying in the premises. Additionally guests can indulge in breathtaking views of Manila Bay and its captivating sunsets from the hotel, adding to the overall experience.

For international travelers, Okada Manila is within 5-10 minutes drive from NAIA Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. For NAIA Terminal 3, the trip to Okada is just 15 minutes. To avoid getting ripped off , the best way to get to the venue is by Grab Car.

Accommodations

Of course the best place to stay while attending the event is at Okada Manila. The resort is rated one of the best and most luxurious. Make sure to contact PokerStars LIVE Manila as special player rates may still be available. For those who would like to explore other options, there are a plethora of places to stay in the area and all are nearby.

Contact PokerStars LIVE Manila: +63-956-736-9676