Live action is back and running in one of the most popular tournament poker stops throughout the region with PokerStars LIVE Asia having recently concluded its fourth event of the year in the Philippine capital. The Asia Pacific Poker Tour Manila Open ran from May 30 through June 5, 2022 at Okada Manila featuring a total of 18 events across the week-long schedule. The Php 12 million (~US$ 227K) guaranteed Main Event was the crowning jewel of the festival where Norway’s Henrik Tollefsen emerged victorious after three days of grueling play. International runners from South Korea and Japan likewise found their journey to the country a highly profitable one, having captured five PokerStars titles each. Scroll down for the festival results listed below.
APPT Open Manila Main Event: Henrik Tollefsen – Php 3,215,900 (~US$ 60,850)
The highlighting APPT Main Event proved to be a smashing success having attracted 464 entrants across two starting flights to easily surpass the initial guarantee and generated a substantial Php 16,102,880 (~US$ 304,300) prize pool. Players representing 28 different countries battled it out for a spot on the final day but it was Italy’s Giuseppe Biasella who led the pack once the final table was set. Local stars Christoper Mateo, Czar Ian Marcos, and lone bracelet winner Mike Takayama were among the final contenders looking to win. The highly decorated final table also included Japan’s Ken Okada and John Matsuda, South Korea’s Bonil Koo, and Thomas Lee from Singapore. However after five levels of gameplay, it was Norwegian pro Henrik Tollefsen who emerged victorious to capture the Php 3,215,900 (~US$ 60,850) top prize and his fifth PokerStars title to date.
With a few short stacks to start the final day, it took less than ten minutes before the first casualty of the final table was seen. Thomas Lee, facing a raise from chip leader Biasella, jammed his 11 big blinds in with 
for a flip against the Italian’s 
. Lee flopped top pair but was instantly drawing dead when the turn gave Biasella a straight, leaving Lee out in 9th place. It seemed pocket pairs were holding up pretty well when Matsuda exited shortly after in similar fashion. In early position, Matsuda open shoved his 11 big blind stack with 
only to be called by Koo on the button with 
. The flop 
was brutal for the Japanese and with no miracle on a runner runner, Matsuda finished in 8th.
Over an hour in, seven players were left on the battlefield with Biasella and Tollefsen carrying the biggest stacks on the table while leaving the rest to wait each other out for a pay jump. While short-stacked Takayama managed to triple up his 1.5 big blind stack, it was Koo who was in a rough spot having engaged in an all-in battle against Tollefsen just two hands later. From the big blind, Koo decided to three-bet then five-bet shove his 30 big blind stack with 
, easily crushed by Tollefsen’s 
. The board ran 
and Koo was left to settle for a 7th place finish, and Tollefsen with the chip lead of nearly a hundred big blinds. Not long after, Okada followed suit having ran 
against Marcos’ premium 
in a big blind vs button battle. An Ace on the flop gave Okada the lead but the two-outered King on the river sent him to the rails in 6th place.
Five-handed play lasted over another two hours with Marcos successfully getting a double up twice from Biasella with his hands fairly holding up. However on their third clash, Marcos found himself on the losing end of a terrible bad beat, costing him his tournament life. Aggressive Biasella on the button, open-jammed with 
covering both Mateo and Marcos on the blinds. Peeling his cards, Marcos quickly found the call with and the board ran 
, ending his chance at a trophy.
By the second break, Tollefsen once again carried the lead having won a huge flip against Takayama right before the next level hit. His run would continue on to eliminate Biasella who re-jammed his 15 big blind stack against Tollefsen’s open with 
. Dominated by the Norwegian’s and no help from the board, Biasella claimed the first seven-figure score of the day.
Ramping up the aggression even moreso, Tollefsen’s run good wouldn’t stop there as he picked up yet again pocket rockets. A limp from the small blind, Mateo checked his big blind and saw a flop of 
. Tollefsen led out a one big blind bet and was raised by Mateo right behind. With a call, the turn revealed 
and Tollefsen checked his action. Mateo fired a hefty bet and Tollefsen answered with an all-in. Having found a call with 
, Mateo realized the trap and heartbreakingly exited in third.
Holding a massive chip advantage by heads up play, Tollefsen quickly eliminated Takayama in a single-hand duel for the lion’s share of the prize pool and another triumphant run in the city of Manila. Philippine pro Takayama, who managed to climb five pay jumps, claimed Php 1,964,600 in winnings for his impressive runner-up finish.
Dates: June 2-5, 2022
Buy in: Php 40,000 (~US$ 756)
Guarantee: Php 12,000,000 (~US$ 227,060)
Entries: 464
Prize pool: Php 16,102,880 (~US$ 304,300)
ITM: 63 places
Final Table Results
1st: Henrik Tollefsen (Norway) – ₱3,215,900
2nd: Mike Takayama (Philippines) – ₱1,964,600
3rd: Christopher Mateo (Philippines) – ₱1,409,000
4th: Giuseppe Biasella (Italy) – ₱1,119,200
5th: Czarian Ian Marcos (Philippines) – ₱877,600
6th: Ken Okada (Japan) – ₱687,600
7th: Bonil Koo (South Korea) – ₱516,880
8th: John Matsuda (Japan) – ₱367,000
9th: Thomas Lee (Canada) – ₱293,000
Outstanding series for Japan’s Ken Okada
Among the five players hailing from Japan who managed to capture PokerStars titles in this series, it was Ken Okada’s performance throughout the festival that deserves some recognition. Making four final table appearances including a sixth place finish in the Main Event, Okada finally clinched a trophy on his third try. The ₱15,000 NLH Hyper Turbo awarded Okada the Php 156,800 (~US$ 2,967) top payout after defeating fellow Japanese Hironori Yamada in heads up play.
Dates: June 2, 2022
Buy in: Php 15,000 (~US$ 283)
Entries: 36
Prize pool: Php 460,944 (~US$ 8,721)
ITM: 6 places
Winner: Ken Okada (Japan) – ₱156,800
For his week’s run, Okada bagged a combined Php 1,250,200 (~US 23,655) in prizes and a second PokerStars title under his belt.
₱10K NLH Turbo: 4th – ₱26,100
APPT Open National: 27th – ₱51,400
High Roller One Day: 3rd – ₱328,300
₱15K NLH Hyper Turbo: 1st – ₱156,800
APPT Open Main Event: 6th – ₱687,600
Other Winners
APPT Open Manila Kickoff: Jungkyu Lee – Php 707,000 (~US$ 13,377)
Dates: May 30-31, 2022
Buy in: Php 15,000 (~US$ 283)
Guarantee: Php 2,000,000 (~US$ 37,843)
Entries: 280
Prize pool: Php 3,585,120 (~US$ 67,836)
ITM: 41 places
Final Table Results
1st: Jungkyu Lee (South Korea) – ₱707,000
2nd: John Matsuda (Japan) – ₱467,000
3rd: Oleg Mordassov (Switzerland) – ₱345,000
4th: Kim Michael Enriquez (Philippines – ₱277,000
5th: Kenji Hata (Japan) – ₱218,000
6th: Takumi Okayasu (Japan) – ₱165,000
7th: Darren Yu (Philippines) – ₱122,000
8th: Vincent Sin (Singapore) – ₱89,000
9th: Ola Danilo (Philippines) – ₱73,120
APPT Open Manila National NLH: Alvir Inocentes – Php 1,260,000 (~$23,990)
Dates: May 31 – June 2, 2022
Buy in: Php 20,000 (~US$ 378)
Guarantee: Php 3,000,000 (~US$ 56,765)
Entries: 372
Prize pool: Php 6,696,000 (~US$ 126,700)
ITM: 55 places
Final Table Results
1st: Alvir Inocentes (Philippines) – ₱1,260,000
2nd: Kiril Gelev (Canada) – ₱798,000
3rd: Masakazu Miyamoto (Japan) – ₱577,000
4th: Bruno Mata (Brazil) – ₱467,000
5th: Federick Cruz (Philippines) – ₱369,000
6th: Ivan Tabucal (Philippines) – ₱284,000
7th Terry Gonzaga (Philippines) – ₱211,000
8th: Florencio Campomanes (Philippines) – ₱153,000
9th: Takayoshi Machida (Japan) – ₱124,220
APPT Open Manila High Roller NLH: Lester Edoc – Php 807,600 (~US$ 15,281)
Dates: June 2-3, 2022
Buy in: Php 150,000 (~US$ 2,838)
Entries: 12
Prize pool: Php 1,615,050 (~US$ 30,560)
ITM: 3 places
Full Payouts
1st: Lester Edoc (Philippines) – ₱807,600
2nd: Motoyoshi Okamura (Japan) – ₱484,450
3rd: Florencio Campomanes (Philippines) – ₱323,000
APPT Open Manila Mini Main Event: Masakazu Miyamoto – Php 370,000 (~US$ 7,001)
Dates: June 4, 2022
Buy in: Php 10,000 (~US$ 189)
Entries: 205
Prize pool: Php 1,749,880 (~US$ 33,060)
ITM: 31 places
Final Table Results
1st: Masakazu Miyamoto (Japan) – ₱370,000
2nd: Joseroy Jeremias Jr (Philippines) – ₱249,000
3rd: Jangmi Shin (South Korea) – ₱175,000
4th David Jansen Erquiaga (Philippines) – ₱142,500
5th Hiroaki Yamada (Japan) – ₱112,700
6th: John Philip Baider (Philippines) – ₱85,600
7th: Nao Yoshida (Japan) – ₱62,500
8th: Jimmy Valle Philippines – ₱45,700
9th: Kentaro Hayashi (Japan) – ₱37,880
