APL Main Event (65,000 PHP)

APL Manila Main Event action kept the show at Prime Poker Club running from morning to night with the later heat, Day 1C adding 82 more entries onto the tally. Another 29 players survived the first eleven levels and advanced to Day 2 with South Korea's Gun Choi in command. Choi had a smooth sailing day, racking up the lead across the final four hours to finish with 320,800 (200 BB).

Right on his tail is one of Philippines' best - Lester Edoc, who built up a stack of 283,800 (177 BB). Edoc acquired the cushion right at the last hour of play after his 2x pot bet got paid in full by Christopher Pasion. Rounding up the podium is another Filipino contender, Reiner Magbutay with 215,000 (134 BB). Day 1A chip leader Sangwoo Chun continues to reign with his 550,400 (344 BB) stack remaining unbeatable.

All Day 2 qualifiers can take it slow tomorrow and enjoy a day off the felt before returning to battle for the next round of games. Two more heats are set to play down with late registration remaining open until the start of Day 2 on Saturday, March 1st.

APL Manila 2025 Main Event

Dates: February 26 - March 3, 2025

Buy in: PHP 65,000 (~USD 1,120)

Guarantee: PHP 55,000,000 (~USD 1,000,000)

Day 1A: 64 entries, 19 qualified

Day 1B: 135 entries, 44 qualified

Day 1C: 82 entries, 29 qualified

Day 1D: Friday, February 28

Day 1E: Friday, February 28

Day 2: Saturday, March 1

Day 3: Sunday, March 2

Final Day: Monday, March 3

Right on the last hand of the day, Daryl Galang risks his tournament life - 18,200 (11 BB) a second time around and this time gets a call from Joris Michl on the small blind.

Galang completely misses board K♦ 5♦ 9♥ Q♦ 7♣ and is eliminated just as the day comes to a close.

Jeremy Catalig opens 3,200 on the hijack and Michael Concepcion calls right behind. Changyun Lee on the button, pads it further to 12,000 and sees only Concepcion complete.

The flop runs T♠ 4♣ 3♦ , where Concepcion check calls an 8,000 bet from Lee. Both check turn 8♣ , pushing Concepcion to lead 9,000 on river T♣ . Lee raises to 25,000 and gets his bluff A♠ 2♣ exposed after Concepcion calls him down with two pair 7♥ 7♣ .

Day 1C is nearing its close with the clock set on pause and only five more deals left in play before bagging time.

Won Kang opens 3,500 on the hijack and sees Gun Choi on the small blind put in the call.

Both check down board 9♦ 8♦ 2♥ 7♥ 5♥ , revealing Choi's pair of sevens K♦ 7♦ , good for the pot.

Jeremy Catalig opens to 4,800 from mid position and gets two callers. He then shoves his short stack in, picking up the pot uncontested.

On the next hand, Catalig raises 3x again and gets a call from Leonel Losentes on the button. Just like before, Catalig goes all-in on the flop of A♣ J♣ 2♦, and Losentes folds, giving Catalig the win once more.

Leonel Losentes defends his big blind against Jeremy Catalig's 4,800 hijack open, and check calls another 9,000 on flop 2♣ 5♠ 3♥ .

Turn 6♥ gets checked through to river 5♥ , where Losentes goes ahead and leads 15,000. Catalig snap folds, shipping Losentes the boost.

Table 13 is weighing down all the chips with the top three runners of Day 1C seated at the same table.

Jeffrey Ponce limp calls Byeongmin Lee's 5,700 raise and checks flop 2♠ 6♠ 9♥ to his opponent. Lee bets 3,500 and puts out 5,000 more following a raise from Ponce.

The turn 4♣ doesn't stop Ponce from shoving all-in for 37,500 and Lee surrenders.

Michael Concepcion limps in the small blind and Changhyun Lee checks his option. Flop Q♦ Q♥ 9♠ turns up on the felt and sees Lee fire a bet of 1,600. Concepcion pulls a check raise to 5,500 and ships the pot straight away.

Fifty more minutes is set on the clock before Day 1C rings its curtains close. All survivors following this level will move on to Day 2 on Saturday, March 1st.

Catching the river action on board A♥ 6♣ 5♥ K♠ 9♠ alongside a pot of 32,600, Lester Edoc applies maximum pressure on Christopher Pasion with an all-in on the button. Pasion on the big blind gives it a thought and decides to call off his entire 64,900 with top pair A♠ 7♦ , only to bow out as Edoc tabled two pair A♦ 9♣ .

Won Kang attempts to get value from Jimin Won on board 6♦ 6♥ T♣ 9♥ 6♠ with an overbet of 25,000 into a pot of 18,100. Won pays the price and mucks as Kang reveals quads A♣ 6♣ .

A blind vs blind battle between Hoseung Jung and Jimin Choo sees a pot of 15,400 in the middle spread out across board 3♥ 7♣ 6♥ 3♠ . Jung leads 9,000, Choo raises to 24,000, and Jung comes back with an all-in for Choo's 19 BB behind. Choo gives it up and tosses his hand back to the dealer.

Maxwell Rosete opens 3,000 on the cutoff and gets Reiner Magbutay on the button and the big blind to join in the action.

Following a check, Rosete bets 5,500 and Magbutay answers with a raise to 13,500. Only Rosete calls, and goes on to check turn 8♦ to Magbutay, who bets another 20,000. Rosete deliberates and eventually finds the fold.

Jeffrey Ponce goes for a nearly pot size bet of 22,000 on a completed board of 3♥ A♣ 6♣ T♥ 8♣ and instantly mucks after Gun Choi check calls.

Choi takes the pot with no showdown and continues to hold the reins over the field.

Down to only 6,000 the level prior, Marc Gagne puts his tournament life on the line once more this time for 33,000 (24 BB). Utg raiser Jaebong Jeong slips the call and puts his opponent at risk.

Gagne manages to dodge another elimination on board A♣ 3♦ 4♠ T♠ 9♠ with his top pair beating Jeong's eights for another shot at Day 2.

Lester Edoc opens 3,000 on the button and flicks in 6,800 more following an all-in from Benjamin Ebarle on the small blind.

Edoc quickly lands the advantage on board A♥ 7♦ 2♣ Q♥ 6♥ and sends Ebarle out.

Looking to catch the 14,000 pot in the middle, Michael Concepcion bets 8,500 on board 6♦ 9♠ 3♥ T♣ following a check from Jimin Choo on the big blind. Choo raises to 19,500 and tank folds shortly after Concepcion moved all-in for 40,000 total.

Vivencio Nachor defends his hijack open and calls a 10,500 three bet from Won Kang on the big blind.

The flop comes K♠ 6♠ T♦ and Kang continues for 6,500. Nachor calls and gets to showdown after no more bets pile in on either turn Q♦ or river 6♦ .

Kang shows two pair A♣ Q♥ and takes the pot.

Christopher Pasion opens 2,400 in early position and takes both Sungbae Jang on the button and Lester Edoc on the big blind to a flop of 9♠ 8♣ 4♥ . Two checks sees Jang bet 3,300. Edoc goes for a raise to 8,000, Pasion folds, and Jang completes.

Both check turn Q♦ through to river 8♥ , where Edoc leads a final 1,200. Jang flicks in the one big blind and takes the win with K♦ 9♦ against Edoc's J♥ 9♥ .

Facing an early open and a button call, Yulmin Lee squeezes all-in on the small blind for 27,700 (23 BB) and is put at risk following a shove from initial raiser Jeffrey Ponce.

Lee's pocket pair holds through board T♥ 9♠ 5♣ 7♦ 6♥ , shipping him a clean double up.

Reiner Magbutay raises to 2,500 in early position and sees Seungmin Yu on the button, with Joris Michl on the big blind join the action.

Action on flop 5♠ 8♣ 2♣ is checked to Yu, who bets 4,500. Michl and Magbutay make the call and gets a round of checks on turn 8♠ . Michl leads 10,000 on river 8♠ , Magbutay folds and Yu raises to 25,000. Michl pays the price and mucks as Yu reveals boat 8♦ 5♦ .

Manwoo Park on the hijack, risks his last 21,200 (17 BB) and is challenged by Won Gyu Kang right on the big blind.

Up for a race, Kang takes the win with two pair on board A♣ 5♠ 4♣ 7♣ 4♥ , eliminating Park from the Day 1C running.

Marc Gagne opens 2,500 on the cutoff and gets a call from Won Gyu Kang on the next seat. Manwoo Park on the big blind, squeezes to 7,500 yet folds after both Gagne and Kang shove their stacks in the middle.

Kang at risk for his 81,000 stack, runs a straight on board J♥ T♦ 9♥ 6♠ 8♦ and earns a huge double up off Gagne.

Jungmo Lee opens 2,500 in early position and is met with a three bet to 6,200 from Wanhyeok Jang on the button. Terry Gonzaga on the big blind, goes over the top with a raise to 20,000, and picks up the pot uncontested.

Picking up action on flop 4♣ 2♣ Q♣ with a 20,800 pot situated in the middle, Leonel Losentes check calls a 12,000 bet from Jason Magbanua on the button, and goes on to lead 15,000 on turn K♦ . Magbanua takes a minute and eventually lays it down, shipping his opponent the win.

Back on the felt and ready to defend his title, past season champion Vivencio Nachor is currently in action at today's Main Event Day 1C, attempting to secure a spot into Day 2. Nachor triumphed in APL's previous Manila Main Event showing back in December 2023 and earned a career best cash of PHP 3.2 million (~USD 58K), which remains to be his biggest score to date.

During the break, SMP caught up with the local grinder to see what he's been up to over the past year and a half:

SMP: How are you feeling now?

Nachor: "I'm good. I'm happy and excited to play again."

SMP: What did you do with your winnings?

Nachor: "Actually, I invested in a condominium at Deca Homes. It’s not fully paid yet; I’m paying monthly installments, but almost all my winnings go toward it."

SMP: Are you going to defend your title? How did you train?

Nachor: "Yes, I always play live in Metro, joining daily and weekly tournaments, as well as some big events here in the Philippines."

SMP: What do you think you need to do in order to win the Main Event again?

Nachor: "It’s hard, but I always give my 100%. I need to do my best because there are so many professional poker players here, and many of the Koreans are doing well too."

"I’m just a player. I adjust my play style depending on the opponent. So, I always start early to read my opponents."

SMP: You were running hot last year, what’s your plan for this year?

Nachor: "Well, I plan to do the same because I still don’t have a bankroll. I rely on my stakers and sometimes sell action. I’ll keep playing, and as long as I still have a chance, I will participate in all the big events as much as possible. Actually, I’ve already stopped working. I’m a mechanical engineer by profession, but I stopped working and started playing poker full-time in December 2022 after I won my first major event at the Masters. It was a hard decision, but I love playing poker. At first, it was just a hobby, but eventually, I realized I could do more with poker."

Junie Pamplona kicks off the action with a 2,500 open utg and gets a call from Jeffrey Ponce along with Yulmin Lee on the big blind.

Pamplona shoots out a bet of 2,900 on flop A♠ 9♥ T♠ and sees both opponents continue to turn K♦ . Pamplona unfazed, bets all-in for 30,100 and is followed by another shove from Ponce. Lee gets out of the way, leaving the two to showdown.

Pamplona A♣ Q♠

Ponce 9♦ 9♠

Pamplona in trouble against Ponce's set, bound for the exit just as river 2♠ completed the board.

Edgar Asehan defends his big blind vs Terry Gonzaga's 2,000 cutoff open and check calls another 2,000 on flop 9♦ 9♠ A♣ . Gonzaga takes it to showdown, checking back both turn J♦ and river T♠ .

Gonzaga shows two pair A♦ 6♠ and picks up the pot.

Maxwell Rosete opens 2,000 utg and gets a call from both players on the blinds.

All three check flop T♦ 2♥ 8♣ through to turn 9♠ , where Rosete continues for a bet of 3,000. Yeonji Lee check raises all-in for 12,700 more and picks up the pot unchallenged.

While Day 1B unfolds, late-night enthusiasts can shift their focus to another exciting APL Main Event heat taking place this evening. Day 1C will follow a slightly faster pace, with the first four levels set at 20-minute blinds, followed by two 30-minute levels, two 40-minute levels, and concluding with a final stretch of three 50-minute levels.

This is your chance to be part of history as the brand’s biggest offering in Manila unfolds, putting up a PHP 55,000,000 (~USD 1,000,000) guaranteed prize pool on the line. South Korea’s Sangwoo Chun raised the bar in the opening heat, finishing with a staggering 550,400 chip count - nearly 14 times the starting stack!

Action kicks off at 18:00 local time with late registration closing before the start of Day 2 on Saturday, March 1st. Stay tuned for updates as SMP brings you all the latest directly off the floor!

APL Manila 2025 Main Event

Dates: February 26 - March 3, 2025

Buy in: PHP 65,000 (~USD 1,120)

Guarantee: PHP 55,000,000 (~USD 1,000,000)

Day 1A: 64 entries, 19 qualified

Day 1B: Thursday, February 27

Day 1C: Thursday, February 27

Day 1D: Friday, February 28

Day 1E: Friday, February 28

Day 2: Saturday, March 1

Day 3: Sunday, March 2

Final Day: Monday, March 3