APL Main Event (65,000 PHP)

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.

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."