Kick Off

Albert Mui Jr shoves from utg with 3♥ 3♦ , he is called by small blind Xu Qiang with A♦ J♣ , the board favors the big cards A♠ A♣ Q♥ 9♠ 5♠ to end Muir’s run on the bubble.

APPT Manila Kick-Off ran for 8.5 hours at Okada Manila with 28 players out of 183 entries surviving Day 1A. Filipino James Moriles and Canada’s Kiril Alex Gelev bagged the largest stacks of 470,000 and 460,000 which were equivalent to over 90 bb each.

The APPT Manila Kick-Off event has always been a magnet for early birds, and this year’s edition proved no different. A♠ the cards were dealt and the chips flew, notable players graced the tables such as 2019 APPT Manila Main Event champion Florencio Campomanes, 2019 APPT Manila Kick-Off champion Jinlong Hu, WSOP bracelet winner Henrieto Acain, 2023 PSPC Main Event runner up Max Menzel, Henrik Tollefsen, Norbert Koh, John Tech, Mattias Schell, and Jenam Yu.

At the end of registration, 148 signed up with an added 35 re-entries for 183 entries in total. A further three hours later, the bubble burst with Xu Qiang outdrawing Albert Muir. 

Emerging as chip leader was Filipino James Moriles who charged up the ranks during the last two levels of play. Canada’s Kiril Alex Gelev was at his heels, just 2 bb behind. One of Gelev’s biggest pots was quads Fives just before the close of day.

APPT Manila Kick-Off - Live Updates - Day 1A

Buy in: PHP 20,000 (~USD 365) Starting stack: 30,000 Level intervals: 30 minutes Reg close: 8:20pm Bagging time: ITM of 15% of the field

Day 1A: 183 (148 unique, 35 re-entry) Chips in play: 5,490,000

On a board that completed 8♥ 9♠ 5♠ T♦ 5♦ and 60,000 brewed, under the gun big stack Kiril Alex Gelev bets 15,000, lojack James Moriles raises to 80,000, Gelev three-bets to 180,000, Moriles flats. Gelev shows 5♣ 5♥ quads.

Button Kiril Alex Gelev raises to 12,000, APPT champion Florencio Campomanes defends the big blind, the flop runs 4♣ 9♦ 5♥ . Both players check to bring the turn 6♣ . Campomanes leads out 8000, Gelev calls. The river K♠ , Campomanes fires 17,000, Gelev tank-calls and shows J♣ 8♠ . Campomanes wins it with K♣ 7♥ pair.

From cutoff, Kiril Alex Gelev raises to 12,000, small blind Ryan Chua three-bet shoves, Gelev calls. Chua K♦ Q♦ , Gelev 8♠ 8♣ , the board runs T♥ T♣ 4♥ A♦ 3♠ , Chua goes bust, Gelev chips up to 350,000.

From cutoff, Raymundo Gomez is all in with J♠ T♠ , small blind James Moriles dominates with Q♠ Q♦ , the board runs 5♦ T♥ 9♥ Q♣ 2♥ . Moriles stays ahead and cleans out Gomez.

Raymundo Gomez three-bet shoves with A♦ 2♣ , initial raiser Park Sangyong calls for his tournament life holding 6♠ 6♦ . The board runs K♥ 6♥ 7♣ 8♠ 7♥ for a full house and a double up to Park.

The field is down to 38 players. Bubble approaches with 28 players reaching ITM.

Teck Guan Low ran strong throughout the day but one hand sent him straight out. He was all in with A♠ K♠ against James Moriles with {8} 8♦ . The board ran 5♥ J♠ 4♥ 6♥ 2♦ .

All in preflop, lojack with Q♠ Q♥ , small blind Kenzo Mendoza with A♠ K♠ . The board runs 7♣ A♣ T♣ 4♣ 3♠ .

Button Jeong Sooh raises to 6000, small blind K♥ T♣ three-bet shoves, snap-call by Jeong who opens A♣ A♥ . The board runs low for Jeong to boot one out.

Shimojo Keijiro four-bets shoves with A♣ A♦ , button player calls for everything with 8♣ 8♦ , no bad beats land. Keijiro ships it and boots one out in the process.

Under the gun Teck Guan Low raises to 7,000, hijack John Tech shoves, Low calls. Tech’s K♥ J♥ is dominated by Low’s A♠ 3♠ and stays that way on a board A♣ A♦ 2♦ 9♦ 6♥ . Tech is eliminated.

Utg+1 all in with A♦ Q♠ , cutoff player Xu Qiang calls with K♦ Q♥ , small blind Ryuhei Nakagawa three bet shoves J♠ J♦ , Xu calls for a three-way. With the board running 5♥ J♥ 7♥ 4♠ 8♣ Nakagawa triples up.

From under the gun, Bell John Perez is all in holding 9♦ 9♣ , and is called by two players. At the flop Q♥ A♠ 5♦ , Liao Po Hsun bets 10,000 other player folds for a head to head showdown. Liao A♦ Q♣ has top two pair, Perez way behind. The turn quickly switches them as Perez lands the 9♠ two-outer. With the river 7♠ it’s a double up for Perez.

On a board 9♣ 5♠ 7♣ K♦ and 60,000 in the pot John Dela Cruz bets 35,000, Kiril Alex Gelev tank-folds.

By the turn board 2♠ 7♣ 6♣ Q♥ , two players battle for a pot that has grown to 34,000. Small blind Minwoong Jeong check-calls a player’s shove. Jeong has A♦ 6♦ pair and is behind 7♦ 9♣ . A lucky 6♠ comes on the river to improve Jeong to trips and ship it.

Minwoong Jeong 160,000

Hijack Chang Chia Wei limps with 2♠ 2♥ , cutoff player jams with Q♦ 9♦ , the board run dry for the overcards for ducks to prevail.

All in preflop with the board running 8♦ 8♣ J♥ J♠ Q♠ for hijack Raymond Gomez A♣ T♣ to counterfeit a player’s 5♥ 5♠ .

With 10,000 in the pot, two players stare down a flop 3♣ 9♣ J♠ 8♣ . Small blind Liu Zhiqiang bets 6,000, big blind goes all in, Liu calls and shows K♥ J♦ top pair that outkicks a player’s J♥ T♠ . The river 4♦ seals with win for Liu to rail one.

Tae Hoon Chang open-shoved his 12,000 stack and said he wanted to rebuy. He had K♠ T♠ and was called by cutoff with A♦ J♣ . The board ran A♣ Q♣ T♦ K♥ K♦ for a a full house to Chang.

Big blind Ishi Masato three-bet shoved with K♣ J♥ and initial raiser Jong Sung Park called for everything with Q♣ J♦ . The board ran 4♠ K♠ K♥ 6♠ 4♥ , Park was eliminated.

27,000 was in the pot by the river T♣ 5♦ K♦ J♣ 7♠ . Teck Guan Low shoved with A♦ Q♣ straight and cutoff risked it all with Q♦ 9♠ lower straight to bust out.

From under the gun, Jerson Quiras raises to 1400, hijack Jong Sung Park three-bets to 4400, Quiras calls. At the flop 7♣ T♦ 2♦ , Quiras check-raises all in. Park calls with A♥ K♣ and is drawing against Quiras’ T♣ 8♣ top pair. The turn 4♣ and river 9♠ completes the board.

Three way all in preflop starts with hijack raising to 1000, button Jerson Quiras three-bets to 4500, big blind Jong Sung Park shoves with the largest stack, back to hijack and Quiras, both call.

Hijack T♣ T♠ Quiras 8♥ 8♣ Park K♠ 8♠

The board runs K♥ 7♠ Q♠ 5♣ 6♠ for a higher pair spiked by Park.

From under the gun Mac Mantos raises to 1300 and find three callers to the flop 2♥ 6♣ 6♦ . All check, the turn is 8♥ . Mantos bets 2100, Kenzo Mendoza raises to 5500, two folds follow then a call from Mantos. On the river Q♠ , Mendoza fires 7,200, Mantos check-calls. Mendoza has a busted 5♥ 4♥ draw, Mantos wins the pot with 8♦ 5♦ .

With a pot of 14,000 built and a board that completed J♠ 8♦ T♣ 4♦ 6♣ , hijack player shoves with K♣ Q♠ air, cutoff Cao Nguyen Thanh calls with A♥ K♠ better air to take the pot.

Action packed preflop leads to Liao Po Hsun all in with A♥ [as} that doubles up through Jarod’s A♣ K♣ on a board of 3♠ J♠ 6♥ T♣ 9♦ .

Lojack raises to 1100, small blind Quentin De Rozieres and big blind call, the flop comes 6♠ 6♥ 2♦ . Action is checked to lojack who c-bets 1800, sb calls, bb folds. The turn J♦ , lojack sends out 3500 and Rozieres check-calls again. Same action on the river 5♠ with Rozieres check-calling 10,000. Lojack has A♣ 8♥ , Rozieres with 8♦ 8♠ to win the pot.

With 60-0 in the pot and a flop K♦ 9♦ 8♠ , under the gun player bets 3500, hijack Joseph Reyes raises to 9000, utg shoves K♥ 9♠ two pair, Reyes calls and opens 8♥ 8♦ set. With the turn 3♥ and river A♣ , Reyes rails one.