APPT National (60,000 PHP)

Hand #128: Chen Zhen is first to act and makes a raise to 280,000 but Jonathan Chetty goes over the top for a 3-bet shove that is instantly called by Chen.

Chetty tables A♣ 9♠ while Chen shows Q♠ Q♥ .

The runout goes: 4♠ 5♠ 8♣ 5♣ 2♠ to give the win and the title to Chen.

Hand #125: Jonathan Chetty completes his SB as Chen Zhen pumps it up to 425,000 from the BB. The South African makes the call, in position.

The flop comes K♣ 7♠ 7♣. Chen CBets to 300,000 but Chetty re-pops it to 800,000. Chen calls. The turn is the T♥ and this time both check. The river is the 6♦ . Both players also opt to check.

Chetty shows A♥ 8♦ while Chen wins the pot with A♠ J♠ as his kicker plays.

The separation is slowly becoming evident.

Hand #110: Folded to him on the SB, South Africa's Jonathan Chetty open shoves but gets a snap call from Joris Michl of the Netherlands on the BB. Michl is at risk after shipping his remaining 2,420,000 into the pot.

Chetty shows 6♦ 6♠ while Michl is flipping for his tournament life with A♣ K♠ .

The flop is safe for Chetty as it goes 3♦ 7♦ 2♣ . However, the A♠ comes out on the turn to give Michl the lead and an good opportunity for a double up. But the 6♥ arrives on the river, giving Chetty a set and the bad beat eliminates Michl in the third place.

Heads up between Chetty and chip leader Chen Zhen of China is about to ensue with both players now guaranteed PhP2,540,000 (~US$43,950) with the eventual champion taking down PhP4,080,000 (~US$70,600).

Hand #106: Chip leader Chen Zhen of China completes his SB and Jonathan Chetty of South Africa checks his BB option.

The flop is 6♦ Q♦ K♦ as Chen fires 120,000 and gets called by Chetty. The turn is the 8♠ and this time Chen makes it 400,000 to go. Suddenly Chetty announces that he is all-in. Chen tanks awhile but folds.

Hand #87: Raising from UTG/D, South Africa's Jonathan Chetty gets calls from the blinds in Joris Michl in the SB and chip leader Chen Zhen.

The second family pot in the Final Table sees a flop of 4♣ 6♣ 2♠ . All players check. The turn is the 7♥ This time Michl leads out for 250,000. However, Chen raises it to 750,000. Chetty folds and Michl considers for a moment but eventually decides to fold.

Chen is now over a million in chips clear of his closest pursuer.

Jonathan Chetty is first to act and raises to 250,000. Joris MIchl on the SB calls but chip leader Chen Zhen 3-bets from the BB to 1,000,000. Chetty folds and Michl 4-bets all-in for 2,735,000.

Chen goes into the tank and excruciates so long that he ends up using three of his precious Time Bank cards before opting to fold. Chen's chip advantage dwindles.

Hand #69: First to act, Jonathan Chetty raises to 250,000 and gets 3-bet by chip leader Chen Zhen to 800,000. Chetty replies by 4-betting all-in for 2,900,000. Chen folds.

Hand #64: It gets folded to the blinds once again as Jonathan Chetty of South Africa raises to 300,000 from the SB and is met with a 3-bet shove from local hopeful Czardy Rivera in the BB for 1,020,000. Chetty makes the call for his opponent's tournament life.

Rivera tables A♦ 5♦ while Chetty shows K♠ Q♣ .

The flop immediately gave the lead to Chetty: 7♦ K♣ 7♥ . The last two community cards failed to improve Rivera's situation as the 8♥ and the Q♦ sent the last local standing to the sidelines for good.

The remaining three players are now assured PhP1,820,000 (~US$31,495).

This is the first look at today's leaderboard:

Hand #42: Chip leader Chen Zhen opens from UTG for 160,000 and the action is folded to the HJ where South African Jonathan Chetty 3-bets all-in. Joris Michl of the Netherlands makes the call for his tournament life from the BB for his last 940,000. Chen folds.

Chetty shows A♥ K♦ while Michl flips over Q♣ Q♥ .

The board ran: 8♦ 4♣ 7♠ 2♣ 6♠ to give the Dutchman another double up. Chetty's stack is still barely above the one million mark.

Hand #32: The action is folded to the blinds as chip leader Chen Zhen from China completes his SB and South African Jonathan Chetty checks his option in the BB.

The unraised pot has a flop of 6♣ 8♥ A♥ .

Chen leads out for 60,000 and gets called by Chetty. The turn is the the 4♠ Chen once again unloads, this time for 150,000 and still gets called. The river is the 5♥ . Chen barrels a third time, now for 225,000. His South African opponent still calls.

Chen turns over T♥ 7♣ for a straight on the river. Chetty mucks.

APPT National

Dates: October 21-24, 2024

Buy in: PHP 60,000 (~US$ 1,038)

Guarantee: PhP 15,000,000 (~US$ 262,000)

Total Prize Pool: PhP20,847,240 (~US$358,815)

Entries: 398 (206 unique)

ITM: 60 players

Players remaining: 9

Chips in play: 11,940,000

Average stack: 1,326,667

Level 26: 25,000/50,000 (50,000 BB ante)

Flight A (October 21): 63 entries, 10 qualified

Flight B (October 22): 192 entries, 29 qualified

Flight C - Turbo (October 22): 143 entries, 22 qualified

Day 2 (October 23): 60 players (all ITM)

Day 3 (October 24): 9 players remaining

With the specter of the Final Table bubble now a reality, walks have abound in the last two tables.

In what appeared to be another hand destined for that fate, the action gets folded to the SB of big stack Jonathan Chetty but instead of surrendering his SB, the South African shoved to steal the ante and the BB of former chip leader Edgar Asehan of the Philippines. The Filipino veteran snap called the all-in move and when the cards were tabled Chetty sheepishly showed 7♥ 3♣ while Asehan turned over Big Slick A♦ K♦ .

But like out of a bad dream for the Filipino, the flop came: 4♠ 6♦ 5♥ for the second nut straight. Needing running diamonds to pull off a miracle comeback and stay in the competition, the poker gods added insult to injury for Asehan by bringing out the K♠ and the K♥ as the last two community cards.

In practically back-to-back hands playing from behind, Chetty enters the Final Table as one the big stacks heading into Day 3.

Trying to steal the blinds and ante, South Africa's Jonathan Chetty raises to 100,000 from the CO. When the action is folded to the BB, Karia Siddharth of India moves all-in on a 3-bet for 1,350,000, covering his opponent. Chetty decides to it's time to shine and makes the call.

However, the South African is dismayed to see that Siddharth has A♥ K♥ which dominates his A♠ J♥ . But the flop made Chetty smile when it came A♦ 2♣ J♦ to have him hit his kicker along with pairing his ace. Needing a king or running cards to make a straight, not even a sweat card showed up as the 5♠ and the Q♥ completed the board.

The Indian is now down to less than ten BBs as the Final Table bubble nears.

With action folded to the D of Jonathan Chetty, the South African decides to steal the blinds and the ante by going all-in for 485,000. However, Filipino pro Flo Campomanes also goes all-in for his remaining 410,000.

Chetty flips over A♠ 9♠ while Campomanes shows 5♥ 5♦ .

The South African immediately builds a death trap when the flop comes 4♠ T♠ Q♠ for the nut flush. Needing running cards to overcome the deficit, Campomanes had a glimmer of hope when the T♥ came on the turn to pair the board and bring in a potential full house. However, all hopes were dashed when the J♣ becomes the river card and reduces the field to ten players remaining.

Here's a look at the top stacks before entering the next blind level:

"Steady Chetty" Jonathan Chetty of South Africa boosted his bid for a Day 3 appearance as he engaged Korea's Bae Wonchul in an all-in preflop situation.

Bae turns over K♠ Q♠ while Chetty brandishes the Rockets, A♣ A♥ .

If Chetty had his Korean opponent against the ropes preflop he all but knocked him out on the flop of A♠ Q♦ K♥ and dealt the death blow on the turn as the A♦ arrived. The T♣ on the river sealed the deal and bounced Bae from the competition. Chetty also gains over one million in holdings.

Bae finishes in 17th place.

Here are the chip-leaders entering the upcoming blinds - 4,000/8,000 (8,000):