APPT National (60,000 PHP)

With the shortest stack in the competition, the action is folded to Mark de la Cruz in the SB and the Filipino pro shoves his remaining stack of 65,000. Fellow Filipino pro Czardy Rivera performs a "duty call" in the BB.

De la Cruz turns over Q♠ T♣ dominating Rivera's Q♣ 2♣ .

The flop comes 7♥ 6♦ J♣ but the turn gave Rivera the lead as the 2♠ showed up. The river was the 9♣ as only 13 players remain.

Guy Taylor of England raises from early position and gets a call all the way from the BB of Filipino pro Mark de la Cruz who defends.

The flop is J♥ T♦ 7♠ as de la Cruz checks. Taylor CBets 50,000 and is greeted with a check-raise all-in by the Filipino. Taylor's response is a call for his tournament life and his final 360,000.

De la Cruz tables K♣ Q♠ for an open-ended straight draw while Taylor shows A♣ J♠ for top pair, top kicker.

The turn is the 6♣ and the river is the 2♣ to reduce de la Cruz's stack to less than two BBs.

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

Just when it appears that Filipino contender Mark de la Cruz is about to join the leaders, he suffers a huge hit.

Germany's Daniel Smiljkovic opens the action from UTG for 24,000 and it gets folded around to the HJ of India's Anju Abrol who makes the call. De la Cruz attempts to steal the pot by 3-betting to 90,000. Smiljkovic decides to fold but Abrol 4-bets all-in and is called by the Filipino.

The Indian tables A♠ K♠ while de la Cruz shows Q♥ Q♦ .

The flop favored Abrol immediately as it came 2♠ 7♠ K♣ and no help came on the subsequent community cards of 3♥ and 4♣ .

De la Cruz lost almost half his stack in the outdraw and Abrol is the one that is now approaching the seven figure mark.

Daniel Smiljkovic of Germany opens the action from UTG for 20,000 and gets called by Filipino Mark de la Cruz in the CO and Joris Michl of the Netherlands in the BB.

The flop is 7♦ 6♣ 2♠ . Michl and Smiljkovic check and de la Cruz nabs the betting lead by firing 35,000. Michl folds but Smiljkovic stays in. The turn is the Q♥ . Both check and the river is the 7♣ as once again both players check.

De la Cruz is first to show and tables 8♣ 8♦ . The German throws his cards into the muck.

De la Cruz is starting to get into an upswing.

Czechia's Philip Zukernik opens from UTG for 20,000 and right beside him in the +1 position is an all-in declaration from local bet Mark de la Cruz for 160,000. Then Jennifer Cassell from Australia also declares that she's all-in for 206,000. The action causes Zukernik to bow out of the hand.

De la Cruz tables A♥ K♥ while Cassell shows that she's ahead with K♣ K♠ .

The flop is 4♠ T♠ 3♦ but then the turn is the J♣ which increases the outs of de la Cruz. The answer to the Filipino's prayers happens on the river when the Q♥ hits as de la Cruz nails the runner-runner straight to get the double-up in miraculous fashion.

The raise of 12,000 from the HJ of Ireland's Gary Thompson is greeted with a 3-bet shove from Filipino Mark de la Cruz for 45,000. Thompson puts the local bet at risk by making the call.

De la Cruz flips over A♥ 5♥ while Thompson is behind but live with K♦ J♥ .

The board blanks out for the Irishman: Q♠ 6♦ 2♠ 7♦ 9♠ and de la Cruz returns to the six-figure mark with the victory.