APPT National ($1,000)

After nearly 12 hours of action-packed Day 2 play at the APPT National, Swiss pro Fabian Rolli emerged victorious over the 46 returning players to secure his first-ever title in Asia. Entering heads up with 53 big blinds to Vietnam’s Manh Tuong Ha’s 63 bb, Rolli quickly jumped ahead, closing it out in just five hands. For the win, Rolli pocketed $52,342 and hoisted the first PokerStars shard trophy of the 2025 APPT season.

The APPT National took place from May 5 to 7 as one of the highlights of the ongoing 2025 APPT Cambodia festival, held at the luxurious NagaWorld Grand Ballroom in Phnom Penh. Drawing 309 entries across three flights, each one in for $1,000, the event built a record APPT National Cambodia prize pool of $264,507.

Day 2 saw 46 players return, all assured a payout. Leading the pack was Vietnam’s Manh Tuong Ha, who carried his Flight B momentum into the final day, consistently staying well above the average stack.

Among the early exits was 2023 APPT Manila Main Event champion Yuanning Wu, who bowed out in 44th place; India’s lone contender, Somashekhar Sanampuri, made a strong run to 14th place, followed by APPT Cambodia regular Cheng Zhang in 13th; 2023 APPT Cambodia Main Event winner Chao Ting Cheng also went deep, finishing 12th, while Bien Mai took 11th. Falling just short of the final table was Russia’s Anton Rubtsov in 10th place.

At the final table, Manh Tuong Ha entered third in chips while Fabian Rolli held the top spot. The chip lead shifted frequently as Manh, Rolli, I-Chun "Charlie" Chiu, and Sungheon Hong each took turns at the top.

Momentum swung decisively during four-handed play where Chiu lost a couple of key showdowns, and Rolli's two failed bluff attempts handed Manh a sizable edge. After Manh eliminated Hao Lin in 4th place, he held the lead, but Rolli quickly bounced back by knocking out Chiu.

That set up a heads-up battle with Manh holding 63 bb to Rolli’s 53 bb. Despite the deep stacks suggesting a lengthy race, it wrapped up in a flash. Rolli took the lead on the very first hand and closed it out just four hands later with a winning flip.

With the board running 2♥ J♦ 3♠ 9♥ 7♦ , Rolli's pair stands firm to send Manh out in 2nd place.

Fabian Rolli defends his big blind from Manh Tuong Ha's 160,000 raise then they check it to the turn 6♠ 4♠ 2♦ 4♥ . Rolli dips in his stack and bets 300,000, Manh makes it 750,000, Rolli tanks then three-bets 1,450,000, Manh tosses his hand to the muck. Rolli takes the lead.

Fabian Rolli defended his big blind against the massive chip leader Manh Tuong Ha to see a flop A♠ 9♠ 9♥ . Manh continues for 120,000 and Rolli check-calls. Another 200,000 bet by Manh on the turn 3♦ is check-called by Rolli. When the river completes Q♠ , Rolli checks again, Manh checks back then mucks to Rolli's A♦ J♣ top pair.

Manh Tuong Ha is on the rise, picking up three pots. The first one sees him jam from the big blind and claim Hao Lin's raise plus the small blind bet.

Two hands after, Manh is on the button and calls Fabian Rolli's min-raise as the blinds fold. On the flop A♥ J♣ 9♥ , Manh again calls for a larger 175,000 bet. After they both check the rive 4♥ , Rolli resumes for 250,000, Manh flats, Rolli shows Q♠ T♠ bluff. Manh wins the pot with A♣ T♦ top pair.

One hand goes by and Manh is on the big blind. He calls small blind Rolli's 200,000 raise and they see a flop T♣ 5♥ 6♦ . Rolli is unrelenting and fires 290,000 that still doesn't scare away Manh. Both then check the turn 5♦ to get. a free river A♣ . Rolli resumes the barrage for 875,000, Manh goes deep in the tank and finds the reason to call. It's the right one with Rolli's bluff caught again.

Rolli shows 8♥ 2♠ , Manh ships with Q♠ T♠ .

Maxim Sorokin is down to 2 bb and puts it all on the line with A♥ 4♣ in the hole. He doesn't get past Manh Tuong Ha who calls with 8♣ 8♠ . With the board running 9♣ 5♥ T♠ 4♥ T♣ , Manh ships it as Sorokin ships out in 6th place.

Charlie Chiu has taken command of the final table and picked up more chips to be the first to enter the 3M range. In back to back hands he first won against Manh Tuong Ha who called his 120,000 preflop raise. Both players checked it to the turn 9♦ 2♠ A♠ T♣ where Chiu fired 275,000 and won the pot uncontested.

Next hand Sungheon Hong limped in from the small blind then Chiu checked his option. They checked to the turn 2♠ 2♦ J♥ T♣ where Chiu bet 80,000 and again won the pot without showdown.

No action until the small blind Sungheon Hong bets 125,000 and big blind Charlie Chiu defends. The flop brings 8♦ 4♦ 9♦ , Hong continues for 50,000 then another 175,000 on the turn 8♥ after Chiu calls. Again Chiu tosses in the chips for the river T♥ . Chiu switches up and fires 550,000, Hong assesses then calls.

Chiu shows Q♠ J♠ straight and wins the pot with Hong mucking.

Once commanding a big stack, Manh Tuong Ha found himself slipping after back-to-back setbacks. He regained a bit of ground against Sungheon Hong, raising to 100,000 preflop and following through with a 75,000 c-bet on the 2♥ 4♥ 2♣ flop. After Hong called, both players checked the 4♦ turn. Manh then fired 85,000 on the A♥ river, winning the pot without showdown.

But the momentum was short-lived. On the very next hand, Fabian Rolli jammed from the small blind with K♠ J♣ , and Manh called with T♦ T♠ . It was a race, and Rolli pulled ahead on the 9♣ 4♣ K♦ 9♠ 3♠ board to double up.

With no hits on the board for Manh, Lin secures a double up.

Sungheon Hong bumps it up to 100,000 and Manh Tuong Ha makes the call. When the flop comes 9♠ 6♥ 7♦ , Manh leads out 125,000 and Hong calls then they check the turn Q♦ . The river 9♥ pairs up the board bringing a larger 180,000 bet from Manh, Hong pays to see.

Manh shows 5♥ 4♥ missed draw, Hong wins the pot with 6♣ 8♣ two pair.

Donghyup Kim goest toe-to-toe with Fabian Rolli with the first hand seeing him raise 100,000 then folding to Rolli's 450,000 three-bet.

Two hands after, Kim raises 100,000 again, Rolli tanks for one time bank then three-bets 600,000. Action back on Kim who tanks as well for one time bank then folds.

Sungheon Hong gets dealt A♣ A♥ and opens from early position, last to act Hao Lin defends his big blind with J♠ 9♥. When the flop runs 9♠ A♠ J♣ , they both improve. Lin checks his two pair, Hong bets a light 50,000 for his set. Lin calls and the turn comes 6♣ .

Action heats up with Hong firing 125,000 and this time Lin check-raises 350,000. Hong goes all in for 740,000, Lin calls then sees he is drawing dead. The river 5♥ is of no consequence.

Hand #32: Button Sungheon Hong raises and big blind Fabian Rolli won't let him take the blinds that easy. At the flop A♥ 4♣ 3♥ , Hong continues for 40,000 and Rolli continues to defend his stake in the pot. On the turn A♣ , Rolli jumps out for 155,000, and Hong calls.

Rolli flips over A♠ 9♥ that outkicks Hong's A♦ 8♦ to drag in the pot.

Hand #33: Fabian Rolli gets a walk.

Hand #27: Charlie Chiu raises and finds no callers.

Hand #28: Dongyup Kim raises and also no callers.

Hand #29: Action folds around, small blind Hao Lin limps in only to be faced with a raise of 105,000 from the big blind Maxim Sorokin. Lin calls and the cards land T♣ T♦ 8♣ . Sorokin continues for 25,000 and Lin folds.

Hand #30: Charlie Chiu opens then folds to Donghyup Kim's three-bet.

Hand #31: No callers to Manh Tuong Ha's raise to win the blinds and ante.

Hand #23: Fabian Rolli opens 60,000 then folds to Manh Tuong Ha's reraise of 150,000.

Hand #24: Donghyup Kim opens and finds no customers to win the blinds and ante.

Hand #25: Action folds to the button Sungheon Hong and he min-raises 60,000. Big blind Donghyup Kim calls then both check the flop 9♣ Q♠ T♣ . This brings the turn 4♥ where Kim checks again then folds to Hong's 50,000 bet.

Hand #26: Hao Lin gets involved for 60,000 from early position and the blinds call. At the flop 2♦ A♣ 5♣ , it is checked to Lin who drops in 50,000, losing one player while Fabian Rolli calls. The turn 7♣ sees another 200,000 from Lin that Rolli opts not to call.

Hand #20: Charlie Chiu opens and finds no customers.

Hand #21: Another pot for Charlie Chiu who opens from hijack that gets action from the chip leader Manh Tuong Ha. At the flop 9♦ 4♣ J♣ , Chiu continues for 50,000 and Manh surrenders his hand.

Hand #22: For the third time in a row, Charlie Chiu raises 60,000 preflop and Maxim Sorokin defends his big blind. Chiu continues for 40,000 at the flop and again Sorokin defends. After both check the turn 5♠ , Sorokin jams on the river J♦ which gets a snap-fold from Chiu.

Hand #14: Hao Lin gets another walk.

Hand #15: Sungheon Hong raises the minimum and finds no callers to pick up the blinds and ante.

Hand #16: Manh Tuong Ha's min-raise from cutoff gets action from big blind Sungheon Hong. At the flop 9♠ J♦ 7♣ , it is checked to Manh who c-bets 125,000 and wins the pot.

Hand #17: At hijack, Manh Tuong Ha calls Fabian Rolli's 60,000 raise then takes a chance at the flop T♦ 3♥ Q♣ with a bet of 50,000 after Rolli checks. Rolli calls then both players check the turn 6♥ . With the river A♦ , Rolli checks for the third time, Manh fires 160,000 and takes down another pot.

Hand #18: Third consecutive pot for Manh Tuong Ha who first min-raises and gets called by small blind Charlie Chiu. After they pass up the flop 9♥ 6♦ A♥ , Manh bets 100,000 on the turn 9♠ and Chiu folds.

Hand #9: In a battle of the blinds, Charlie Chiu defends his big blind by calling Sungheon Hong’s 60,000 raise. Action checks through the flop T♦ Q♣ 5♦ , bringing the turn 8♠ . Hong checks again, prompting Chiu to bet 85,000. Hong calls to see the river 5♥ .

One last check from Hong, and Chiu fires 175,000. After some thought, Hong calls then mucks when Chiu reveals A♥ T♠ pair.

The players at the final table will now see blinds increasing every 60 minutes, giving plenty of time to assess the competition.

Hand #6: Hao Lin gets a walk.

Hand #7: Fabian Rolli raises 50,000 from hijack and goes hunting at the flop with big blind caller Maxim Sorokin. When the board runs T♠ J♠ T♦ , Rolli continues for 50,000 and wins the pot.

Hand #8: Charlie Chiu opens 50,000 from under the gun, to his immediate left Donghyup Kim calls, then the rest fold. Both players check the flop A♣ J♥ 5♠ . Chiu checks again on the turn 2♦ while Kim slides out 75,000. Chiu calls to complete the board with a river 8♣ . Both players go back to checking. Chiu shows A♦ 8♦ two pair that wins the pot.

Hand #5: Maxim Sorokin opened 50,000 only to be reraised by Charlie Chiu to 125,000. Sorokin answers with a four-bet of 275,000, Chiu considers then five-bets 425,000. Sorokin lets go of his hand.

Hand #1: Andrey Kalgin jams and wins the blinds and ante.

Hand #2: Sungheon Hong opens 55,000 from the button then folds to small blind Charlie Chiu's 185,000 reraise.

Hand #3: Pang Seng jams 345,000 and takes down the blinds and ante.

The field is now down to 9 players. Play continues.

Sungheon Hong makes it 50,000 to go but Andrey Kalgin thinks more and reraises to 125,000, Hong flats for a look at the flop 7♠ 2♦ 2♣ . Hong checks to the aggressor Kalgin who continues for 75,000, Hong fires back 375,000, Kalgin lets go of his hand.

Button Hao Lin opens the action for 50,000, small blind Fabian Rolli three-bets 225,000, and big blind I-Chun "Charlie" Chiu goes over the top for a 525,000 jam. Action back on Lin who folds while Rolli tanks using up two time banks. Rolli folds giving up the pot to Chiu.

Action folds to the small blind Bien Mai who opens 70,000, big blind Manh Tuong Ha makes the call and they go mano a mano to a flop of A♣ 4♣ J♥ .

Mai c-bets 45,000, Manh calls. On the turn 3♠, Mai continues the pressure with a 125,000 bet, and again Manh calls. This brings them to the river 5♥ where Mai slows down with a check. After tanking, Manh sends out 165,000, Mai goes into the tank himself but then surrenders, shipping the pot to Manh.

Catching the action with 200,000 in the pot and two players staring down a board 7♦ K♦ Q♣ A♠ . Small blind Pang Seng checks then tanks to Hao Lin's 70,000 bet. After using one time extension, Seng opts to surrender his stake in the pot.

The APPT has just announced that the APPT National will not stop at the final 9 players. They will play until final 6 and then assess.

Sungheon Hong looks down at A♦ 4♦ and makes it 32,000 from hijack, Somashekhar Sanampuri likes his J♦ T♦ and tosses in the call from cutoff.

When the flop comes T♥ J♠ 4♥ , Hong c-bets 20,000, Sanampuri now has top two and respects it with a raise of 40,000. Hong flats to take them to the turn 4♣ where Hong improves to trips. Hong checks, Sanampuri continues for 40,000, Hong jams with a covering stack and Sanampuri can't find the fold.

When the hole cards are on their backs, Sanampuri hopes on the river however the 9♠ is not the help he needed to fall in 14th place.

Cheng Zhang limps in from hijack then faces a big raise of 95,000 from I-Chun Chiu. Zhang answers with a 210,000 three-bet that sends Chiu tanking. He eventually folds.

Jinhui Xiao makes it 32,000 to go and Fabian Rolli calls as the rest fold. At the flop 4♣ Q♣ 2♦ , Xiao continues 26,000, Rolli ramps it up to 65,000, Xiao gives it some consideration then let's Rolli have the pot uncontested.

Several hands after, Rolli opens from utg then tanks to Maxim Sorokin's 197,000 jam. Rolli eventually folds.

Rubtsov shows the open-ended but is behind to Kim's higher pair. The turn Q♠ changes nothing. Then with the river K♦ , Rubtsov gets there to double through.

The field is down to 24 players across three tables, and they all get padded up to a total of 5 time banks. Play continues until the final 9 players are established.

Jean Testa is all in for his last 26,000 and moves all in holding Q♣ T♣ . He gets called by Nattapon Chaimungkhun who has Q♥ J♥ . The board favors the Frenchman as it runs 9♦ J♣ 4♦ 8♣ A♥ to keep him in.