
Minwoong Jeong Tops Flight B, 75 Players Advance
Minwoong JeongAnother bustling day filled the Coral Lounge at Okada Manila as players poured in for the final entry flight of the APPT Championship, drawn by the record-breaking ₱60 Million guaranteed prize pool. With registration open all day, a strong international presence was seen which included a contingent from India, taking advantage of the new visa-free entry to the Philippines. The day's turnout soared past the opening flight, bringing 190 contenders to the felt across eleven levels of play.
By the end of the night, only 75 players remained, each one securing a seat into Day 2 and keeping their Championship dreams alive. Emphasizing the popularity of the brand, the top 16 players all represented different flags.
Bagging up the biggest pile was Korea's Minwoong Jeong with a stack of 354,500 (236 bb). This was good enough to earn him second-rank in the overall Day 2 lineup, just behind the Flight A leader David Sommer with 412,500 (276 bb). A rarity in the live tournament circuit, Jeong maintained a steady pace all day before breaking away in the final hands to secure his late surge.
Javier BrisRight behind Jeong were a pair of APPT newcomers making an instant impact. Spain’s Javier Bris closed with 327,000 (218 bb), while Britain’s Lewis Cowell followed closely on 325,000 (216 bb). Cowell has been on an upswing lately, fresh off his first APPT cash at the recently concluded APPT Open, where he narrowly missed the final table in 10th place.
Other big stacks moving forward include Cao Ngoc Anh (190,000, 126 bb), Birger Larsen (228,500, 152 bb), Frank Lillis (238,500, 158 bb), and Michael Uguccioni (168,000, 112 bb) — all of whom were recent finalists in major events.
Adding to the star power, 2024 APPT Manila champion Cheng Xiong (171,500, 114 bb) and 2025 APPT Manila runner-up Oliver Lirio (125,500, 83 bb) also advanced, joined by WSOP bracelet winner Aditya Agarwal and qualifier Seunghee Park (84,000, 56 bb).
Interested in being part of the action, registration is still open in Day 2, closing at the start of Level 13. Buy in is ₱165,000. With a total 334 entries, there is a high chance that the record prize pool will be breached.
Somuchpoker returns tomorrow at 12PM to bring you the action at Day 2.
Top 10 In Chips
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
MJ Minwoong Jeong | 354,000(236 BB) |
JB Javier Bris | 327,000(218 BB) |
LC Lewis Cowell | 325,000(217 BB) |
KJ Kunal Jain | 320,000(213 BB) |
RE Rudy Edenata | 270,000(180 BB) |
DB Daniel Benor | 256,000(171 BB) |
AU Artem Utevskii | 247,500(165 BB) |
FL Frank Lillis | 238,500(159 BB) |
BL Birger Larsen | 228,500(152 BB) |
ET Eijiro Taguchi | 216,000(144 BB) |
Rudy Edenata Shows Top Set
Rudy EdenataHeated hand between Rudy Edenata and Juan Guevara resulted in a pot of 24,500 preflop. More went in when the flop ran T♦ 8♣ 3♦ with Edenata betting 15,000 and Guevara paying to see the turn land A♣ . Edenata barreled once more for 40,000. Guevara tanked for some time then folded. Edenata flipped over A♦ A♥ which shocked Guevara "wow!"
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
RE Rudy Edenata | 250,000(167 BB) |
JG Juan Guevara | 111,500(74 BB) |
Lots Of Heat Doesn't Stop Gary Guerrero
Gary GuerreroDaniel Benor opens and it's three-way to the flop 5♣ 6♦ K♥ with cutoff Gary Guerrero and small blind Benhur Ybarsabal. Two checks to Guerrero, he sends a 5000 feeler that's called by Ybarsabal then check-raised to 17,500 by Benor. The three-way stays intact as both Guerrrero and Ybarsabal make the call.
The turn pairs the board with K♦ showing up. Two checks again lead to an all in from Guerrero for 29,500. Ybarsabal tanks and is tempted to call but decides otherwise. Benor follows suit and said he had aces, Guerrro said he had sixes, and Ybarsabal said he had 7-8 diamonds, but no one actually flipped 'em open.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
DB Daniel Benor | 175,000(117 BB) |
GG Gary Guerrero | 106,000(71 BB) |
BY Benhur Ybarsabal | 46,000(31 BB) |
Arkadii Okulov Not Afraid Of The Big Stacks
Arkadii OkulovThree players built up a pot of 14,500 to bring about a flop of 9♣ K♣ Q♥ . Arkadii Okulov and Anton Iakimenko checked it to William Teoh who bet half pot of 7000. Okulov answered with a check-raise to 27,700 leaving just 10,000 behind. Iakimenko seemed to be tanking for a long time until he was reminded by the dealer then realized he had cards and quickly folded. Teoh followed behind.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
AO Arkadii Okulov | 59,200(39 BB) |
Cheng Xiong Pushes Out Kunal Jain
Cheng XiongCheng Xiong took a small portion of Kunal Jain's stack sported the biggest stack coming into the last level. On a board that completed 4♠ 8♥ 6♠ 9♦ 2♣ with around 80,000 in the pot, Xiong jammed for 105,300. This sent Jain to the think tank until he opted to surrender the pot without a challenge.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
KJ Kunal Jain | 342,000(228 BB) |
CX Cheng Xiong | 185,300(124 BB) |
Bao Pham Survives The Flip
Bao PhamBao Pham three-bet his last 29,400 holding K♣ T♣ and paired up on the board 5♦ A♦ Q♦ T♥ Q♥ to get past Shinyo Nonin's 9♠ 9♥ and avoid the rail.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
SN Shinyo Nonin | 70,000(47 BB) |
PB Pham Bao | 52,800(35 BB) |
Big Stacks At The New Level
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
KJ Kunal Jain | 396,000(264 BB) |
MJ Minwoong Jeong | 317,000(211 BB) |
LC Lewis Cowell | 300,000(200 BB) |
FL Frank Lillis | 280,000(187 BB) |
JB Javier Bris | 270,000(180 BB) |
WT William Teoh | 250,000(167 BB) |
BL Birger Larsen | 248,000(165 BB) |
RE Rudy Edenata | 226,000(151 BB) |
CQ Cezar Quiambao | 215,000(143 BB) |
CN Cao Ngoc Anh | 210,000(140 BB) |
LA Lloyd Antonio Locsin | 200,000(133 BB) |
AM Adam Monaghan | 185,000(123 BB) |
SS Somasekhar Sanampuri | 180,000(120 BB) |
LZ Lu Zhou | 180,000(120 BB) |
AI Anton Iakimenko | 175,000(117 BB) |
HT Henrik Tollefsen | 170,000(113 BB) |
ET Eijiro Taguchi | 170,000(113 BB) |
TH Thi Hue Dang | 150,000(100 BB) |
Last Level Of The Day
Players have now entered Level 11 which is the last level to jump in this flight. Late registration closes at the start of Level 12 at Day 2.
Level 11: 1,000 / 1,500 ante: 1,500
60 minutesCao Ngoc Anh On The Rise
Cao Ngoc Anh Cao Ngoc Anh has been on full on grind mode to double his stack from just over 100K to over 200K. One of the bigger wins saw a board of T♦ 8♥ 7♥ 7♣ 3♠ with 32,800 in the pot. Michael Concepcion bet 23,000 then tank-folded to Cao's 73,000 raise. Concepcion folded and showed J♠ J♦ .
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
CN Cao Ngoc Anh | 210,000(175 BB) |
MG Michael Gabby Concepcion | 67,000(56 BB) |
Oliver Lirio Forced To Lay Down Trips
Oliver LirioWhat started out as just some light betting ended in Oliver Lirio in the pressure cooker. The hand opened with a raise from Cowell for 2700 at cutoff. To his immediate left, Oliver Lirio called then they both checked the flop 2♣ 4♥ 3♣ .
Betting returned on fourth street with Cowell laying out 3000 which Lirio just called. Then things heated up on the river K♦ with Cowell betting 7000, Lirio raising 23,000, and Cowell quickly all-in with a stack that dwarfed Lirio's a few times over.
Lirio was stunned and struggled to make a decision. He eventually opted to fold while showing K♠ T♥ trips.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
LC Lewis Cowell | 300,000(250 BB) |
OL Oliver Lirio | 82,700(69 BB) |
Haerok Lee Four-Bet Takedown
Haerok LeeHaerok Lee raised 2500 from cutoff and got popped to 8500 by button Vamerdino Magsakay. After the blinds got out of the way, Lee fired back a four-bet to 18,500 and that ended the battle.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
HL Haerok Lee | 81,000(68 BB) |
VM Vamerdino Magsakay | 54,000(45 BB) |
Big Stacks At The New Level
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
JB Javier Bris | 346,000(288 BB) |
FL Frank Lillis | 340,000(283 BB) |
MJ Minwoong Jeong | 294,000(245 BB) |
KJ Kunal Jain | 282,000(235 BB) |
LC Lewis Cowell | 270,000(225 BB) |
WT William Teoh | 260,000(217 BB) |
RE Rudy Edenata | 230,000(192 BB) |
LZ Lu Zhou | 230,000(192 BB) |
SS Somasekhar Sanampuri | 200,000(167 BB) |
HT Henrik Tollefsen | 190,000(158 BB) |
AI Anton Iakimenko | 182,000(152 BB) |
CQ Cezar Quiambao | 170,000(142 BB) |
Level 10: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200
60 minutesWell Deserved Pot For Edilberto Gopez
Edilberto GopezEdward Pires and Edilberto Gopez called and early position raise then went mano-a-mano after Gopez bet 5000 on the flop 4♣ Q♥ 6♣ that only Pires called. This brought the turn 4♠ where Gopez fired again for 13,000 and still Pires made the call.
When the river completed the board with an A♠ , Gopez continued the barrage for a larger 30,000, and still Pires refused to believe. He hero-called then Gopez revealed the goods, A♦ 4♥ full house to scoop up a well deserved pot.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
EG Edilberto Gopez | 155,000(129 BB) |
EP Edward Pires | 18,000(15 BB) |
Perfect Timing For Jiaxian Ye's Aces
Jiaxian YeJiaxian Ye was dealt A♥ A♠ at the same time that Lewis Cowell had A♦ K♣ . With his short stack, Ye four-bet it all and secured a fast and easy double up.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
LC Lewis Cowell | 270,000(225 BB) |
JY Jiaxian Ye | 60,000(50 BB) |
Jesse Rivera Successfully Defends The Big Blind
Big stacked Kunal Jain was just moved to a new table and wasted no time initiating some action. In a hand where everyone folded to him on the button, Jain raised to 2500 and a game got going with Jesse Rivera defending the big blind.
The flop A♥ 6♥ 8♦ was checked to Jain who continued for 3000 then slowed down on the turn A♦ after Rivera called the flop bet. Rivera checked back the turn then switched up with a lead out bet of 5000 on the river 4♦ . Jain wasn't sure if it was a steal and called. Rivera revealed K♣ 8♣ and the two pair was good.
William Teoh Puts Tomoya Kakihara On The Ropes
William TeohAnton Iakimenko's cutoff raise to 2500 was repopped to 6000 by button Tomoya Kakihara. Small blind William Teoh wanted in on the action and flatted, and Iakimenko topped up for a three-way.
After the dealer fanned the flop Q♥ A♥ 7♣ , Teoh led out with a 10,000 feeler which induced a fold while Kakihara stuck around to see the turn 3♣ . Again Teoh maintained control with a bet of 15,200 and Kakihara called once more to complete the board 4♥ .
Not bothering to count, Teoh asked for the triangle putting Kakihara deep in thought with just 42,100 behind. The clock was ultimately called and Teoh dragged in the pot without a showdown.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
WT William Teoh | 263,000(219 BB) |
AI Anton Iakimenko | 182,000(152 BB) |
TK Tomoya Kakihara | 42,100(35 BB) |
Edwin Marzan Gets A Shove Through
Edwin MarzanOn a board showing 6♦ 3♣ 3♥ 2♠ , Daniel Benor bets 11,500 onto a pot of 21,800 only to see Edwin Marzan jam his last chips amounting to 34,000. Benor can afford it but opts out instead.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
DB Daniel Benor | 83,000(69 BB) |
EM Edwin Marzan | 67,300(56 BB) |
Van Sang Nguyen Stays Afloat With Ducks
Van Sang NguyenVan Sang Nguyen opens 20,000 then commits the rest behind worth 5,400 after getting pushed by Dmitrii Gnusaev. Nguyen is ahead with 2♥ 2♦ and survives the flip when Gnusaev's K♥ J♥ misses the board A♠ A♥ T♦ 9♦ 3♦ .
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
VS Van Sang Nguyen | 52,600(44 BB) |
DG Dmitrii Gnusaev | 26,000(22 BB) |
Go Saito Fizzles Out Against Mansour Matloubi's Aces
Mansour MatloubiGo Saito was all in preflop with A♥ K♠ but ran smack into Mansour Matloubi's A♦ A♣ to fall early in the new level.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
MM Mansour Matloubi | 82,000(68 BB) |
GS Go Saito | busted |
Gary Guerrero Delivers A Bad Beat
Gary GuerreroShort stacked Virat Kapoor was all-in with A♣ Q♦ and big blind Gary Guerrero tossed in the call showing Q♠ T♠ . Unlucky for Kapoor as the dealer spread the board Q♥ T♦ 2♣ 6♥ K♣ .
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
GG Gary Guerrero | 108,000(90 BB) |
VK Virat Kapoor | busted |
Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200
60 minutesViney Singal Tanks Then Stunned
Battle of the blinds with Viney Singal and Frank Lillis punching back and forth for the pot to balloon to 42,000. Singal slows down at the flop 5♥ 6♥ 7♣ while Lillis continues for 11,000 that Singal calls. Check again from Singal on fourth street with 4♠ appearing, Lillis does the same for a free river card Q♣ . Once more Singal checks while Lillis goes clear opposite direction and shoves.
This sends Singal tanking for a very long time until he finally asks "ace-king? pocket nines? flush draw?" Unable to get a read, he finally decides to risk it and can't believe his eyes when Lillis turns over A♣ Q♥ , crushing his J♠ J♣ .
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
FL Frank Lillis | 282,000(282 BB) |
VS Viney Singal | busted |
Artem Utevskii
Artem Utevskii Following a raise that was called, cutoff player Bao Sheng Woon three-bet 6100. Two spots over Artem Utevskii on the small blind four-bet the minimum to 10,100. Only Woon had the guts to call and they went hunting down the streets.
After the dealer spread the Q♥ 8♣ 4♦ flop, Utevskii's 4000 c-bet was called and his 10,000 bet on the 5♣ turn as well. When the river paired the board 8♠ , Utevskii barreled 40,000 and took down the pot after Woon surrendered his hand.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
AU Artem Utevskii | 138,000(138 BB) |
WB Woon Bao Sheng | 49,300(49 BB) |
Viney Singal Scores More Than Double
Viney Singal Sitting at utg, Viney Singal puts 7500 out front and two players toss in the big bet. With only big cards appearing at the flop A♥ Q♣ K♦ , they all check to bring the turn 7♠ . No more checking for Singal who fires a delayed 12,000 c-bet. Only Markus Garberg sticks with him for the final card to come 9♦ river.
After a slight tank, Singal goes all in for his last 15,800 which sends Garberg deep in the tank. He finally finds the reason slide out the call then mucks to A♣ J♣ top pair.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
FL Frank Lillis | 116,000(116 BB) |
MG Markus Garberg | 89,000(89 BB) |
VS Viney Singal | 80,600(81 BB) |
Bao Pham Pushes Out Daijiro Tomoto
Heavy preflop betting ended with a pot of 18,000 and two players remaining in the hand. Heavier action was seen on the flop 5♣ 2♠ 3♦ with Bao Pham starting it off for 4500, Tomoto raising 11,500, then Pham three-betting all-in. Tomoto snap-folded.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
DT Daijiro Tomoto | 74,500(75 BB) |
PB Pham Bao | 50,000(50 BB) |
Decent Pot For Thomas Fonce
Thomas FonceThomas Fonce looks down at connectors T♥ 9♥ and min-raises from cutoff. The blinds call to further boost the pot to 7,000. All three pass up the flop 5♥ 8♦ 6♦ then Fonce pairs up on the turn T♣ meriting a bet of 4000. Only Jain continues to the river Q♥ where it is back to checking. Jain shows 5♦ 4♦ to relinquish the pot to Fonce.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
KJ Kunal Jain | 140,000(140 BB) |
TF Thomas Fonce | 50,000(50 BB) |
India In The House!

With Indian nationals now visa-free to the Philippines, a surge in attendance was expected. At Flight B, that prediction proved true as familiar and new faces from the Indian poker circuit are in the field.
Among those at the tables are Aditya Agarwal, Sumit Sapra, Somasekhar Sanampuri, Somashekar Mahadeva, Virat Kapoor, Abhijeet Shetty, Rahul Melwani, Kunal Jain, and Viney Singal. Good luck to them!
Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000
60 minutesNerses Kulahain Paid The Max With Top Pair Top Kicker
Nerses KulahainOn a flop of J♣ K♠ 8♠ and a hefty 22,000 in the pot, Nerses Kulahain was all in holding A♠ K♦ and was looking good against caller Somasekhar Sanampuri's K♥ Q♥ . It remained drama-free on the runner runner 6♠ and 9♥ for a clean double to Kulahain.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
NK Nerses Kulahian | 74,600(93 BB) |
SS Somasekhar Sanampuri | 45,000(56 BB) |
Tomoya Kakihara Gets Value For The Flush
Tomoya KakiharaButton player Tomoya Kakihara was the lone caller to Aditya Agarwal's raise with K♥ 7♥ on hand. When a couple of hearts came on the board 2♥ A♥ Q♣ , he called Agarwal's 4500 c-bet then landed the nut flush on the turn T♥ . Agarwal backpedaled and checked while Kakihara value-bet 6000, which Agarwal called. Another 10,000 came out of Kakihara's stack on the river 2♣ and again Agarwal called then mucked.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
TK Tomoya Kakihara | 100,000(125 BB) |
AA Aditya Agarwal | 51,000(64 BB) |
Top 10 At The Return
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
JB Javier Bris | 295,000(369 BB) |
JR Jesse Rivera | 201,000(251 BB) |
MJ Minwoong Jeong | 193,000(241 BB) |
JZ Jayden Zalac | 188,000(235 BB) |
LC Lewis Cowell | 180,000(225 BB) |
MG Markus Garberg | 160,000(200 BB) |
AM Adam Monaghan | 158,000(198 BB) |
WT William Teoh | 156,500(196 BB) |
LZ Lu Zhou | 150,000(188 BB) |
VM Vamerdino Magsakay | 68,000(85 BB) |
Play Resumes - 109 Players Back On The Grind
Party's over, back to the grind here at the APPT Championship with 109 players in the field out of 168 entries. Registration is wide open, closing at the start of Level 12 tomorrow.
Big Stacks At The New Level
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
MJ Minwoong Jeong | 181,500(227 BB) |
AI Anton Iakimenko | 165,000(206 BB) |
AM Adam Monaghan | 163,000(204 BB) |
JZ Jayden Zalac | 163,000(204 BB) |
LZ Lu Zhou | 155,000(194 BB) |
JR Jesse Rivera | 153,000(191 BB) |
SK Shoichiro Kubota | 143,500(179 BB) |
CX Cheng Xiong | 143,000(179 BB) |
RE Rudy Edenata | 136,000(170 BB) |
BL Birger Larsen | 130,000(163 BB) |
LA Lloyd Antonio Locsin | 130,000(163 BB) |
BV Bernard Vu | 120,000(150 BB) |
BL Boon Leong Wong | 120,000(150 BB) |
FL Frank Lillis | 118,000(148 BB) |
LN Le Ngoc Khanh | 115,000(144 BB) |
SS Sumit Sapra | 114,000(143 BB) |
KJ Kunal Jain | 110,000(138 BB) |
SM Said Mekhmedov | 100,000(125 BB) |
Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800
60 minutesJoris Michl Up, William Ysmael Plummets
Joris MichlBy the time we reached Table 22, the board showed 5♠ T♦ J♦ 8♠ K♦ with 33,800 in the pot. Joris Michl had a bet of 25,000 out front that William Ysmael called leaving himself just 5400 behind. Down the orbit, Maxwell Rosete tanked then open-folded 8♣ 8♥ set. It was the correct decision as Michl turned over A♥ Q♣ straight. Ysmael mucked then busted shortly after.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
JM Joris Michl | 94,500(158 BB) |
MR Maxwell Rosete | 53,500(89 BB) |
WY William Ysmael | busted |
Virat Kapoor Runs Into Anton Iakimenko's Aces
Virat KapoorVirat Kapoor found himself all-in pre, risking his big stack of 74,100 in one go against Anton Iakimenko. Kapoor had a premium hand of A♦ K♦ however it was still far behind Iakimenko's A♥ A♠ . And with the board running 6♥ 6♦ 4♣ K♣ 7♣ , he packed up as Iakimenko soared to the top of the counts.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
AI Anton Iakimenko | 165,000(275 BB) |
VK Virat Kapoor | busted |
Battulga Ganbold Back-Pedals To The Shove
A three-way pot of 7,000 saw the flop come down 6♣ J♦ 7♦ where Battulga Ganbold continued for 3,700. Only William Teoh made the call, bringing the 3♦ on the turn. Ganbold fired again for 6,000, but this time Teoh moved all in. With just 14,500 left behind, Ganbold let go of his hand, choosing to wait for a better spot.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
WT William Teoh | 65,000(108 BB) |
OL Oliver Lirio | 55,000(92 BB) |
BG Battulga Ganbold | 14,500(24 BB) |
Rahul Melwani Earns The Max With Rockets
Rahul MelwaniJihun Choi could not let go of his 5♥ 5♠ when Rahul Melwani shoved on a board of J♠ 6♦ 9♣ 6♣ 4♦ with 26,600 already in the pot. Melwani had A♥ A♦ and doubled up while Choi plunged and busted shortly after.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
RM Rahul Melwani | 89,000(148 BB) |
JC Jihun Choi | busted |
Yury Salikaev Shoves For The Pot
Yury SalikaevCatching the action with 6000 in the pot and a flop showing T♦ 9♠ 7♥ , Bao Sheng Woon bets 3500 and gets check-raised by Yury Salikaev to 9000. Woon fires back for 19,000, then snap-folds when Salikaev moves all in.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
YS Yury Salikaev | 87,000(145 BB) |
WB Woon Bao Sheng | 42,900(72 BB) |
Juan Guevara Saved By The River
Juan GuevaraAfter a raise from utg Kyle Magbanua was called by three players, big blind Juan Guevara shoved for 14,700. Only Magbanua took him on and they were flipping with Guevara's Q♣ Q♠ needing to dodge A♦ K♥ .
When the flop ran K♠ K♣ J♥ , Magbanua immediately improved to trips and with aa 91% chance of delivering the bust. However, the turn 9♥ increased Guevara's chances slightly to 14% and that materialized on the river with T♠ coming for a straight to Guevara.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
JK Jason Kyle Magbanua | 36,000(60 BB) |
JG Juan Guevara | 34,000(57 BB) |
Level 6: 300 / 600 ante: 600
60 minutesMichael Uguccioni Gets Max Value For The Boat
Michael UguccioniMichael Uguccioni earned a pot through David White with 8♣ 8♦ full house on a board of 8♥ Q♠ 7♥ Q♥ K♥ .
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
MU Michael Uguccioni | 64,000(128 BB) |
DC David Callan White | 12,400(25 BB) |
Oliver Lirio and Leo Kamiya Go Back And Forth
Leo Kamiya The 2025 APPT Manila runner-up, Oliver Lirio, is back in and making his second bullet count. From the small blind, he defended with a three-bet after Leo Kamiya opened from the cutoff, and Kamiya slid out the call.
After the flop landed 2♠ 6♣ T♥ , Lirio fired 2,600. Kamiya turned up the heat with a raise to 8,600, Lirio called. The 5♠ appeared on the turn, prompting a check from Lirio. Kamiya continued for 11,500, but Lirio sprung out with a raise to 25,000 and it was enough to force a quick fold from Kamiya and scoop the pot.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
LK Leo Kamiya | 97,300(195 BB) |
OL Oliver Lirio | 76,000(152 BB) |
Edward Pires Improves And Earns
Edward PiresEdward Pires has Q♠ J♠ and raised from +1 then joins the big blind in calling button Cao Ngo Anh's three-bet to boost the pot to 12,600. They all check the flop J♦ 8♣ 5♣ then Pires bets 1700 on the turn K♦ . Cao answers again with aggression making it 9500 which gets one player to fold while Pires defends.
The board completes with a Q♣ river card and Pires checks, Cao also steps on the brakes and checks then mucks to the two pair.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
EP Edward Pires | 70,000(140 BB) |
CN Cao Ngoc Anh | 54,000(108 BB) |
Max Pay For Le Ngoc Khanh's Nut Flush
Le Ngoc KhanhThree players in for 1000 each see T♠ 9♠ 5♥ find the flop . Action is checked to Le Ngoc Khanh who bets near pot for 2700. Small blind positioned Soonchul Hwang answers with check-raise to 8200 which induces a fold in Dmitrii Gnusaev while Khanh wants to go to fourth street.
When the Q♠ comes on the turn, action erupts with a bet of 8500 from Khanh check-raised again by Hwang for all of his chips. Khanh is covered and checks the board once more then calls.
Hwang sees the bad new with 7♠ 5♠ far behind Khanh's A♠ 4♠ and is drawing dead.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
LN Le Ngoc Khanh | 109,800(220 BB) |
DG Dmitrii Gnusaev | 45,000(90 BB) |
SH Soonchul Hwang | 14,500(29 BB) |
Big Stacks At The New Level
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
AK Artem Kabanov | 1,110,000(2220 BB) |
BL Birger Larsen | 144,000(288 BB) |
JB Javier Bris | 134,500(269 BB) |
CX Cheng Xiong | 128,000(256 BB) |
RP Ramon Pablo | 112,600(225 BB) |
MW Martin Wong | 100,000(200 BB) |
SS Sumit Sapra | 100,000(200 BB) |
BV Bernard Vu | 98,000(196 BB) |
PB Pham Bao | 96,000(192 BB) |
LK Leo Kamiya | 91,300(183 BB) |
SA Seitaro Aso | 91,100(182 BB) |
JR Jesse Rivera | 90,000(180 BB) |
BL Boon Leong Wong | 85,000(170 BB) |
Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500
60 minutesJavier Bris On The Rise
Javier BrisJavier Bris was dealt Q♣ Q♥ on the big blind and three-bet 4500. Initial raiser Rowel Ong from +1 stuck around to take the bout to the flop 2♥ 8♥ 7♣ . Bris continued for 3000 and Ong obliged. Same action on the turn 3♠ but with a heftier 9000 bet from Bris that Ong called. Bris slowed down on the river J♥ and Ong checked back then mucked when the Q♣ Q♥ was revealed.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
JB Javier Bris | 130,000(325 BB) |
RJ Rowel Janson Ong | 30,500(76 BB) |
Consecutive Pots For Jayden Zalac
Jayden Zalac Jayden Zalac faced a raise of 1000 by cutoff Lloyd Locsin and drove it to 3500 from button position. With no takers but Locsin, the flop ran K♠ 2♦ 3♦ . Zalac continued for 2100 and again Locsin paid to see the turn card 9♥ . This time Zalac barreled a much larger bet of 10,500 and it was enough to claim the pot unchallenged.
Next hand, Zalac called Seitaro Aso's raise and flop bet of 2200 then they checked the rest running 2♥ 7♦ 4♣ 3♣ J♠ . Seitaro's overcards A♥ Q♥ missed, Zalac dragged in the pot with 8♣ 8♠ .
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
LA Lloyd Antonio Locsin | 86,500(216 BB) |
SA Seitaro Aso | 74,000(185 BB) |
JZ Jayden Zalac | 63,000(158 BB) |
Artem Kabanov's Pocket Pair Is A Winner
Artem KabanovArtem Kabanov was dealt T♥ T♠ and went head-to-head with Xiaohua Fu for a pot that grew to 31,800 by the river 6♠ Q♣ 5♥ 4♣ J♥ . Fu attempted to steal with a bet of 15,000 but Kabanov felt his pocket was good and called. The read was correct as Fu mucked.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
AK Artem Kabanov | 83,000(208 BB) |
XF Xiaohua Fu | 26,500(66 BB) |
Oliver Lirio Caught Bluffing By Bao Pham
Oliver LirioFollowing an open from utg that was called by +1 Oliver Lirio, cutoff Bao Pham three-bet 4600. Both players still called for three-way action to the flop K♦ 4♦ 9♦ where everyone checked. Betting returned on the turn 7♠ with Lirio testing 2400 and only Pham called.
The board proceeded to complete 6♣ on the river and Lirio took time to decide before going all-in for 15,000. Pham did not believe and called. It was the correct read with Lirio showing Q♣ T♥ bluff. Pham shipped it with T♣ T♠ .
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
PB Pham Bao | 84,000(210 BB) |
OL Oliver Lirio | busted |
Boon Wong Dusts One
Boon WongBoon Wong is doing much better with his second bullet having just sent a player packing with Q♥ Q♣ standing firm against Myagmardorj Batsukh who three-bet shoved with A♠ Q♠ . The board ran very dry for Batsukh with no scare cards and just ten-high.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
BL Boon Leong Wong | 67,000(168 BB) |
MB Myagmardorj Batsukh | busted |
APPT Open Runner- Birger Larsen In Action
Birger LarsenAPPT Open runner-up Birger Larsen won a ticket to this event and has now joined the field and this hand. It started as a four-way to the flop with 6000 built before the board felted 9♣ K♥ 3♠ . Slaven Popov bet 3400 into it and only Larsen continued. The turn Q♥ was checked by both then Larsen slid out an overbet of 18,000 on the river 5♠ . Popov opted out.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
BL Birger Larsen | 59,000(148 BB) |
SP Slaven Popov | 35,000(88 BB) |
Field Continues To Grow
More players took seats at the previous level as the tally inches closer to 100. Some of the latest arrivals are listed below.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
EA Edilberto Atienza Jr | 50,000(125 BB) |
BB Brett Bader | 50,000(125 BB) |
MB Myagmardorj Batsukh | 50,000(125 BB) |
CC Carlo Calingasan | 50,000(125 BB) |
JG Juan Guevara | 50,000(125 BB) |
JC Jihun Choi | 50,000(125 BB) |
LC Lewis Cowell | 50,000(125 BB) |
PS Paul Sergio De Lisboa | 50,000(125 BB) |
AI Alessio Isaia | 50,000(125 BB) |
WK Wanhee Kang | 50,000(125 BB) |
NK Nerses Kulahian | 50,000(125 BB) |
BL Birger Larsen | 50,000(125 BB) |
OL Oliver Lirio | 50,000(125 BB) |
AL Alexis Lim | 50,000(125 BB) |
SJ Seng Jun Dixon Pang | 50,000(125 BB) |
Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400
60 minutesHaerok Lee vs Gary Thompson
Haerok LeeHaerok Lee opened then defended by calling Gary Thompson's 3000 three-bet. Thompson continued for 3500 at the flop 7♠ 5♥ 2♥ and Lee refused to budge, calling fast. This led to both players checking the turn 3♠ and river J♠ . Lee revealed Q♥ J♥ and won the pot.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
HL Haerok Lee | 60,000(200 BB) |
GT Gary Thompson | 38,300(128 BB) |
Favorable Board For Arkadii Okulov
Arkadii Okulov Arkadii Okulov was in a three-way pot with A♣ 7♣ on hand and a favorable board showing 4♣ Q♥ K♣ . Aggressor Somashekar Mahadeva c-bet 1600 and only Okulov called from small blind. More improvement for Okulov as the turn cam A♦ . Checking to Mahadeva, a bet of 6000 landed and Okulov called again. One last check from Okulov on the river K♠ , this time Mahadeva opted to check back then mucked.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
| 62,000(207 BB) | |
AO Arkadii Okulov | 41,000(137 BB) |
Seitaro Aso Timed-Out
Seitaro AsoAccording to Seitaro Aso he had Ace-King in this hand when he raised 2000 then tanked to Leo Kamiya's 9500 raise on a board A♣ A♥ 8♥ 4♣ . With 12,400 already in before the bets, the clock was called on Seitaro who could not decide to be forced to fold.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
SA Seitaro Aso | 74,000(247 BB) |
LK Leo Kamiya | 60,000(200 BB) |
Shanbang Shi Folds Trips Then Doubles Up
Shanbang ShiA♠ the filed continues to grow, so do the pots. On a board of 4♦ K♣ 6♣ 3♣ K♠ with 31,800 up for grabs, Jesse Rivera bets 12,000 into it, sending Shanbang Shi tanking until he decides to fold and show A♥ K♦ trips.
Not long after, Shi was all in for 28,100 on a board 4♠ T♦ K♣ A♠ 5♦ , Benhur Ybarsabal could not resist calling with A♥ K♦ top two. Shi had him with T♣ T♥ set to double up.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
SS Shanbang Shi | 77,500(258 BB) |
JR Jesse Rivera | 53,000(177 BB) |
BY Benhur Ybarsabal | 40,000(133 BB) |
Players Party At 6PM Feat. DJ Patty Tiu
Player are in for a treat tonight, as the Players Party kicks off at The Fountain during the dinner break. The celebration features music by renowned local DJ Patty Tiu, along with complimentary food and drinks for all attendees.

Big Stacks At The New Level
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
SA Seitaro Aso | 81,000(270 BB) |
RP Ramon Pablo | 80,700(269 BB) |
SS Shanbang Shi | 72,600(242 BB) |
NC Nicolas Cardyn | 68,500(228 BB) |
FF Fred Farboud Feridoun | 67,000(223 BB) |
HT Hoa Thinh Nguyen | 64,300(214 BB) |
LK Leo Kamiya | 63,000(210 BB) |
AM Adam Monaghan | 63,000(210 BB) |
Level 3: 100 / 300 ante: 300
60 minutesAccidental But Still Penalized
Frank Lillis and Martin WongOn a board of 3♣ J♦ 3♦ 3♠ and 12,700 up for grabs, it was checked to Frank Lillis who slid out 5000. Martin Wong made the call and after the last player down the orbit folded, Wong revealed Q♥ Q♣ forgetting there was still a river to come.
After the TD was called, it was ruled a one-hand penalty. On the river 5♠ , Lillis folded and said he had a jack. Wong claimed the pot but had to step away from the table to serve his penalty.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
MW Martin Wong | 57,000(285 BB) |
FL Frank Lillis | 34,000(170 BB) |
Fred Farboud Denies Jesse Rivera The Pot
Fred FarboudBy the river board 7♠ J♠ Q♥ T♣ 8♠ with 13,000 in the pot, Fred Farboud bet near half pot for 6000 and found one caller in Jesse Rivera as one player let go. Rivera showed 9♣ 9♥ straight and was surprised to see the pot swinging towards Farboud who showed K♠ T♠ , then he saw the flush and grunted in frustration.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
FF Fred Farboud Feridoun | 63,000(315 BB) |
JR Jesse Rivera | 33,400(167 BB) |
[Update] APPT National - Final 6 Underway!
The race to the APPT National title is now underway! Top prize of ₱2,824,605 up for grabs along with the shard trophy. Good luck to all!

Ramon Pablo Turns It To Rail Graham Cowan Early
Ramon PabloGraham Cowan had just joined the fray and in minutes, his entire stack was transported to Ramon Pablo. The hand opened with a raise from middle position called by Pablo then three-bet to 2600 by Cowan on the button. Both players called, boosting the pot to 8500 before the cards ran 8♥ 7♠ J♠ . Action checked to Pablo, he overbet 10,000, Cowan answered with a shove, mp player got out of the heat, then Pablo tank-called with slightly more chips behind.
Cowan was ahead with A♣ A♠ but in percentage, Pablo's T♠ 8♠ edged 55% - 45%. The turn 6♠ was the money card for Pablo but Cowan still had outs for the nut flush so long as it wasn't the nine of spades. The river was 5♣ .
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
RP Ramon Pablo | 99,500(498 BB) |
GC Graham Cowan | busted |
More Arrivals
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
VM Vamerdino Magsakay | 50,000(250 BB) |
LK Leo Kamiya | 50,000(250 BB) |
DE David Erquiaga | 50,000(250 BB) |
SA Seitaro Aso | 50,000(250 BB) |
FL Frank Lillis | 50,000(250 BB) |
GC Graham Cowan | 50,000(250 BB) |
Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200
60 minutesShanbang Shi Gets A Bluff Through
Shanbang ShiShanbang Shi is clearly here to make his presence felt, flashing a bluff to send a message to the table. We caught the action on the turn 3♦ 5♣ T♥ 8♦ with a hefty pot of 10,500 already brewed.
From middle position, Shi had 6500 out front and big blind Arkadii Okulov was deep in thought then called. More muscle from Shi on the 7♣ river firing 20,000 onto a pot of 23,500. Okulov could afford it but opted to fold while showing J♦ J♠ overpair. Shi returned the gesture showing J♥ 4♥ bluff.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
SS Shanbang Shi | 54,500(545 BB) |
AO Arkadii Okulov | 40,000(400 BB) |
Pound For Pound: Alfie Adam And Dmitrii Belikov
Alfie AdamTabled next to each other, Dmitrii Belikov and Alfie Adam went head-to-head for several pots. Catching a few, Adam three-bet from hijack and Belikov topped up. After it was checked to the turn Q♣ 7♣ 5♠ 6♦ , Belikov slid out 2500 and won the pot easy.
Bigger pot on the next with Adam three-betting a huge 5000 at button. Belikov still called then folded on Adam's c-bet of 7000 on a flop 5♦ 8♦ 7♦ .
Following that hand, Kunal Jain raised 500 from utg and this time three players called, including Belikov and Adam. Belikov bet 1800 on a flop 8♣ J♠ 3♠ , Adam and Jain called then they all checked the turn A♠ . Belikov returned to betting on the river 3♥ for 2500. Only Jain paid to see then mucked A♣ J♥ .
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
DB Dmitrii Belikov | 52,000(520 BB) |
KJ Kunal Jain | 43,000(430 BB) |
AA Alfie Adam | 42,000(420 BB) |
Decorated APPT Champions Into Day 2
APPT Champions At yesterday's opening flight, 47 players out of a field of 144 bagged up and among them were familiar APPT champions who know exactly what it takes to go the distance. Li
- Vietnam's Trong Hieu Ngo, defending APPT Championship champion, eager to chase back-to-back glory.
- Filipino Justin Ong, 2025 APPT Manila and PokerStars Red Dragon champion
- Filipino Christopher Mateo, 2024 APPT Cambodia champion and 2023 APPT Manila runner-up
- Vietnam's Hai Ha Tran, 2025 APPT Cambodia champion
- Canada's Alexander Puchalski, inaugural APPT Cambodia champion (2022)
- Hong Kong's Alex Chong, newly crowned APPT Open champion
With that kind of star power already in the mix, and more heavy hitters expected to enter Flight B, the APPT Championship is already shaping up to be a very tough race to the throne.
Upper L-R: Trong Hieu Ngo - Justin Ong - Alex Puchalski
Lower L-R: Christopher Mateo - Hai Ha Tran - Alex Chong
More Arrivals
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
SH Soonchul Hwang | 50,000(500 BB) |
AM Adam Monaghan | 50,000(500 BB) |
YS Yury Salikaev | 50,000(500 BB) |
BY Benhur Ybarsabal | 50,000(500 BB) |
LZ Lu Zhou | 50,000(500 BB) |
2024 APPT Manila Champion In The House
The 2024 APPT Manila Main Event champion, Cheng Xiong, is among the early arrivals, eyeing what could be his second major career title. Hailing from the United States, Cheng is a rare sight in the Asian poker circuit, and when he does make the trip, it’s almost always to Manila to attend PokerStars LIVE’s flagship events.
Last year, Cheng outlasted a field of 1,304 entries, defeating strong contender John Matsuda at heads-up to claim the shard trophy and a career-best payout of ₱15,000,000 (~US$ 257,000).
Good luck to Cheng as he chases another deep run today!
Early Arrivals
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
AA Alfie Adam | 50,000(500 BB) |
AP Anastasios Pavlou | 50,000(500 BB) |
AU Artem Utevskii | 50,000(500 BB) |
NC Nicolas Cardyn | 50,000(500 BB) |
KJ Kunal Jain | 50,000(500 BB) |
RP Ramon Pablo | 50,000(500 BB) |
SS Shanbang Shi | 50,000(500 BB) |
DC David Callan White | 50,000(500 BB) |
TC Tommy Chen | 50,000(500 BB) |
SN Shinyo Nonin | 50,000(500 BB) |
CX Cheng Xiong | 50,000(500 BB) |
KB Kwan Bin Song | 50,000(500 BB) |
ET Eijiro Taguchi | 50,000(500 BB) |
IG Isaac Galazan | 50,000(500 BB) |
FF Fred Farboud Feridoun | 50,000(500 BB) |
AO Arkadii Okulov | 50,000(500 BB) |
JR Jesse Rivera | 50,000(500 BB) |
Cards In The Air!

The last entry flight to the main attraction APPT Championship ₱60 Million guaranteed is now underway with PokerStars Operations Manager, Gil Alim, announcing "shuffle up and deal!"
For latecomers, registration is open all throughout the 11 levels of gameplay. Buy-in is ₱165,000.
Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100
60 minutesLast Flight To Enter The APPT Championship Today At 12PM
APPT Championship at Okada ManilaThe Asia Pacific Poker Tour by PokerStars resumes today with the APPT Championship taking center stage at the Coral Lounge inside world-class Okada Manila, Philippines. This year’s edition has already set a new benchmark with a ₱60 Million (~US$ 1M+) prize pool guarantee, and with one final flight yet to play, that figure has the potential to increase further.
Yesterday’s opening flight proved to be a grueling test of endurance and skill with players needing to survive 11 levels of 60-minutes each. Out of a total of 144 entries, only 47 players reached that goal. Germany’s David Sommer emerged as the chip leader, setting the pace with an impressive 412,500 (275 bb).
Joining him among the survivors was defending champion Trong Hieu Ngo, along with a formidable lineup of past APPT champions: Justin Ong, Christopher Mateo, Hai Ha Tran, Alexander Puchalski, and the newly crowned APPT Open champion Alex Chong.
Players seen at the venue - but have not yet entered the main event - and expected to jump in today's flight are India pros Aditya Agarwal and Sumit Sapra, and local stars Florencio Campomanes, Mike Takayama, and Vamerdino Magsakay. Unlike all other PS LIVE events held in the country, registration stays open all day, closing at the start of Day 2.
APPT Championship – Information
- Date: October 23-27, 2025
- Buy-in: ₱165,000 (~US$ 2,900)
- Guarantee: ₱60,000,000 (~US$ 1,080,000)
- Day 1A: October 23, 2025
- Day 1B: October 24, 2025
- Day 2: October 25, 2025
- Day 3: October 26, 2025
- Final Table: October 27, 2025
Here are some important details to know:
Players start with a deep 50,000 stack - which is 250 big blinds at the opening level of 100-200 ante 200. With 60-minute blinds throughout, the structure offers room for strategic play and table reads, while also giving latecomers plenty of time to enter the mix. Those cutting it close will still have a chance to register, the latest being just before Day 2 begins.
- Day 1 plays 11 levels (60 mins per level)
- Day 2 plays 10 levels (60 mins per level)
*Registration closes at the start of Level 12 in Day 2.
- Day 3 plays to the Final Table or TD discretion
- Final 9 – transition to a specified number of hands per level structure where a pre-determined number of hands will be played rather than a fixed time duration per level
Cards start flying at 12PM. Somuchpoker is onsite to bring you the action from start to finish. It will also be live-streamed on the last three days.









