APPT Open (60,000 PHP)

Rising local player Benhur Ybarsabal found himself in a three-way pot of 5,700 by the turn against Sid Lukie and Jihun Choi. They all checked it to the river T♦ 4♦ J♣ 3♣ 5♠ , and after two more checks, Ybarsabal slid out a 5,000 steal-bet. Choi quickly folded while Lukie tanked a bit then muttered while folding, “I’m not sure about that one.”

Artem Utevskii opened the action with a raise to 500, picking up a lone caller in button Adam Monaghan. The flop 4♠ 2♥ 7♥ sparked a flurry of raises - Utevskii led out for 600, Monaghan bumped it to 2,000, and Utevskii fired back with a three-bet to 4,000. Monaghan opted to call to see the 9♦ come on the turn. Utevskii slowed down with a check. Monaghan seized the moment, firing 7,700 - roughly 80% of the pot - and it was enough to force Utevskii to fold.

Early Bird Special champion Dean Caing has jumped into the action, freerolling his way after winning his seat yesterday and hoping to turn it into another deep run. In back-to-back hands, Caing was seen defending his big blind in a three-way pot. After everyone checked to the turn Q♠ 5♥ 6♦ A♠ , he led for 1,000 and took it down uncontested.

In the next hand, Caing defended his small blind against Emmanuel Derecho’s 500 open then called Derecho’s 700 c-bet on a Q♦ 8♥ 5♣ flop but opted to release his hand when Derecho fired 2,100 on the 4♥ turn.

Kevin Song opened for 600 and found one customer in small blind Artem Utevskii to see a flop come 5♦ T♠ Q♥ . Both checked to the turn Q♦ where Song resumed with an overbet of 2300. Unfazed, Utevskii slid out the call then fired 7000 on the river 9♦ . Song gave it some thought then mucked his hand.

From under the gun, Sid Lukie found Q♠ Q♥ and opened to 400. Seated next to him, Daniel Minter woke up with a hand of his own and three-bet to 1,200. In the big blind, Ronald Lane peeked at J♦ J♥ and opted to flat, sending the action back to Lukie, who responded with a four-bet to 3,900. Minter bowed out, while Lane made the call to see the flop.

The dealer spread T♦ Q♦ J♣ , giving both players a set. Action checked through. On the 2♠ turn, Lukie tested with a lead for 3,000, and Lane called. The 9♣ river slowed both players down again, as they checked to showdown. With no straight in sight, Lukie's higher set claimed the pot.

Running alongside the APPT Open is the last flight of the Okada Kick Off ₱8M guaranteed. The flight is currently at Level 3 with blinds increasing every 30 minutes. 83 entries so far. Registration closes at the start of Level 11 at 4:20pm. Buy-in is ₱20,000 (~US$ 345).

Flight A: 132 entries / 20 advanced to ITM

Flight B: 117 entries / 17 advanced to ITM

After a slight delay, the APPT Open Flight A is now up and running with two tables good to go. There's plenty of time for players to jump in with blinds increasing every 40 minutes and registration closing at the start of Level 11, around 19:20 this evening.

Good luck to all!

The first APPT shard trophy is up for grabs at the APPT Open with the first of three flights underway today, October 17, at the Coral Lounge in Okada Manila, Philippines. This marks the first event in the 2025 APPT Manila Championship lineup to feature a ₱20 million (~US$ 343,800) guarantee, setting the tone for the festival’s biggest prize pools.

Last year, this event saw Australia’s Matthew Wakeman top the 304-entry field to capture the title, adding over ₱4.8 million to his career winnings. Another strong turnout is expected at this year's edition to easily surpass the guarantee.

To get started, interested players will need to pony up the ₱60,000 (~US$ 1,030) buy-in which comes with a 30,000 stack, equivalent to 300 times the opening blinds of 100-100 ante 100. Blinds increase at a gradual 40 minutes, giving players time to size up the competition. End of day is reached when ITM is 13%-15% of the field remain.

Cards start flying at 12pm local time. Stay tuned to Somuchpoker for live updates throughout the day.

APPT Open - Flight Schedule

• Flight A: October 17, 2025 at 12pm - 40 minute blinds
• Flight B: October 18, 2025 at 12pm - 40 minute blinds
• Flight C: October 18, 2025 at 7pm - 25 minute blinds