APT Main Event

Daniel Lee from the United States was the last man standing in the PHP 85,000 APT Manila Main Event, taking home the top prize of PHP 15,060,000 (~$256,850) as he beat South Africa's Edgar Antezana heads-up after the two flattened out the payouts.

Starting the final table as the chip leader, Lee was in between down to just eight big blinds, before starting a remarkable run back and eventually taking the tournament down heads up against Antezana.

"It feels so surreal," a stunned Lee stated immediately following his maiden major title victory.

"I'll be honest, I got pretty lucky," Lee confided in APT host Greg Liow in his post-match interview.

"I think heads-up I didn't play it that well, but in the end we ground it out and persevered and came away with the victory."

The former software engineer, who left his job at a San Francisco-based start-up company to pursue his passion for poker, has only being playing the game for less than a year.

"Back in college and high-school I would game professionally, I always loved games, always got to the top. I also love markets, I love risk, I love betting, I love that type of stuff so poker is like a great mix of those two. I love the game, I have a deep passion for the game, it's so fun, it's so exhilarating. This deep run makes it so worth it!

Final Table Results

Final Table Action

At the beginning, chip counts had been unusually flat for a final table. This led the players to start the final table cautiously. It took around one hour before the first elimination to occur. Kim Jaejoong lost a flip with ace-king against Gab Yong Kim's pocket sixes Jaejoong took home a career-high score of PHP 1,345,000 (~$23,000).

However, once the first player busted action picked up significantly and players were busting in rapid succession. In eighth place finished New Zealand poker professional Vincent Huang. Though coming into the final table as one of the shorter stacks, due to his experience, he was seen by many as a potential favorite to take down the title. But after jamming his ace-five preflop into John Costiniano's Big Slick, he had to pack his stuff early, with it a PHP 1,725,000 (~$29,352) payout.

Shortly after Huang, it was Renji Mao's tournament life that was at risk. Like with Huang, it was Costiniano who busted the Chinese national. Mao's pocket fives could not improve against Costiniano's pocket jacks. The PHP 2,410,000 (~$40,970) cashout he received is the third best of his career.

Six-handed play went on for about an hour before the next elimination could be seen. The next player whose tournament life was at risk, was the eventual winner, Lee, after he got his eight big-blinds all-in with pocket sevens against Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar's pocket threes. Lee's pocket pair held up, and this was the start of his impressive run to victory. Shortly after doubling up, Lee found himself in an all-in situation with ace-king versus Kim's king-queen. Lee had just enough chips to have Kim covered, who could not improve on the board and busted in sixth place for PHP 3,210,000 (~$54,570).

Just three hands later Lee had the next opportunity to knock somebody out after Munkhbaatar went all-in with ace-ten on an eight-high flop against Lee's pocket kings. The turn and river brought the brought no help to the Mongolian player, busting him in a respectable fifth place for PHP 4,390,000 (~$74,630).

Again it only took Lee a couple of hands to find his next victim. The Filipino Ferdinand Lu opened on the button with five-four and flopped the world with straight and flush draws. So it was no surprise to see him three-bet jam his twenty-five big blinds into the middle. Unfortunately, for Lu, Lee held a better flush draw. Still, Lu had many outs to double his stack, but could not get there as the turn and river were both bricks. PHP 5,740,000 (~$97,5800 is his largest live score, just topping his amazing runner-up finish at the APT Taipei Classic Zodiac tournament last month.

Going into the three-handed battle, it was Lee holding a commanding chip lead. But now it was the time for Antezana to run hot. After winning a couple of small pots, he found himself in an all-in preflop situation with ace-seven against Costiniano's king-nine. A dry dry runout meant the Filipino player had to settle for third and a career-high score of PHP 7,640,000 (~$129,880).a

With only two players remaining and with huge money on top, both players had similar similar stack sizes so decided on a deal, chopping off PHP 3,000,000 off first place money and adding it to the second place. The heads-up was a thrilling one to watch, with multiple lead changes happening. It looked like Antezana had the momentum on his side, but in the most exciting hand of their match, Antezana lost his two-to-one chip lead after four-bet shoving on the river with trips holding ten-three, but was no good against Lee's flush with king-five.

From that point on, Antezana could not recover his chips anymore and eventually called off Lee's shove with queen-seven and was up against the eventual winner's king-jack. The board ran out clean for Lee, eliminating Antezana in second place for PHP 13,850,000 (~$235,450) The career-high score moves the runner up to 14th place on South Africa's All-Time Money List.

Congratulations to Lee on a fantastic victory.

You can find a full APT Manila Main Event Payout List by clicking here.

Daniel Lee has won the APT Manila Main Event for PHP 15,060,000 (~$256,020).

Stay tuned for a full recap of how he did it!

Hand 133 Daniel Lee shoved all in for 36,000,000 and Edgar Antezana called off his last 6,300,000.

Daniel Lee: K♥ J♠

Edgar Antezana: Q♣ 7♣

The board filled out 9♦ A♦ 4♥ 4♣ J♣ , improving Lee to two pair and sealing the runner-up position for Antezana, who bagged up PHP 13,850,000 (~$235,450).

Hand 127 Daniel Lee shoved all in and won the pot.

Hand 128 Edgar Antezana shoved all in and won the pot.

Hand 129 Lee called and Antezana checked. On the flop of 2♥ 4♠ 2♠ , both checked through to see an A♣ hit on the turn, which Antezana bet 500,000. Lee folded.

Hand 130 Antezana called and Lee shoved all in. Antezana folded.

Hand 131 Lee went all in for 36,000,000 and won the pot.

Hand 132 Antezana called and Lee checked. On the flop of K♣ 7♦ Q♥ , Lee check-folded after Antezana bet 500,000.

Hand 123 Lee opened the button with K♥ 9♣ and took down the pot.

Hand 124 Antezana limped and Lee put him effectively all-in. The button folded.

Hand 125 Lee limped from the button and Antezana checked his options. Both players saw a flop of A♥ 4♠ 4♦ , the big-blind checked and Lee put out a 500,000 bet. Antezana called with 8♣ 4♣ . The T♥ on the turn went without any action. The river brought the J♣ and Lee went for a 700,000 bet. Antezana clicked it back to 1,500,000 which was enough to take down the pot.

Hand 126 Antezana completed and Lee checked his big-blind. Both players checked the Q♣ 6♣ 4♦ flop. On the 3♠ turn Lee led out for 750,000. The button called and the river was the 6♠ . Both players checked and Lee tabled Q♠ T♥ for the winning hand.

Hand 118 Edgar Antezana raised to 1,000,000 and Daniel Lee called. On the flop of 2♥ 4♣ A♠ , both checked through to see the Q♦ turn, which Lee checked to Antezana, who bet 900,000. Lee folded.

Hand 119 Lee called and Antezana checked. On the flop of 4♦ 5♥ T♦ , the two checked. The 4♣ fell on the turn, and Antezana checked to Lee, who bet 500,000. Antezana dropped in a call. The river showed T♥ , where Antezana bet 700,000. Lee folded.

Hand 120 Antezana folded and Lee collected the pot.

Hand 121 Lee called and Antezana checked. On the flop of Q♣ 6♥ A♦ , Antezana check-folded after Lee bet 500,000.

Hand 122 Antezana called and Lee checked. On a flop of Q♦ K♦ 3♣ , Lee check-folded after Antezana bet 600,000.

Hand 112 Edgar Antezana opened from the button to 1,000,000. Daniel Lee made the call. Both players checked the 7♥ 5♥ 3♦ flop. The 4♦ appeared on the turn and Lee bet out 800,000 which was enough to take down the pot.

Hand 113 From the button Lee put Antezana all-in with A♥ J♥ . The South African player folded.

Hand 114 Antezana completed and Lee checked. The flop came down J♣ 8♦ 6♣ . Lee checked and Antezana quickly bet 1,000,000. Lee folded.

Hand 115 Lee completed on the button and Antezana raised it up to 1,400,000. Lee folded.

Hand 116 Antezana gave Lee a walk.

Hand 117 Lee woke up with A♦ A♣ on the button and decided to trap by limping. Though Antezana checked back. Both players also checked the T♣ T♦ 5♥ flop. On the Q♣ it got checked again to Lee who bet out and won the pot.

Hand107 Daniel Lee limped in and Edgar Antezana checked. A flop rolled of 5♥ T♣ 9♣ , and Antezana checked to Lee, who bet 500,000. Antezana called to see the 2♥ turn, where Antezana check-caled again after Lee bet 1,100,000. The river showed 4♦ , and Antezana bet 2,00,000. Lee snap-called. Lee tabled T♠ 7♠ for a flopped pair of tens to rival the pair of nines from Antezana’s 9♦ 8♥ .

Hand 108 Antezana limped in and Lee called to see a flop of T♠ K♣ 6♣ , where Lee checked to Antezana, who bet 600,000. Lee called. The Q♥ hit on the turn, and the action went check-check. The river brought the K♥ , and Lee bet 900,000. Antezana folded.

Hand 109 Lee called and Antezana checked to see the flop of 7♣ J♦ , and both checked through to see a 5♦ fall on the turn, where the action went check-check again. The river showed 7♦ , and the two decided to check to a free showdown. Lee tabled king-three for king-high against eight-deuce from Antezana.

Hand 110 Edgar Antezana called on the button and Daniel Lee checked form the big blind. On the flop of 2♦ A♠ A♥ , Lee checked to Antezana, who bet 900,000. Lee folded.

Hand 111 Lee raised to 1,000,000 and won the pot.

Hand 106 Antezana limped in with T♠ 3♠ and Lee checked with K♦ 5♦ .

On the flop of J♦ 7♦ 9♠ , bringing a flush to Lee, both players checked it through to see the 3♣ turn, where the action went check-check again.

The river brought a 3♦, completing Lee’s flush and he bet 800,000. Antezana raised to 2,000,000. Lee then three-bet to 6,000,000. Antezana four-bet shoved for 28,000,000. Lee called and collected his double up.

Hand 105 Daniel Lee limped and Edgar Antezana raised to 1,000,000. Lee called. Antezana checked the flop Q♣ 4♦ 2♠ , likewise did Lee. The turn J♣ was the turn, Antezana checked once more, and Lee went for a 700,000 bet. Antezana raised it to 2,000,000 and Lee made the fold.

Antezana will be heading with a two-to-one chip lead into the next break.

Hand 99 Lee limped in and Antezana raised to 1,100,00. Lee folded.

Hand 100 Antezana folded and Lee collected the pot.

Hand 101 Lee limped in and Antezana checked. On the flop of J♥ 6♠ T♣ , Antezana checked toe Lee, who bet 500,000. Antezana called to see a T♣ delivered on the turn, where Antezana check-called again after Lee bet 850,000. The river brought the K♦ , and the action went check-check. Antezana showed J♦ 6♦ for flopped two pair to beat Q♠ 7♣ from his opponent.

Hand 102 Antezana limped in and Lee raised to 900,000, which Antezana dropped in a call. A flop went 4♥ T♠ 8♣ , and Lee bet 700,000. Antezana put in a raise to 2,000,000. Lee folded.

Hand 103 Lee folded and Antezana collected the pot.

Hand 104 Antezana limped with K♦ 6♣ and Lee checked with Q♥ 9♦ . On the flop of 2♦ A♦ 4♦ , Lee checked to Antezana, who bet 500,000, which Lee put in a raise to 1,600,000. Antezana called.

The river showed the 4♣ , and Lee bet 4,000,000. Antezana quickly called. The two players chop the pot.

Hand 97 Daniel Lee opened from the button and Edgar Antezana called. Q♦ J♣ 6♣ went check-check. On the turn appeared the 7♠ and Antezana led out for 500,000. Lee made the call. The river brought 9♠ and Antezana once more bet 500,000 which Lee also called once more.

Edgar Antezana: K♣ J♠

Daniel Lee: K♥ 7♦

Hand 98 Antezana completed and Lee checked. A♦ Q♠ 9♠ was the flop and both players checked. On the A♠ turn Lee put out a 500,000 bet which the button called. The river 8♠ brought a fourth spade, Lee checked and Antezana bet 1,000,000 to which Lee let his hand go.

Hand 91 Lee limped in on the button and Antezana checked. On the flop of J♠ 4♣ 3♥, Antezana checked to Lee, who bet 300,000, which Antezana raised to 800,000. Lee folded.

Hand 92 Antezana limped in and Lee raised to 800,000. Antezana folded.

Hand 93 Lee folded and Antezana collected the pot.

Hand 94 Antezana limped in and Lee checked. A flop rolled off K♥ 5♦ 6♥ , and both checked through to see the 5♥ turn, where Lee checked to Antezana, who bet 500,000. Lee folded.

Hand 95 Lee folded and Antezana collected the pot.

Hand 96 Antezana limped in with K♠ J♥ and Lee checked with 5♣ 3♣ . On the flop of A♠ 8♠ 8♣ , both checked through to see the 6♥ hit on the turn, where Lee bet 500,000 and Antezana called. The river brought an A♦ , and Lee bet 750,000. Antezana dropped in a call and won the pot with his king-high.

Hand 87 Daniel Lee opened T♦ T♥ on the button. Edgar Antezana three-bet his K♦ Q♣ to 1,800,000. Lee responded with a big four-bet to 6,000,000. Antezana made the call. The flop came 4♥ 4♦ 2♥ , Antezana checked, and Lee put out a 4,500,000 bet. Antezana threw his hand into the muck and Lee overtook Antezana as the chip leader.

Hand 88 Antezana completed and Lee checked. The flop came down J♠ 6♥ 3♥ and both players checked. Lee checked once more on the A♥ turn, but Antezana made a 600,000 bet. Lee called. The river brought the 2♠ and both players checked.

Edgar Antezana: J♥ 4♦

Daniel Lee: 9♥ 3♦

Hand 89 Lee opened from the button and the big blind made the call. The flop read A♣ 9♣ 7♥ and Lee continued with a 600,000 bet and took down the pot.

Hand 84 Edgar Antezana limped in and Daniel Lee checked to see the flop of 5♣ T♥ 5♦ . the action went check-check. The turn brought the 8♥ , where they both checked again to see a T♦ fall on the river, where Lee checked to Antezana, who bet 300,000. Lee called. Antezana showed Q♠ 5♥ for an unbeatable full house.

Hand 85 Lee raised to 750,000 and Antezana called. On the flop of 8♣ J♥ T♦ , both checked. The 4♠ fell on the turn, and the action went check-check again. The river brought the 7♠ , it was another check round. Lee flipped eigh-three for a pair of eights against king-five from Antezana.

Hand 86 Antezana limped in and Lee checked to see the flop of 8♦ A♣ 4♣ , which both checked through to see the T♣ turn, where Lee checked over and Antezana bet 600,000. Lee dropped in a call. The river showed 3♥ , and Antezana bet 1,000,000. Lee put in a raise to 3,500,000. Antezana folded.

Hand 80 Edgar Antezana gave Lee a walk.

Hand 81 Lee opened from button, but did not get action from Antezana.

Hand 82 Antezana opened the button with K♠ 3♣ . Lee defended his big-blind with 7♦ 4♦ . Both players checked the A♣ T♦ 9♦ . The turn brought the 7♠ and Lee put out a hefty bet of 1,300,000 which is enough to make his opponent fold.

Hand 83 Lee limped J♣ T♣ on the button. Antezana raised to 900,000. Lee called and they saw a flop of A♦ 9♥ 4♠ . Antezana quickly checked - same went for Lee. On the 7♠ turn the preflop aggressor bet 1,000,000 and Lee folded.

Hand 77 Daniel Lee raised to 770,000 on the button and won the pot.

Hand 78 Edgar Antezana raised to 750,000 and Lee called. On the flop of T♠ Q♦ 3♦ , both checked through to see the 3♠ turn, where Lee checked to Antezana, who bet 500,000. Lee called. The river came J♥ , and the action went checked. Antezana showed A♦ 6♣ for ace-high against Lee’s king-seven.

Hand 79 Lee limped in on the button and Antezana checked to see a flop of 6♣ K♥ 3♣ , which Antezana bet 500,000 and Lee put in a raise to 1,200,000. Lee then three-bet to 3,000,000. Antezana folded.

The two finalists have agreed to flatten out the payouts. 3,000,000 PHP has been chopped off first place and added to second, which means the new payout structure looks like this.

.As a deal has been struck, the blind levels will be reduced to 30 minutes.

Here's the heads-up chip counts for Edgar Antezana and Daniel Lee.

For the full payout can check by clicking Here.

Hand 76 Edgar Antezana opened from the button and, from the small-blind, John Constiniano moved all of his 5,300,000 chips into the middle. Antezana did not waste any time and called.

John Constiniano: K♦ 9♦

Edgar Antezana: A♦ 7♣

The flop gave both players a sweat as it came out 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ . The 6♦ on the turn gave additional outs to the Filipino player, but the A♣ on the river sealed his fate.

Hand 71 Daniel Lee raised to 600,000 on the button, and Edgar Antezana three-bet to 1,500,000. Lee folded.

Hand 72 Lee won the pot from the big blind after the other two players folded.

Hand 73 Antezana raised to 600,000 on the button and won the pot.

Hand 74 Lee opened the button to 600,000 and Antezana defended from the big blind. On the flop of 3♠ 9♠ 5♦ , Antezana checked the action to Lee, who then bet 900,000. Antezana called to see the A♥ fall on the turn, where Antezana checked over again, and Lee fired out 1,600,000. After thinking for a while, Antezana dropped in a call.

The river showed the 4♠ . The action went check-check. After Antezana showed 5♣ 4♣ for two pair, Lee conceded the sizable pot with his pocket jacks.

Hand 75 John Costiniano opened K♥ J♣ from the button. In the big-blind Daniel Lee looked down at A♣ 6♣ and put full pressure on the Filipino by moving all-in, who had to fold his hand.

Hand 67 Daniel Lee raised to 800,000 from the small blind and won the pot.

Hand 68 Lee raised to 600,000 from the button and won the pot.

Hand 69 Lee won the pot after the other two players folded.

Hand 70 Edgar Antezana raised to 600,000 on the button with A♥ 7♥ and John Costiniano called from the big blind with A♣ 4♣ . On the flop of 3♥ 2♥ A♠ , both checked through to see the T♠ fall on the turn, where Costiniano bet 875,000 and Antezana called.

The river brought a Q♥, improving Antezana to a flush. Costiniano fired 875,000, and Antezana put in a raise to 2,000,000. Costiniano finally called and relinquished the pot to Antezana.

Hand 66 Four handed Ferdinand Lu opened from the button and Daniel Lee defended his big blind. The flop came out T♥ 7♦ 6♦ and Lu continued with a 650,000 bet, to which Lee responded with a raise to 2,000,000. Lu moved all-in, totaling 6,300,000 chips. Lee made the call.

Ferdinand Lu: 5♦ 4♦

Daniel Lee: A♦ 3♦

The turn brought the 6♠ and Lu needed to hit one of his outs on the river to stay alive. He did not though, as the 2♠ hit the river.

Hand 65 Four-handed Daniel Lee opened the from first position and Edgar Antezana defended his big-blind. The flop came down A♣ Q♠ 3♠ , Antezana checked, Lee made a small-bet, which the big-blind called. The turn J♣ went check-check. The river brought the 4♥ and the South African player led out for 1,000,000. Lee folded.

Hand 62 Sandagdorij Munkhbaatar raised to 800,000 and won the pot.

Hand 63 Munkhbaatar raised to 500,000 on the button and won the pot.

Hand 64 Munkhbaatar raised to 500,000 from the cutoff, and Daniel Lee three-bet to 1,300,000 from the button, which Munkhbaatar called. On the flop of 5♠ 8♣ 6♦ , Munkhbaatar bet 1,000,000 and Daniel Lee called only to be jammed by Munkhbaatar for 6,300,000, which Lee then shoved all in for 7,200,000.

Sandagdorij Munkhbaatar: A♣ T♣

Daniel Lee: K♦ K♣

The board came 6♦ 8♣ 5♣ K♥ 5♥ , improving Lee to a full house on the river, which sealed the elimination for Munkhbaatar in fifth for a payday of PHP 4,390,000 (~$74,630).

Hand 61 Daniel Lee opened from early-position and Gab Yong Kim moved all-in from the button, equaling 3,300,000 chips. Lee made the call and Kim's tournament dreams were on the brinks.

Gab Yong Kim: K♥ Q♥

Daniel Lee: A♥ K♠

The board ran out J♠ 9♠ 8♠ 4♣ 4♦ , eliminating Gab Yong Kim in 6th place.

Hand 55 Ferdinand Lu opened the cutoff to 550,000 and won the pot.

Hand 56 John Costiniano raised to 500,000 from under the gun and Daniel Lee called from the big blind. On the flop or 5♦ 7♣ 5♣ , both checked through to see the J♣ turn, and the action went check-check again. The river brought 7♦ , and Lee bet 100,000. Costiniano folded.

Hand 57 Costiniano raised from the small blind and won the pot.

Hand 58 Costiniano limped in from the small blind, and Lu raised to 850,000 from the big blind. Costiniano folded.

Hand 59 Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar raised to 500,000 from the hijack and Gab Yong Kim defended from the big blind. On the monotone flop of 6♠ 9♠ T♠ , both checked through to see the Q♥ fall on the turn, where the action went check-check again. The river brought the 3♣ , and the two checked to showdown.

Kim showed A♣ 7♦ , which was no match for a pair of nines from Munkhbaatar’s 9♥ 7♥ .

Hand 60 It folded around to Gab Yong Kim in the small-blind who completed the blind. Edgar Antezana checked back. Kim checked the Q♥ J♠ 6♠ flop and Antezana bet out 400,000, making Kim fold.

Hand 52 Gab Yong Kim raised to 500,000 from under the gun and John Costiniano called from the small blind, which Ferdinand Lu three-bet to 1,600,000 from the big blind and won the pot.

Hand 53 John Costiniano raised to 500,000 from the button and won the pot.

Hand 54 Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar raised to 500,000 from under the gun and Daniel Lee shoved all in for 2,000,000 from the hijack. Munkhbaatar called.

Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar: 3♠ 3♣

Daniel Lee: 7♠ 7♦

The clean board came T♥ 2♥ T♠ A♠ Q♦ , securing Lee a much-needed double up.

The final six players are on their first break of the day. Action will resume in 15 minutes.

Here are the current chip counts:

Hand 47 Edgar Antezana raised to 400,000 from under the gun and Gab Yong Kim called from the big blind. On the flop of 4♦ 6♥ K♠ , Kim checked it to Antezana, who bet 200,000. Kim folded.

Hand 48 Ferdinand Lu opened the button to 425,000 and won the pot.

Hand 49 John Costiniano raised to 400,000 from the hijack, and Lu three-bet to 1,100,000. Costiniano folded.

Hand 50 Lu raised to 425,000 from the hijack and Daniel Lee defended from the big blind. Both saw a flop of 2♣ Q♠ 2♥ and Lee checked to Lu, who bet 300,000, forcing Lee to fold.

Hand 51 Gab Yong Kim raised to 425,000 from the hijack and won the pot.

Hand 44 Kim Gab Yong opened from late-position, just to get three-bet by Edga Antezana sitting next to him on the button. Yong folded and Antezana picked up some easy chips.

Hand 45 Kim Gab Yong opened the action once more and John Costiniano defended his big-blind. On Q♠ 4♣ 3♣ Yong put out a small continuation bet and the Filipino player called. The turn brought the 2♥ and both players elected to check. On the river came the J♥ and both players once more just checked.

Kim Gab Yong: J♠ T♠

John Costiniano: J♣ 9♣

Hand 46 It folded around to Daniel Lee on the button who raised to 400,000 with K♣ 9♣ . Ferdinand Lu in the big-blind called. A♥ 7♦ 7♠ was the flop and Lee bet out 250,000. Lu did not go anywhere and made the call. Both players checked the turn 3♠ . On the J♥ river Lu led out for 500,000 and Lee folded. Lu had J♣ T♥ .

Hand 39 Ferdinand Lu raised to 425,000 from under the gun and won the pot.

Hand 40 Edgar Antezana opened the hijack to 400,000 and won the pot.

Hand 41 Gab Yong Kim from the big blind won the pot after a string of folds.

Hand 42 John Costiniano raised to 400,000 from the cutoff and won the pot.

Hand 43 Daniel Lee raised from under the gun to 400,000 with king-jack and Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar called from the big blind with nine-six. On the flop of 7♠ 8♠ T♥ , both checked through to see the 5♦ turn, where Munkhbaatar bet 400,000 and Lee dropped in a call. The river showed J♥ , improving Munkhbaatar to a straight, and he checked the action to Lee, who bet 475,000. Munkhbaatar put in to a raise to 1,000,000. Lee called and Munkhbaatar won the sizable pot.

Hand 36 In late-position John Costiniano opened up the action with a min-raise to 400,000. Ferdinand Lu on the button called likewise did Edga Antezana in the big-blind.

Costiniano put out a small 250,000 continuation bet. Lu, holding 4♠ 4♦ responded with a raise to 600,000. The big-blind Antezana flopped top pair with 8♦ 7♠ and called, but the original opener folded. The turn K♦ went check-check. On the T♥ river Antezana put out a bet of 1,000,000 which was enough to take down the pot without showdown.

Hand 37 No player wanted to get involved and Sandagdorj got a walk.

Hand 38 Kim Gab Yong opened from late-position with A♥ J♥ . Daniel Lee defended his big-blind. The flop came K♣ 7♦ 6♥ , Lee checked and Yong bet 275,000. Lee responded with a raise to 700,000. Subsequently, Yong clicked it back 1,400,000 which was enough to make Lee fold.

Hand 32 John Constiniano raised to 400,000 from under the gun and Daniel Lee defended from the big blind. On the monotone flop of 5♣ 4♣ 2♣ , Lee checked the action to Constiniano, who bet 185,000. Lee folded.

Hand 33 Gab Yong Kim opened the hijack to 200,000 with K♠ Q♠ and John Constiniano defended from the big blind with T♦ 8♠ . On a flop of 5♣ 5♠ T♠ , Constiniano checked the action to Yong, who bet 250,000. Constiniano put in a raise to 750,000, and Kim dropped in a call to see the T♣ turn, where Constiniano bet 500,000, sending Kim into the tank. Eventually, Kim raised to 1,100,000 and Constiniano snap-called. The river brought a 5♥ , Constiniano shoved all in for 2,400,000. Kim snap-folded.

Hand 34 Edgar Antezana raised to 400,000 from the hijack, and Ferdinand Lu three-bet to 1,100,000 from the big blind. Antezana folded.

Hand 35 Constiniano raised to 400,000 on the button and Gab Yong Kim called from the big blind. On the flop of 4♥ 3♠ 2♠ , both checked through to see a 9♦ fall on the turn, where the action went check-check again. The river brought a 3♣ , the two checked to a showdown. Costiniano tabled king-queen for king-high, and it was enough to beat Kim’s queen-ten.

Hand 31 John Costiniano opened the action to 400,000 from early-position and Renji Mao moved all-in on the button for 2,900,000. Costiniano made the call and Renji's tournament life was at risk.

Renji Mao: 5♥ 5♣

John Constiniano: J♦ J♣

The board Q♦ T♥ 3♥ 9♣ 6♦ did not bring any help to Mao, who finished the tournament in 7th place.

Hand 25 Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar limped in from the small blind and Daniel Lee checked from the big blind. Both saw a flop of T♦ J♣ 7♦ , and Munkhbaatar checked to Lee, who bet 225,000. Munkhbaatar called to see a board-pairing 7♥ drop on the turn, where the action went check-check. A 4♠ fell on the river, and Munkhbaatar bet 250,000, forcing Lee to fold.

Hand 26 Renji Mao opened the hijack to 320,000 and won the pot.

Hand 27 Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar raised to 320,00 on the cutoff and won the pot.

Hand 28 Edgar Antezana raised to 350,000 from early position and Ferdinand Lu called from the small blind. Both saw a flop of 3♥ Q♦ T♥ , both checked through to see the 4♠ turn, where Lu bet 250,000. Antezana dropped in a call. The river brought 5♠, and Lu checked over, which Antezana fired out 600,000, sending Lu into the tank. Eventually, Lu mucked his hand.

Hand 29 Daniel Lee opened the hijack to 245,000 with 7♥ 7♣ and Renji Mao defended from the big blind with K♦ 6♦ . On the flop of Q♠ 5♣ T♥ , both checked through to see a Q♥ fall on the turn, and the action went check-check again. The river showed a 3♦ , where Mao fired 500,000, forcing his opponent to fold.

Hand 24 John Costiniano opened up the action in early-position. Sitting in the small-blind Vincent Huang had a stack of around 2,900,000 and decided to move all-in. Costiniano quickly made the call.

Vincent Huang: A♦ 5♦

John Costiniano: A♣ K♣

The board ran out J♠ J♣ Q♠ T♦ 7♥, busting Vincent Huang in 8th place for PHP 1,725,000.

Hand 23 Daniel Lee raised to 330,000 from early position, and Gab Yong Kim three-bet to 925,000 from the hijack after tanking for a long time. Kim Jaejoong shoved all in for 1,300,000 on the button. Only Kim called.

Kim Jaejoong: A♥ K♠

Gab Yong Kim: 6♠ 6♣

The board rolled off 8♥ 5♦ 5♣ 7♦ 4♦, improving Kim to a straight and sealing the fate of Jaejoong’s in ninth place for a payday of PHP 1,345,000 (~$22,865)

Hand 19 Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar raised to 320,000 from the hijack, and Gab Yong Kim called from the big blind. Both read a flop of 6♥ 3♠ 8♦ , and Kim checked to Munkhbaatar, who then bet 320,000. Kim folded.

Hand 20 Vincent Huang raised to 320,000 from early position, and Renji Mao shoved all in for 3,100,000. Huang folded.

Hand 21 Vincent Huang opened to 320,000 from early position and Kim Jaejoong called from the big blind. A flop 5♦ 2♦ 9♥ rolled off, and Jaejoong checked to Huang, who bet 250,000. Jaejoong folded.

Hand 22 Gab Yong Kim raised to 325,000 from the cutoff and won the pot.

Hand 17 Gab Yong Kim opened Q♣ J♦ from early-position. Sitting next to him, Renji Mao moved his 16 big blinds in the middle with A♦ Q♠ . Yong had to fold.

Hand 18 One of the short stacks, Kim Jaejoong opened up the action from middle-position. Ferdinand Lu defended his big-blind and it was heads up to the flop A♠ Q♣ 9♥ . Jaejoong bet out two big-blinds which Lu called.

The turn brought the T♦ , Lu checked, Jaejoong likewise. On the 4♦ river Ferdinand Lu went for a half-pot bet, which Jaejoong called.

Ferdinand Lu: Q♦ 9♣

Kim Jaejoong: A♦ K♥

Hand 12 Vincent Huang raised to 320,000 from early position, and Kim Jaejoong defended from the big blind. On the flop of A♣ J♥ 2♦ , Jaejoong checked the action to Huang, who bet 220,000. Jaejoong folded.

Hand 13 Vincent Huang opened to 320,000 from under the gun and won the pot.

Hand 14 Ferdinand Lu raised to 320,000 form early position and won the pot.

Hand 15 Edgar Antezana opened the button to 50,000, and Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar called from the big blind. On the flop of 6♦ K♦ 3♠ , Munkhbaatar checked to Antezana, who then bet 400,000. Munkhbaatar folded.

Hand 16 Vincent Huang opened the button to 320,000 and Daniel Lee called from the big blind. Both saw a monotone flop of 9♣ J♣ A♣ and checked through to see the 8♠ turn, where Lee fired 500,000. Huang folded.

Hand 10 From middle-position Vincent Huang opened the action with a min-raise to 240,000. Sandagdorj next to him made the call. On Q♠ 9♠ 2♥ Huang did not continue and check. Holding 7♠ 7♥ the Mongolian player put out a 250,000 to which Huang folded.

Hand 11 From early-position Antezana opened 7♥ 7♣ and it folded around to Costiniano in late-position who put out a three-bet to 720,000 with Q♣ J♣ . Antezana folded his pair.

Chip Counts:

Hand 7 Gab Yong Kim raised to 245,000 from early position and Daniel Lee called from the big blind. On the flop of 3♠ 8♣ 9♠ , Lee checked and Kim bet 185,000, which Lee put in a raise to 185,000. Kim called. The turn brought a J♦ , and Lee checked to Kim again, who then fired 475,000. Lee stuck around to see the T♣ drop on the river, where Lee bet 500,000 after thinking for a long time. Kim folded.

Hand 8 Edgar Antezana opened the hijack to 250,000 and John Costiniano defended from the big blind. On the flop of A♠ T♥ 3♣ , Costiniano fired 500,000, making Antezana fold.

Hand 9 Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar opened the cutoff to 120,000, and Daniel Lee three-bet to 675,000 on the button. Munkhbaatar folded.

Hand 5 Gab Yong Kim opened up the action with A♣ T♠ from middle-position and Vincent Huang in the big-blind called along. On Q♥ 9♣ 2♣ , Kim continued with a small bet, which was called by Huang. The turn brought the 6♠ , Huang checked and Kim put out another bet, this time for 550,000 which was enough to take down the pot.

Hand 6 From middle-position Ferdinand Lu opened A♠ 2♠ and was called by Kim Jaejoong in late-position with A♥ 2♥ , and Sandagdorj in the big-blind with K♣ T♣ .

The flop came down Q♥ 4♦ 2♣ and Lu continued with a small bet. Only Jaejoong called. On the turn arrived the 8♥ , Lu slowed down and checked, and Jaejoong took over the betting lead with 550,000 bet. Lu let his hand go.

Hand 1 Ferdinand Lu limped in from the small blind and Gab Yong Kim raised to 400,000 from the big blind and won the pot.

Hand 2 Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar raised to 24,000 from early position, and Daniel Lee three-bet to 700,000 from the hijack, then Munkhbaatar four-bet to 1,800,000. Lee folded.

Hand 3 Vincent Huang raised to 240,000 early position and won the pot.

Hand 4 John Costiniano opened to 240,000 from early position, and Renji Mao dropped in a call. On the flop of 8♣ 2♦ 3♥ , Costiniano checked it to Mao, who bet 250,000. Costiniano called. The turn came a 5♥ , and Costiniano check-called again after Mao bet 500,000 this time. A K♠ showed on the river, Costiniano bet 550,000, Mao folded.

The APT Manila Main Event is underway!

Top o' the morning to all our APT followers and friends!

It's a perfect day for history to be made here at the Grand Ballroom in the City of Dreams Manila with the APT Manila about to close out it's PHP85,0000 APT Main Event with the final table about to take center stage.

First of all, let's look at the numbers. The APT Main Event brought the largest field in the Philippines' in APT tour history, with 1,081 entries taking to the felt to compete for a share of the largest ever guaranteed prize pool of PHP100,000,000 (~USD 1.7 Milliion).

The final table of nine players have outlasted 1,081 contenders over several days of intense poker to finally determine a champion today. All players are guaranteed already at least PHP1,345,000 (USD 22,865) for making it this far in their APT Main Event adventure. And for some of the players in the final table, that payout will be their biggest live earning ever - which is already a personal history in their poker careers. Of course, all eyes will be on the life-changing champion's prize of PHP 18,060,000 (USD 307,020), which comes along with a 24K gold APT Lion Trophy.

Among the players already making a personal best payout includes the final table chip leader Daniel Lee of the United States. Lee made his first APT cash last May with a 5th place finish at the NLH Bounty during the APT Taipei Poker Classic 2024. Lee has over USD 74,000 in live tournament winnings with his biggest payout taking place in the 55th WSOP Millionaire Maker tournament, where he made over USD 12,000. This final table appearance will already surpass that accolade. Lee also has the advantage of the largest stack, with 6,620,000 chips, that can bring him all the way to a championship.

Of course, it is not an easy task with 8 other competitors also in the hunt. South Korea's Gab Yong Kim has the second-ranked stack with 5,820,000 and is not that far from an overtake. Kim also carries the experience of having won over USD 3 Million in live tournament winnings throughout a career that goes back to 2011. Lee has bagged ten prestigious tournament titles, including two from the APT. A win here at the APT Main Event will be his biggest ever cash.

South Africa's Edgar Antezana carries the third biggest stack with 5,805,000, Atenzana was the chip leader at one point during the later levels leading to the final table. He has over USD 500,000 in total live earnings and already made a 6th place final table appearance in the NLH-Superstack event of this APT Manila series.

Mongolia's Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar doesn't have much poker information. Hendon Mob lists his modest winnings of USD 1,717 all coming from events in this APT Manila series. His career-best so far was a runner-up finish at the PHP 6,000 NLH - Turbo Double Stack a few days ago. Munkhbaatar returns to the final table with 5,040,000 chips and is looking forward to the biggest tournament payout to be recorded in his poker career.

Renji Mao of China is one of the more decorated players in the final table with nearly USD 1 Million in love tournament winnings and a coveted WSOP bracelet under his belt. Mao sits in the middle of the pack with 4,660,000 chips, but certainly has the experience to turn it around and win a major event. Mao also has two APT titles, and looks to add this APT Main Event as one of them.

John Constiniano of the Philippines has the 6th best stack with 4,615,000, His last cash in an Asian Poker Tour event was still back in November 2022 for a 10th place finish. This is Constiniano's first final table appearance and will go down in the books as his biggest career payout.

Ferdinand Lu, also from the Philippines, returns with a stack of 3,825,000. His best success so far was a runner-up finish in the Zodiac Classic at recent APT Taipei Poker Classic 2024. Lu has made over USD 120,000 in live tournament winnings, but has yet to win a major title. Lu is hoping that today will be the day he finally ends up on top of the hill.

New Zealand's Vincent Huang takes his seat at the final table with 3,250,000 chips. Huang was the APT Main Event chip leader at one point, but took some blows. His resilience speaks volumes about his experience, earning over USD 1.8 Million in total live earnings. Huang has two APT titles that date way back to March 2020 during APT Taiwan. Huwang championed the NT$ 86,000 NLH-High Rollers and the NT$ 16,500 NLH-KMGM Monster Stack and will certainly welcome the APT Manila Main Event as the third.

South Korea's Jaejoong Kim has the lowest chip count with 3,030,000. Like Huang, Kim has shown great survival power during this APT Main Event, staying within the range of the average stack and making key double-ups to keep him in contention. Like many in the table, this final table appearance will be Kim's biggest career payout.and will bring his total live earnings across the USD 100,000 mark.

Of course, this is poker, and there is really not much of a huge gap between the top stacks and the bottom. Only around 2,000,000 chips come in between. Action resumes at Level 30 where blinds are 60,000/120,000 with a big blind ante of 120,000, which doesn't impose a threat to any shorter-stacked players. It still remains an even field where anything can happen, but for certain.- history will unfold - both in terms of Philippine poker history and for most - a personal poker history.

Keep update with live reports here as we wait for an APT Main Event champion to be crowned.

You can also watch poker history unfold from the APT Main Event Final Table via livestream at the following links:

YouTube

Twitch