APT Main Event

Flight B of the APT Manila Main Event just concluded its action here at the City of Dreams in Manila. A total of 257 entries were recorded, who all coughed up the PHP 85,000 buy-in for their chance to earn a payout from the gigantic PHP 100,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. However, there were only 110 survivors after ten levels, who will be advancing to compete again on the Day 2 leg, which plays out on Sunday, November 3.

It brings the total number of entries in the Main Event up to 663, which includes entries from Flight A, plus 157 qualifiers.

Out of today's advancing players, Laurence Hall of Australia bagged the biggest stack with a total of 312,000 chips. The Melbourne native has had a stellar poker career in Australia and is now taking the opportunity to play in events around Asia that provide much bigger prizes and payouts, such as here in the Asian Poker Tour. Hall has amassed a nearly US$ 300,000 dollars in total live earnings and a deep run in this APT Main Event will certainly improve his standings to push past that line.

Jeonghan Lee of South Korea ranked second in the counts with 232,100, while Jeorge Lagatuz rounded up the top three with a count of 228,000 chips.

Lee has four APT cashes from way back in 2015 and 2017. Lee's last APT cash was a third-place finish in the APT Manila NLH High Rollers Event in 2017. Perhaps, it's about time he cashed another big one.

Lagatuz of the Philippines already cashed in the first event of this APT Manila with a 27th-place finish in the Philippines National Cup. Perhaps this is the time he gets a deeper run, maybe even a championship.

Other significant names from Flight B that will advance to Day 2 are Lester Edoc of the Philippines (113,100), who sits at third in the Philippines All-Time Money List. Edoc also just recently won the APT Manila No Limit Hold'em - Hyper Turbo Win the Button event just a few days ago.

Rex Clinkscales of the USA (123,300) has over US$ 1.8 Million is total live earnings and a deep run in this main event may see him pass the 2M mark.

Elliot Damashek of the USA (102,100) was the runner-up in the Vietnam National Cup of the APT Hanoi BIllions series last December 2023.

Zhen Chen of China (135,700) has made over $200,000 in six tournament cashes just this October 2024. Two of those were first place finishes that cashed a combined $US 167,000.

Craig Cooper of the UK (100,600) made significant cashes earlier this October at the APT Taipei Poker Classic and is hunting down some payouts from APT Manila.

Matthew Chan of Singapore (67,100) has cashed in APT events in Vietnam and Taiwan, and looks to add the Philippines to the list.

Meanwhile, some notables who failed to make the cut today were recent APT Manila Single Day High Roller Mystery Bounty winner John Matsuda of Japan, Mystery Bounty Hunter final table-ist Magnus Martin of Scotland, recent APT SUper High Roller champion William Teoh of Malaysia.

So far, there are a total of 192 players (82 Flight A, 100 Flight B) who advanced to compete for the APT Main Event Day 2 on November 3. That number will surely increase with 2 more flights to launch tomorrow. The APT Main Event Flight C opens at 11:00 AM of November 2 with Flight D later in the day at 6:00 PM.

Here are the the top ten chip counts of Flight B APT Manila Main Event:

A full APT Main Event Flight B Survivor list can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Play has concluded for today after 10 levels of poker.

Recap to follow shortly.

Cheng Wong opened for 3,000 from the hijack, only to be met with an all-in shove by Flo Campomanes in the cutoff. Sung Jin Yun, the table’s chip leader, quickly moved all-in to isolate.

Wong, who was chatting with Brett Bader as he mulled over his options, eventually folded, leaving Campomanes at risk in a heads-up showdown against Yun.

Flo Campomanes: A♥ Q♦

Sung Jin Yun: J♥ J♣

The flop revealed K♠ 6♠ J♠ , giving Yun a set but offering Campomanes a glimmer of hope with a gutshot straight draw.

However, the K♣ turn solidified Yun’s hand with a full house, leaving Campomanes drawing dead. the dealer placed the 8♥ on the river, Campomanes prepared to make his exit.

Yan Wen Lee was engaged in a lively conversation with his seatmates when he completed his small blind by limping into the pot, only for Matthew Chan in the big blind to raise to 5,000. Pausing his chat, Lee took a moment to consider before calling.

The flop revealed 8♥ 9♥ J♣ , and Lee checked the action to Chan, who then pushed all-in, risking his tournament life. After some thought, Lee decided to call.

Matthew Chan: T♣ 7♦ Yan Wen Lee: K♠ J♠

With the flop showing 8♥ 9♥ J♣ , Lee had made top pair, while Chan held a straight. The dealer turned over a 2♥ and then a T♦ on the river, leaving Lee without any chance for a redraw and sending Chan to victory.

Jongha Kim completed the 1,400 requirement from the cut-off to the delight of the blinds, getting the minimum entrance fee to open a flop of A♠ T♣ 7♣ All checked to see a free 6♣ on the turn. Deukhwan Jang at the small blind bet 2,000. Terrance Leung at the big blind folded but Jongha Kim stuck around to see a 9♦ on the river. Kim pushed his last 5,700 chips all-in. Despite easil covering the bet, Kim decided on a fold.

In the next hand Dohwan Kim raised 3,000 from the cut-off with Jang and Thomas St John Ward calling. The three saw a flop of 4♠ K♠ 2♥ Kim fired a bet of 3,500 and Jang shoved all-in. Both players folded to give Jang the pot.

Action was folded to the blinds. Cooper raised to 4,000 from the small blind and Hyeontae Sim pushed all-in from the big blind. Cooper made the snap call and turned over Q♣ Q♦ while Hyeontae Sim showed K♣ Q♦

The T♦ 7♣ J♠ flop added an open-ended straight draw as one of Sims outs apart from the kings. None of the 11 outs came on the 5♥ turn and J♦ river, eliminating Sim from the Main Event.

Ryosuke Tomura opened for 2,400 and was re-raised by Edgar Asehan to 7,000. William Teoh, on the button, called the 7,000, but Tomura responded with a four-bet to 24,000, prompting Asehan to fold. Teoh, facing elimination, shoved all-in, and Tomura quickly called.

William Teoh: K♣ Q♦

Ryosuke Tomura: K♥ K♠

The flop revealed A♥ A♣ 6♣ , prompting Asehan to groan in regret, muttering, “I would have won that!” The turn and river came 4♣ 6♠ , sealing Teoh's fate as he began packing up his stuff.

Ryosuke Tomuro opened to 2,400 and was called by Sangyoon Song on the button and Junichi Kato in the big blind. The flop of 4♠ 5♣ J♦ was checked by Kato, allowing Tomura to lead out with 3,400. Song called, while Kato folded.

When the K♦ hit the turn, Tomuro went big, betting 25,000 — more than the pot. Song folded immediately, giving Tomuro the win.

Naruyasu Ota raised to 2,500 from the cut-off and when action was folded to Yan Wen Yee on the big blind, he liked his cards enough to re-raise to 10,000 and defend his big blind. Ota surrendered.

In the following hand, action was folded to the blinds with Yee completing the small blind. Jieun Um at the big blind raised to 4,500 to defend her big blind. Yee folded, getting a taste of his own medicine.

Defending the big blind proved to be a crucial key to success.

There was over 50,000 in the pot and a board that read T♣ A♥ 5♥ 6♦ 9♠ . Daon Kang and Kazuhiro Shirazawa were still in the hand.

On the final round of betting, Daon Kang dropped a 30,000 bet. Shirazawa's stack was covered and his tournament life in possible jeopardy.

Shirazawa went into deep thought, staring at the board and at his hand a few times. Notihing changed. The board was still the same as was his hand. He eventually surrendered the pot to Kang to fight another time.

Alvin Sembrano raised to 2,500 in early position and was called by Chi Hung Lam on the next seat.

Both players were shown a flop of 8♠ 6♦ 3♣ . Sembrano check-raised the 3,100 bet of Lam to 9,300. Lam gave it some thought and called.

A J♣ Came on the turn and Sembrano fired 13,000. Lam made the call.

The river came 9♣ and Sembrano slowed down while Lam counted off 21,300 to put on the betting block. Sembrano took a moment to assess then made the call.

Lam flipped over 9♥ 8♦ for a two-pair and a dejected Sembrano mucked his cards.

Players are on a 15-minute break.

Shirase Ryuki went all-in for his remaining 8,700 versus Trong Hieu Ngo.

Ryuki showed 4♠ 4♥ while Ngo had K♥ Q♦ Ngo paired his queen on the flop of 8♣ Q♣ 8♦ and led all the way through the T♦ turn and 5♥ river.

Zhun Wang opened to 11,000 and was re-raised by Angkhbayar Davaatseren to 24,000. Jemar Cadangdang folded, allowing Wang to shove all-in. Davaatseren, at risk, made the call.

Angkhbayar Davaatseren: A♣ A♠ Zhun Wang: A♦ T♦

Davaatseren’s Aces held as the dealer revealed 4♥ 6♦ 5♠ 2♠ T♥ , securing him the double-up late in the day.

The pot in the middle was over 30,000 and Yu Chun Chen had the all-in button in front of him with 34,400 chips counted out. Ankbayar Davaatseren was studying the board of 2♣ 6♦ 4♦ K♥ 5♣ . Davaartseren had Chen comfortably covered and decided to make the call. Chen showed 5♥ 5♠ and Davaartseren cried "on the river..." while showing his T♦ T♣ .

Terence Navales raised to 2,500 from under the gun and was called by Seung Hoon Lee from the cut-off and Daniel Benor in the big blind. The three players were shown a J♦ 9♣ T♠ flop where Benor check-called the 2,500-chip bet of Navales, while Lee did not continue.

The turn came Q♦ and both checked to see a 6♠ on the river. Both checked and Navales showed A♥ Q♥ , which got Benor to muck.

Action was picked up at the turn with a board of 7♣ A♠ 2♣ 5♣ . From the small blind, Uuganbayar Erdenekhuu led out with a 7,500 bet, which Wanghee Lee called.

On the river 5♠ , Erdenekhuu bet 13,000, sending Lee deep into thought. After a long pause, Lee finally called, only to see Erdenekhuu reveal J♣ T♣ , showing a flush he completed on the turn.

Hye Keun Park raised to 1,600 from the cut-off and was called by Rui Song from the small blind. Both players saw a flop of A♣ T♣ A♦ where Song check-called the 1,200-chip bet of Park to see a 2♣ on the turn. Both players checked again for a free peek at the 2♠ river. Park checked, Song bet 1,600, and Park gave up.

Matthew Chan raised to 2,000 from the cut-off and called the 5,500 re-raise of Tuvshintugs Batbold from the button to see a flop of 3♥ 6♥ 8♣ Chan opened with 2,000 and was-reraised by Batbold to 5,500. Chan re-popped to make it 11,500, the Batbold pushed back with an all-in and Chan snap called.

Chan flipped over 6♠ 6♣ for a set while Batbold showed Q♥ Q♣ The J♦ turn and 7♥ river offered no improvements for Batbold, giving Chan a much-needed double-up.

James Pilpa raised to 1,700 and Dmitri Belikov on the the button and Ryohei Otsuka on the big blind joined the party. The three were treated to a flop of J♣ 5♥ K♥ Otuska check-called Pilpa's bet of 2,800 while Belikov stood down. The turn offered a T♣ which both checked to see a 6♠ on the river. Otsuka check-raised PIlpa's 5,000 bet all-in for 7,000 with Pilpa needing to add only 2,000 more for a showdown. Pilpa flipped A♦ K♦ but lost out to the two-pair of Otsuka's K♣ T♦. .

With the first six 45-minute levels down, the remaining four levels of the flight will be 60 minutes long.

The number of entries just crossed the double-century mark at 204, with 164 players still with chips in front of them.

Players are on a 15-minute break.

Anthony Wong raised to 2,500 after Ankhbayar Davaatseren limped in from early position. Gary Thompson called from the cutoff, and with the button and blinds folding, Davaatseren also called.

On the 5♣ 8♥ 6♦ flop, Davaatseren checked, allowing Wong to continue for 3,100. Thompson folded, and Davaatseren called to go heads-up. Both players checked the 6♣ turn.

On the river 7♥ , Davaatseren fired a 7,800 bet. Wong called, but Davaatseren revealed K♠ 4♠ for a rivered straight, prompting Wong to muck.

Anton Lysenko raised to 1,200 and received three callers: Kwun Wah Simon Ngan in the cutoff, Dashsodnom Enkhjargal in the small blind, and Jun Lai in the big blind, leading to a flop of A♣ 7♠ 4♥ .

The action checked around to Ngan, who led out with a bet of 1,200. Both Enkhjargal and Lai called, while Lysenko opted to fold, leaving the three players to continue.

The turn brought the 3♥ , and Ngan, again in the cutoff, bet 4,500. Enkhjargal folded, but Lai called.

On the river, the 6♠ prompted Lai to jam all-in, putting Ngan in the tank. After a moment of deliberation, Ngan decided to fold, allowing Lai to scoop the pot.

Terrence Dizon made a min-raise to 1,200 with Daniel Benor re-raising to 4,400. When action folded back to Dizon, he declared "All-in" for 59,800. Benor counted his chips and realized it could be painful, so he folded.

In another table, Badrudin Ampatuan's short stack was all-in versus Nhu Hai Le. Ampatuan's 8♣ 8♥ doubling him up to 10,400 against Le's 5♠ 5♦ .

Chan Truong made the 1,200 min-raise from early position and was re-raised by Brett Bader to 3,500. Jin Woo Choi on the button called, and when action came back to Truong, he pushed all-in for his remaining 23,500. Bader surrendered. The short-stacked Choi tanked a while, but made the call.

Chan Truong: K♥ K♠

Jin Woo Choi: 9♦ 9♥

Truong made a set on the flop of Q♦ K♦ J♠ but Choi had a gut-shot. The turn A♠ meant the straight would split the pot and the river 7♥ awarded Truong the double-up.

In the next hand, Truong raised to 1,200 with Brett Bader calling behind. Jin Woo Choi pushed his last 4,200 chips to the middle. Truong backed away and Bader met the match.

Jim Woo Choi: K♥ T♥

Brett Bader: J♥ 9♥

Choi paired his ten on a flop of 7♦ Q♠ T♦ but it gave Bader an open-ended straight draw to add to his outs. The turn Q♣ and river 5♥ kept Choi in the lead to double-up.

Rex Clinkscales executed a four-bet to 6,200 from early position after Xinjing Li three-bet to 1,100 from the hijack. Li folded, and Giorgios Skarparis, who had called the initial raise from the cutoff, responded with an all-in shove.

SeongGwon Kim, who also called the initial raise from the big blind, opted to fold, leaving the action back to Clinkscales, who was only 200 chips short of being covered by Skarparis.

Rex Clinkscales: Q♠ Q♥ Giorgios Skarparis: A♠ K♦.

The dealer revealed a board of 5♠ T♣ 5♦ 8♣ J♠ , allowing Clinkscales to hold onto his Queens and double up, while Skarparis, was left with just half a big blind.

Then, with only 200 chips left Skarparis was forced to put his chips in the pot when action was passed to him on hi-jack. Bong Hong Ker immediately to his left raised the pot to 1,200 and got once caller in Ho Young Jung on big blind.

Skarparis stood up as the dealer flopped A♣ 7♠ T♥ which was both checked by the two other players. On the turn of 6♣ Ker bet 700 which got called by Jung.

Both side-pot players checked the river of 9♣ .

Giorgios Skarparis: 9♠ 5♣

Bong Hong Ker: 9♦ 8♣

Ho Young Jung: K♥ J♣

With a straight on the flop, Ker scooped the pot.

Min Sung Lee raised to 1,000 from under the gun. When action came to Junwon Seol on the button, he four-bet to 4,000. Lee called and both players were peeled a flop of T♠ 3♦ 4♥ Lee checked called the 1,800 bet from Seol to see a 2♣ turn. Lee checked and Lee fired 10,500. Seol thought a moment and then folded.

Here are some of the recent eliminations over the past few levels. But fear not, as registration remains open until the start of Day 2, which plays out on Sunday, November 3.

There is still plenty of time to hop into Flight B, alternatively, flights C + D kick off tomorrow, which will be the last chance players have of running up a stack for Day 2.

Hirata Ryota raised to 1,100 and was called by Daon Kang on the button and Jaegeol Cho on the big blind. Three players were given a flop of Q♦ 2♥ 6♦ . All checked to see a free 8♠ turn and a free A♦ on the river. Cho checked and Ryota fired 5,000. Kang made the call while Cho folded. In the final showdown, Ryota flipped A♠ 8♣ for two-pair and Kang mucked her cards. Ryota has a very healthy stack following his re-entry after an earlier bust.

John Costiniano opened to 1,100 from middle position and got a call from Nhu Hai Le in the hijack. Badrudin Ampatuan then three-bet to 4,800 from the small blind, which only Le called.

A continuation-bet on a flop of 3♠ 5♦ 7♠ did the trick for Ampatuan, who took his stack up to around 55,000 with that pot.

Richard "Hotsauce" Marquez is seated at the same table, but hasn't gotten off to the best start as he has lost half of the starting stack, and sits with around 20,000 as the mid-way point of the flight approaches.

Yashiro Naoki raised from late position, prompting Juhyung Son to shove his remaining 5,000 stack all-in. Naoki made the call without hesitation.

Juhyung Son: A♦ 3♥

Yashiro Naoki: Q♠ 9♠

The dealer revealed the runout of A♣ 4♥ T♦ 8♥ 2♦ , giving Son the double-up as he paired his ace on the board.

Kamran Siddiqui and Jin Long Luo called the field reporter (me) to make sure that we feature their table - the fish table. Luo is fish 1 and Siddiqui apparently fish 2.

Sungsu Na raised to 1,000 from first position and was called by Jin Long Luo at the cut-off. Batzolboo Soronzonbold was excited at the thought of being featured and re-raised to 3,000 from the button. Na made the call while Luo stepped aside for two players to see a 5♦ 8♠ 6♣ on the flop. Both players checked to see the 7♣ turn and 3♣ river. Na bet out 5,000 and Soronzonbold made the call. Na showed J♥ 9♥ for a straight while Soronzonbold mucked.

Action was picked up with Juhyung Son in early position calling a raise from Yahiro Naoki on cut-off for 1,800 to see a flop of 4♦ 6♦ 3♥ . Son checked and Naoki led out for 2,000 to be raised by the former to 5,200. Naoki looked at the short stack of Son before making the call.

On the K♣ turn, Son fired 2,900 which Naoki called. The river 4♥ got another bet from Son for 5,000 leaving one 5,000-chip behind. Naoki looking a bit perplexed went into the tank and just called.

Naoki waited for Son to show his hand of 7♥ 7♦ before showing his 8♥ 8♦ .

Patrick Wahlquist raised to 1,500 and was called by Tsz Kan Ip on the button and Enrico Mosca on the big blind. The three players were given a flop of 2♣ 8♣ 3♣ . Wahlquist made a continuation-bet of 2,000 with only IP staying on to see a A♠ turn. Wahlquist fired 5,500 and Ip tanked a bit before making the call to open a 5♦ on the river. Both players checked and flipped over their cards. Ip showed A♥ K♣. for a pair of aces while Wahlquist showed A♦ 3♠ for the winning two-pair.

Daon Kang applied pressure early by three-betting Thomas Lamb to 2,900 after Lamb opened the action with a raise to 900 from middle position. Lamb opted to call, bringing them to a flop of K♣ T♦ 4♠ .

Both players checked the flop, but when the 6♣ hit the turn, Kang seized the initiative, leading out with a bet of 1,700. Faced with Kang's aggression, Lamb chose to fold, surrendering his hand without contest.

Zhun Wang, who has already made two final tables this series, has amassed a stack of six figures already, and has around 100,000 in front of him, mostly thanks to the last hand he just played.

Hirata Ryota had all of his chips in the middle against Wang with A♦ Q♠ , but unfortunately for the Japanese player, Wang's T♠ T♣ held up on the 3♠ 4♠ 5♠ 6♣ 4♣ runout.

The board read J♠ 4♣ 8♠ Q♥ K♥ and the pot had around 15,000 in the middle. Still in the hand were Riyota Hirata in the cut-off and Ionut Stochita in the hi-jack.

On the final betting round after the river, Stochita checked his option to Hirata, who fired a bet of 10,000. Stochita tanked a bit before finally making the call. Hirata flashed 8♣ 9♣ and Stochita showed the same hand with 8♥ 9♥ , which meant both players split the pot with identical hands. A few players on the table praised Stochita for the brave call.

Seung Hoon Lee, who earlier won a pot after mucking his cards, has been on a bit of a downtrend since then and had shoved his stack of around 6,000, and was put at risk by Benjamin Mangaliman.

Seung Hoon Lee: A♥ J♣

Benjamin Mangaliman: A♠ K♠

Lee didn't look too confident, and rightfully so as the runout of 7♥ Q♣ A♦ 6♥ 2♦ meant he was out-kicked by his opponent, which sent him for an early shower.

Players are on a 15-minute break.

Junichi Kato raised from under the gun to 700 with Cheol Ho Shin re-raising to 2,200. Action folded around to Kato who made the call for both players to enter a flop of J♥ 2♥ 7♠ Kato check-called Shin's 2,500 bet then check-ed down the K♥ turn and A♣ river. Shin flipped A♠ Q♦. and was a tad apologetic for hitting the river, while Kato threw his cards to the muck.

Action unfolded on a completed board of 7♦ 7♠ T♦ T♠ T♣ with Dashsodnom Enkhjargal deep in thought after betting 5,000, only to face a raise from Kwun Wah Simon Ngan to 20,000.

For several tense minutes, Enkhjargal studied the board and Ngan's expression before ultimately deciding to call. However, his shock was evident when he mucked his hand after Ngan revealed T♥ 5♦ for quads.

Emmanuel Derecho raised to 800 from under the gun and got 3 callers to follow. The flop came K♠ 6♣ 8♥ Action was checked to Seonghun Jeong at the cut-off who fired a 1,500 bet. Nhu Hai Le at the button called as did Derecho. 3 players moved on to see a 5♠ on the turn. Derecho fired 3,600 with Le the only one who matched. The river came T♥ with Derecho opening for 11,000. Le took a moment, asked Derecho if he had a set, counted off some chips and made the call.

Derecho flipped over 7♠ 8♠ for a pair of eights while Le showed a two-pair with 5♦ 6♦ Le took down the huge pot, leaving a dent on Derecho's stack.

It folded around to Naoki Matsumoto in the small-blind who opened it to 1,000. Sungsu Na responded with three-bet to 3,500. The preflop action did not stop there, as Matsumoto put in a four-bet to 10,500. Na clicked it back to 23,300. After a few minutes in the tank, Matsumoto decided to gamble and jammed all-in. Sungsu Na quickly called.

Naoki Matsumoto: T♦ T♠ Sungsu Na: A♦ A♥

The board did not bring any help to Matsumoto who is left with just crumbles, while Na got a full double up.

With 69 entries so far, only 66 remain in the seats as the three below have dusted off a stack in the early goings.

Juhyung Son opened from under the gun and got called by Seung Hoon Lee from middle position, Hyeontae Sim in the small blind, and Benjamin Mangaliman in the big blind.

On the flop of 2♠ Q♥ T♣ , it checked to Lee, who fired 1,500, which only Sim called.

Both then checked the A♦ turn and 4♦ river to showdown, where Sim showed K♠ T♠ for a pair of tens, then Lee mucked. But, after mucking his cards, Lee grabbed them back from the middle of the table and turned them over to reveal Q♠ 7♠ for a pair of queens — the winning hand.

Sim seemed a bit confused at what just happened, but instead of kicking up a fuss, he allowed the pot to be pushed to Lee.

Action was picked up with Beng Hong Ker calling Sung Jin Yun's raise to 2,200 from small blind to see a flop. The dealer spread 6♦ 2♠ T♣ , which Yun checked, giving Ker the chance to lead out with a 2,100 bet.

Yun called, bringing the 6♣ on the turn, where he checked again. Ker fired another 3,300, and Yun called. When the K♥ appeared on the river, Yun took the lead with a bet, and Ker made the call.

Yun revealed A♦ K♠ for top pair on the river, prompting Ker to shake his head and muck his hand, muttering, “Nice river.”

Sungsu Na raised to 600 from under the gun with everyone else folding except Naoki Matsumoto in the big blind. Both players were given a flop of 5♣ 9♠ A♠ where Matsumoto check-called a bet of 800 from Na to open a 2♦ on the turn.

Matsumoto check-called again for 1,200 to reveal a 4♥ on the river. Both checked down for the "show cards" moment with Na turning over T♣ T♠ versus the Q♣ Q♥ of Matsumoto. The ladies gave Matsumoto the win to bounce back.

Korean Seokjung Kim is having a bumpy ride so far in Flight B of the APT Manila Main Event.

On a board of A♣ 9♣ 7♣ 8♣ Q♠ Kim folded to a 10,000-chip bet by Alfredo Boligor, surrendering a 15,000 pot with half of his stack.

In the next hand, Kim limped from undeer the gun then called the 600 raise by Kamran Siddiqui from the small blind. Both players saw a 6♠ 7♦ 4♣ on the flop. Siddiqui bet 800 and Kim called to open a 5♦ on the turn. Both checked to see a free A♠ on the river. Both checked again and Siddiqui flipped J♠ J♦ , Kim mucked.

APT dealers are all smiles as players steadily fill the floor, eager to bring excitement with every hand dealt.

Action picked up on the turn with a sizable pot already in play, early in the day. The board showed J♦ 6♥ 9♦ 2♥ , and Toshihide Sawada led with a bet of 10,000, which Alfredo Boligar called from the button.

When the 3♣ hit the river, Sawada opted to check. Boligar, left with just 16,000 in his stack, pushed it all in. After a brief moment of contemplation, Sawada tossed his cards into the muck, conceding the pot to Boligar.

The Japanese Kazuhiro Shirazawa, who could be seen in multiple pots in the first level, opened from the cut-off to 300, and got three-bet to 1,000 by his fellow countrymen Hironobu Hasegawa in the small-blind. Shirazawa responded with a four-bet to 2,200. The small-blind called and they went off to see a flop.

This came down A♠ T♥ 5♣ and Shirazawa bet 1,500, which got called once more. On the 9♥ turn Shirazawa continued to bet, this time 7,000, which was enough to make Hasegawa fold after he thought about it for a couple minutes.

It's the day after Halloween - All Saint's Day, if you know your calendar. Here in the Philippines, this day is usually meant for visiting family and loved ones who have passed away, maybe visiting the cemetery for some prayers and offerings.

Here at the City of Dreams in Manila, it's time for more poker action as the second flight for the APT Manila Main Event (PHP 100,000,000 Guaranteed) takes off. So far, there are 29 early birds with no Halloween party hangovers that have already registered with more expected throughout the day.

Some of the notable players already at the tables are Singapore's Bong Hong Ker, who has had some success in recent major poker events in the Philippines.

Elliot Damashek, who was a runner-up in last year's Vietnam National Cup during the APT Hanoi Billions, has also taken his seat.

Terrance Leung has also checked in, fresh from a recent cash at the APT Mystery Bounty Hunter - by Natural 8 a few days ago. Leung also took part in yesterday's Flight A, but didn't make the cut, so maybe today's the day.

Italian Alessio Isaia, who is ranked No. 9 in Italy's All-Time Money List is also at the felt. Isaia already cashed in two events of this APT Manila series, and will look to run deep again in this APT Manila Main Event.

Sweden's Thomas Lind is also in the sign-up sheet. Lind won a NLH Tag Team Event at Vietnan last month and is hoping his success will carry over here at the APT Manila.

Keep track of all the poker action from these players and more as we provide you with live updates throughout the day.

Action started early on Table #32. Jin Long Luo on cut-off called a raise from Toshihide Sawada on big blind after limping to see a flop. Flop unfurled to 2♠ 7♥ 4♣ .

Sawada led out with 4,500 to be called by Luo again. Sawada slowed down on the turn 8♣ which gave Luo the chance to show some aggression with a 6,000 bet.

Sawada alternated looking at the board and Luo considering his options. He eventually folded and Luo scooped the pot.

Shue Churk opened from the button and Jin Luo, who just sat down, called from the big-blind. The Taiwanese player, Luo, called Churk's continuation-bet on K♥ 8♠ 7♦ . The turn brought the 7♠ , which went without any action.

On the river 9♣ , Luo bet out 3,500, which, after some deliberation time, got called by Churk. Luo tabled J♥ T♣ for a rivered straight. That's a great way to start your Main Event journey.

Cards are in the air for the second of four starting flights in the APT Main Event.

Today marks Flight B, the second of four starting flights in the APT Manila Main Event at City of Dreams, Manila.

Yesterday’s opening day drew 249 entries, each putting up the PHP 85,000 entry fee. Manila’s Edilberto Gopez Jr. emerged as the chip leader among the 82 players who survived to bag their chips for the next round.

Action resumes at 11:00 am local time with ten 60-minute blind levels, and late registration remains open until 11:00 pm.

Stay tuned here for live updates as the day unfolds!

Stay tuned, live updates begin at 11am local time...