APT Main Event

The final opening flight of the APT Main Event has entered the history books, with Netherland’s Tom Verbruggen topping the board at 284,700 chips. A total of 161 entries (139 unique) were recorded, and only 74 players successfully advanced to Day 2.

After four thrilling opening flights, the entry number climbed to 877 from the four opening flights, plus the 157 qualifiers make it 1,034, with numbers expected to grow as registration remains open just right until before Day 2 begins. A total of 373 players bagged up chips from the flights, but only 369 will start Day 2 as four players double qualified, meaning their smallest stack will be removed.

Chip leader Verbruggen recently claimed two titles at the 2024 APT Taipei, winning the Mini Main Event for TWD 2,710,928 and the Mystery Hunter Bounty for USD 26,479.

Following closely behind Verbruggen is South Korea’s Wonchul Bae (239,700), who is nearing $1,000,000 in live earnings.

William Teoh (155,000), who won the championship three years in a row and the APT Super High Roller just yesterday, is also on board with healthy chips to start Day 2.

Taiki Nakano (74,500) played the hand of the day, a Straight Flush with 8♣ 7♣ , busting Seoha Lee out of the field with a full house.

Other notables to make it through were Jun Li (156,500), John Matsuda (88,600), David Erquiaga (85,300), Pham Bao (64,600), Jack Sinclair (42,300), John Tech (41,400), and Edward Yam (34,600)

A full APT Main Event Flight D Survivor List can be found by CLICKING HERE.

A full APT Main Event Day 2 Seat Draw can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Flight D of the Main Event has wrapped up.

Stay tuned for a recap of the day's action.

Action folded around to Ronnie Tate on the button, who counted out a raise of 8,000 only to see Junwoo Lee move all-in from the small blind, which was enough to put Tate at risk.

Tate went deep into the think tank for several minutes before finally electing to roll the dice, slamming down the call and rolling over Q♦ Q♥ and looked relieved to see Lee reveal his two red tens – T♥ T♦

The 7♠ 8♣ 3♦ flop kept Tate's nose in front, but the 9♠ turn definitely gave him a sweat.

Fortunately though, the poker gods were feeling magnanimous and the 7♥ paired the river to grant Tate a last gasp double right at the close of play, shooting him up to 93,000, while Lee dropped down to 44,000.

A♠ the day neared its end, Ronnie Tate found himself all-in for his tournament life against Jeong In Jang. The table atmosphere was lighthearted, with players covering Tate’s eyes and playfully calling him "Shaquille" or "Lebron" as he awaited his fate.

Ronnie Tate: A♣ A♦

Jeong In Jang: A♥ K♥

The flop came down K♣ 5♣ 8♦ , giving Jang a pair but keeping Tate’s aces in the lead. The turn J♦ and river 2♠ sealed the win for Tate, and the table cheered, jokingly declaring “Lebron” victorious. Tate laughed as he scooped up his well-earned chips.

Taiki Nakano opened the button to 3,000 and received calls from Ivan Dela Cruz and Ferdinand Lu from the blinds.

Three players checked through the flop of 9♠ 3♥ 6♣ to see an 8♣ drop on the turn, where Dela Cruz bet 6,500, and only Nakano put in a call.

The river brought 2♦ , prompting a bet of 8,000 from Dela Cruz, which forced Nakano throw his cards back to the dealer.

Tran Ngoc Hanh Pham opened for 3,100, only to face an all-in shove from Haewon Chung for his tournament life. Without hesitation, Pham snap-called.

Haewon Chung: 9♠ 8♣

Tran Ngoc Hanh Pham: 9♣ 9♥

The dealer spread the board: Q♠ 8♦ 2♠ 4♠ 9♦ . Pham’s face lit up as the river sealed the hand with a set, and she burst into applause as Chung exited the table.

Just then, Ben Gur, who had just joined the table, grinned mischievously and teased, "He has a flush, he has a flush!" Startled, Pham looked at the board again, then laughed and replied, "No, he doesn’t! Don’t scare me like that!"

Bien Mai shoved all in from the small blind and was snap-called by Takayasu Takumi from the big blind.

Takayasu Takumi: A♣ 9♣

Bien Mai: A♣ Q♠

Mai held the lead with the queen-kicker, and soon the flop came 8♣ 4♣ 5♦ , improving nothing for both sides, but providing Takumi a flush draw. The runout of 9♥ 4♦ , gave Takumi a turned pair of nines and sent Mai out of the field.

Ramdrick Aznar opened the cutoff to 3,000 and Redentor Edoc defended from the big blind.

Both players saw a flop of 9♠ K♦ 7♦ and checked through to see a 9♦ fall on the turn, where Edoc bet 2,700. However, it didn’t deter Aznar from putting in a raise to 7,300. Edoc then shoved all in and Aznar called.

Redentor Edoc: 6♦ 8♦

Ramdrick Aznar: A♦ 3♦

Aznar picked up the lead with a turned ace-high flush, leaving Edoc a small chance to win the pot. The dealer quickly delivered a 6♣ on the river, setting the tone for Edoc’s elimination.

The action was picked up when the board ran out 2♦ K♣ 5♥ 3♥ 8♠ : with around 26,000 chips in the middle. Lun Wei Chang bet 18,000 from the hijack, sending Lun Wei Chang from the big blind into the tank. Eventually, Chang called.

Li tabled a flopped top pair with K♠ Q♥ while Chang flipped A♣ Q♠ for ace-high, which shipped the pot to Li.

Jeonggyu Cho opened the hijack to 2,500 and Pei-His Lin defended from the big blind.

Both saw the flop of 5♦ 8♣ Q♦ , and Lin checked the action to Cho, who bet 2,500. Lin dropped in a call to see the J♠ fall on the turn, where Lin checked to Cho again. Cho fired 5,000 this time, forcing Lin muck quickly.

as the Philippines celebrate Dias delos Muertos, here are some bustouts from the final flight of the tournament.

William Teoh shoved all in from small blind for 12,600 and Daniel Tighe defended from the small blind.

William Teoh: 7♦ 7♠

Daniel Tighe: A♣ Q♦

The clean board rolled off 3♣ 4♦ 9♦ 5♦ 8♣ , helping nothing to Tighe, wlhich meant Teoh schooped a much-needed double up through Tighe.

Manh Tuan Nguyen opened for 2,100 to be re-raised for 5,500 by Toshihide Sawada, Nguyen called to see a flop of J♦ 9♣ 6♥ .

Nguyen checked and Sawada continued the pressure with 7,000 bet. Nguyen called.

At the 3♦ turn, Nguyen check-called Sawada's all-in for his tournament life.

Toshihide Sawada: A♦ A♥

Manh Tuan Nguyen: J♥ J♣

Nguyen caught a set on the flop and the river 5♦ didn't help Sawada who was eliminated in the process.

Terry Gonzaga kicked things off with a raise to 2,200, attracting calls from Tatsumi Iwasaki on the button and Minwoong Jeong in the big blind.

The flop came down 8♦ K♠ 2♣ , and after Jeong checked, Gonzaga seized the opportunity to bet 2,500. Iwasaki folded, but Jeong decided to call, keeping the action alive.

A♠ the turn revealed a Q♦ , Gonzaga once again took the initiative, and after some contemplation, Jeong ultimately chose to surrender his hand, leaving Gonzaga in control of the pot.

Junwoo Lee made it 2,100 to see a flop from early position with Chun How Wong calling from the next seat and Ronnie Tate defending the big blind.

The flop arrived 3♥ 8♣ 7♦ Action was checked to the pre-flop raiser and Lee obliged with a 2,000 lead.

Wong and Tate met the bet to see a K♠ on the turn. Everyone double-tapped to Lee, who fired another 6,500. Wong stepped aside and Tate shoved all-in with Lee making the call.

Lee showed a K♣ T♦ for top pair while Tate flashed K♥ 7♥ for a two-pair. The river threw a brick to guarantee Tate the much-needed double-up, and the award for best hat of the day.

Akihiro Kawaguchi raised to 2,500 from under the gun and Justin Geronimo defended from the big blind.

Both players read the flop of 6♥ 5♣ T♠ and checked through to see the 3♣ fall on the turn, where Geronimo bet 2,000 and Kawaguchi made the call.

A Q♠ dropped on the river, and Geronimo sent another bet of 2,000, which Kawaguchi raised to 7,000. It took no time from Geronimo to toss his cards into the muck.

Minwoong Jeong shoved all in preflop from the small blind and Steven Samuel defended from the big blind.

Steven Samuel: J♦ 7♣

Minwoong Jeong: 6♠ 6♦

The board swiftly went 2♠ T♣ Q♣ 7♠ Q♥ , improving Samuel to two pair and leaving Jeong’s pocket sixes no chance to win the pot.

Taehyun opened the cutoff to 2,800 and Damien Collins called from the small blind.

The two saw a flop come 2♠ 8♦ Q♣ and checked through to see the board-pairing 2♣ turn, where Collins checked the action to Jang, who bet 12,000. Collins dropped in a call after thinking for a while.

The A♣ came on the river, and Collins checked it to Jang again. Jang then shoved all in for around 90,000, sending Collins into the tank. Ultimately, Collins called off his remaining chips. Jang flipped K♥ 7♠ for a bluff and said “Nice call,”. Collins showed a runner-runner flush with T♣ 8♣ .

Players are on 15-minute break time.

Japan’s Toshihide Sawada opened the hijack to 1,800 and received calls from his countrymate, Rei Ikemiya, from the cutoff and Ivan Dela Cruz on the button.

Three players read a flop of Q♠ J♥ 3♥ , bringing flush draw possibilities. Dela Cruz and Sawada checked the action to Ikemiya, who bet 1,500, and only Sawada dropped in a call.

The 9♠ landed on the turn, where Sawada checked over, and Ikemiya then shoved all in, forcing Sawada to force.

After a raise/re-raise tug-of-war, Misaki Tominaga and Sergius Santos finally agreed on an all-in pre-flop showdown with Tominaga making the last call from Santos' shove.

Tominaga showed K♥ Q♦ against the J♣ T♦ of Santos. The Q♥ 9♥ 9♦ was a good hit for Tominaga, but Santos still had 4-outs to make a straight. The 9♠ turn had Santos drawing dead and the 6♥ was just a formality.

The action heated up on a flop of 4♠ 3♠ J♠ when Martins Ivanovs led out with a bet of 5,000, only to be raised by Gary Thompson to 13,800. Ivanovs took a moment to contemplate his next move, deeply considering the pressure of the situation. In a bold move, he pushed all-in for his tournament life, prompting an immediate call from Thompson.

Martins Ivanovs: Q♥ Q♣

Gary Thompson: A♣ J♦

With the tension mounting, Ivanovs' pocket queens held strong as the dealer revealed a 9♣ turn and a 7♦ river, leaving Thompson crippled in the aftermath.

Martin Astorga opened to 1,600 from under the gun and got two callers, Martin Astorga from middle position and Rishi Mehra from the cutoff. Jun Li then three-bet to 7,000 on the button, which Mehra and Li stuck around.

The two read the flop of 6♠ Q♠ 9♠ , and Mehra checked it to Li who then bet 6,000, which Mehra raised to 13,700. Li folded.

Nattapon Chaimungkhun shoved all in preflop for 7,900 and received a call from Jeonghoon Park on the button.

Nattapon Chaimungkhun: 5♥ 5♦

Jeonghoon Park: K♥ : K♠

The dry board ran out J♦ A♣ 8♥ 3♥ A♠ , improving nothing for Chaimungkhun, who headed to the exit as his pocket fives couldn’t rival the cowboys from Park.

Seungyong An opened the cutoff to 1,200 and Ngoc Cao defended from the big blind.

Both saw the monotone flop of 2♦ J♦ 4♦ and checked through to see a 6♥ fall on the turn, where Cao bet 1,700 and An called.

The river brought the T♥ . Cao fired out 5,000 this time, but it didn’t deter his opponent from making the call. Cao tabled 9♣ 5♠ , which was no match for An’s flopped flush with A♦ T♦ .

Seoha Lee raised from under the gun to 2,000 and was called by Taiki Nakano form the small blind.

Both saw the flop of A♥ 9♥ 9♣ and checked through to see the 6♣ fall on the turn, where Nakano bet 2,500 and Lee dropped in a call.

The T♣ landed on the river, and Nakano bet 16,700 prompting to Lee to move all-in. Nakano snap-called and tabled A♦ A♠ for aces full of nines on the flop.

However, Lee shocked the table when he rolled over 8♣ 7♣ for a runner, runner straight flush.

Ben Gur to the left of Nakano, excitedly said:

"This is the best hand of the tournament! This needs to be posted!"

Kazuhiro Shirazawa made a raise to 1,200 from middle-position. Misaka Tominaga re-raised to 3,500 from the small blind, and Wonchul Bae & Shirazawa all met the fees to open a flop of J♥ 7♦ T♥ .

Shirazawa led with 6,000. Bae got out of the way, but Shirazawa stuck around to see an A♣ on the turn. Tominaga bet out 15,000 and Shirazawa tanked, re-assessed his chips, and then made the call. On the river, Tominaga pushed all-in and Shirazawa snap-folded.

Carlos Chang opened the action with a raise to 1,500, which drew calls from both Redentor Edoc in the small blind and Jessie Leonarez in the big blind.

The flop came down 4♠ 4♣ 9♣ , and Chang continued with a bet of 3,000. Edoc called, while Leonarez opted to fold.

When the turn brought the 9♥ , Edoc took the initiative, leading out with a bet of 5,500, which Chang called.

The river revealed the 7♣ , prompting Edoc to fire another bet of 5,100. Once again, Chang made the call. Edoc then revealed his hand: J♦ 4♦ for trips on the flop, forcing Chang to muck his cards in defeat.

Wonchul Bae made a raise from under the fun to 1,300 and was re-raised by Vivencio Nachor on the next seat to 3,500. When action hit Jaehkyuk Kim on the small blind, he raised it to 9,700. Bae got out of the way, but Nachor stayed around. Both players were peeled a flop of K♣ 6♣ 7♠ . Kim led with 6,500 and Nachor raised to 15,000. Kim shoved all-in with 11,700 left for Nachor to call, and ,of course, he did.

Kim showed his K♥ K♠ first to show the flopped set and Nachor coyly brought out the 8♥ 8♦ which was super dominated. The 9♥ turn made everyone nervous, but the 7♥ ended their anxiety, awarding the win to Kim.

Even Kim muttered something in his language, but even without a translator - one could tell it was about the possible straight that scared the beejeezus out of him.

Action heated up on the turn with a board showing 7♦ 3♠ 8♦ 2♠ . Jun Li, in early position, fired a bet of 6,500 into the growing pot, drawing calls from both Martin Astorga in middle position and Mehra Rishi in the big blind.

When the river revealed the 2♦ , Rishi seized the moment, leading out with a hefty bet of 12,500. Li swiftly folded, leaving Astorga to weigh his options against the chip leader of the table. After a moment of contemplation, Astorga decided to relinquish his hand as well, allowing Rishi to bolster his already formidable stack.

Gary Thompson opened the button to 1,200 only to be jammed by Gerardo Lubas from the big blind for around 5,200. Thompson called to put Lubas at risk.

Gary Thompson: 9♥ 8♥

Gerardo Lubas: 3♣ 3♥

The board ran out J♠ 6♥ Q♣ A♣ 6♦ , bringing no help to Thompson and shipping the pot to Lubas for a much-needed double up.

Players are now having the firs 15-minute break.

Action was picked up on a flop of 6♠ 2♣ Q♦ with Yan Li betting 1,200. John Tech from late position made the call to see the turn.

Li continued the pressure by betting another 3,700 on the K♠ which Tech calmly called again.

On the A♥ river, Li upped the temperature by betting a strong 15,000 which Tech called without hesitation. Li tabled 9♠ 8♠ versus Tech's A♠ Q♣ for a two-pair.

Ben Gur opened the hijack to 400, and Seoha Lee three-bet to 1,500. Gur made the call.

A flop rolled off 4♠ A♥ Q♣ , and Gur checked the action to Lee, who then bet 1,200, which Gur called to see the J♣ turn. The action went check-check again.

The river brought the 6♥ . Gur bet 1,000 and Lee snap-called to take it to a showdown. Gur tabled 2♣ 3♣ for a bluff against Lee’s Q♠ T♥ for a flopped pair of queens.

Taehyun Jang opened from the hijack, drawing three callers: Togtokhbayar Shinekhu on the button, Damien Collins in the small blind, and Eugene Co in the big blind.

The dealer revealed a flop of A♠ 8♠ 5♥ , and all four players checked, keeping the suspense high. When the 2♦ landed on the turn, Collins broke the silence with a 2,500 bet. Shinekhu called, while Jang and Co got out of the way.

On the river 7♣ , Collins fired another bet, prompting Shinekhu to finally fold, letting Collins scoop the pot.

The action was picked up on the river with a board delivering 8♥ Q♥ 5♥ 4♦ K♥ , which brought flush possibilities. There were 11,400 chips in the middle when Alexis Lim checked the action from the small blind to Carlos Manalastas on the big blind. Manalastas then fired 4,000, sending Lim into the tank. Eventually, Lim mucked his hand and relinquished the pot.

Seoha Lee raised to 600 from under the gun and got himself four callers.

On the flop of K♠ 8♣ 5♦ , the blinds checked to Lee, who bet 1,500, which only Marvin Dela Cruz form the big blind dropped in a call.

A Q♠ landed on the turn, where Dela Cruz bet 2,500 and Lee stuck around to see a 9♠ fall on the river, which the action went check-check

Dela Cruz turned over K♥ 5♥ for flopped two pair while his opponent flipped K♦ T♥ for a pair of queen, which pushed the pot to Dela Cruz.

Some prestigious names have entered the last flight of the APT Manila Main Event in the hopes of getting a piece of the PHP 100 Million (~$1.7 Million) Guaranteed prize pool.

Alexis Lim raised to 800 from the cutoff and received calls from Carlos Manalastas and Lok Ming Tan from the blinds.

On the flop of 2♦ 3♦ 5♥ , Tan checked to Lim, who bet 1,500 only to face a raise to 3,000 from Manalastas, which only Lim dropped in a call.

A 6♥ landed on the turn, Lim check-called after Manalastas bet 6,000. The river brought the J♥ , where Lim checked over again. Manalastas then bet another 6,000, and Lim made the call. After Manalastas tabled 2♥ 2♣ for a flopped set, Lim mucked his hand quickly.

Dealers are still energetic and fresh on the last flight of the APT Manila Main Event Day 1

Wonchul Bae opened to 500 from middle position and was called by Junwoo Lee. On the small blind, Batzolboo Soronzonbold then three-bet to 2,700, prompting Enkhjarga Myagmarsuren on the big blind to fold. Bae made the call, while Lee bowed out, leaving Bae and Soronzonbold to battle it out heads-up.

The dealer revealed a flop of 7♣ 9♠ 9♣ , and Soronzonbold led out with a 2,000 bet, which Bae called.

On the 5♦ turn, Soronzonbold kept the pressure high, firing 5,500. Bae, appearing somewhat hesitant, decided to make the call.

When the river brought the 2♠ , Soronzonbold went all-in for 35,000, putting Bae to a tough decision with only about 18,000 chips left if he called. After a few tense moments, Bae committed to the call.

Wonchul Bae: K♥ 7♥

Batzolboo Soronzonbold: A♦ 8♠

Bae's flopped pair of sevens held, and with Soronzonbold saying, "Good call," Bae scooped the pot.

Wonchul Bae: K♥ 7♥

Batzolboo Soronzonbold: A♦ 8♠

With a pair on the flop, Bae scooped the pot.

Sergius Santos raised to 500 from under the gun, and Chun How Wong three-bet to 600 from the hijack, which Pham Boa on the button, Emmanuel Segismundo from the big blind, and Santos called.

On a flop of 9♠ K♥ 3♣ , the action went check until Boa sent a bet of 1,200, forcing the rest snap-fold.

The action picked up on the turn as Enkhjargal Myagmarsuren led out with a bet, met by a call from Wonchul Bae on the cut-off, with the board reading J♠ 9♣ 3♠ 5♦ .

When the river brought the 6♣ , Myagmarsuren fired again, this time for 2,500. Bae thought it over before making the call. Myagmarsuren flipped over 4♠ 8♠ , revealing a missed flush draw, while Bae confidently tabled A♠ K♥ , securing the pot with ace-high.

On the flop of 4♣ 6♥ 7♣ , there were around 10,200 chips in the middle when Minwoong Jeong bet 3,800 form the big blind and called by Geronimo Manuel from under the gun.

Both saw a T♥ land on the turn, and Jeong check-folded after Manuel fired out 6,000.

Daryl Galang opened the hijack to 300 and received calls from the blinds.

Three players saw a flop show K♦ 8♥ 9♦ , and Joseph Sia from the big blind checked it to Nattapon Chaimungkhun from the big blind, who bet 600. Only Galang called.

The K♥ landed on the turn, and Chaimungkhun checked it over. Galang bet 2,500, and Chaimungkhun made the call.

A 3♥ fell on the river. Chaimungkhun took initiative and bet 5,000 this time, which Galang called to take it to a showdown. Chaimungkhun tabled K♠ 9♥ for a turned full house while Galang also flipped over tirps with K♣ J♦ .

Action was picked up on the turn with the board showing 3♥ 6♠ A♥ K♠ . Sergius Santos, in the big blind, led out with a 200 bet, which Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao, on the button, raised to 1,100. Santos made the call.

On the river J♦ , Santos confidently fired 5,500. Bao called, only to see Santos reveal Q♠ T♥ for a broadway straight. Bao mucked his hand, and Santos scooped the pot.

Munkh Erdene Ganbold opened for 300 and got a three-bet from Manh Tuan Nguyen from cut-off to 900. Seoha Lee on the button, however, decided to four-bet to 2,600. Ganbold not able to handle the escalating pressure, decided to fold his hand.

Not to be pushed out, Nguyen re-raised to 7,200 at which point Lee, at risk, shoved all-in. With a slight shake of the head, Nguyen made the call.

Seoha Lee: K♥ K♣

Manh Tuan Nguyen: A♦ K♠

Lee's kings held with a flop of 2♠ 5♥ 9♠ but as there are two streets left, Nguyen could hope for an Ace or backdoor straight or flush for the win.

The 4♥ gave Nguyen more hope but with the 6♣ river, the kings held and Lee scooped the pot.

Wonchul Bae opened the cutoff too 300 and received two callers, Junwoo Lee and Batzolboo Soronzonbold from the blinds.

On the flop of 7♠ 2♣ 9♣ , the blinds checked to Bae, who then bet 500, which only Lee called to see a T♥ hit on the turn. Both players checked through.

A board-pairing T♣ showed on the river, and Lee bet 600 this time, forcing his opponent to muck his hand.

Redentor Edoc raised from unnder the gun to 1,000 and recived two callers, Sergius Santos from the cutoff and Enrico Moscal on the button. However Chun Wong re-raised to 1,100 from the big blind, which the other three players stuck around.

On the flop of 8♥ 2♦ 5♥ , Wong and Edoc checked the action to Santos, who then bet 2,000. This time only Wong dropped in a call to see a 3♣ turn, and the action went check-check.

An A♣ landed on the river, prompting a bet of 6,500 from Wong, which forced Santos to toss his cards into the muck.

Play has begun, and cards are in the air for Flight D of the APT Main Event. Players are now on their journey toward Day 2.

Good evening, poker enthusiasts! Welcome to the fourth and final opening flight of APT Main Event, set to kick off at 6:00 pm local time. This is the last chance to run up a stack for this tournament, so don’t miss out!

Players will compete through 30-minute levels from Level 1 to 6, followed by 40-minute levels from Level 7 to Level 10. The flight is expected to conclude around 12:20 am, with registration opening till 12:10 am.

With 249 entries from Flight A and 257 entries from Flight B recorded in the books so far, Flight C is still running with 209 entries at the time of writing. A total of 192 players from the first two flights have qualified for Day 2.

Be sure to check in regularly to stay up to date with the latest action and see who will bring the biggest stack into Day 2.

Stay tuned... live updates begin at 6pm local time.