After a short but action-packed Day 3 at the Crowne Plaza Galleria, just 48 players remain from the 175 hopefuls who started the day. Leading the charge is Hong Kong's Jie Zhang, who holds a commanding chip lead with a stack of 3,930,000 after a dominant performance.

From the moment cards were in the air, eliminations came at a blistering pace. It took just six hours for the field to be whittled down to one-third of its original size, ensuring a new Main Event champion will be crowned, as no former winners remain in contention the PHP 11,069,680 (~$190,201) top prize.

Zhang's rise to the top was punctuated by a massive double-knockout in the late stages, where his pocket aces held strong against pocket kings and ace-queen in a crucial three-way all-in. He cemented his lead by delivering the final elimination of the night, as his pocket queens proved too strong for the pocket sixes of Inoue Senan.

Behind Zhang, Alexander Ugay holds the second-largest stack with 2,335,000, while Samuel Mullur is the only other player to cross the two-million mark, bagging 2,065,000.

Start-of-day chip leader Po-Shuo Huang ended the day in solid shape with 1,755,000, while Jayden Zalac (1,740,000), Rishi Mehra (1,465,000), and Niklas Warlich (1,365,000) all secured a top-ten finish. The top ten list is represented by ten different countries, showcasing the truly international nature of the competition and reinforcing APT's status as a premier global poker tour.

Three former Main Event champions entered the day, but none managed to survive. Yohn Paredes (107th), Mike Takayama (85th), and Moses Saquing (78th) all saw their title hopes cut short before the bags came out.

Eleven of the 29 qualifiers managed to find a bag and advance to Day 4. They include the aforementioned Mehra, Adalsteinn Karlsson (1,345,000), Che Li Lin (1,295,000), Noppon Taengruen (1,090,000), Xuan Huy Dinh (1,030,000), Nopparut Piyatassakorn (615,000), Donavan Chu (525,000), Padipan Photha (470,000), Anusorn Asiralertsiri (300,000), Miei Hayama (285,000), and Terry Gonzaga (280,000).

At the bottom of the counts sits Spain’s Javier Zarco, who will enter Day 4 as the tournament’s shortest stack with just 30,000 chips—a little over a single big blind. It will take nothing short of a miracle for him to run it up, but if poker has taught us anything, it's that a chip and a chair is sometimes all you need.

Day 4 kicks off at 11 a.m. on February 14th, where the remaining 48 players will battle to keep their title hopes alive. With the stakes rising and the pressure mounting, there will be no love lost at the tables as they fight for a spot in the final stages of the APT Main Event on Valentine's Day.

175 players started the day and it only took five levels before a field of 48 players was left. The 48 will return tomorrow for Day 4. Main Event Day 3 recap to come soon.

Some recent busts include: Stephen Lai, David Erquiaga, Marc Rivera, Takumi Monden, Abraham Ceesvin and Vytautas Laurinaitis.

Inoue Senan shoved all in for 400,000 from the hijack and was called by the Jie Zhang on the button.

Inoue Senan: 6♥ 6♠

Jie Zhang: Q♣ Q♥

Zhang was ahead with pocket queens as the flop came down 3♦ 8♣ 7♥ . The turn brought the 4♦ , giving Matsuda a gutshot straight draw. Unfortunately for Senan, the 7♣ landed on the river, sealing his elimination from the field.

The remaining 48 players have successfully advanced to tomorrow's Day 4.

Matthias Lipp had his last 230,000 chips in the middle against the monster stack of Jie Zhang.

Matthias Lipp A♠ J♥

Jie Zhang A♥ A♣

Lipp would need a miracle runout to beat the pocket aces of Zhang. The board ran out J♠ 2♥ K♣ 8♠ 2♣ to give Lipp a glimmer of hope on the flop, but he couldn't find another one. Zhang wins the pot to extend his chip lead, while Lipp heads to the rail.

Vlada Stojanovic raised to 50,000 from the cut-off with Chuning Tan calling on the button and Cheng Zhou defending the big blind.

The flop came 8♦ 6♦ 4♦ and all three checked to see the Q♥ turn. Action fell to Tan, who fired 70,000. Zhou re-raised to 150,000. Stojanovic surrendered but Tan used two time bank tokens before making the call.

The K♥ dropped on the river casuing Zhou to check this time to Tan, who blasted 275,000 into the middle. It was Zhou's turn to use two time bank tokens before finally making the call. Tan showed Q♦ T♦ for a flopped flush while Zhou could only send his cards back to the dealer.

Jie Zhang kicked off the action with a raise to 50,000 from under the gun, and Or Yaaqov Nezer called right behind him. When the action reached Suya Lee on the button, he jammed for 425,000. Takumi Monden, sitting in the small blind, peeked at his cards and instantly moved all in for around 1,200,000. Zhang didn’t hesitate—he snap-shoved his stack of nearly 1,300,000, prompting Nezer to fold with a calm, "I surrender."

Suya Lee: A♦ Q♣

Takumi Monden: K♣ K♦

Jie Zhang: A♥ A♠

What a brutal setup! Lee was all but drawing dead, while Zhang had a golden opportunity to build a massive three-million chip stack—provided his aces held.

The J♦ 6♥ 9♠ flop was bone-dry, leaving Lee with a slim chance at survival. The 4♥ on the turn sealed his fate, and only a king could save Monden. But the 5♣ river was clean for Zhang, who raked in the monster pot and sent both opponents to the rail!

Joshua McCully made it 365,000 to go from the hijack, leaving only one blue chip behind. Hyungdong Lee then shoved all in for around 690,000. McCully called off his last 5,000 chips.

Hyungdong Lee: A♣ Q♥

Joshua McCully: A♦ K♥

McCully was ahead with a superior kicker, but the flop came down Q♠ 6♥ 6♦ , improving Lee to a pair of queens. The clean runout rolled off 8♠ J♣ , sealing McCully’s elimination from the tournament.

Bonifacio Junior Mondalo made it 40,000 to go on the button and Jiaqi He called from the small blind.

Both players read a flop of 4♠ 5♠ T♦ . He sent a barrel of 16,000, and Mondalo put in a raise to 100,000. He the shoved all in for around 120,000 and was snap-called by Mondalo.

Jiaqi He: J♠ T♠

Bonifacio Junior Mondalo: T♣ 8♣

Both players flopped a ten but He held the lead with superior kicker jack. The dealer quickly revealed a runout of A♣ T♥ , securing He a much-needed double-up.

Hayama Miei of Japan and Ngoc Huyen Quach of Vietnam are the last two women who still have their Main Event championship dreams alive.

Both ladies have a pretty decent stack.

Frederick Hernandez opened the cutoff to 50,000, only to be jammed by Donavan Chu from the small blind for 340,000. Hernanadez dropped in a call to put Chu at risk.

Donavan Chu: K♦ Q♦

Frederick Hernandez: T♠ T♦

In the coin flip, Hernandez held the lead on the flop of 6♠ 9♠ 7♥ , but he still needed to fade a king and queen to win the pot. Unfortunately for Chu, he found no help on a runout of 3♥ 4♦ and headed to the exit.

Siddharth Karia made it 40,000 to go on the button, and Shyh Lim put in a raise to 160,000 from the big blind, which Karia called.

Both players saw a flop of T♦ 9♠ 8♣ . Lim shoved all in for 365,000 and Karia called to put his opponent at risk.

Shyh Lim: A♦ 7♠

Siddharth Karia: A♠ J♥

Both players received an open-ended straight draw from the board, but Karia held the lead with a superior kicker jack. A clean 3♣ turn, and 3♦ river, sent Lim out of the tournament.

Po-Shuo Huang raised to 40,000 from early position. Ngoc Huyen Quach three-bet raised to 120,000.

Huang threw in a time bank token and then announced all-in. Quach went into careful consideration with Huang covering her stack. Quach also used up a time bank token and went into the tank before she decied to finally fold, flashing an A♥ K♥ that brought some "oohs" from the table.

A new cast plays under the lights and the cameras at the Main Event featured table. Included among the characters are Cheli Lin, Samuel Mullur, Hiroya Iwamoto, David Erquiaga, Seungmook Jung, Javier Zarco, Egidijus Digrys and Xuan Huy Dinh.

You can watch the delayed livestream at the APT Official YouTube.

Terry Gonzaga raised to 40,000 from the hijack. He was called by Takumi Monden in the small blind, and van Govorov out of the big blind.

Three players were treated to a flop of 5♣ 8♦ T♠ , which they all checked to see the J♦ on the turn. The action checked again to show a 9♦ land on the river. Monden then led out for 70,000, causing Govorov to step aside, while Gonzaga made the call.

Monden showed Q♠ T♣ for top pair on the flop that became a straight by the river. Gonzaga couldn't do anything but muck his hand.

Players are on a much-needed break from the action as the Main Event approaches its 5th hour of Day 3.

66 players remain with play going until 48 remain or 10 levels are concluded - whichever comes first.

Some of the eliminations include: Thijs Hilberts, Leonidas Panagiotopoulos, Olivier Serrie, Daniel Smiljkovic, Rex Hunt Ai, Moses Saquing, Javier Martinez, Edwin Marzan and Martin Finger.

Nobuaki Sasaki made it 34,000 to go from early position and Alexander Ugay three-bet to 95,000 from middle position, which Sasaki called.

Both player checked through the monotone flop of 7♥ 3♥ 4♥ to see a 5♣ fall on the turn, where Sasaki fired out 65,000 and Ugay called.

The 4♦ hit on the river. Sasaki sent a barrel of 280,000 after tanking for a long time. Ugay snap-called and revealed A♣ K♥ for ace-high. This was enough to make Sasaki muck the hand.

The flop rolled off T♥ 9♠ 5♣ with around 65,000 chips in the middle. Yvyautas Laurinaitis checked from the big blind, and Hyundong Lee sent a bet of 24,000 from middle position, which Laurinaitis called.

The 2♥ came on the turn, and it went check-check. The river showed A♦ . The two decided to checked to a free showdown.

After Laurinaitis tabled a flopped pair of nines with 9♦ 3♦ , Lee returned his cards back to the dealer and forfeit the small pot.

Flo Campomanes had pushed all his chips in the middle on the river and Hyundong Lee made the call. Campomanes mucked his cards straight after and didn't even bother to show.

Lee didn't also show, but was awarded the huge pot. Campomanes is on the very edge of elimination.

Niklas Warlich opened the button to 32,000 and was defended by Adalsteinn Karlsson from the big blind.

On the flop of 6♠ K♣ 7♣ , Karlsson checked it Warlich, who continued with a bet of 25,000. Karlsson made the call to see the 5♣ turn. The action went check-check.

The river brought the Q♣ . Karlsson fired out 45,000 and this was enough to make Walich muck the hand.

Last time we checked, Abraham Ceesvin was down to his last 20,000 chips. Just recently, we took a look at his table and found that Ceesvin had grown his stack to somewhere near 800,000. The poker gods must be favoring him.

A flop came down Q♦ 9♠ Q♠ , bringing flush and straight draw possibilities. Zhou checked it to Zhang, who continued for 25,000. Zhou dropped in a call to the A♦ turn, where Zhou check-called again to a barrel of 105,000 from Zhang.

An 8♣ dropped on the river. Zhou kept his strategy and checked to Zhang, who sent another barrel of 225,000, which his opponent snap-called.

Right after Zhou’s action, Zhang felt owned as he tossed his cards into the muck before Zhou revealed Q♥ 2♥ for flopped trips of queens.

Luke Dainton made it 84,000 to go from middle position, leaving only 16,000 chips behind. Jeoffrey Sibal three-bet to 200,000 from the small blind. Dainton called oof his last few chips.

Luke Dainton: 8♣ 8♥

Jeoffrey Sibal: 8♠ 8♦

Both players held pocket eights, giving Dainton a strong chance to stay alive. On the flop of 3♠ A♣ Q♣ , he saw hope for a flush.

'Club! Club!' Dainton exclaimed. However, the runout brought 4♠ 7♥ , sealing the hand as a chop.

Luke Dainton and Javier Martinez were both all-in before the flop and both with very similar stacks. By the end of the hand, one would be flush with chips and the other, pretty much busto from the Main Event.

Luke Dainton K♠ T♠

Javier Martinez Q♠ Q♥

Martinez was ahead with his two Ladies, and just needed to avoid a king or some spades from the dealer to send Dainton packing. However, a brutal flop of K♣ T♣ 5♥ fell to propel Dainton into pole position with two-pair.

Upon seeing the miraculous Q♦ appear on the turn Martinez turned his frown upside down, as he took back the lead with a set of queens.

Only a two-outer on the river would keep Dainton alive. For now, the poker gods were fond of Dainton as they delivered the K♥ on the river to give Dainton a higher full house, kings over tens. Dainton secured the double up, while Martinez was left with fumes.

Yi-Feng Hsieh pushed all-in for 161,000 and was called by Olivier Serrie.

Yi-Feng Hsieh A♠ J♣

Olivier Serrie A♣ K♠

Serrie looked in good shape to eliminate Hsieh. However, the poker gods threw a board of 2♣ 7♠ 2♥ J♠ 7♦

Hsieh turned a pair of jacks, which was enough to win a much-needed double.

A flop came down K♥ 8♠ A♣ with around 69,000 chips in the middle. Thijs Hilberts checked from big blind, and Hayama Miei sent a bet of 25,000 from the hijack, which Hilberts dropped in a call.

Both saw the Q♦ drop on the turn and checked through to see the K♠ river, where was another check round.

After Hilberts revealed a flopped pair of aces with A♠ T♦ , Miei tossed his cards into the muck.

With around 250,000 in the pot, and the board showing T♥ 2♥ J♥ 2♦ 9♦ , Adalsteinn Karlsson had the all-in button in front of him, and Abraham Ceesvin had to make a decision.

Ceesvin threw in some time banks and went into deep thought. Ceesvin stared at his cards and at the board, then counted his stack in relation to the 231,000 all-in of Karlsson. Finally, he threw a chip in to make the call.

Karlsson showed 9♥ 8♥ for a flush. Ceesvin didn't bother to show, and Karlsson wins a monster pot while Ceesvin is left with crumbs.

Cheng Yen Lo made it 26,000 to go from middle position and was defended by Jiaqi He from the big blind.

On the flop of 7♥ 4♥ 7♦ , He checked to Lo, who continued for 20,000, which He called. The 9♥ landed on the turn, where both players checked through.

The 6♦ hit on the river. He sent a barrel of 80,000 and Lo called to take it to a showdown. He tabled a flush with J♥ 8♥ to collect the pot as Lo returned the cards back to the dealer.

Olivier Serrie shoved all in on the button for 218,000 and was called by Adalsteinn Karlsson from middle position to put Serrie at risk.

Olivier Serrie: A♦ J♦

Adalsteinn Karlsson: A♠ Q♣

Karlsson picked the lead with a superior kicker queen. Serrie stood up, thinking he had no chance to survive. However, the flop came 6♦ T♦ K♦ , completing a flush for him. Serrie Serrie sat back down with a big smile on his face.

“Oh, he flopped me dead,” exclaimed Karlsson.

The runout filled out 7♠ K♠ , securing a life-saving double-up for Serrie.

Xuang Dinh raised the cutoff to 24,000 and was defended by Egidijus Digrys from the big blind.

Both players saw a flop of 8♣ 5♦ 9♥ and checked through to see the 4♦ turn, where Digrys sent a bet of 18,000. Dinh dropped in a call.

The river showed 6♦ and it went check-check. Digrys tabled a pair of eights with K♦ 8♠ and it was good enough to make Dinh muck the hand.

A whole new set of players are now on the featured table to show off theiri best poker faces for the camera.

Seated at the featured table are Mike Takayama, Martin Finger, Shinya Matsuda, Jayden Zalac, Vlada Stojanovic, Sangburn Kim, Yousuke Ino and Mark Almusajin.

You can catch the livestream of the Main Event featured table at the聽APT Official YouTube.

Chuning Tan made it 24,000 to go on the button and Andrew defended from the big blind.

On a flop of T♥ 5♥ T♠ , Nguyen checked it Tan, who continued for 18,000. Nguyen made the call to see the 3 turn, where Nguyen checked over and Tan sent a barrel of 45,000. Nguyen stuck around.

The river brought the Q♦ . Nguyen kept his strategy and checked again. Tan then shoved all in for around 390,000, and this made Nguyen toss his cards into the muck.

David Erquiaga is on a tear and now sits behind a towering stack of roughly 1,500,000.

In a pot worth around 125,000, action was picked up on a 8♣ 6♦ 5♦ Q♥ board, where Zhifan Ye led out for 35,000 from the big blind. Erquiaga responded with a raise to 135,000 from the cutoff, and Ye made the call.

The river brought the 6♣ , and after a check from Ye, Erquiaga fired 175,000. With just under 300,000 left in his stack, Ye went deep into the tank, using his final time bank before eventually tossing in a call.

Erquiaga then rolled over the bullets, tabling A♥ A♣ , and Ye could only shake his head before sending his cards into the muck.

Javier Zarco raised to 25,000 and was three-bet raised by Cheli Lin for 80,000. Zarco matched and both were given a flop of T♥ K♥ 4♥

Lin bet out 45,000 and Zarco called to open a 3♣ turn. Lin pushed forward 100,000 and Zarco called again to show a J♠ on the river.

Lin shoved all-in, but this time Zarco surrendered.

Moses Saquing raised to 24,000 from the cut-off and Alexis Cruz defended the big blind.

Both were shown a flop of 5♥ 7♥ T♦ Cruz check-called the 12,000 min-bet of Saquing to see a J♠ turn.

Cruz tapped the action to Saquing, who pushed 45,000 beyond the betting line. Cruz took one last look at his cards before saying goodbye to them.

Javier Zarco raised to 25,000 on the button and Zhifan Ye defended the big blind. Both players were shown a flop of 8♦ 5♣ 9♠

Ye and Zarco checked to open a 8♠ on the turn. This time Ye led for 30,000 and Zarco called to show a 9♦ on the river.

Ye fired 60,000 and Zarco made the call.

Ye showed Q♠ 7♠ to play the two-pair on the board with a queen kicker.

Zarco showed K♠ 6♠ to take down the pot with a better king kicker.

Day 3 is now down to 110 players with three quick busts following the break. Alari Kunnapuu, Rokas Asipauskas and Lok Ching Li were the recent victims. Each player taking home 119,000 from the prize pool.

113 players remain and are given a chance to take a 15-minute breather.

Takumi Monden shoved all in for 154,000 on the button and Ivan Govorov also moved all in from the small blind for around 1,235,000.

Takumi Monden: A♥ T♥

Ivan Govorov: Q♠ Q♥

Govorov dominated the lead with pocket queens, but soon the dealer sent the bad news as a flop came down J♦ 3♠ A♦ , improving Monden to top pair of aces. The clean runout rolled off K♥ 4♦ , securing Monden a much-needed double up.

Marc Rivera raised to 20,000 from under the gun and was called by Jaejoong Kim on the hi-jack and Flo Campomanes on the button. However, big blind Hyundong Lee raised it to 120,000. One by one, they all folded, surrendering the pot to Lee, who defended his big blind successfully.

Kazuma Maekawa shoved his final 35,000 on the button and was called by Thijs Hiberts on the big blind.

Kazuma Maekawa Q♦ J♠

Thijs Hiberts K♣ J♥

Maekawa was dominated and looked poised to be headed to the rail, until the dealer spread out a board of A♠ J♦ 6♠ 5♠ 5♣ for a chop pot.

Hilberts was quick to say "GG" to Maekawa, who was ready to stand. However, the dealer pointed out the split pot with both players sharing the Ace for a kicker.

Kaga Tam raised the cutoff to 20,000 and David Erquiaga defended from the big blind.

Both players saw a flop of 9♣ 6♣ K♠ and checked through to a T♣ turn, where Erquiaga fired out 55,000 and Tam dropped in a call.

The 2♣ landed on the river. Erquiaga checked over and Tam sent another barrel of 50,000, sending Erquiaga into the tank. After over one minute, Erquiaga called. Tam swiftly turned over a flush with A♣ Q♠ , leaving his opponent to muck the hand.

There was around 130,000 in the pot with a board of A♠ 7♠ 9♠ J♥ 7♣ Kam Fung Lee check his option to Adalsteinn Karlsson on the button, who also checked the river. Lee flipped over Q♦ Q♣ and Karlsson mucked.

Yoshizazu Endo limped in from the small blind and Geno Gendrano checked from the big blind.

On the flop of 6♥ 4♣ T♥ , Endo checked to Gendrano, who led out for 10,000 and Endo called to see the 5♠ fall on the turn, where Endo checked again and Gendrdano sent a bet of 20,000. Endo put in a raise to 63,000 and received a call from his opponent.

The A♥ dropped on the river. The action went check-check. Endo tabled a bluff with Q♦ J♠ while Gendrano revealed two pair with T♣ 6♣ to collect the pot.

Donavan Chu and Shyh Chyn Lim were starting at a board of 8♣ 4♦ K♥ 8♥ with a pot of over 150,000 in the middle.

Big blind Chu check-called the 45,000 bet of Lim to see a 3♥ on the river. Both checked to show their cards.

Chu showed K♣ T♦ for a pair of kings, but Lim had the better kicker with K♠ Q♦ to win the pot and leave Chu damaged.

The featured table of the Day 3 Main Event can be viewed via a 30-minute delayed livestream on the APT Official YouTube Channel

A♠ of the moment, the players on the table include Geronimo Manuel, Chuning Tan, Alexis Cruz, Andrew Nguyen, Ngoc Huyen Quach, Anusorn Asiralertsiri, Moses Saquing and Zhen Chen.

Sho Katsura raised the minimum 20,000 on the cut-off. Bonifacion Mondalo Jr. three-bet to 65,000 on the button. Tetsuya Tsujisaka four-bet to 165,000 on his big blind. Katsura quicly folded while Mondalo Jr. spent a time bank token to assess his chips and Tsujisaka's stack before finally deciding to throw his hand away.

Tsujisaka earns a big pot without a flop.

Shinya Matsuda raised to 20,000 from the cut-off then called the re-raised to 40,000 by Sangburn Kim on the button.

Both players saw a flop of 7♦ 6♠ 2♥

Matsuda check-called the 60,000 bet of Kim to see a T♥ on the turn. Both checked to see a 3♣ on the river. Action was checked to reveal the cards.

Matsuda showed A♣ 6♣ for a pair of sixes. Kim mucked.

Nobuaki Sasaki opened to 19,000 from under the gun and was defended by Seina Asagiri from the big blind.

Both player saw a flop of Q♠ T♦ 2♣ , and Asagiri checked to Sasaki, who made a continuation-bet of 14,000. Asagiri made the call to see the 4♠ fall on the turn, where the two checked through.

The 6♦ hit on the river. Asagiri checked over and Sasaki fired out 43,000, which successfully secure the pot.

Ronn Mesina raised to 16,000 from middle position and Thomas Lee shoved all in from the cutoff for 209,000, which Mesina snap-called to put his opponent at risk.

Thomas Lee: A♣ K♦

Ronn Mesina: T♥ T♣

It was a classic coin flip and Mesina picked the lead with pocket tens. A flop rolled off 6♣ Q♥ 2♦ , and Lee was still looking for an ace or king to stay alive. Unfortunately for Mesina, the turn sent an A♠ , improving Lee to a superior pair of aces. The bricky Q♦ hit on the river, sealing a double-up for Lee.

Vytautas Laurinaitis and Jaejoong Kim had all their chips in the middle pre-flop with Laurinaitis at risk for his last 150,000.

Vytautas Laurinaitis A♣ J♦

Jaejoong Kim K♣ Q♥

Board ran 8♠ J♠ 2♦ 5♥ 6♣

Laurinaits made a pair of jacks to secure the pot and the double up.

The pace of elimination went solid, and one more knockout happened right away.

Alex Tchong moved all in for 51,000 from the cutoff and Joonhee Yea also shoved for 50,000 from the big blind.

Alex Tchong: Q♣ T♦

Joonhee Yea: A♥ J♣

Yea picked up the lead with an ace. Tchong was improved to one pair of queen on the flop of Q♠ 3♥ A♠ , but it was still not enough against Yea’s top pair of aces. Unfortunately for Yea, Tochong received a runner-runner Broadway straight as the runout came down J♦ K♠ . Yea headed to the cash desk.

Vlada Stojanovic raised from early position to 16,000 and was called by Mike Takayama on the button.

Both players were shown a flop of A♣ 6♥ 3♥

Stojanovic bet 15,000 and was raised by Takayama to 33,000. Stojanovic took a peek at his cards and made the call.

The turn showed a 7♦ Both players checked to open a 9♣ on the river. Both checked again for a showdown.

Stojanovic showed K♥ 7♥ for a busted flush draw while Takayama showed J♠ J♦ , which was enough to win the pot.

On the flop of 8♣ T♥ T♣ , Kanaraksapong checked to Dainton, who continued for 10,000 and Kanaraksapong made the call to see the 4♣ hit on the turn, where Kanaraksapong check-called again to a barrel of 223,000 from Dainton.

The river brought a 4♠ . Kanaraksapong quickly shoved all in for around 115,000, but she didn’t expect Dainton would snap-call.

“shit..” she exclaimed after double-checking with Dainton’s action.

Dainton revealed flopped trips of tens with K♣ T♠ . Kanaraksapong mucked her cards and walked out of the table.

A♠ can be expected, the short stacks are taking a gamble and putting their stacks at risk. Some of the early exits on Day 3 of the main event include the likes of Xiang Qian Ran, Anthony Kastelic, Finn Penderak, Renniel Galvez, Jakub Wojtas, Kaito Mori, Akihiro Kamaguchi, Craig Landry, Ish Agarawal, Joseph Magbanua, Muneyuki Tanamura, Edgaras Kausinas, Ronn Mesina and Beng Hong Ker.

142 players remain from the 175 who started Day 3.

In the battle of the blinds, small blind Suya Lee limped and then called the 24,000 raise of big blind Siddhart Karia.

Both players were shown a flop of 8♥ 5♦ 6♥

Both checked to see a 2♣ turn.

Lee led for 20,000 and Karia called to open a K♦ on the river.

Both checked for a show-cards moment.

Lee showed 4♥ 5♥ for a pair of fives while Karia mucked.

Kazuma Maekawa shoved all in on the button for 68,000, and Jakub Wojtas also moved all in from the small blind for 48,000.

Jakub Wojtas: A♠ 9♠

Kazuma Maekawa: 4♠ 4♣

Maekawa held the lead with the pocket fours on the flop of 7♦ T♠ K♠ but still needed to fade many out to win as the Wojtas received a flush draw a flush draw. Unfortunately for Wojtas, the runout dealt 3♣ K♦ , leaving him drawing dead and eliminated from the tournament.

Arime Yusuke pushed in his last 15,000 and was called by Gregory Liow.

Arime Yusuke K♠ 8♠

Gregory Liow 6♦ 6♣

Board J♠ 8♣ 2♣ J♥ K♣

Yusuke timed his all-in to hit a two-pair for a much-needed double up.

Cards are in the air for Day 3 of Main Event.

It's Day 3 of the APT Manila Classic 2025 Main Event!

The journey started with 1,202 total entries filling up four Day 1 flights, the largest Main Event field in APT Philippines history. Day 2 saw 377 survivors vying for an ITM spot on Day 3 to grab a share of the PHP 62,311,680 prize pool, which broke the official PHP 60 Million guarantee.

Day 2 action ended when the bubble burst on Kenneth Anthony, assuring the remaining 175 a guaranteed ITM and an opportunity to play for a better spot up the payout ladder on Day 3. Of course, all eyes will be on the champion's purse of PHP 11,069,680 (~USD 190,201) and a coveted APT Lion's trophy.

The 175 hopefuls for Day 3 are all guaranteed a payout of PHP 94,000 (~$1,615). They will be playing down to a field of 48 players, who will return for more action on Day 4, where a final table of 9 will be determined to go into the Final Day.

Starting Day 3 as the chip leader is Taiwan's Po-Shuo Huang with a chip count of 1,168,000. Huang remains the only player beyond the 1 Million mark so far. Not that far behind is Spain's Javier Zarco with a stack of 959,000. Japan's Nobuaki Sasaki sits at third with 922,000 chips. WSOP bracelet winner Samuel Mullur of Ausria takes the 4th spot with 834,000.

Seven different nationalities from three continents are in the top 10 chip counts, showing the global growth of the Asian Poker Tour. Representing the Philippines in the top 10 is Jeoffrey Sibal (769,000) and David "Spade" Erquiaga (680,000).

Some of the former APT Champions still in contention are Mike Takayama (577,000) and Moses Saquing (124,000) of the Philippines, and Yohn Paredes (71,000) of Peru.

Other notable figures still with Main Event hopes alive are Austria's Matthias Lipp (640,000), Russia's Vlada Stojanovich (620,000), Hong Kong's Tsz Him Chan (428,000), Thijs Hilberts (291,000) of the Netherlands and Vietnam's Ngoc Huyen Quach (226,000), who is the top female player with the largest chip count of the 5 ladies remaining.

Cards will be dealt at 11:00 AM.

Good luck to all the players!