After ten intense sixty-minute levels of play inside Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, Flight A of the PHP 60,000 APT Main Event has come to a close. A total of 218 entries battled it out on the felt, but by the end of the night, only 67 players had secured their spot for Day 2. With chips bagged and dreams still alive, the road to the title is just getting started.

Of the survivors, one name stood above the rest as Tomoki Terashima from Japan bagged up 347,300 chips and sits alone at the top of the counts. Terashima surged ahead of the field after winning a massive all-in showdown against compatriot Nobuaki Sasaki. With both players’ significant stacks on the line, Sasaki failed to complete his straight draw, falling short against Terashima’s Ace-King, which paired the Ace on the flop to secure the victory.

Close behind is Andrius Janca from Lithuania with 338,000 chips and Thijs Hilberts from the Netherlands with 292,600 chips Three former APT Champions have also secured their spots in Day 2 - Filipino Christopher Mateo with 206,400 chips, Yon Paredes from Peru with 169,800 chips and local celebrity John Tech with 84,700 chips. With their experience and sizable chip stacks, these seasoned players will definitely challenge the field as they chase for another APT Lion Trophy.

Other notables include Benjamin Jacobs (208,500), Jason Wong (188,700), Dylan Foster (181,800), Edward Yam (156,300), Natural8 Ambassador Hua-Wei Lin (155,100), and Daniel Smiljkovic (96,600).

With 218 entries recorded in Flight A, the total field has now grown to 420 players, boosted by an additional 202 qualifiers. With three more opening flights still to come, the final number is expected to climb even higher. A solid chunk of the PHP 60,000,000 guaranteed prize pool has already been chipped away, and with registration still open, the guarantee is inching closer to being met and surpassed.

Flight B of the Main Event will kick off tomorrow at 11am local time and will have ten 60-minute levels of play. Registration for the second flight of Day 1 will be open until 8:30pm.

The Main Event Day 1A is done. Please stay tuned for the recap and the chip counts.

The action was picked up on the flop of T♣ 9♠ 9♦ with Tomoki Terashima leading out for 2,500, followed by an all-in shove for 10,000 from Bat-Erdene Altangerel, risking his tournament life.

The decision was on Daniel Smiljkovic, who took a moment before declaring, "Double or nothing! If nothing, then I'll just buy in again before the day ends!" He shoved his stack, prompting a smile from Tomoki, who eventually made the call.

Bat-Erdene Altangerel: K♥ T♠

Daniel Smiljkovic: Q♣ J♥

Tomoki Terashima : T♥ 3♣

Seeing Tomoki’s hand, Smiljkovic couldn’t help but react—"Ten-three? Really?"

The K♠ turn brought two pair for Altangerel, but Smiljkovic completed his straight, taking the lead.

The J♠ river changed nothing, securing Smiljkovic a huge double-up and sending Altangerel to the rail.

Jiaqi He raised to 3,000 Hogyun Kang and Vtataus Laurinaitis makeing the call.

All three were shown a flop of 4♥ 3♠ K♠

Small blind Laurinaitis checked his option to He, who bet out 5,500. Kang made the call and Laurinaitis got out of the way.

The turn came 4♦ and both checked to see a 5♦ river.

He led out with 10,000 and Kang gave up the pot.

The floor have announced that seven more hands will be played before the survivors bag up for the evening.

On a completed board of 3♣ 5♥ 9♥ K♦ 9♠ , Sung Jin Yun moved all-in for 18,800, putting his tournament life on the line in pursuit of a 60,000-chip pot.

Vytautaas Laurinaitis, in the cutoff, took his time contemplating the call before eventually committing his chips.

Sung Jin Yun: 9♣ 7♣

Vytautaas Laurinaitis: K♥ Q♥

Yun’s rivered trips crushed Laurinaitis’ top pair, securing him a crucial double-up as the tournament’s final level of the day played out.

Edward Yam raised to 3,000 on the button. Madalin Suditu re-raised to 13,000 from the small blind. Ya, then fired back with a re-raise to 75,000. Suditu mistook it for an all-in and shoved all his chips and showed his A♦ K♦ . But without saying "raise", the dealer ruled it only as a call and showed a flop of 8♥ 7♦ 3♠

Yam was first to act and moved all-in this time with Suditu calling for his last chips with his exposed big slick.

Yam then showed 6♦ 6♣

The turn gave a 6♠ and sealed the fate of Suditu. The 7♥ on the river improved Yam to a full-house, making a statement to send Suditu to the exits.

Tomoki Terashima holds the top spot at the moment, can anybody dethrone him before the final bell rings?

David Moore raised to 3,000 from the dealer button and was re-raised by Gediminas Uselis on the small blind to 11,500.

Moore gave it much thought, but decided to give this one up.

Uselis picks up an easy scoop to continue to build his stack.

The action was picked up with Tomoki Terashima and Nobuaki Sasaki deep in a massive 80,000-chip pot on a completed board of J♣ A♦ 3♦ J♠ 7♣ .

Tomoki Terashima: A♣ K♣ Nobuaki Sasaki: K♠ Q♣

Terashima’s top pair with a strong kicker held firm, while Sasaki’s missed draw left him empty-handed.

Frustrated by the outcome, Sasaki stormed away from the table, as Terashima happily scooped up the monster pot.

Rex Hunt Ai flipped over A♣ T♣ for a nut-flush against the pair of Jacks of Nuttakit Kundum to take down a huge pot of aover 60,000 and eliminate Kundum from the tournament.

The clock has just moved into Level 10, the final level of play in Flight A.

With 215 entries recorded, only 79 players remain in the hunt. Those who can survive this last stretch will bag up their chips and return for Day 2 on Wednesday, February 12. The finish line for Flight A is in sight — who will make it through?

Yuki Kawamoto raised to 2,500 frmo the cut-off and Po-Shuo Huang defended the big blind. Both players were shown a flop of J♠ 4♠ 7♣

Huang check-raised the 2,500 bet of Kawamoto to 6,500. Kawamoto called to see a 6♠ on the turn.

Huang bet 5,500 and Kawamoto folded while showing a J♦

Kota Yamaguchi and Jayden Zalac were looking into a pot with over 60,000 beside a board that showed 8♠ 9♦ T♦ 2♣ 4♠

Zalac checked his option and Yamaguchi fired all-in for his last 35,600. Zalac made the call. Yamaguchi showed Q♦ J♦ for a straight while Zalac threw his cards in the muck while tapping "nice hand."

With the day nearing its end, Nobuaki Sasaki seized an opportunity to build his stack when the action folded to him on the button. He opened for 2,500, drawing calls from both blinds—Shuma Kimura in the small blind and Hua-Wei Lin in the big blind.

The dealer peeled a flop of 2♣ A♣ 2♥ . Both blinds checked and Sasaki continued his aggression. Kimura called, while Lin folded under the pressure.

Both players checked the 6♦ turn, keeping the pot controlled.

When the 2♠ river arrived Kimura checked again, Sasaki fired a bold 10,000 bet, forcing Kimura to fold, securing the pot.

Sho Katsura raised to 2,500. Michael Brunner re-raised to 7,000. Cheng Yen Lo then fired it up to 18,000 on the button. Katsura folded and Brunner shoved all-in for 40,000.

Lo made a quick assessment and decided to let it go, awarding a tasty pot to Brunner without seeing a flop.

Benjamin Jacobs and Hajime Watanabe were staring at a flop of 8♣ 9♦ K♦ with a whopping 36,000 beside it.

Jacobs checked to Watanabe, who counted off 8,500 and pushed it in the middle. Jacobs took a moment before shoving all-in, putting Watanabe at risk.

Watanabe took a moment to think before finally folding his hand.

After the action folded to Tomoki Terashima in late position, he opened for 2,400. Nobuaki Sasaki on the button re-raised to 6,500, and Terashima flat-called, taking them to the flop.

The flop ran out 4♣ 6♥ 7♥ , and both big stacks opted to check, keeping the pot manageable.

The A♣ turn brought some action as Terashima check-called Sasaki's 6,100 bet.

With the J♣ river, both players tapped the table, taking it to showdown.

Terashima tabled 8♣ 8♥ , but Sasaki's A♦ T♥ had paired up on the turn, securing him the pot.

Emmanuel Derecho Jr. raised to 2,800 and called the all-in shoved of Adam Shriki for 16,500.

Shriki showed A♦ Q♣ against the K♦ T♥ of Derecho Jr.

The board ran 6♣ 8♣ Q♥ T♣ J♠ to give Shriki a much-needed double.

Jason Park Lun Wong raised to 2,500 from the cut-off with small blind Julius Lagman and big blind Quan Cui staying around to see a flop of 5♥ 7♥ 6♣

All checked to see a 5♠ on the turn. Lagman checked his option to Cui, who fired 3,000. Wong and Lagman surrendered.

With the flop showing A♦ 9♣ Q♥ and five players still in the hand Benjamin Ebarle seized the opportunity to bet 3,700 after Yi Hung Chen checked. Tsz To Wan and Kai Chuang quickly folded, but Lewchalermongs Chaiwat and Chen decided to continue.

After another check from Chen, Ebarle ramped up the pressure with a 12,500 bet forcing Chaiwat out of the pot. Chen eyed Ebarle before eventually mucking his hand, flashing the A♥ .

With the flop showing A♦ 9♣ Q♥ and five players still in the hand Benjamin Ebarle seized the opportunity to bet 3,700 after Yi Hung Chen checked. Tsz To Wan and Kai Chuang quickly folded, but Lewchalermongs Chaiwat and Chen decided to continue.

After another check from Chen, Ebarle ramped up the pressure with a 12,500 bet forcing Chaiwat out of the pot. Chen eyed Ebarle before eventually mucking his hand, flashing the A♥ .

Players go on the last 15-miunte break for the evening. Two more levels to go before they bag up for the night to advance to Day 2. 93 players still remain.

Daniel Benor raised to 2,000. Naoto Saito made the call from the next seat. Madalin Suditu eventually shoved all-in for his last 11,500. Benor made the call and Saito stpeed out of the way.

Suditu showed A♠ J♦ versus the A♥ 9♦ of Benor.

The board ran 3♥ 2♥ 2♠ 4♥ 6♣ with Suditu holding the better hand to double-up and survive.

With the board showing 7♥ 6♠ T♠ and a pot of 12,000, Suparerk Totsaponvisad fired 3,300 from middle position after the action was checked to him by Nattawut Kwunsong in the small blind. Heesung Kang, seated on the button, made the call, as did Kwunsong, keeping the hand three-way to the turn.

When the J♥ landed on the turn, Kwunsong—who had been quiet all hand—suddenly shoved all-in, catching his opponents off guard.

Totsaponvisad tanked, visibly struggling to put Kwunsong on a hand. After a long pause, he ultimately decided to fold. Kang, equally puzzled, asked for a count, checked his stack, and eventually mucked his hand as well.

With no showdown, Kwunsong casually revealed the 8♥ , leaving both opponents wondering—was it a bluff or a monster? Totsaponvisad, eager to know if he made the right laydown, pressed for an answer, but Kwunsong simply smirked and remained silent, keeping the mystery alive.

Lewchalermwongs Chaiwat raised to 4,000 and was three-bet raised by Yi Hung Chen to 10,500. Chaiwat called and they saw a flop of J♣ K♥ T♦

Chaiwat shoved all-in for 95,600, putting Chen at risk. Chen thought for a moment and then folded his hand.

Chaiwat showed K♦ Q♠ for top pair with a straight draw. Chen showed A♥ A♦ with some at the table a bit surprised with the fold.

Chaiwat though was happy with his scoop.

Cezar Quiambao II raised to 2,000 on the button with Min Weng Chin defending the big blind.

Both players were shown a flop of J♦ Q♣ 5♥ Chin check-called the 2,000 bet of Quiambao II to see a T♠ on the turn.

Both players checked, for the dealer to peel a 5♠ on the river. Chin led out with 5,100 and Quiambao II mucked and gave up the hand.

Robertson Yap made a min-raise to 2,000 and shoved all-in for his last 15,500 with Emmanuel Derecho Jr. making the call.

Yap showed Q♥ Q♠ while Derecho Jr. showed A♣ K♠

The queens of Yap held on a board of 6♥ 7♠ 9♦ 5♥ 6♦ giving him a much-needed double.

We join the hand as action is folded to the button.

Hajime Watanabe opened for 2,500. Table chip leader Benjamin Jacobs in the small blind three-bet 8,000. Short stacked Pongsapak Himathongkom, thought for a moment then shoved all-in for 38,000 risking his tournament life from the big blind and forcing Watanabe to fold his hand. Jacobs easily called.

Pongsapak Himathongkom: J♣ J♦

Benjamin Jacobs: A♥ Q♦

The dealer unfurled K♦ 3♣ Q♠ giving Jacobs a pair of queens, beating Himathongkom’s Jacks.

With very few outs, Himathongkom watched the dealer complete the board with a 5♦ turn and a 4♠ river which didn’t help his hand at all.

He left the table disheartened while Jacob added more chips to his massive stack.

There was nearly 10,000 in the pot with a board that showed A 7 6

Four players were still on the hunt. All four checked their option to see a free 5 on the turn.

Small blind Adam Shriki led out for 4,500. Big blind Andrius Janca raised it to 15,000. Rex Hunt Ai and Abdullah Akbarpoor surrendered. Shriki took a look at his cards and the board, then also gave up, allowing Janca to take down the pot.

The APT Main Event has smashed through the 200-entry mark, with the field now standing at 201 entries and counting. The double-century milestone reaffirms the tournament’s growing momentum, with registration still open until the start of Day 2.

Of those who have taken their shot so far, 113 players remain in their seats, each vying for a stack that will carry them deeper into the event. With plenty of action still ahead, this Main Event is shaping up to be another massive showdown.

With the board showing Q♠ J♦ 8♥ J♣ , John Tech led out with a 3,500 bet, quickly called by Naoto Saito, seated to his left.

The dealer revealed the 3♠ river, and Tech ramped up the aggression, firing 13,500 into the pot. Saito, unwilling to back down, made the call.

At showdown, Tech tabled A♠ A♦ , but Saito revealed K♥ J♥ for three of a kind, scooping the pot and leaving Tech on a short stack as the chips slid across the table.

Rex Hunt Ai raised to 1,600 from UTG+1 with Martin Gonzales calling from the seat to his left. Abdullah Akbarpoor re-raised it 6,500 on the button. Ai stood down while Gonzales called to see a flop of J♠ A♦ 8♥

Gonzales checked and Akbarpoor bet 3,000. Gonzales then raised to 8,000 and Akbarpoor gave it some thought before calling to see a 9♠ on the turn.

Gonzales fired another 17,000 but Akbarpoor then shoved all-in putting Gonzles at risk.

Gonzales went into deep thought before finally giving up his hand.

Only three former Main Event champions remain in the field, each sitting behind vastly different chip stacks.

Yohn Paredes, who claimed his Main Event crown right here in Manila in 2019, currently has around 135,000 chips in front of him. That year, he conquered a 515-entry field to take home PHP 4,369,400. Paredes has a strong track record in the Main Event, having reached multiple final tables over the years. He finished fourth at APT Manila 2016, fifth at APT Cebu 2016, and ninth at APT Jeju 2017, proving his consistency on the APT circuit.

Another former champion still in the mix is Christopher Mateo, who won the 2019 APT Manila Main Event, narrowly edging out Paredes' prize with a PHP 4,376,000 payday. Mateo has also built an impressive resume, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the 2022 APT Manila Main Event, where he fell just short to Moses Saquing — who, incidentally, is still in the running today. Mateo also has another final table to his name, finishing seventh at APT Manila 2016.

With past champions still in the fight and plenty of action ahead, this Main Event is shaping up to be another thrilling chapter in APT history.

Takumi Monden raised to 1,800 from early position and was called by Jiaqi He on the hi-jack, Min Weng Chin on the button and Ricoh-Shane Meno on the big blind.

Four players entered a flop of K♥ 9♦ 4♦ Meno and Monden checked their option to He, who pushed 3,600 in the middle. Chin and Meno gave up their hands while Monden stayed on to see a 6♦ on the turn.

Both players checked to see a T♥ on the river. Monden tapped the action to He, who put 7,300 in the middle.

Monden went into the tank and finally counted off the chips to make the call.

He showed a set with his 9♣ 9♥ and Monden mucked his hand.

Cheng Yen Lo opened for 1,800, picking up calls from Chuning Tan on the button and Hyunyeop Jeong in the big blind. The dealer spread a flop of 3♣ 6♣ A♦ , and after Jeong checked, Lo continued with a 2,200 bet. Tan called, while Jeong folded, leaving the two to battle it out.

Slowing down on the 6♦ turn, both players checked. On the Q♥ river, Lo applied maximum pressure with an all-in shove, forcing Tan to fold. With that, Lo scooped the pot without needing a showdown.

Ran Yi min-rasied to 1,600 and Nobuaki Sasaki defended the big blind.

Both players were peeled a flop of 2♥ 4♣ T♣

Action was checked around to open a free T♥ on the turn. Sasaki check-called the 800 bet of Yi to show a 6♠ on the river.

Yi Bet 1,500 and Sasaki matched. Yi flashed A♥ 2♦ for a pair of deuces. Sasaki showed an A♠ but kept the other one closed, surrendering the pot to Yi.

With his tournament life on the line, Lianli Xu shoved all-in preflop, facing off against Naoto Saito in a high-stakes confrontation.

Lianli Xu: Q♥ Q♠

Naoto Saito: A♥ K♣

Xu looked over the table as the dealer slowly peeled off the J♠ 6♥ 3♣ flop. Without an Ace on the board, Xu continued to pray that his Queens would hold. Xu dodged an Ace further with the 2♣ turn, and finally, the 8♦ river—delivering a much needed double up for Xu!

Xu relieved and satisfied with the stack surge, sat back down while Saito let out a deep sigh, watching a chunk of his chips slide across the table.

With full stomachs, the players have returned to their seats and cards are back in the air!

Players are on a 75-minute dinner break. Play will resume by 6:45pm

Currently, there have been 174 entries in Flight A of the Main Event and 106 players remain. When they get back from dinner, four more levels will be played before the survivors bag up for Day 2.

A 23,000 chip pot had already built between John Tech and Lianli Xu when the board read K♠ 5♠ 4♠ T♣ . On the 3♦ , Tech moved all-in for 22,100, putting his tournament life on the line.

Xu went deep into the tank, carefully analyzing the situation—was Tech really holding the nuts? After several moments of deliberation, Xu finally slammed his stack into the middle, committing to the call.

John Tech: A♠ 7♠ Lianli Xu: K♣ T♠

Tech triumphantly tabled the nut flush, leaving Xu shaking his head as his stack dwindled back to nearly its starting amount. Tech, meanwhile, scooped the massive pot, keeping his tournament hopes alive.

Moses Saquing raised to 1,200 from the cut-off and was called by Egidijus Digrys on the button. Bharath Jayaram made it 3,600 from the small blind, and got both Saquing and Digrys to play.

The flop showed 7♥ 4♣ 2♦

Jayaram bet 6,000. Saquing called and Digrys stepped out of the way.

The turn showed a 3♠ . Jayaram fired 11,000 and Saquing flat called again.

The river showed a T♥ and Jayaram fired 16,000 this time around. Saquing counted the chips and made the call.

Jayaram showed K♥ K♦ and Saquing mucked.

Kilian Kramer opened to 1,200 from middle position and found two callers in Christopher Mateo and Yonghwi Im on the button. Cheng Zhou, sitting in the small blind, had other plans—he three-bet to 6,000, applying pressure on the field. Jae Lim quickly folded from the big blind, but Kramer, Mateo, and Im all opted to call, setting up a sizable pot heading to the flop.

The dealer fanned a A♠ 8♠ 3♥ flop, and action checked to Kramer, who fired a 6,000 bet. Mateo, short-stacked, opted to fold, but Im wasn’t done yet—he raised to 15,000, sending a clear message. The pressure was too much for the rest of the table, as Kramer and Zhou both folded, giving Im the pot.

With a grin, Im flashed A♣ J♥ to his tablemates before raking in the chips.

Burke Kenny raised to 1,200 and was called by Thijs Hilberts from the cut-off, Yohn Paredes on the button and Beng Hong Ker on the big blind.

Four players were shown a flop of J♣ K♥ K♠

All checked to see a 2♥ turn and checked again to see a Q♠ river. Ker led out with a 2,000 bet. Kenny and Hilberts folded by Paredes made the call.

Ker already knew he got rivered when he showed A♥ J♥ for a pair of Jacks. Paredes showed A♦ T♦ for a straight.

Chih Kai Chen raised to 1,300 from the cut-off and Tomoki Terashima opted to defend the big blind. Flop arrived 2♠ K♦ K♥

Terashima checked and made a quick fold when Chen fired 2,000.

On the next hand from the same table, Tzu Yang Chen raised to 1,300 from UTG+2 and was called by Julius Lagman on the hi-jack and Benjamin Kim Jacobs on the big blind.

The three were shown a flop of A♦ 6♦ Q♣

Jacobs checked to Chen, who put in 1,600. Lagman and Jacobs didn't bother to play.

Po-Shuo Huang kicked off the action with a 1,500 raise, and Kota Yamaguchi defended his big blind, bringing them to a T♥ 9♣ 7♠ flop.

Both players cautiously checked, keeping the pot small as they awaited the 4♠ turn. This time, Huang seized the opportunity, firing 1,800 into the pot.

Yamaguchi, however, had other plans. He suddenly check-raised to 5,000, putting Huang to the test. Huang took his time, contemplating his options, but after a long pause, he sighed and let it go, surrendering the hand to Yamaguchi’s aggression.

Kenny Burke was handsomely paid off for his full house, tens over queens, making a significant dent in Rajeevn Kanjani's stack and a minor one in Ming He's.

In the very next hand, Burke tabled a pair of queens at showdown, while Yohn Paredes mucked to surrender another sizable pot.

With those back-to-back wins, Burke has grown his stack to 105,000 in chips.

Kota Yamaguchi raised to 1,000 from the hi-jack and Yiu Yeung Leung made it 2,700 from the button. Small blind Mikko Cayetano pushed it up to 10,000.

Yamaguchi folded and Leung also gave up, handing over an easy pick for Cayetano.

Po-Shuo Huang limped in from early position before Ryota Tanaka raised the pot to 1,500. Frederick Yu Jr. called, but Huang wasn’t backing down—he three-bet to 4,800.

Tanaka responded with an aggressive four-bet to 20,000, forcing Yu out of the hand. Huang, facing a critical decision for his tournament life, shoved all-in. After taking a moment to count his stack, Tanaka made the call, setting up a huge preflop showdown.

Po-Shuo Huang: J♦ J♥

Ryota Tanaka: 3♦ 3♥

The 5♠ J♣ 4♥ only strengthened Huang’s position, keeping him ahead. The 8♦ turn and 7♥ river brought no help for Tanaka, securing Huang’s double-up as he raked in the massive pot.

Martin Barril put his last 5,100 at risk and was called by Lok Ching Li for a showdown.

Barril showed A♣ K♠ against the K♥ Q♥ of Li.

The board ran J♦ 5♠ 9♥ 9♠ 8♦ . Li was given more outs on the flop, but nothing materialized, shipping Barril the pot for a much-needed double.

Seungmook Jung raised to 1,100 with Robertson Yap making the call along with big blind Ryoksue Ikari.

The three were given a flop of 2♦ 2♠ 2♥ Ikari checked to Jung, who fired 1,000. Yap stepped down while Ikari raised to 2,500. Jung made the quick call to see a 6♥ on the turn.

Ikari double-tapped to Jung, who pushed 6,000 .beyond the betting line. Ikari took a last look at his cards before letting them go along with the pot.

Ran Yi opened from early position with a 1,200 raise and was met with a three-bet to 4,500 from Tirajad Sirimueanphong in the big blind. Yi made the call, taking them to a 2♦ K♦ T♥ flop.

Sirimueanphong continued with a 2,500 bet, and Yi decided to call. On the K♥ turn, Sirimueanphong increased the pressure with a 7,000 bet—about half the pot—but Yi once again opted to call, eager to see the river.

Both players checked the K♣ river, and at showdown, Sirimueanphong tabled A♥ J♥ for a ace-high , only to see Yi turn over full house with T♦ T♠ , having flopped a monster. With that, Yi scooped up the pot.

One player making waves in the early levels is Benjamin Jacobs from the United States, who has already stacked close to 200,000 chips and is cruising up the leaderboard.

Jacobs had a breakout year on the 2024 APT circuit, racking up an impressive six final table appearances across multiple formats. His journey kicked off in Taipei last March, where he came heartbreakingly close to the winner's podium twice — finishing fourth in both the Sunday Superstack and No Limit Single Draw Mix - Hyper Turbo. He also locked up a sixth-place finish in the Zodiac Classic, proving his consistency across events.

Next up was Jeju, where Jacobs added two more final tables to his tally. He notched another sixth-place finish, this time in the Big O event, before taking a shot at the Baby Superstar Challenge, where he once again fell just short of the podium in fourth place. His run in the Main Event ended earlier than hoped, bowing out in 108th place, but his impressive form showed no signs of slowing.

Then came Manila, where Jacobs finally broke through after a string of near misses. Despite only cashing once, he secured his first APT podium with a third-place finish in the Zodiac Classic, an event that seems to be his personal specialty.

Across all APT stops in 2024, Jacobs' total haul reached nearly $140,000, contributing significantly to his lifetime live earnings of almost $875,000. With his chip stack climbing here today, he’s showing no signs of slowing down — perhaps this is the event where he finally claims a title.

A quick 15-minutes to stretch some legs and take a breath from all the poker excitement.

Some notable busts just before the break include:

Anton Del Rosario, Daniel Benor, Leonidas Panagiotopolus, Pattarapol Wannarat and Dalvin Miguel Carvalho

Yan Lin Li raised to 900 and was called by Jae Geun Lim on the button and Edgaras Kausinis out of the big blind.

Three players were presented with a flop of 2♠ 9♠ T♥ which was checked through to see the 8♦ turn. The action checked to Lim and he bet 2,500. Kausinis folded, but Li raised it to 8,500. Lim then hit back with a three-bet to 23,500 total. Li took a moment before making the call.

The J♣ landed on the river and Li threw in a bet of 25,000. Lim quickly called and Li instantly mucked his cards. Lim turned over Q♣ J♠ for a straight and dragged in a healthy-sized pot.

Action folded to the blinds. Gedong Li opted to limp in, but Oleg Mordassov raised it 1,000 more. Li called and both were treated to a flop of Q♥ 2♣ 3♦

Li check-called when Mordassov continued with another 1,000 to see a 7♠ turn.

Li check-called again for 3,000 to see a 9♦ on the river. Both players checked. Li showed A♣ 8♥ for an Ace-high while Mordassov happily turned over T♦ 2♦ with a pair two good enough to win the pot.

Vytautas Laurinaitis raised to 800 from UTG and got called by Aaron Richard Valencia on the hi-jack and Carlo Calingasan on the big blind.

All three were shown a flop of Q♥ 4♥ 9♥ . All checked to see a Q♠ on th turn.

Calingasan checked his option to Laurinaitis who counted off 2,500 to put in the middle. Valencia made the call while Calingasan got out of the way.

The river showed a 5♥ . Laurinaitis put in just 1,100 and Valencia took his time to stare at the flop before giving up the pot.

The main pot was over 100,000 and three players had all their chips in the middle.

The board showed 2♥ 3♠ Q♦ 4♦ T♦

The winning hand belong to Benjamin Kim Jacobs, who had K♦ J♦ for a flush. Winning a side pot was Constantin-Emil Alexandru who made a straight with A♦ 5♥

Anton Del Rosario made a set with 4♥ 4♠ , but it wasn't enough and his huge stack was extremely crippled.

A heated betting battle erupted between Liangli Xu in middle position and Edward Yam in the big blind.

On a A♠ J♣ 9♣ , Xu led out for 1,200, only to be met with a check-raise to 4,200 from Yam. Perplexed by the move, Xu responded with a three-bet to 8,000.

Yam, sensing an opportunity, asked for a count of Xu’s remaining stack. After some deliberation, he declared all-in. Xu, visibly unsettled, even removed his face mask to stare Yam down before finally making the call, putting his tournament life at risk.

Liangli Xu: A♦ A♣ Edward Yam: J♦ 9♦

Upon seeing Xu’s set against his two-pair, Yam tapped the table in resignation. The K♦ turn and 3♠ river changed nothing, securing the double-up for Xu.

From under the gun, Yohn Paredes fired 1,000 on a 4♣ J♦ 9♠ flop. He found calls from both Rajeev Kanjani, and Tirajad Sirimueanphong in the big blind.

The A♣ turn arrived, and Sirimueanphong checked. Paredes kept up the aggression with a 2,000 bet, and both opponents called once again.

On the K♠ river, the action checked to Paredes, who ramped up the pressure with a 10,000 bet. Kanjani opted to fold, but Sirimueanphong responded with an all in shove for about 25,000, putting his tournament life on the line.

Paredes snap-called and confidently tabled J♣ J♠ for a set of jacks, leaving Sirimueanphong disgusted as he revealed A♥ 4♥ for a turned two pair. With that, Paredes scooped the pot while Sirimueanphong hit the rail.

There were around 4,000 chips in the pot on a flop of 2♥ A♥ 3♥ when Anthony Kastelic checked from the big blind. Egidijus Digrys then fired out 2,700 from the hijack, which Victor Bartulaba called on the button. Kastelic folded.

A 7♣ dropped on the turn and Digrys put together a collection of chips before he threw out a bet of 8,600. Bartulaba confirmed the bet size with the dealer and then called.

When the K♦ fell on the river, Digrys showed no signs of slowing down as he tossed in two blue chips, worth 5,000 each, and announced a bet of 8,000. Bartulaba pondered for a few seconds before releasing his hand, and Digrys was awarded the pot.

Moses Saquing raised to 600 with Bharath Jayaram making the call from the cutoff. Jayson Cooper squeezed to 3,600 from the small blind. Saquing stepped out of the way, but Jayaram stayed on with a call.

Both players were shown a flop of 5♣ 7♦ 3♠ , which they checked to see the 6♦ on the turn. Cooper check-called the 2,500 bet of Jayaram.

The K♣ came on the river and Cooper checked. Jayaram fired 10,500 to the middle and Cooper put in the call.

Cooper flippwed over A♣ K♦ for a rivered pair of kings, while Jayaram mucked his hand.

Tirajad Sirimueanphong and Yohn Paredes limped in from early position, but Rajeev Kanjani decided to raise it up to 1,300. Thijs Hilberts called, as did Sirimueanphong and Paredes called, creating a four-way pot.

The flop came 9♣ T♥ K♥ . The action checked to Kanjani, who continued with a 2,800 bet. Hilberts folded, while Sirimueanphong and Paredes called.

Three players saw the 5♣ turn. The action was checked over to Kanjani again, and he fired 5,600. Sirimueanphong tanked before making the call, while Paredes also tanked but ultimately folded, leaving it heads-up to the river.

The river brought the A♠ . Sirimueanphong eyed Kanjani’s stack and took so much time that eventually, the clock was called on him. He opted to check, and Kanjani checked behind.

Sirimueanphong tabled 6♥ 5♥ for a pair of fives, but Kanjani showed A♥ K♣ for top two pair to claim a healthy-sized pot.

With the clock ticking down to the final ten minutes of Level 3, the APT Main Event is already buzzing with excitement. The 100-player milestone has just been crossed, with 107 entries and counting.

Above the battlefield, banners of past champions hang like echoes of glory, a constant reminder of the legacy at stake. For the 94 players still in their seats, the dream of joining that elite club is alive and well.

With four opening flights and registration open until the start of Day 2, there's still time for more contenders to take their shot at poker immortality.

Nattawut Kwunsong raised to 600 from cutoff and was called by Abdullah Akbarpoor out of the small blind, and Supanat Rojsukthavorn from the big blind.

The flop came 5♣ 8♠ A♦ and the action checked to Kwunsong, who bet 1,200 which forced two folds from his opponents.

In the next hand, Kwunsong raised to 800 with Akbarpoor calling from the button, and Shuma Kimura defending his big blind.

The three players were shown a flop of 7♦ 5♦ T♣ where the action checked around for the 4♠ to appear on the turn. All three players checked to see the Q♣ land on the river. Action checked to Akbarpoor on the button, who fired 1,100. Kimura called before Kwunsong check-raised it to 3,800. Akbarpoor folded but Kimura carved out the call

Kwusong flashed K♠ Q♥ for a pair of queens. Kimura didn't bother to show and the pot was sent to Kwusong.

Thailand's Nattawut Kwunsong, who already has a cash under his belt this series in the Philippines National Cup, just took down a pot to pad out his stack a little.

Zhiyu Wang has raised from the hijack to 800 and Kwunsong called in the cutoff. Abdullah Akbarpoor also came along from the big blind.

The flop fell Q♠ 8♣ K♥ where the action checked to Kwunsong, who fired out 1,300. Akbarpoor folded, but Wang stuck in the call.

Both then checked through to showdown on the 9♦ turn and K♠ river, where Wang showed ace-high holding A♠ J♠ , but he was second best to the Q♥ 5♥ of Kwunsong, who paired his queen.

Players are on a 15-minute break.

Ricoh-Shane Meno opened to 400 under the gun, only to face a 1,200 three-bet from Pattarapol Wannarat. In the small blind, Kilian Kramer escalated the action with a 4-bet to 3,700. Meno quickly folded, but Wannarat opted to call.

The flop came A♠ J♥ 7♦ , and Kramer continued with a 2,500 bet. Wannarat called once again, casually remarking, "I’ll never fold, my friend."

Tanking a bit because of Wannarat's statement, Kramer turned up the heat with a 7,700 bet on the 6♦ turn, . Wannarat let out a sigh of relief, saying, "Thank you for not going all-in, my friend, because I will never fold." He then called.

The 9♥ river finally prompted Kramer to shove all-in. Wannarat, after requesting a count, made the call. Kramer tabled J♣ J♠ , revealing a flopped set, while Wannarat, visibly disappointed, showed A♦ T♣ —his top pair no match for Kramer’s monster hand.

Tzu Yang Chen and Constantin-Emil Alexandru were starting at a pot o 3,200 beside a flop that showed J♣ 2♥ 7♠ . Chen fired first for 700 and was snap-called by Alexandru to reveal a 8♦ on the turn.

Chen slowed down with a check and Alexandru threw in 3,300. Chen folded and gave up the pot.

Bharath Jayaram raised to 500 from early position, and both Anthony Kastelic on the button and Sho Katsura in the big blind called.

The three went to a flop of 2♥ 3♦ 9♥ . Katsura checked his option, and Jayaram fired a 600 continuation-bet. Both opponents called to see the A♣ turn. Katsura tapped the table and checked again, and Jayaram kept up the aggression with a 900 bet.

Neither Katsura nor Kastelic found a reason to continue, and they folded, sending the pot to Jayaram.

Ricoh-Shane Meno opened to 3,200 in late position and found a lone caller in Pattarapol Wannarat, seated to his immediate left. The two went to a J♥ 8♠ Q♣ flop, where both players checked while casually chatting.

The turn brought the 9♥ , prompting Meno to fire 2,100. Wannarat, still engaged in conversation, called without much hesitation.

On the river 3♣ , Meno ramped up the pressure with a 6,500 bet. This time, Wannarat finally let go of his hand, folding with a smile as their friendly exchange continued.

Brian James Arbaugh raised it to 400 with small blind Min Wend Chin and big blind Yan Lin Li joining in to see a flop of Q♥ 5♥ T♦ . Chin check-called the 600 bet of Li while Arbaugh stepped out of the way.

Two players saw a 2♠ on the turn and checked to see a free 5♦ on the river. Both players cheked again. Li showed A♥ J♥ for what could've been a nut-flush, but was ousted by the T♣ J♣ of Chin that made a pair.

Both blinds went to a K♠ A♥ 4♠ A♦ board with 7,000 chips in the pot. Action checked to the big blind, where Yuyu Asakawa fired 6,300, receiving a call from Michael Allen in the small blind.

On the river 7♣ , Allen checked once more, prompting Asakawa to move all-in. After some thought, Allen called, only to see Asakawa table A♠ K♦ for aces full. Unable to beat it, Allen mucked his hand as Asakawa scooped the pot.

Michael Joseph Allen raised to 600 from early position and was called by Boseok Na on the small blind. Both players were shown a flop of Q♦ T♣ 5♦ . Both players checked to open a 4♠ on the turn.

Na fired out 800 and Allen matched to see a J♣ on the river. Na checked his option to Allen, who fired out 1,100. Na made the call. Allen showed two pairs with Q♠ J♦ and Na mucked.

Sho Katsura of Japan took down a 2,000 pot against Abdullah Akbarpoor of Turkey when his A♠ 4♣ was the better hand on a board that showed 3♣ K♣ 3♥ 2♠ J♦ Both Katsura and Akbarpoor checked down the flop all the way to the river.

In the next hand, Katsura raised to 400 from under the gun and was met by two callers Brian James Arbaugh from mid position and Aaron Richard Valencia on the big blind.

Flop came 3♥ 4♣ T♦ . Valencia checked his option to Katsura, who bet out 800. Arbaugh stepped out of the way while Valencia stayed to see a 7♦ on the turn. Valencia checked, and then folded to the 2,000 bet of Katsura.

The short-stacked Katsura is slowly recovering.

Nick Blackburn had been consistently applying pressure in late position, and when he raised to 300 from the button, he found callers in Tomoki Terashima in the big blind and Leonidas Panagiotopoulos who initially limped in under the gun.

Terashima checked the flop 9♠ 3♦ T♠ . A frustrated Panagiotopoulos remarked, "With all the 300 raises, the three comes out," before leading out with a 300 bet. Blackburn responded with a raise to 1,100, but Panagiotopoulos wasn’t backing down—he three-bet to 3,500.

After some thought, Blackburn decided to fold, conceding the pot to Panagiotopoulos.

Three players saw a flop of Q♥ 4♦ 9♥ . Action checked to the button, where Yi Hung Chen fired out 900, finding calls from Yonghwi Im in the small blind and Rajeev Kanjani in middle position.

The turn brought the J♣ , and Im led out for 1,500. Kanjani stayed in the hand, but Chen responded with a raise to 4,500, prompting Kanjani to fold under the mounting pressure. Im, however, made the call.

On the river Q♦ , Im checked, and Chen applied more pressure with a 7,000 bet. Im made the call, only to see Chen table A♣ Q♠ for trip queens. Frustrated, Im mucked his hand.

Leonidas Panagiotopoulus made a raise to 300 from middle position. Joshua Chargualaf three-bet to 1,200 from the button. Small blind Olivier Serrie and Panagiotopoulos both called to see a flop of 3♠ 5♥ 4♠ .

Serrie fired 2,700 to the pot and Panagiotopoulus re-popped to 5,600. Chargualaf called, and Serrie backed out. The turn showed a 7♠ where Panagiotopoulus check-called the 5,500 bet of Chargualaf to see a 4♦ on the river.

Panagiotopoulus tapped his option to Chargualaf, who fired out 10,000. Panagtiopoulus tanked and eventually made the call.

Chargualaf showed 6♣ 6♠ while Pangtiopoulus showed 7♦ 6♦ , which meant both players split the pot with a straight.

Frenchman Olivier Serrie raised to 800 from under the gun and got calls from two American players. First, Nick Blackburn from middle position and big blind Joshua Chargualaf. The flop was peeled 2♦ 5♠ 4♦ and all checked to see a T♦ on the turn.

Chargualaf fired 800 and Serrie called behind, which got Blackburn to step out of the way. The hK showed on the river and Chargualaf pushed 3,200 to the pot, which was called by Serrie after some consideration. Chargualaf showed A♦ Q♠ for just ace-high, but lost out to the K♦ 9♥ of Serrie, who paired his king.

The APT Manila Classic 2025 Main Event is underway with Flight Day 1A taking off at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom. So far, 18 early birds have taken to the felt with more expected to register throughout the day.

It's a colorful mix of players from around the globe with players fro Japan, France, Romania, Thailand, China, Peru and the US. The Filipinos have yet to represent and are - as can be expected - fashionably late on Filipino time.

A guaranteed prize pool of PHP 60 Million is up for grabs to those who can make a deep run in the money.

Good luck to all the players!

The highly anticipated return of the Asian Poker Tour to Manila is finally here! Kicking off the APT season in style, the PHP 60,000 (~US$1,034) Main Event at the APT Manila Classic 2025 gets underway today at noon local time, boasting a massive PHP 60,000,000 (~US$1,033,413) guarantee.

Set in the heart of Ortigas, a vibrant business and commercial hub, the dazzling Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria provides the perfect backdrop for this intense battle of wits, nerve, and resilience. With poker glory on the line, players will clash in a fierce competition, each vying to outlast the competition and etch their names in history.

The journey begins with Day 1A, the first of four starting flights. Each player starts with 40,000 chips, battling through ten 60-minute levels in the hopes of surviving to Day 2 and keeping their title dreams alive. All Day 1 flights will play 10 levels before concluding.

With late registration open until 11:30 PM local time and unlimited re-entries, players also have the strategic option to forfeit their stack before registration closes, allowing them to re-enter and take another shot at the title.

The stage is set, the stakes are high—let the APT Manila Classic 2025 begin!

Live updates begin at 11:00 local time.