APT Main Event (60,000 PHP)

Ivan Govorov has etched his name in the biggest APT Main Event in Phillippines.

Stay tuned to see how he did it!

Hand 33 Adalsteinn Karlsson shoved for 2,600,000 from the small blind and Samuel Mullur called from the big blind.

Adalsteinn Karlsson: K♣ Q♦

Samuel Mullur: A♣ 9♦

Karlsson had just managed to make a ladder after coming into the final table ninth, however, he couldn't make another as the 9♥ 5♥ A♠ 2♦ 8♣ runout meant he was the second player to bust.

Hand 25 Dylan Foster raised to 400,000 from the cutoff holding 9♠ 8♠ and Hiroya Iwamoto shoved from the small blind with A♦ 9♦ for around 2,900,000. Foster quickly folded.

Hand 26 Samuel Mullur limped in from the small blind with A♥ 6♦ and Jie Zhang checked his option from the big blind with Q♣ 2♦ .

On the 8♠ K♠ K♣ flop, Mullur stabbed 200,000 into the pot and Zhang put in the call to see a K♥ fall on the turn. Mullur checked, Zhang bet 250,000, and Mullur called.

A 4♥ completed the board and both checked it down, which meant Mullur took the pot with ace-high.

Hand 27 Iwamoto min-raised to 400,000 from the cutoff with Q♠ 6♠ and Zhang three-bet with K♠ Q♥ from the small blind to 1,400,000. Iwamoto folded quickly.

Hand 28 Ivan Govorov peeked down at A♥ K♥ from early position and min-raised to 400,000. Dmitrii Belikov called from the big blind holding 9♦ 6♦ .

The all four flop of 4♣ 4♥ 4♠ saw Belikov check-fold to the 200,000-chip continuation-bet from Govorov.

Hand 14 Ivan Govorov raised the button to 320,000 with Q♦ T♣ and Dylan Foster shoved 7♦ 7♣ from the small blind. Govorov had just over 3,000,000 behind and elected to fold, earning Foster the pot.

Hand 15 Alexander Ugay looked down at A♠ K♥ and raised to 320,000 from the hijack. Nobody else wanted to play, and Ugay took the pot.

Hand 16 Or Nezer raised A♠ Q♠ to 320,000 from early position and Samuel Mullur defended with Q♥ 2♥ from the big blind.

They went to a flop of 6♣ 5♠ 7♦ where Mullur check-folded to the 255,000-chip bet from Nezer.

Hand 17 Nezer picked up A♥ Q♣ from under the gun and again made it 320,000 to go. Mullur then made it 800,000 from the small blind with A♣ T♦ , and Nezer almost immediately shoved. Mullur quickly folded.

Hand 18 Hiroya Iwamoto raised to 325,000 with A♠ 7♠ from the cutoff and won the pot.

Hand 19 Ugay raised to 320,000 from under the gun with A♣ 6♣ and Adalsteinn Karlsson shoved for around 2,300,000 with A♥ K♦ from middle position. When it got back to Ugay, he folded.

Hand 11 Adalsteinn Karlsson shoved for 1,100,000 from early position with K♠ 8♦ , and Hiroya Iwamoto three-bet with A♣ Q♣ to 2,600,000.

A board came down 3♦ 5♥ 6♣ 8♥ 5♣ , improving Karlsson to two pair and won a double-up.

Hand 12 Jie Zhang raised with A♣ J♦ to 325,000 from the hijack and Dimitrii Belikov three-bet on the button to 800,000 with 8♣ 7♣ . Zhang called.

On the flop of Q♦ 8♠ T♥ , both players checked through to the 6♦ turn, where Zhang bet bet 350,000 and Belikov called.

The river showed 3♦ . Zhang bet 325,000 and won the pot.

Hand 13 Alexander Ugay fraised with A♠ 8♣ to 320,000 on the button and won the pot.

Top row (L-R): Dylan Wayne Foster (Australia) - 6,615,000, Adalsteinn Karlsson (Iceland) - 1,700,000, Samuel Mullur (Austria) - 2,150,000, Alexander Ugay (Russia) - 4,720,000 Bottom Row (L-R): Jie Zhang (Hong Kong) - 5,320,000, Hiroya Iwamoto (Japan) - 8,225,000, Dmitri Belikov (Russia) - 8,890,000, Or Nezer (Israel) - 6,660,000, Ivan Govorov (Russia) - 3,390,000

After four days of intense competition, the APT Main Event final table is set, and today, one player will etch their name into history as the champion of the biggest APT Main Event ever held in the Philippines. With a massive PHP 62,311,680 (~$1,070,647) prize pool and a PHP 11,069,680 (~$190,201) first-place prize on the line, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Leading the charge is Russia’s Dmitrii Belikov (8,890,000), who surged ahead on Day 4 after winning the tournament’s biggest flip. Japan’s Hiroya Iwamoto (8,225,000) isn’t far behind, while Or Nezer (6,660,000) and Dylan Foster (6,615,000) round out the top four, each well within striking distance.

With APT titles, major final tables, and millions in live earnings among this final table lineup, experience is plentiful, but so is hunger. Samuel Mullur (2,150,000), a decorated bracelet winner, will need to work his short stack to mount a comeback, while Adalsteinn Karlsson (1,700,000) enters as the shortest stack, looking for an early double-up to stay in contention.

With PHP 11,069,680 (~$190,201) up top, every decision at the final table carries high-stakes consequences. Each of the remaining nine players is already guaranteed PHP 819,000 (~$14,072), but the real battle begins now, with the top three finishers all securing seven-figure payouts.

A deep run guarantees life-changing money, with PHP 6,507,000 (~$111,804) for second place and PHP 4,577,000 (~$78,643) for third. But as the eliminations stack up, so do the pay jumps, inching the final contenders closer to the prestigious Gold Lion trophy and the biggest APT Main Event title ever awarded in the Philippines.

The pressure is on, and every decision will be magnified under the bright lights of the final table. Play resumes at 11 AM, with action streaming on a 30-minute delay. By day’s end, only one will remain—the newest APT Main Event champion.

Who will rise to the occasion and claim poker immortality? It’s time to find out!

as the sun rose over Manila this morning, 48 hopefuls returned to the tables inside the Crowne Plaza Galleria with one shared mission—securing a seat at the APT Main Event final table. After eight levels of play, that number has been slashed to just nine, each now shifting their focus to the ultimate prize: the PHP 11,069,680 (~$190,201) first-place payout.

The player in the best position to capture the title is Russia’s Dmitrii Belikov, who ran hot throughout the day and closed out with an impressive 8,890,000 in chips. Japan’s Hiroya Iwamoto wasn’t far behind, building his stack to 8,225,000, while Or Nezer secured the third spot on the leaderboard with 6,660,000, keeping himself in striking distance of the leaders.

When they return tomorrow for the fifth and final day, the remaining nine players will battle for the prestigious APT Main Event title and their share of the massive PHP 62,311,680 (~$1,070,647) prize pool—the biggest APT Main Event ever held in the Philippines. Each has already secured at least PHP 819,000 (~$14,072) for reaching the final table, but with the payouts getting progressively bigger, the stakes couldn’t be higher as they chase history and a career-defining victory.

With a healthy stack of 6,615,000, Dylan Foster is well-positioned to make a run at the title. A familiar face on the APT circuit, Foster has already racked up eight final table appearances in APT events, but a trophy has eluded him outside of his home country of Australia.

Now, with a career-best payday within reach, Foster will be looking to leverage his experience and navigate his way up the payouts—all the way to the PHP 11,069,680 (~$190,201) top prize and his first international title.

The most decorated player at the final table is undoubtedly Samuel Mullur. The Austrian bracelet-winner boasts nearly $5,000,000 in live tournament earnings and currently sits third on Austria’s All-Time Money List—a resume that speaks for itself.

However, Mullur faces an uphill climb with just 2,150,000 in chips, leaving him as one of the short stacks heading into Day 5. But with his experience and deep-run prowess, few would be surprised to see him mount a comeback and battle for the title as the tournament reaches its final stages.

Rounding out the final table are Jie Zhang (5,320,000), Alexander Ugay (4,720,000), Ivan Govorov (3,390,000), and Adalsteinn Karlsson (1,700,000). While Zhang and Ugay sit comfortably in the middle of the pack, Govorov has some ground to make up, while Karlsson enters as the short stack, needing an early double-up to stay in contention.

Day 4 Action

Among those who started the day, Javier Zarco had the steepest hill to climb, entering with just a single big blind. While he hoped to spin up a miracle run, his journey ended in 45th place. Terry Gonzaga (39th), Rishi Mehra (33rd), Jayden Zalac (24th), and Vlada Stojanovic (21st) also fell before the pay jumps started to get a little juicier.

One of the standout stories of the tournament was Gemmy Quach, who described her deep run as “magical” after bagging at the end of Day 3. But as fate would have it, the deck had other plans.

Quach's troubles began in Level 26, when Belikov’s ace-queen rivered her ace-king, but she managed to recover and battle on. However, in Level 29, it was déjà vu—this time, Quach four-bet shoved with king-jack, only to once again find herself at risk against Belikov’s ace-queen.

A king on the flop offered hope for a crucial double-up, but in a cruel twist, the river brought an ace, officially ending her Main Event journey at the hands of the same opponent who cracked her earlier. A magical run, but sometimes even fairy tales get a bad ending.

Belikov vaulted to the top of the chip counts after winning a massive flip, holding strong with pocket jacks against Egidijus Digrys' ace-queen in the tournament’s biggest pot so far. The crucial hand catapulted Belikov into the lead while leaving Digrys on life support with just a handful of big blinds.

Still reeling from the loss, Digrys found himself flipping again just a few hands later, this time with pocket eights against Hiroya Iwamoto’s ace-jack. Unfortunately for him, the board brought an ace on the flop, dashing any hopes of a comeback and sending him out in the unlucky 13th place.

Niklas Warlich (12th) and Jeoffrey Sibal (11th) came agonizingly close to the final table but still walked away with solid paydays for their deep runs. However, it was Japan’s Michikiko Matsuda who suffered the toughest blow, finishing as the final table bubble boy after his stack was slowly ground down to dust.

In his final hand and down to just a few big blinds, Matsuda shoved with nine-eight over an open from Iwamoto, who called with six-three suited. The flop brought Iwamoto a flush draw, and the turn completed it, leaving Matsuda drawing dead and his tournament dreams officially over in tenth.

Play resumes at 11 AM on Saturday, February 15, where the final nine players will battle until one is crowned APT Main Event champion. There’s one minute remaining in Level 30, and with the average stack around 5,300,000, every decision will be magnified as the blinds continue to rise.

as always, the final table will be streamed with a 30-minute delay, ensuring fans can follow the action without spoilers. Live updates will remain in sync with the broadcast to provide a seamless experience. To watch the stream: To watch the stream: Click here.

With PHP 11,069,680 (~$190,201) up top, the pressure is at its peak. The stage is set, the chips are counted, and by the end of the day, a new APT Main Event champion will be crowned. Buckle up—it’s going to be a thrilling finale!

Adalsteinn Karlsson opened to 200,000 from under the gun, and Tetsuya Tsujisaka moved all in for around 740,000 from the small blind. After getting a count, Karlsson made the call.

Tetsuya Tsujisaka: A♣ K♥

Adalsteinn Karlsson: A♦ Q♦

Tsujisaka had just doubled up and was looking for the McDouble-double, but he had to fade a few outs as the flop landed 6♦ 8♦ 7♠ . Karlsson, however, wasn’t made to wait—the 4♦ on the turn gave him the nuts, leaving Tsujisaka drawing deader than a forgotten side of fries.

A meaningless J♦ completed the board, sending Tsujisaka to the rail with no extra sauce.

Players have been sent on a 60-minute dinner break.

Here's a peek at the counts while the players fuel up.

Nobuaki Sasaki and Adalsteinn Karlsson were all-in before the flop.

Adalsteinn Karlsson Q♠ Q♥

Nobuaki Sasaki T♦ T♣

Board ran K♠ J♣ A♣ 4♦ T♠

Karlsson thought he lucked out on the river when Sasaki made a set, but the table quickly pointed out that he had made a straight. It took a while to register that he won and had to take a double-take before it finally sank in. Karlsson took down the huge pot and eliminated Sasaki from the Main Event.

Following Sasaki's bust, play was stopped to re-draw seats for the final 3 tables. Karlsson was still shaking while stacking his chips.

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.

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.

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.

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.