APT Main Event (60,000 PHP)

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.

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.

Geno Gendrano limped in from under the gun only to be jammed by Hua-Wei Lin for 33,500 from the small blind, which Gendrano snap-called to put his opponent at risk.

Geno Gendrano: K♠ T♠

Hua-Wei Lin: A♣ 6♠

Lin was ahead on the 4♥ A♥ 9♣ flop, improving her to top pair of aces. The K♥ fell on the turn, pairing with Gendrano’s king, but it was still no match for Lin’s top pair. The dealer sent a bricky 5♦ on the river, shipping a life-saving double-up to Lin.