APT Main Event (60,000 PHP)

Michikiko Matsuda raised to 110,000. Action folded to Or Yaaqov Nezer on the big blind who liked his cards and announced "All-in!". Michikiko Matsuda reviewed his hand before returning it to the dealer.

In the next hand, pre-flop action folded to Sangbum Kim at the cut-off, who also liked his cards enough to declare "All-in" but found no customers, scooping up the blinds to add a bit more to his stack.

In the following hand, Shinya Matsuda raised to 100,000 on the button and Jayden Zalac defended the big blind. The dealer peeled a flop of 4♦ 8♥ 7♥

Zalac check-called the 125,000 bet of Shinya Matsuda to show a T♠ on the turn. Zalac check-called again, but this time for 350,000.

The river showed a 4♠

Zalac checked and Shinya Matsuda spent a time bank token for dramatic effect before announcing "All-in" and put his last 810,000 at risk.

Zalac counted off the chips and made the call.

Shinya Matsuda showed 7♦ 7♣ for a full house. Zalac mucked his hand, but the table requested for him to show. Zalac flipped T♦ 6♦ to show two-pair.

A flop rolled of 8♣ 7♦ Q♣ , bringing flush and straight draw possibilities, with around 120,000 chips in the middle. Jiaqi He checked over from big blind, and Jayden Zalac led out for 40,000 from the hijack. He dropped in a call.

The Q♦ hit on the turn, where He check-called to a barrel of 180,000 from Zalac. The river showed a T♣ and it went check-check.

He immediately turned over a flush with 7♣ 3♣ , leaving Zalac no choice to muck his cards and forfeit a pot.

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.

After an intense and grueling bubble period in the APT Manila Classic Main Event, 175 players have locked up a payday and secured their spots in Day 3. This event has officially made history as the largest-ever APT Main Event in the Philippines, reinforcing the tour’s continued growth in the region.

Leading the field is Taiwan's Po-Shuo Huang, who finished Day 2 with an impressive 1,168,000 chips — the only player to bag a seven-figure stack. Not far behind is Javier Zarco, who accumulated 959,000, with the Spaniard playing a pivotal role in bursting the bubble after eliminating Kenneth Anthony.

Nobuaki Sasaki rounds out the top three, benefiting from a dream scenario when his pocket aces held up against the pocket kings of Raju Jaruplavath in one of the biggest hands of the day.

The day began with 377 returning survivors from the opening flights, joined by 56 late entries who took advantage of the last chance to buy in before registration closed. David Erquiaga wasted no time making his presence felt, quickly rising among the chip leaders after eliminating Shinya Maeda in Level 13. Erquiaga capitalized on his early momentum and bagged a top ten stack of 680,000.

However, several former Main Event champions weren’t as fortunate, as Punnat Punsri, Lester Edoc, Henrick Tollofsen, Christopher Mateo, and John Tech all failed to make the money. Three past champions are still in contention, with Mike Takayama (577,000), Moses Saquing (124,000), and Yohn Paredes (71,000) carrying the torch forward.

China’s Zhen Chen, who has been making waves in the poker world, closed out Day 2 with 165,000 chips. Chen added another trophy to his collection just yesterday, winning the Baby Superstar Challenge for PHP 4,327,600.

Samuel Mullur, currently third on Austria's All-Time Money List, secured the fourth-largest stack of 834,000. Mullur, who captured a WSOP bracelet in December 2023 by conquering the GGMillion$ High Roller for $2,736,300 — his career-best score—now sets his sights on adding another prestigious title. Despite his global accolades, an Asian trophy still eludes him, and what better way to start his collection than by claiming an award-winning Gold Lion to adorn his mantle?

Despite his gut-wrenching cooler against aces, Jaruplavath, champion of the Philippines National Cup, still managed to survive the day with 169,000 chips. Another notable mention is APT commentator Stephen Lai, who navigated the field smoothly and bagged a respectable 333,000 heading into Day 3.

as play resumes, 29 online qualifiers will merge with the live field, adding a fresh dynamic to the competition. Some notable names among them include Adalsteinn Karlsson (428,000), Abraham Ceesvin (353,000), Joshua Mccully (321,000), Marc Rivera (242,000), and Asa Smith (135,00).

Vietnamese poker vlogger Ngoc Huyen Quach, aka “Gemmy” maintained her position as the top stacked female player, fighting through with 226,000 in chips, with five other women still in contention for Day 3: Thailand’s Nattamon Kaweesorasak (206,000), Natural8 Ambassador Hua-Wei Lin (203,000), Thailand’s Wipawadee Kanaraksapong (179,000), Japan’s Seina Asagiri (117,000), and China’s Cai Xin Wong (59,000).

All remaining players are guaranteed a payout of PHP 94,000 (~$1,615), but it’s the PHP 11,069,680 (~$190,201) top prize that remains the ultimate goal. With the biggest APT Main Event field in Philippine history now down to its final contenders, who will rise to the occasion and claim poker glory?

Almost every remaining player is silently thanking Jayden Zalac after he eliminated Zhiqiang Liu, leaving the field just one spot away from the money.

Zalac opened to 12,000 from the cutoff, only for Liu to fire back with a massive three-bet to 81,000 from the big blind. Undeterred, Zalac moved all in for around 300,000. Liu, after burning through all three of his time banks, eventually flicked in the call for his tournament life, sitting on roughly 280,000.

Zhiqiang Liu: 9♣ 9♦

Jayden Zalac: A♦ K♦

Liu pumped his fist, celebrating what he believed was a good call, but with five cards to come, the deck still had the final say.

The 8♠ 2♣ J♠ flop was a safe one for Liu, but the K♥ on the turn flipped the script, leaving him with just two outs to survive. Needing a miracle nine, he instead found the 7♦ on the river, sealing his fate and sending him to the rail just short of the money.

Jayden Zalac raised to 60,000 from the small blind and Cai Xin Wong from the big blind went all in for 61,500.

Jayden Zalac: A♥ K♦

Cai Xin Wong: Q♣ Q♠

Wong held the lead with her ladies on the flop of 4♠ 7♣ 7♠ but still needed to fade an ace or king to stay alive in the tournament.

The runout came down clean 6♠ 4♦ , securing Wong a much-needed double up.