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.

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.

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!

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.