APT Main Event (60,000 PHP)

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.

Nobuaki Sasaki made it 60,000 to go from middle position and Sangbum Kim shoved all in for 325,000 after tanking for a long time. Sasaki called off himself at risk.

Sangbum Kim: J♥ T♥

Nobuaki Sasaki: A♦ T♦

Sasaki held the lead with an ace. A clean board swiftly dealt 8♠ 3♦ 3♠ K♠ 7♠ , securing Sasaki a double-up.

Nobuaki Sasaki made it 34,000 to go from early position and Alexander Ugay three-bet to 95,000 from middle position, which Sasaki called.

Both player checked through the monotone flop of 7♥ 3♥ 4♥ to see a 5♣ fall on the turn, where Sasaki fired out 65,000 and Ugay called.

The 4♦ hit on the river. Sasaki sent a barrel of 280,000 after tanking for a long time. Ugay snap-called and revealed A♣ K♥ for ace-high. This was enough to make Sasaki muck the hand.

Nobuaki Sasaki opened to 19,000 from under the gun and was defended by Seina Asagiri from the big blind.

Both player saw a flop of Q♠ T♦ 2♣ , and Asagiri checked to Sasaki, who made a continuation-bet of 14,000. Asagiri made the call to see the 4♠ fall on the turn, where the two checked through.

The 6♦ hit on the river. Asagiri checked over and Sasaki fired out 43,000, which successfully secure the pot.

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?

as players returned from the break, most were focused on cruising into the money. Nobuaki Sasaki, however, had other plans, surging toward a seven-figure stack after a massive clash with Raju Jaruplavath.

Jaruplavath opened from middle position to 16,000, and Sasaki responded with a three-bet to 45,000 from the hijack. When the action folded back to Jaruplavath, he wasted no time four-betting to 150,000. Sasaki tanked, burning through two time banks before announcing he was all in for 461,000. Jaruplavath gave a shrug and said, "I call."

Nobuaki Sasaki: A♠ A♥

Raju Jaruplavath: K♣ K♥

A dream scenario for Sasaki — and a nightmare for Jaruplavath — just nine eliminations away from the money. Jaruplavath still had chips behind, but if he couldn’t find a Cowboy to lasso his way out of the situation, his stack would be in ruins.

There was an audible gasp from Jaruplavath when the 4♠ Q♣ 5♥ flop brought some paint, but it wasn’t the picture he wanted to see. The A♦ on the turn sealed the deal, locking up the pot for Sasaki and leaving Jaruplavath visibly deflated. A meaningless 3♣ fell on the river, and Sasaki raked in a mountain of chips.

Jaruplavath, now left with just 140,000, immediately shoved the very next hand. He found no callers but was still clearly rattled by the costly cooler.

Nobuaki Sasaki just brought the field one step closer to the money by eliminating Mun Leong Cheong.

Raju Jaruplavath had opened from early position to 10,000 and Sasaki three-bet the hijack to 28,000. Cheong then shoved for around 40,000 from the big blind, and only Sasaki called.

Mun Leong Cheong: A♠ K♠

Nobuaki Sasaki: J♥ J♠

Cheong picked up a plethora of outs on the 8♠ T♠ T♥ flop as he improved to a flush draw.

However, it was a case of 'too many outs' as the 3♣ turn and 5♣ river both bricked out, ending Cheong's run.