APT Main Event (60,000 PHP)

After ten intense sixty-minute levels of play inside Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, Flight A of the PHP 60,000 APT Main Event has come to a close. A total of 218 entries battled it out on the felt, but by the end of the night, only 67 players had secured their spot for Day 2. With chips bagged and dreams still alive, the road to the title is just getting started.

Of the survivors, one name stood above the rest as Tomoki Terashima from Japan bagged up 347,300 chips and sits alone at the top of the counts. Terashima surged ahead of the field after winning a massive all-in showdown against compatriot Nobuaki Sasaki. With both players’ significant stacks on the line, Sasaki failed to complete his straight draw, falling short against Terashima’s Ace-King, which paired the Ace on the flop to secure the victory.

Close behind is Andrius Janca from Lithuania with 338,000 chips and Thijs Hilberts from the Netherlands with 292,600 chips Three former APT Champions have also secured their spots in Day 2 - Filipino Christopher Mateo with 206,400 chips, Yon Paredes from Peru with 169,800 chips and local celebrity John Tech with 84,700 chips. With their experience and sizable chip stacks, these seasoned players will definitely challenge the field as they chase for another APT Lion Trophy.

Other notables include Benjamin Jacobs (208,500), Jason Wong (188,700), Dylan Foster (181,800), Edward Yam (156,300), Natural8 Ambassador Hua-Wei Lin (155,100), and Daniel Smiljkovic (96,600).

With 218 entries recorded in Flight A, the total field has now grown to 420 players, boosted by an additional 202 qualifiers. With three more opening flights still to come, the final number is expected to climb even higher. A solid chunk of the PHP 60,000,000 guaranteed prize pool has already been chipped away, and with registration still open, the guarantee is inching closer to being met and surpassed.

Flight B of the Main Event will kick off tomorrow at 11am local time and will have ten 60-minute levels of play. Registration for the second flight of Day 1 will be open until 8:30pm.

The action was picked up on the flop of T♣ 9♠ 9♦ with Tomoki Terashima leading out for 2,500, followed by an all-in shove for 10,000 from Bat-Erdene Altangerel, risking his tournament life.

The decision was on Daniel Smiljkovic, who took a moment before declaring, "Double or nothing! If nothing, then I'll just buy in again before the day ends!" He shoved his stack, prompting a smile from Tomoki, who eventually made the call.

Bat-Erdene Altangerel: K♥ T♠

Daniel Smiljkovic: Q♣ J♥

Tomoki Terashima : T♥ 3♣

Seeing Tomoki’s hand, Smiljkovic couldn’t help but react—"Ten-three? Really?"

The K♠ turn brought two pair for Altangerel, but Smiljkovic completed his straight, taking the lead.

The J♠ river changed nothing, securing Smiljkovic a huge double-up and sending Altangerel to the rail.

Tomoki Terashima holds the top spot at the moment, can anybody dethrone him before the final bell rings?

The action was picked up with Tomoki Terashima and Nobuaki Sasaki deep in a massive 80,000-chip pot on a completed board of J♣ A♦ 3♦ J♠ 7♣ .

Tomoki Terashima: A♣ K♣ Nobuaki Sasaki: K♠ Q♣

Terashima’s top pair with a strong kicker held firm, while Sasaki’s missed draw left him empty-handed.

Frustrated by the outcome, Sasaki stormed away from the table, as Terashima happily scooped up the monster pot.

After the action folded to Tomoki Terashima in late position, he opened for 2,400. Nobuaki Sasaki on the button re-raised to 6,500, and Terashima flat-called, taking them to the flop.

The flop ran out 4♣ 6♥ 7♥ , and both big stacks opted to check, keeping the pot manageable.

The A♣ turn brought some action as Terashima check-called Sasaki's 6,100 bet.

With the J♣ river, both players tapped the table, taking it to showdown.

Terashima tabled 8♣ 8♥ , but Sasaki's A♦ T♥ had paired up on the turn, securing him the pot.

Chih Kai Chen raised to 1,300 from the cut-off and Tomoki Terashima opted to defend the big blind. Flop arrived 2♠ K♦ K♥

Terashima checked and made a quick fold when Chen fired 2,000.

On the next hand from the same table, Tzu Yang Chen raised to 1,300 from UTG+2 and was called by Julius Lagman on the hi-jack and Benjamin Kim Jacobs on the big blind.

The three were shown a flop of A♦ 6♦ Q♣

Jacobs checked to Chen, who put in 1,600. Lagman and Jacobs didn't bother to play.

Nick Blackburn had been consistently applying pressure in late position, and when he raised to 300 from the button, he found callers in Tomoki Terashima in the big blind and Leonidas Panagiotopoulos who initially limped in under the gun.

Terashima checked the flop 9♠ 3♦ T♠ . A frustrated Panagiotopoulos remarked, "With all the 300 raises, the three comes out," before leading out with a 300 bet. Blackburn responded with a raise to 1,100, but Panagiotopoulos wasn’t backing down—he three-bet to 3,500.

After some thought, Blackburn decided to fold, conceding the pot to Panagiotopoulos.