Kick-off (16,500 PHP)

A jam by the leader with A♣ K♥ and a call from Nichols Manalo holding J♣ 6♣ , the dealer can go home after hitting the felt for a final time Q♦ 5♠ 4♦ 2♠ 4♥ , making Keijiro Shimojo champion of the Manila Megastack 20 Kick-off.

Over the next few hands Keijiro Shimojo continues to take down pots to increase his lead with the current stack sizes being :

Nichols Manalo tries to take a stand with 200,000 from the BU and takes the blinds to the flop K♠ 5♦ 5♥ . Checked to him, he continues for 300,000 and is left with the chip leader on the turn Q♠ . Both players check to the river 7♣ , Keijiro Shimojo forks out 500,000 and picks up another significant pot.

A HJ open to 150,000 from Nichols Manalo and a 240,000 jam from Chris Pasion in CO have the short stack at risk and the dealer center stage.

Another standard open of 105,000 from Keijiro Shimojo in the HJ finds to callers from CO and SB for a flop 3♠ 7♠ 5♣ . A 200,000 c-bet see everyone stick around to see the turn Q♥ and another 500,000 from Keijiro Shimojo. With ICM in mind, CO Quijano Anacleto and SB Nichols Manalo decide to let it go.

Quijano Anacleto starts us off with a 110,000 open from UTG, finding a customer in CO Nichols Manalo to take us to the flop 2♠ 6♥ 3♣ . Two checks reveal the turn J♣ with a delayed c-bet of 125,000 being called by Nichols Manalo to see the board complete with the T♥ . Another 150,000 lead from Quijano Anacleto gets countered by a raise to 400,000 and Nichols Manalo moves into 2nd place.

Starting with a limp from Johnson Tan in +2, CO, SB and BB come along for the ride to the flop 9♦ A♠ 6♣ and four additional checks to the turn 5♦ . SB Christopher Mateo takes the reins with a lead of 75,000, called by CO Keijiro Shimojo and BB Nichols Manalo to the river A♦ . Betting 250,000, Nichols Manalo scares the other players away to bank and decent pot.

With an opening of 70,000 from UTG, a call from Nichols Manalo in +1, Quijano Anacleto pumps it up to 350,000 from +2. Only Nichols Manalo pays to see the flop 5♥ 7♦ Q♠ . An 85,000 donk-bet and a call shut down the action until the river 5♠ Q♦ with the players flipping over their cards. A♥ T♣ is enough for Nichols Manalo against 3♣ 6♦ and we move on.

With Nichols Manalo opening another hand for 60,000 and two calls from the BU and SB we get treated with the flop Q♣ A♦ T♣ . A c-bet for 80,000 keeps only BU Elmer Kalaquian in the hunt and the 8♦ turn is revealed for a check-around to the river Q♥ . Another 175,000 from Nichols Manalo does the trick to move up into the top positions on the leader board.

Chua Woo Hian opens 50,000 from HJ, followed by a 205,000 jam from Nichols Manalo in SB, holding A♦ J♦ and Chua Woo Hian fills up with T♠ 9♠ . All eyes on the dealer delivering 5♣ 2♦ 2♣ Q♥ Q♣ and the ace is good enough for another double up going to Nichols Manalo.

Nichols Manalo jams 100,000 from the high jack with 6♣ 7♣ and Eric Ceret defends his big blind holding 8♦ 9♦ . The dealer puts some color on the felt with 7♥ A♥ 5♣ Q♣ J♦ , improving Nichols Manalo to a pair and a double.

With a 32,000 raise from HJ Eric Ceret and two calls the dealer presents the flop 5♣ 3♣ 5♥ and chips go flying. Initiated by a 30,000 c-bet, answered by a fold from Nichols Manalo and a check-raise from Chua Woo Hian to 90,000, Eric Ceret announces all-in and takes down the pot.

Yuhei Ando's UTG min-raise finds three callers from BU, SB and BB and the dealer reveals the flop 4♣ 2♣ J♦ . Ando's c-bet gets answered by a check-raise all-in for 80,000 from Michihiko Matsuda in the BB to end the hand right there.

After an eventful day we have our final 13 players of Flight A with Jess Dalipe coming out on top, bagging 379,000 after chipping up early and a pivotal hand at level 9, holding A♣ A♠ against Chogo Kento's A♥ K♥ for all the chips to go in pre, ending with a crucial double up.

Rounding out the top 3 are Moon Kyung Ho with 334,000 and Eric Ceret bagging 331,000.

One of the most active players of the day was Darren Moves with 232,000 to his name and bringing the day to an end by busting Shirai Hiroto in the bubble with Ace-Queen versus Ace-Six.

The full leaderboard looks like this :

Button Christian Bulpett starts us off with a raise to 8,000 and SB Manalo Nichols defending to see the flop Q♣ J♦ 6♦ . Christian Bulpett fires three streets for 8,000, 11,500 and 18,000 and check-called all the way by Manalo Nichols for the board to complete with Q♠ 6♠ . Bulpett shows T♥ 9♠ for ten high and Nichols starts scooping the pot with Q♦ 9♦ .

With HJ Leo Santos open-jaming 14,500 and button Manalo Nichols trying to isolate with a jam of his own for 37,000, BB Looi Tek Wye Jonathan sticks around to have the dealer pick the winner three-way.

With Inada Honoka making it 2,000 from UTG with K♠ K♥ and button Manalo Nichols jaming 5,800 with Q♠ Q♥ the dealer tables 6♠ K♣ T♠ A♣ 3♥ and Manalo Nichols is out.

Manalo Nichols starts us off with 1,000 from +1 and finds three customers to see 4♥ 6♥ J♦ . A 2,000 c-bet eliminates the big blind and we see the 3♣ . Checked to him, button Cuevillas Kiko slides 7,900 in the middle and only Nichols calls for the A♠ that has both players check with Cuevillas Kiko's 7♥ 6♠ coming out on top against Manalo Nichols' 8♥ 9♥ missed draws.

With Kiril Gelev making it 800 from the button and two limp-calls the dealer reveals the flop 9♦ Q♣ J♣ and Kiril Gelev continues for 2,500. Only Manalo Nichols hangs around for the turn Q♥ and a check around for the river K♠ . Leading 5,000, Nichols ends up calling Gelev's 13,500 all-in who shows J♦ Q♠ to secure a double up.