Kickoff (16,500 PHP)

Facing an open and a call, Christopher Richards squeezed all-in on the button for 190,000, and was tank called by Ho Tai Tsai.

Tsai ahead, secured the pot with top pair as board ran J♥ 7♦ 4♦ 2♠ 9♥ , busting Richards in the process.

With two limps ahead, Christopher Richards squeezed to 62,000 and called for the rest following an all-in from Rey Roca for 116,000 total.

Roca ahead, was left with no worries, having spiked two pair on board Q♥ 5♠ J♥ 5♥ 4♦ to bag the win.

All three Kickoff qualifiers have come and gone, with the final heat bringing an additional 89 entries onto the tally, pushing the final count to 283. A total of PHP 3,985,885 (~USD 68,195) in prizes await the 43 Day 1 survivors geared to return to the scene at 12 noon, each already guaranteed a minimum payout of PHP 26,500 (~USD 455). The PHP 765,000 (~USD 13,110) top prize however, remains at the heart of the action as the race for a spadie continues to intensify.

Only 13 runners survived this evening's battle, with two falling right on bubble time. Leading the pack is USA's Christopher Richards, stacking an impressive 494,000 chip count onto Day 2. Richards was among those who delivered the bubble elimination, earning enough chips to inch over Roland Ferrer's 431,000 stack. Both Richards and Ferrer tower over the Day 2 counts, surpassing previous chip leaders Peter Chung (395,000) and Ilia Timofeev (377,000).

Other players to keep an eye on include Graham Cowan (261,000), Alvir Inocentes (174,000), and Hernan Villa (130,000).

Action resumes this Wednesday, January 22nd, where only one off the list will rise to claim the victory. Stay tuned for updates as SMP brings you all the latest directly off the floor!

Kickoff

Date/s: January 20-22, 2025

Buy-in: PHP 16,500 (~USD 285)

Guarantee: PHP 3,000,000 (~USD 51,290)

Entries: 283

Prize pool: PHP 3,985,885 (~USD 68,195)

ITM: 43 places

Flight A: 66 entries, 10 qualified

Flight B: 128 entries, 20 qualified

Flight C: 89 entries, 13 qualified

Day 2/ Final: Wednesday, January 22

Nichols Manalo raised all-in on the button for his last 65,000 and was called by Brenton Buttigieg right on the big blind.

At risk right on bubble time, Manaho headed out shortly after missing board 5♥ T♣ 4♠ 2♣ 7♥ .

Christopher Richards opened 25,000 utg and was met with two all-ins - Kiril Gelev (42,000) and Hogyun Kang (115,000). Richards put in the final call, making it a three way showdown.

Up against two aces, Kang's snowmen bound for the muck shortly after board 6♣ Q♣ K♥ Q♠ 4♠ sealed his fate as the stone cold bubble.

Following an open and a call, Graham Cowan squeezed all-in on the big blind and saw initial raiser Christopher Richards happily oblige for his lesser 88,000.

A cooler situation, Richards' rockets held through on board T♠ 7♠ T♥ 6♠ 7♥ , costing Cowan half his stack.