Kickoff (16,500 PHP)

After two days, 34 levels and beating a field of 338 players, Romania's Ionut Dragomir emerged on top of this PHP 4,760,527 ($83,049) prize pool tournament, taking home PHP 843,527 ($14,705) and an APPT Manila Main Event Package worth PHP 125,000.

"I'm really happy to win my first trophy and I'm really excited to play here in Manila, it's my first time in Asia. I just came here 2 months ago and I had a feeling that I can take a trophy home to my family in Romania. I started very bad in the other events but this one was one shot, one opportunity and I hit it."

When asked about his take on the scene here in Manila he said:

"My first impression when I started playing two months ago I felt that the field is like soft-ish, I felt comfortable but later on I said "okay" maybe it's soft during the first stages coz then in the later stages I saw how they're playing and they are pretty strong and very tight even if it's a small pot which I don't see in Europe very often. So this is the biggest adjustment for me because I see them play tighter than usual."

Making the very even final table as 5th in chips with the bigger stacks to his left, he had his work cut out for him.

"I stuck to my normal play. I waited for the other players to move and read how they are playing at the final table. I have to admit that I had a good run earlier that got me to second in the chips or maybe chip leader and you know I feel it's a good shot to win a trophy."

On his way to the heads up he busted Masakazu Miyamoto in 8th with A♦ K♥ against A♠ 3♦ and Lemmor Patulot in 4th with T♣ 6♣ against K♣ J♦ before entering the heads up as a slight underdog.

The 27th hand heads up took a decisive turn just 10 hands before the end when he switched to top position after winning a pre-flop all-in against John Costiniano with A♦ 7♦ against K♣ 9♣ then finished him off with a similar A♣ 8♦ against K♦ Q♣ to hoist the trophy.

When asked if he felt any danger in the heads-up he said:

"No, Poker is one flip away from a bust or a double up and I was lucky enough to win at the right moment, even when I was behind."

That concludes the live coverage for today. Well done everyone and the live updates will be back when the Main Event begins on the 20th of March.

Manila Megastack 22 Kick-off

Dates: March 14-16, 2025

Buy-in: PHP 16,500 ($ 288)

Guarantee: PHP 3,000,000 ($ 52,336)

Entries: 338

Prize Pool: PHP 4,760,527 ($ 83,049)

ITM: 51

Hand #49: Looking down at 5♥ 6♥ in the cutoff, Keijiro Shimojo opts to spin and jams 1,135,000, but Elmer Kalaquian wakes up with A♥ Q♦ on the button and calls. A monster flop 5♦ 9♥ J♥ for Shimojo fizzles out with T♦ and K♣ , giving his opponent a straight and grinding his dream of a second Kickoff win to a halt, adding a 16th final table to his tally since November that includes five victories.

Hand #40: John Costiniano raises to 265,000 from the button and Keijiro Shimojo defends big to see the flop 8♠ 3♥ 2♠ where he check-folds to Costiniano's 260,000 c-bet.

Hand #41: Elmer Kalaquian walks.

Hand #39: Under the gun Keijiro Shimojo limps and Lemmor Patulot opts to check his big blind to lay eyes on the flop 3♦ 5♥ 4♠ , Shimojo's 120,000 bet gets check-called and the turn falls 6♠ . Patulot takes over the reins with a 345,000 jam that takes down the pot.

Hand #37: Keijiro Shimojo picks up the blinds with a 250,000 open from the cutoff.

Hand #38: Shimojo opens 250,000 from the hijack and takes big blind John Costiniano to the flop A♦ K♣ 2♥ that gets checked to the turn 5♦ where a delayed c-bet of 225,000 gets the job done for Shimojo.

Hand #36: With under the gun Dragomir, button Shimojo and small blind Kalaquian all limping into Riga being all-in from posting the big blind we see a friendly check to the river Q♥ 2♠ A♠ K♣ 5♣ that has Jannodin Riga survive with A♦ J♦ and Shimojo picks up the side pot with K♦ 7♠ .

Hand #29: Elmer Kalaquian three-bets his big blind to 600,000 to pick up John Costiniano's 200,000 open from thr cutoff.

Hand #30: Kalaquian picks up the big blind with a 475,000 raise in the small blind.

Hand #31: Keijiro Shimojo ups it to 200,000 from the cutoff, big blind Ionut Dragomir defends, the flop 7♦ Q♦ 2♠ gets checked around to the turn A♠ and Shimojo slides out a delayed c-bet of 200,000. A check-call from Dragomir completes the board T♥ with both players checking once more and Shimojo picks up the pot with nine-high 9♥ 8♥ against 9♠ 4♠ .

Hand #27: Elmer Kalaquian picks up the blinds with a 600,000 open from the hijack.

Hand #28: Under the gun Elmer Kalaquian makes it 200,000 and Keijiro Shimojo defends big blind to see the flop Q♥ 4♦ 3♦ . A double barrel of 100,000 and 250,000 to the river 5♥ 2♦ get check-called by Shimojo where two checks have Kalaquian come out on top with A♣ T♦ agains Shimojo's Q♣ 2♠ .

Hand #17: Lemmor Patulet picks up the blinds with a 180,000 raise from the button.

Hand #18: Big blind Jannodin Riga jams 510,000 into Keijiro Shimojo's 160,000 open from the button and scoops.

Hand #19: Ionut Dragomir walks.

Hand #20-21: Keijiro Shimojo takes the blinds with small openings from the hijack and under the gun.

Hand #15: Under the gun Keijiro Shimojo opens 160,000, but lays it down when faced with a 425,000 re-raise from Ionut Dragomir in the cutoff.

Hand #16: John Costiniano makes it 160,000 from the button and big blind Keijiro Shimojo defends to see the flop 7♣ 9♥ 6♥ that gets checked to the turn 7♥ where Shimojo leads 100,000, Costiniano calls and the board completes J♦ . Two more checks reveal Costiniano as the winner with king-high K♣ T♦ against Q♦ 2♦ .

Hand #3: Elmer Kalaquian three-bet jams the big blind against Zi Heng Chongs 120,000 open from +2, winning the pot and loosing a time bank.

Hand #4: Masakazu Miyamoto jams 540,000 from the button with no takers.

Hand #5: Big blind Ionut Dragomir jams 1,030,000 into Keijiro Shimojo's 135,000 open from the hijack to scoop, losing a time bank in the process.

Hand #2: Lojack Ichiro Uesugi looks at 9♠ 9♣ and declares all-in for 350,000, but runs into small blind Keijiro Shimojo's K♣ K♦ and needs an excavator to dig himself out of this hole. Some hope on the turn 3♣ 6♥ 8♥ 7♦ , adding eight more outs, but the river 3♦ sends him packing, extending Shimojo's gap to the field even more.

Hand #1: Lemmor Patulot opens his small blind to 140,000 and Keijiro Shimojo defends to see the flop 6♥ 2♦ K♦ where a 105,000 c-bet finds a float to reveal the turn J♦ . Patulot fires a second barrel of 250,000 and Shimojo min-raises to 500,000 that sends his opponent in the tank for two time banks before laying it down.

With Keijiro Shimojo in a commanding lead, trying to win his second Manila Megastack Kickoff Event in just a few months and Ichiro Uesugi as the shortest stack the rest of the contenders are on equal footing.

When the action folds to Keijiro Shimojo on the button, 125,000 go into the middle, big blind Lemmor Patulot ups it to 340,000 and Shimojo four-bets to 800,000. Spending some time deliberating, Patulot decides to fold, handing the dealer a time bank in the process.

Looking at T♦ 9♦ in the hijack, Lester Timonera declares all-in for 225,000 and cutoff Keijiro Shimojo successfully isolates with A♠ K♠ . The dealer keeps it interesting until the end with J♥ A♦ 8♥ J♦ 2♠ , but ultimately hands the pot to Shimojo.

Hijack Keijiro Shimojo opens 60,000 and takes big blind Lemmor Patulot to the flop 6♥ A♠ Q♥ where a small 30,000 c-bet gets called to the turn 5♣ . Shimojo's 75,000 second barrel gets check-raised to 220,000 and another call completes the board 4♠ with Patulot leading 400,000 holding two pair A♣ 6♦ who then calls Shimojo's 555,000 jam and surrenders the pot against his opponents 7♥ 8♥ nut straight, catapulting the Japanese back into the lead of the tournament.

Under the gun Anthony Alway opens 40,000 and takes Keijiro Shimojo to the flop J♦ 2♣ 4♥ where a 30,000 c-bet gets called, the turn falls 7♠ and Alway switches to a check-call for 50,000. The board completes Q♠ and two checks reveal Alway as the winner with A♦ A♥ against Shimojo's 8♣ 8♦ .

Under the gun Masakazu Miyamoto makes it 35,000 and takes small blind Keijiro Shimojo to the flop J♠ 8♥ 9♠ that gets checked to the turn 5♠ where a delayed c-bet of 35,000 gets called to complete the board T♥ . Shimojo switches gears and bets pot for 180,000 with A♠ 7♠ nut flush and gets paid off by Miyamoto who throws it in the muck.

Keijiro Shimojo opens 35,000 from the hijack, button Roland Ferrer jams 192,000 with A♥ J♠ and Shimojo has an easy call with A♣ K♥ . The dealer keeps the kickers in play flipping over A♦ 5♦ 7♠ 9♣ 9♠ and keeps Shimojo's hunt for the second Kickoff trophy in just a few months in good shape.