Warm-up (12,500 PHP)

The Manila Megastack once again proved its strong following as the Warm-Up event kicked off with an eager field of 117 entries. With a PHP 12,500 (~US$ 220) buy-in, the event generated a PHP 1,248,390 prize pool, setting the stage for an exciting opening day.

With seven Filipinos in the final lineup, it was no surprise to see a homegrown champion rise to the occasion. Edgar Asehan made his presence felt early, knocking out Alvir Inocentes in 8th place before taking a more patient approach as the field thinned. Edilberto Gopez, Michael Bueza, and Kawai Katsuhito took charge, eliminating several contenders. Katsuhito’s deep run ended in 4th place after his 5♣ 5♥ fell to Bueza’s 6♥ 6♣.

At three-handed, Asehan seized control by raising all in on a board A♦ K♦ J♦ 7♠ to claim a crucial three-way pot. This gave him the edge which he kept intact to the finish line. Asehan eliminated Bueza with K♣ Q♠ over A♣ 2♥ on a board K♠ 8♥ 2♠ 8♦ Q♠ , then finished off Gopez with Q♥ 6♠ top pair over J♥ 9♠ with the shoves on the turn that completed 2♠ T♥ Q♦ J♣ 5♥ .

Asehan cleared a cool PHP 299,390 (~US$ 5,220) along with his career seventh PokerStars spadie.