Main Event (45,000 PHP)

The second of four flights for the Manila Megastack 22 Main Event wrapped up with 20 players out of the 132-entry field surviving the carnage. Three local players filled the top ranks with Ryan Tan holding down the lead with a chip stack of 518,000 (173 BB) onto Day 2. His remarkable finish puts him on the front lines, surpassing initial chip leader Fumiyoshi Makino's 320,000 count.

Tan zoomed to the top right at the last level of play after sending James Lee out with a set of aces against the latter's top two pair. Tan picked up more chips as the day drew down, being the sole runner to cross the 500K threshold. Past season champion William Ysmael also secured a strong finish, bagging 474,000 (158 BB), positioning himself well for a potential second victory. Meanwhile, Jerico Padilla ended the day with 454,000 (151 BB) and will continue his quest for a maiden win with a solid stack.

Tan gave a piece of advice when dealing with pressure, sharing "Just stay calm and focused so you can decide how you're going to play your hand and how much you bet or raise, and also wait for your luck."

With just two more flights left, players still have a final opportunity to qualify and take a shot at the PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 345,280) guaranteed prize pool at tomorrow's games. All survivors are due to return on Sunday, March 23rd for the Day 2 Final battle.

Manila Megastack 22 Main Event

Date/s: March 20-23, 2024

Buy-in: PHP 45,000 (~USD 775)

Guarantee: PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 345,280)

Flight A: 115 entries, 18 qualified

Flight B: 132 entries, 20 qualified

Flight C: Saturday, March 22

Flight D [20/15]: Saturday, March 22

Day 2/ Final: Sunday, March 23

Kosei Oguri pushed his last 47,000 in the middle against a late position open and was met with another all-in behind from Paul Zehetleitner right on bubble time.

A classic flip, Zehetleiner's overcards ruled on board A♥ K♣ J♠ 5♥ J♦ and sent Oguri's flying towards the muck, closing the day's action at the same time.

WIth 20,500 already in the pot on flop K♣ 6♦ A♣ , both Yashiro Naoki and Jerico Padilla checked the action onto turn J♠ . Naoki led 10,000 off the big blind and called 12,000 more after Padilla made it 22,000 to go.

On river K♥ , Naoki check called a final 38,500, only to muck as Padilla revealed a full house K♠ J♦ .

Action is right on bubble time with 21 players remaining and only 20 survivors guaranteed a spot into the Day 2 Final games.

With action folded to the blinds, Rachel Bellard shot out a raise to 9,000, called by Edilberto Gopez right behind.

Bellard continued for 12,500 and put out 17,500 more after Gopez padded the pot. On turn K♠ , Bellard went ahead and pushed all-in for her remaining 53,000, called by Gopez for a showdown.

Bellard J♣ T♣

Gopez K♠ T♦

Crushed against Gopez' top pair, Bellard headed out as river 9♥ sealed her elimination short of Day 2.

Barry Wong Tsun Hin pushed his last 35,500 in the middle and was challenged by button raiser Mastaka Setoguchi.

Wong in great form, locked in the win on board 6♦ J♥ K♣ T♥ 2♠ , earning him more room to maneuver.

Initial action between Paul Zehetleitner and Mike Takayama brewed a pot of 33,000 in the middle. Zehetleitner continued the action on flop 8♠ K♥ J♠ with a check raise to 34,000, leading him to call off his entire 96,500 after Takayama demanded for the rest.

Takayama Q♣ T♥

Zehetleitner J♦ 8♦

Takayama drawing to a straight, found none of his outs appear on either turn 3♣ or river 5♣ , shipping Zehetleitner the win with two pair.

Kosei Oguri open shoved 69,500 utg and was looked up by Shota Sekigawa right on the big blind.

A crucial flip with bubble time approaching, board 8♣ 8♥ J♥ 5♦ 3♥ this time ran safe for the pocket pair, keeping Oguri on his seat.

James Lee opened on the hijack and and called a 20,000 three bet from Ryan Tan a seat after.

On board A♠ 5♥ 6♥ 3♦ , Lee check called two streets - 11,000 and 26,000 from his opponent, and went on to lead 62,000 on river Q♦ . Tan went for the rest, leaving Lee to flick in his remaining 16,000.

Tan revealed top set A♥ A♣ , crushing Lee's two pair A♦ Q♠ all the way to send him off in brutal fashion.

While Jayden Zalac clutched a double off Riku Motegi the hand prior, their second face off cost the Australian his tournament life, with his ace-ten unable to get past Motegi's ace-queen.

Only 22 players remain in the Flight B running, 20 of which are set to advance to Day 2.

Only four more eliminations are left on the table with 20 players out of the 24 remaining guaranteed a spot into the Day 2 Final games.

Chip Count Update

James Lee fired a 15,000 three bet on the small blind against a button open and was met with another raise to 40,000 from Ryan Tan right behind. Initial raiser folded while Lee answered with an all-in for his entire 127,500. Tan surrendered, unwilling to risk a third of his stack.

Ryan Tan opened 5,500 early position and was called by Minjae Lee on the cutoff. Both checked flop 9♣ A♦ 3♠ through to turn 6♦ , where Tan checked a second time around. Lee took the chance to bet 8,000, only to be met with an all-in from Tan.

Lee called off for his remaining 16,500, putting himself at risk with a straight draw 8♦ 7♦ against Tan's top pair A♥ 7♥ . River Q♠ bricked out for Lee, sending him off to the rails just as the day nears its close.

Kosei Oguri opened utg and called Edgar Asehan's 13,500 button three bet. Action on flop 5♣ A♥ A♣ checked round to turn 7♠ , where Oguri led for 12,000. Asehan found no reason to continue and gave up the pot to his Japanese opponent.

Jonald Garcia stuffed his last 39,500 on the button against a late position open and saw In Ho Song push likwise on the small blind. All else folded, leaving the two to run the board 7♠ A♠ J♣ 4♣ 2♦ . Song smooth sailed to victory, eliminating Garcia along the way.

Takuma Sasaki opened on the hijack and committed the rest of his 47,000 stack after Tan Kean Wei raised all-in on the big blind.

Up for a flip, Tan instantly spiked a set on board 6♥ 8♦ 5♠ 4♣ T♠ , crushing Sasaki's dreams of advancing to Day 2.

Another blind vs blind situation saw Jayden Zalac limp call an 8,000 raise from Edgar Asehan right behind.

Asehan continued for 5,500 on flop 5♣ 6♠ K♦ and put out 9,500 more following a check raise from his opponent. On turn 5♥ , Zalac checked once more, and decided to just call Asehan's 8,000 bet.

No more chips went in on river 9♥ , revealing Zalac's A♠ 2♥ , no good against Asehan's two pair K♥ T♠ .

With action folded to the blinds, Minjae Lee limp called a 7,000 raise from Yashiro Naoki, and went on to check call 11,000 on flop T♦ 5♠ 7♥ . On turn J♥ however, Lee was left unable to continue after Naoki pulled another 60,000.

Paul Zehetleitner opened on the button and snap called David Erquiaga's 48,000 all-in from the small blind.

Erquiaga in trouble, bound for the exit just as board Q♠ 5♠ Q♣ 6♦ K♣ kept him behind all the way.

Fresh off a double up from Shi Shanbang, William Ysmael locked in an even bigger win the following hand with a three way showdown seeing him rake in all the chips.

Cheolmin Byeon kicked off the action with an utg open, followed by a 22,000 three bet from Ysmael. Shanbang on the big blind committed his remaining 87,000 and so did Byeon for a lesser 71,000. Ysmael made the final call with a premium pair, covering both opponents.

Board T♠ 5♥ 3♣ 7♦ 6♣ ran safe for Ysmael's cowboys, sending both Byeon and Shanbang out of the Main Event qualifier.

Edilberto Gopez defended his early open and called Mizuki Kurokawa's 13,000 three bet on the button. On flop 3♦ J♠ T♠ , Gopez faced an all-in from his opponent, and gladly put in his remaining 29,500 with top pair.

Kurokawa A♥ 3♥

Gopez K♠ J♥

Gopez a favorite to win, did just so as runout 6♦ 6♥ completed the board.

Another button vs blind battle this time, landed both stacks in the middle with Yashiro Naoki at risk for his entire 100,500 against Riku Motegi.

Naoki well ahead, encountered no problems scooping up the win on board 7♠ 4♣ 8♦ 9♥ A♥ , racking a huge double up to over a hundred big blinds.

A button vs blind confrontation between Rachel Bellard and Seitaro Aso built a pot of 23,500 in the middle. On flop 3♣ 4♣ 5♥ , Aso check jammed his 36,500 stack and was challenged by Bellard with a straight draw.

Aso K♥ K♠

Bellard 8♦ 6♦

Turn K♣ further improved Aso to a set, but crashed out shortly after river 2♠ filled up Bellard's straight to take the win.

Marc Rivera opened 6,000 on the hijack and shelled out 10,000 more following a raise from Kosei Oguri on the button.

Action checked to turn K♦ 7♠ 5♥ 7♣ , where Rivera led 6,000. Oguri called behind and went for the rest on river 5♣ . Rivera surrendered, opting to save his 18 BB behind.

An early position open was called by both Shi Shanbang and Jerico Padilla on the blinds, revealing flop 7♣ 2♠ T♣ . Shanbang went ahead and led for 7,000, called by both opponents onto turn 6♥ .

Shanbang gunned for another 42,500 and this time, faced an all-in from Padilla for 198,000 total. Initial raiser folded while Shanbang put in the call, risking a huge chunk of his stack.

Padilla 9♦ 8♦

Shanbang T♦ 7♠

Crushed against Padilla's turned straight, Shanbang took a major hit as river J♠ sealed his loss while Padilla jumped right to the top.

Shi Shanbang has been dominating the Main Event Flight B games since the early levels and has been on everyone's watchlist since he claimed the lead by the second break of the day.

SMP had a brief chat with the Chinese runner, where he relayed his experience across the Manila felt.

SMP: What's your strategy to rack up more chips?

Shi Shanbang: I've been playing confidently and more aggressive now, and can read the movement of players who are playing safe or tight, or who are aggressive, so I know when to raise or who should I play more strongly against.

SMP: How do you size your bets?

SS: For me, I'm raising 3BB or 4BB especially when I have a big stack so I can easily get my opponents' chips, because some of the players who have a small stack play tight and easily get scared of my stack.

SMP: How do you handle the pressure in tournaments since you're more familiar with cash games?

SS: I think it's the same since you still have to play in the same way. In cash games, you have to play in a careful manner because one bad beat can bust you out, but in tournaments you can show them how strong you are but would still need some luck to win, which is still a gamble.

Today's Manila Megastack 22 Main Event flight is officially closed for registration with a slightly larger turnout of 132 entries added on to the tally. Only 15% of the field at 20 players are set to advance to Sunday's Day 2 Final, each secured a share of the PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 345,280) guaranteed prize pool.

Manila Megastack 22 Main Event

Date/s: March 20-23, 2024

Buy-in: PHP 45,000 (~USD 775)

Guarantee: PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 345,280)

Flight A: 115 entries, 18 qualified

Flight B: 132 entries, 20 ITM

Flight C: Saturday, March 22

Flight D [20/15]: Saturday, March 22

Day 2/ Final: Sunday, March 23

In Ho Song flicked in his last 15,000 against an utg open and was called by Edgar Asehan on the small blind. Initial raiser opted out, leaving the two to showdown.

Song in rough shape, had his hopes up as the turn Q♣ 2♠ J♦ 9♦ landed him a set, but was ultimately crushed as the river K♣ turned the advantage back to Asehan.

John Constiniano defended his big blind against Jerico Padilla's 3,000 cutoff open and headed to flop 2♣ A♠ 7♣ . Action checked to turn 2♠ , where Constiniano led for 6,500. Padilla moved all-in and left Constiniano with no choice but to commit his tournament life with a flush draw.

Padilla A♦ T♥

Constiniano 9♣ 8♣

River J♥ bricked for Constiniano, earning Padilla the pot with his two pair holding strong.

Shi Shanbang fired a 35,000 overbet on river Q♣ 2♠ T♣ 3♦ 6♦ in a final attempt to secure the 22,000 pot. Reiner Magbutay called behind, and mucked as Shanbang tabled two pair 6♥ 3♠ .

William Ysmael opened mid position and called a 7,500 three bet from Riku Motegi on the button.

On board 5♥ K♦ 4♦ A♣ , Ysmael check called both streets - 4,500 and 8,800, and went on to lead 25,800 on river 7♠ . Motegi gave it a thought and eventually found the fold, relinquishing the pot to his opponent.

Minjae Lee opened 2,500 early position, joined by both Shi Shanbang and Yukinari Mera on the blinds.

Action on flop 2♦ 5♥ 4♣ was checked to Lee, who bet 3,400. Shanbang made the call while Mera bumped it up to 8,000. Lee responded with an all-in for his entire 19,900, called by both opponents.

Turn 3♠ was checked through to river 2♣ , where Shanbang led a final 25,000 for a side pot. Mera called with a flopped straight A♣ 3♦ and booked the loss as Shanbang revealed a better J♥ 6♥ . Lee exited shortly with his Q♦ Q♣ unable to take a win.

Junwoo Lee defended his early open and called an 8,000 three bet from Ryan Tan on the big blind. On board J♣ 7♥ A♥ 9♥ T♣ , Tan led all three streets - 4,500, 15,000, and 40,000, and left Lee to surrender the pot by the final barrel.

In battle for a 21,800 pot on flop 9♦ K♥ 3♦ , Ryan Tan continued with the aggression, firing a bet of 8,000 against John Constiniano on the big blind. Constiniano made the call to see turn 8♣ and got a free pass to river 8♥ . Tan went for a hefty 38,000 and revealed A♦ A♥ for the win after Constiniano paid the price.

In Ho Song opened utg and called a 9,000 three bet from Edgar Asehan on the button.

On board 3♠ 4♥ A♦ K♥ , Song check called two streets - 5,500 and 14,000, from the aggressor and faced a final all-in on river Q♣ . Song failed to continue, shipping Asehan a boost to his already healthy stack.

Riku Motegi opened on the button and was met with a 5,700 three bet from Seitaro Aso on the big blind. Motegi came back with another raise for 14,500, to which Aso completed.

On flop J♥ Q♥ 7♥ , Aso immediately open folded A♦ 9♦ after being faced with a 14,000 cbet and saw his opponent return the gesture, showing only one card K♥ .

With a pot of 36,000 in the middle across board 9♠ 3♣ 7♠ 4♦ , three way action saw utg raiser Kaito Hashimoto fire a bet of 11,000. Edilberto Gopez raised all-in for his last 17,100 with bottom pair K♥ 4♥ and was crushed to see his opponent reveal a better T♥ 9♥ .

Lucky for Gopez, river 4♣ turned the tables in his favor, giving him trip fours just enough to steal the win.

Marc Rivera squeezed all-in on the small blind for 33,400 against an open and a call, and was looked up by initial raiser Shi Shanbang.

Rivera dominated, gunned for the exit as board 2♦ K♠ A♣ A♠ 3♦ failed to save him from his demise.

Joshua Figuerres opened utg and called a 6,600 three bet from Marco Espela on the small blind.

Espela continued for 2,600 on flop 2♠ 6♦ 3♥ , raised by Figuerres to 7,600. Espela answered with an all-in and convinced Figuerres to give it up, showing Q♥ Q♣ as he raked in the pot.

William Ysmael lodged a 6,000 three bet on the button and snap called Cheolmin Byeon's 13,200 all-in right behind.

Ysmael with the best hand in the deck, easily delivered the bust on board 6♥ J♠ 9♥ 7♣ 3♠ , earning him a 17 big blind boost.

Facing an open and a call, Mike Takayama squeezed to 25,000 on the big blind, leaving himself with 2,000 behind. Initial raiser Masataka Setoguchi took the spot and Takayama flicked in the rest.

Takayama in rough shape, stepped off the arena as board 8♣ J♦ Q♠ T♠ 7♠ sealed his elimination.

Uday Duggal opened utg and called off John Constiniano's 27,500 all-in from the big blind.

In for a flip, Constiniano faded elimination just as board 2♦ 9♦ 7♠ 2♥ 3♠ landed him a full house to survive through.

Reiner Magbutay opened 2,000 utg and found both players on the blinds make the call.

Action on flop 5♦ K♠ 8♥ checked round to turn 6♥ , where Yukinari Mera led for 5,000. Magbutay called the bet but failed to get to showdown as Mera followed with another 7,000 on river T♥ .

Shi Shanbang opened 4,000 early position, called by newly seated Rene Mar David on the hijack. Saito Takashi right behind padded it further to 20,000 and saw Shanbang complete. David on the other hand, squeezed for 80,100 total, leaving all chips rushing down the middle.

Board ran T♣ 4♠ 9♠ 6♣ J♦ , keeping Shanbang's pocket pair ahead all the way to bust both opponents out simultaneously and extend his lead further.

Shi Shanbang opened 3,200 on the hijack and was met with a 10,500 raise from Saito Takashi on the button. Shanbang answered with an all-in, leaving Takashi to push his remaining 11,500 in the middle.

Takashi ahead, cruised to victory on board T♣ 5♣ 7♦ 2♦ A♦ , earning a quick double from his big stacked opponent.

Vying for a pot of 16,100 on board 2♥ J♦ 5♣ T♠ , turn action saw Sangwoo Lee fire a bet of 5,600. Uday Duggal check called to see river 9♥ , and went on to lead a final 13,500. Lee called for a showdown and mucked as Duggal revealed the nut straight K♠ Q♣ .

A pot of 17,600 centered around board A♥ 8♠ J♥ T♠ saw the three way action get checked to Ryuki Shirase on the button, who fired a bet of 7,000. Saito Takashi check called on the big blind, and led all-in for his remaining 15,700 on river 7♠ . Shirase, convinced to be behind, relinquished the pot to his opponent, conserving his 34 big blind stack.

Felix Von Rahden defended his big blind against Uday Duggal's 2,100 utg open, and check called two streets - 2,500 and 5,000, on board K♥ Q♣ 8♥ T♠ .

On river A♣ , Von Rahden went ahead and led 10,000, forcing Duggal to give up his two pair K♦ Q♥ . Von Rahden left some mystery on the table, showing only one card A♦ as he raked in the pot.

Sangwoo Lee opened utg and snap called Yves Thalmann's 13,800 all-in from the big blind.

A pocket pair clash, Lee's ladies held up for the win through board 6♥ 9♣ 4♠ 4♣ K♠ , eliminating Thalmann in the Main Event Flight B games.

Following a limp, Paul Zehetleitner shot out a raise to 3,200 and flicked in 2,400 more after Naohiro Matsuda minraised on the button.

Zehetleitner check called two streets - 2,300 and 8,500, on board T♦ 5♥ K♠ 3♥ , and checked a third time around on river 6♠ . Matsuda refused to slow down and finished with an all-in, to which Zehetleitner called for his remaining 40,200.

Matsuda revealed bluff A♥ J♠ , allowing Zehetleitner to pick up the pot with top pair K♦ J♥ .

Jaegeol Cho opened 1,700 utg and was called by Naohiro Matsuda on the small blind.

On board J♥ 7♠ 4♠ K♦ T♦ , Cho bet all the way, triple barreling 1,500, 3,000, and a final 10,900. Matsuda check called two streets but let it go after Cho asked for more.

Facing a late position open and a call, Ryuki Shirase on the big blind fired a three bet to 7,000 and saw both opponents complete.

Action on board 2♦ 4♠ J♣ A♥ 6♠ was checked all the way down to the river, where initial raiser Joshua Figuerres bet a final 18,000. Shirase called for a showdown, yet mucked as Figuerres flipped over two pair A♠ J♠ .

Shi Shanbang captured two back to back pots, the first being past season champion William Ysmael's elimination. Ysmael pulled an all-in on turn 8♠ J♦ 4♥ J♣ with 6♠ 6♣ , and was looked up by Shanbang with 8♣ 4♣ . River 5♦ sealed Ysmael's loss, boosting Shanbang up the counts.

The next hand, Shanbang was seen with a nearly pot size bet of 10,000 on river 4♠ 3♥ Q♦ Q♠ 5♦ against Ryuki Shirase. Shirase check raised to 35,000 with K♦ 8♦ and again, left Shanbang to take the win after showing two pair 6♠ 5♥ .

With 20,300 in the middle spread across a turn board 8♣ 8♥ A♣ 3♦ , three way action saw Takuma Sasaki lead for 6,500 on the big blind. Alexander Ugay called behind and arrived at showdown shortly after no more bets went in on river T♣ .

Sasaki showed K♠ K♣ , no good against Ugay's flopped boat A♠ 8♦ .

Sangwoo Lee has been on a roll with two consecutive pots sent his way. On the third deal, Lee faced a late position open and two calls in following, and decided to pull a squeeze to 9,900 on the big blind. All three folds followed thereafter, earning Lee yet another boost.

Naohiro Matsuda opened on the hijack and called a 3,600 three bet from Ashley Patterson on the button.

On board 2♦ T♦ 2♣ 9♣ A♥ , Patterson triple barreled - 2,500, 14,000, and a final all-in for his last 10,500, with Matsuda check calling all three streets. Patterson revealed a busted draw 8♦ 7♦ and bound for the exit just as Matsuda showed two pair J♠ 9♠ .

Vying for 27,600 in the middle across board 3♣ T♠ 2♠ T♣ A♦ , Marcial Lou made a final attempt on the button with an all-in for his last 16,000. Renniel Galvez tank called with J♦ J♣ and shipped the win after Lou turned over a bluff Q♥ J♥ .

A three way raised pot rolled a flop of 7♥ 3♦ 7♦ . Initial raiser checked, followed by a 1,300 bet from Joseph Magnotti. Yoo Gyeong Tae on the button bumped it up to 3,500 and called 4,500 more following a raise back from Magnotti. Yoo eventually decided to let it go on turn A♣ after Magnotti went for another 9,000.

Royly Oracion limped utg, followed by a 1,500 button raise from Jonathan Smith. Player on the big blind completed, pushing Oracion to fire back to 6,500. Smith re-raised all-in and saw Oracion commit his 30,100 starting stack.

A coinflip situation, Smith's overcards took it this time on board 8♠ Q♦ J♦ 4♠ 3♥ , eliminating Oracion from the Flight B running.

A back and forth between Lemmor Patulot and Kaito Hashimoto landed both stacks in the middle - Patulot at risk for his entire 36,800.

Running a flip, board 2♠ 8♥ 3♠ T♦ 7♥ missed to pair Patulot's overcards, earning Hashimoto the pot to crack the 100K mark.

Tetsuya Tsujisaka opened on the hijack, called by Joseph Magnotti on the button along with the big blind.

On flop 7♦ 8♥ A♥ , Magnotti called a 2,200 cbet from Tsujisaka, peeling turn A♠ . Both checked it through to river 6♥ , where Magnotti gunned for a final 3,000. Tsujisaka check called with trip aces A♦ J♥ to showdown, yet forked over the pot as Magnotti revealed the nut flush K♥ 3♥ .

With a limp ahead, Ryuki Shirase shot out a raise to 2,500 and was met with a 10,500 three bet from Ashley Patterson right behind. Shirase came back with an all-in and left Patterson to risk the other half of his 21,600 stack.

Shirase dominated, was in luck to find four spades on board 8♠ 9♠ 6♠ T♠ 2♦ , giving him the nut flush to bank the win and bust his opponent out.

A five way raised pot led by Sangwoo Lee saw the aggressor continue for 2,500 on flop 5♠ 6♠ Q♠ . Two called behind to see turn 2♦ , where Lee barreled another 6,600. Only Uday Duggal on the button, this time stuck around to river 3♠ where Lee gave up a free pass to showdown. Duggal however, went for an all-in and instead picked up the pot with no fight.