Mystery Bounty (20,000 PHP)

Leon Steward opens to 5,500 and on his left Kim Kunwoo moves all in for his remaining 17,500. Steward snap calls and they go to showdown.

Kim Kunwoo: J♠ J♦

Leon Steward: A♥ 9♥

Kunwoo sees a safe flop 4♥ 3♣ 2♠ , but the turn A♠ turns into a nightmare as Steward pairs his ace, leaving Kunwoo with only two outs. The river 6♦ does not save him and Kunwoo is eliminated from the tournament.

A selection of players who won't be making it through the first flight of the Mystery Bounty event.

Fresh from his back to back victories at APPT Manila last July, where he captured both the PokerStars Red Dragon title and the APPT Manila Main Event, Justin Ong returns to PokerStars Live Manila looking to add even more to his growing list of achievements.

With around 91,000 already in the middle and the board up 7♣ 6♠ 5♥ J♣ Q♥ , Ong fires a hefty 54,000. Ryan Martinez tanks for a moment before making the call. Martinez reveals 8♦ 6♦ a bottom pair and it holds as Ong turns over his hand K♣ 9♣ with missed draws. The pot goes to Martinez, who makes a sharp read against one of the hottest players in the region.

Action folded around to Seitaro Aso in the hijack, who raised to 13,000. Cutoff Nuestro June Brix responded with a three-bet shove for around 30,000, and Aso called with the covering stack.

Nuestro June Brix: A♠ 8♦

Seitaro Aso: A♣ Q♦

Both players made a flush on the 4♦ 3♣ T♦ 2♦ 7♦ runout, but Aso’s queen was enough to take the pot, eliminating Brix.

Homin Lee limped from UTG, as did small blind Barrientos Lino. Steven Smith checked in the big blind.

Action checked through the 7♦ 2♣ 3♦ flop to the 8♦ turn, where Lino slid 2,000 into the middle and only Smith called.

Both players tapped the table as the 3♣ completed the board. Lino showed K♦ T♠ for king-high, but Smith’s 5♠ 2♥ for bottom pair was enough to take it down.

Hijack Seitaro Aso opens to 4,000 and small blind Ho Hsiung Chen replies with a 3 bet to 8,000. On his left, Amin Alimkulov moves all in for 11,000. Aso responds with a 5 bet to 29,000 and Chen instantly shoves for 46,500. Aso snap calls and all three players are in.

Amin Alimkulov: A♦ 4♦

Ho Hsiung Chen: J♣ J♥

Seitaro Aso: Q♥ T♥

Chen’s jacks hold strong through the runout 9♠ 8♣ 7♠ K♠ 9♣ , giving him the double up and sending Alimkulov out of the tournament. Aso’s hand cannot improve and Chen drags a crucial multi way pot.

Ryan Martinez limps once more from UTG and picks up two more limpers behind him. From the big blind, Oleg Mordassov shoves for 34,500 and only Martinez makes the call. They go heads up all in before the flop.

Oleg Mordassov: 8♣ 8♠

Ryan Martinez: A♠ T♠

It is a classic flip, but Martinez connects on the flop, leaving Mordassov with only two outs. The turn gives Mordassov a few more chances as he picks up a gut shot, but the river bricks out and he is eliminated from the tournament.

Lee Soochang was one of the latest to fall after the close of registration in Mystery Bounty Flight A, with local player Justin Ong adding a healthy boost to his stack.

Soochang shoved for 35,000 after an initial raise to 7,000 from another player. Ong made the call while the original raiser stepped aside.

"What do you have?" Ong asked, delaying the reveal.

Lee Soochang: Q♠ Q♣

Justin Ong: A♣ A♥

Ong had Soochang dominated, and the T♠ 3♠ 2♣ 5♦ 9♣ board offered no help.

Fifty-two players remain, 28 spots away from the money.

UTG Jun Liang Lee opens to 3,500 and the button calls, along with big blind Yohn Paredes. All three players check the flop J♦ 2♦ 5♣ and head to the turn A♠ .

Lee bets 13,000, but instantly folds when Paredes responds with a sharp check raise to 50,000. Paredes pulls in the pot without contest.

Abhishek Ramesh opened to 3,500 from under the gun and received calls from blinds Henri Girard and Michael Bagdasarov.

All three players checked the J♠ A♥ K♠ flop to the J♥ turn, where Girard check-folded and Bagdasarov check-called Ramesh’s 11,000 bet.

The 7♥ completed the board and Bagdasarov checked once more, but quickly released his hand when Ramesh shoved for around 35,000.

Cutoff Anant Purohit opens to 3,000 and small blind Yuan Tai Hsu responds with a 3 bet to 10,500. Action returns to Purohit who makes the call. Hsu leads the flop 6♣ 4♣ 4♥ for 8,500 and Purohit stays with him.

On the turn 2♥ , Hsu fires again for 17,500, but this time Purohit moves all in for 50,000. Hsu tanks before folding, and Purohit drags the pot without needing to show his hand.

Homin Lee raised to 4,500 from middle position and received a call from big blind Kohei Shibano.

Action checked through the Q♣ 7♥ Q♦ flop to the K♣ turn, where Shibano check-folded to Lee’s 11,000 bet.

A couple of hands later, UTG Lee raised to 3,000, then called Kenzo Marayuma’s three-bet shove for 21,500 two seats over:

Kenzo Marayuma: A♠ A♣

Homin Lee: K♥ J♦

Marayuma’s bullets held firm on the 6♥ 5♥ 8♦ 5♦ 2♠ runout, earning him a much-needed double and leaving Lee on fumes.

Registration for Mystery Bounty Flight A officially closes with 159 entries. With 71 players still in the field, only 24 will reach the money and advance to Day 2. Flight B is scheduled to start at 6:00 pm local time.

Early position Andrew Xu opens to 2,500 and calls the 3 bet from button Ryan Platon for 7,500. On the flop 8♥ 7♠ 3♣ , Platon fires a 12,000 continuation bet and Xu check calls.

The turn A♥ brings another check from Xu, but this time Platon moves all in. Xu thinks it over briefly before releasing his hand, giving Platon the pot through relentless pressure.

Fresh from a rebuy, Christian Lortie opens to 2,500. On his left, Alvir Inocentes fires a 3 bet to 8,500. Action returns to Lortie who moves all in for 30,000 and Inocentes makes the call.

Christian Lortie: K♣ K♥

Alvir Inocentes: A♣ J♠

Lortie turns over a monster hand, but the flop A♥ J♣ 2♦ comes to Inocentes’ rescue as he hits two pair, leaving Lortie with only two outs. The turn Q♠ and river 5♣ bring no help, and Lortie is eliminated from the tournament once again.

Action was joined with UTG Ataengin Kiyan all in against the big blind and an at-risk Seyoon Lim. Kiyan had him covered by around 11,000:

Seyoon Lim: A♠ Q♥

Ataengin Kiyan: A♣ J♦

Kiyan found hope on the J♣ 8♠ 6♦ flop, but that quickly turned to disappointment as the Q♠ landed on the turn, doubling Lim as the K♦ completed the board.

A couple of hands later, short-stacked Kiyan went all in against one of the event’s chip leaders, cutoff Yuki Nishio, who called looking to add to his ever-growing stack:

Ataengin Kiyan: Q♦ 3♦

Yuki Nishio: A♣ 5♣

Kiyan found salvation, making two pair on the 3♥ J♠ 9♦ Q♥ K♥ runout and keeping himself alive.

This is the last level to enter as registration will close after this round. No need to worry, because Flight B will start later at 6:00 p.m. local time.

Yuki Nishio continues to bully the table. In the previous hand he picked up the blinds uncontested, and this time he opens again for 3,000. Big blind Anton Cypin makes the call. Cypin check calls Nishio’s 2,000 continuation bet on the flop J♣ T♥ 5♦ .

Nishio slows down and checks the turn 7♠ and river A♠ , and Cypin follows. At showdown, Cypin reveals K♠ Q♣ the rivered nut straight, trying to trap the aggressive Nishio. Nishio shows his hand 8♦ 8♣ , but the pair is not enough to take the pot.

Players holding more than 200,000 in their stacks are now well ahead of the field, with the average sitting at only 60,000. In the Mystery Bounty format, having a deeper stack is a major advantage. Bigger stacks create more opportunities to score eliminations, which means a higher chance of pulling one of the top bounty prizes and securing a stronger position going into Day 2 tomorrow.

Jimin Lim raised to 2,500 from early position, which was met with a 7,500 three-bet from Michihiko Matsuda in middle position. Lim responded by four-betting to 21,000, enough to shake Matsuda off the pot.

In the next hand, Lim opened once more to 2,500 from UTG and received four callers, sending them five-ways to the flop.

Big blind Paul Elliott immediately shoved for his remaining 6,700 after the dealer fanned K♠ 7♥ 7♠, and only Matsuda made the call:

Paul Elliott: K♥ 4♠

Michihiko Matsuda: 7♦ 6♦

Elliott was out of his seat and heading for the rail before the A♦ landed on the turn, and had to be called back when the K♦ completed the board, giving him a boat and a life-saving double.

In the third hand at Table 20, Matsuda raised to 2,500 then called cutoff Anant Purohit’s 6,500 three-bet.

Both players checked the A♣ 4♦ A♠ flop to see the 5♦ turn, where Matsuda led out for 8,000. Purohit stuck around with a call.

The T♥ hit the river, and Matsuda check-called Purohit’s 12,000 bet, only to see him table A♦ 7♠ for flopped trips. Matsuda’s cards hit the muck.

Action folds to the small blind and Yuki Nishio shoves, looking to steal the blinds. Kazuo Yamamoto calls for his 13,800 stack.

Kazuo Yamamoto: A♣ 7♥

Yuki Nishio: 7♦ 2♥

Nishio is holding one of the weakest hands in the deck, but the runout Q♣ Q♠ 7♠ Q♥ 9♦ delivers a miracle as both players make a one card full house, resulting in an unexpected chop.

Leon Steward opened to 2,000 from under the gun, then called a 6,000 three-bet by Naoki Nakada in the hijack.

Steward check-called Nakada’s 6,000 bet following the 7♠ 5♦ A♣ flop.

Action checked through the 3♣ turn to the T♣ river, where Steward led out for 10,000, sending Nakada deep into the tank. He eventually slid his cards back to the dealer.

UTG Ryan Martinez limps in and hijack Chun Yuan Chen raises to 6,000. The cutoff and button Noel Llamedo both call. Martinez comes along as well and four players see the flop T♠ 7♦ 2♠ . Chen fires a 15,000 continuation bet and only Martinez and Llamedo stay in the hand.

On the turn 4♣ , Martinez checks and Chen moves all in. Llamedo tanks before letting it go. Action returns to Martinez who also tanks but eventually finds the call.

Ryan Martinez: J♠ T♥

Chun Yuan Chen: T♣ 9♠

Chen asks Martinez if he has a flush draw or a set, and Martinez turns over his hand. Chen responds with a “nice call” and reveals his own cards. Down to just three outs, Chen fails to connect on the river A♦ and Martinez secures a huge double up, climbing to the top with a pot worth 200,000.

David Howard raised to 2,000 from the button and received a sole call from big blind Seunghee Park.

Action checked through the T♦ T♣ J♠ flop to the 2♥ turn, where Park check-called Howard’s 2,000 bet.

Both players checked the 5♥ river and Park tabled Q♣ J♣, enough for the pot as Howard mucked.

In the next hand, native David Erquiaga had just registered and sat down in the big blind. Action folded around to Park in the small blind, who limped, and Erquiaga checked.

Park check-called Erquiaga’s 2,500 bet on the Q♣ 4♥ 8♥ flop.

Action repeated on the 7♠ turn, this time for 4,000.

The 2♥ landed on the river and Park checked a third time. Erquiaga fired a third barrel for 6,500, and Park, looking visibly uneasy, eventually stuck in the call.

Erquiaga tabled 6♠ 5♠ for a turned straight and Park could only muck.

UTG +1 Yutaka Fukuyama opens to 2,000 and calls the 3 bet of Barrientos Lino for 6,000. On the flop A♥ K♣ 6♥ , Lino continues for 4,000, but Fukuyama responds with a check raise to 12,000. Lino quickly folds and Fukuyama’s aggression pays off once again as he climbs into the chip lead.

UTG plus two Leon Steward opens to 2,000 and big blind Li Lok Ching defends. On the flop 5♣ 5♠ 2♠ , Ching leads for 3,000 and Steward raises to 10,000. Ching makes the call and they head to the turn 6♥ , which both players check.

On the river 6♣ , Ching fires 8,000 and Steward pays him off. Ching shows his hand 9♠ 9♦ for an overpair, but Steward tables Q♥ Q♦ a higher pair and scoops the pot.

Hand 1

Amir Alimkulov raised to 2,500 from middle position then called cutoff Kheng Chen Ng’s 4,000 three-bet.

Action checked through the 5♦ 4♥ K♣ flop to the 7♣ turn, where Alimkulov fired 1,500 and Ng stuck around.

Alimkulov checked the 2♠ river; Ng stuck 11,000 into the middle and Alimkulov eventually released his cards back to the dealer.

Hand 2

Seitaro Aso raised to 2,500 from the button and collected the blinds.

Hand 3

Eduard Galanzovskiy raised to 2,500 from under the gun to folds around the table.

Hand 4

Alimkulov raised to 2,500 from under the gun, then called a 9,200 three-bet from Echo Venoza seated next to him, with Venoza leaving 1,000 behind.

The dealer fanned the 5♦ A♠ 6♣ flop and Alimkulov check-called Venoza’s shove:

Echo Venoza: A♥ T♠

Amir Alimkulov: A♣ 3♣

Alimkulov looked jarred as he saw he was out-kicked, but as the Q♦ 6♠ board ran out, pairing the board, he looked a little more relieved as they chopped up the pot.

The board 8♠ T♠ 6♣ 6♥ 9♠ is already up with around 19,000 in the middle when Kawai Katsuhito shoves for 13,300. Jason Ng Tze Wei tanks for a moment before making the call.

Kawai Katsuhito: A♠ 6♠

Jason Ng Tze Wei: T♥ 2♦

Katsuhito reveals the nut flush, while Wei can only show two pair and hope for a hero call. The double up goes to Katsuhito as the table reacts to the unexpected showdown.

After just six levels of play and with 118 entries already on the board, the guarantee for the Mystery Bounty has been breached. With four more levels remaining before registration closes and another flight scheduled at 6:00 pm local time for Flight B, the prize pool is expected to continue climbing and may even double by the end of the day.

Current chip leader Seitaro Aso adds another boost to his growing stack after scoring a knockout.

Action begins with Aso opening UTG to 2,000. On his left, Abhishek Ramesh responds with a 3 bet to 5,500. Aso comes back with a 4 bet to 16,000 and Ramesh moves all in for 31,800. Aso snap calls.

Abhishek Ramesh: K♥ K♠

Seitaro Aso: A♣ A♠

Both players table monster hands, but Aso’s aces stand tall and send Ramesh to the rail after the board 5♥ 6♥ 7♦ T♥ 2♣ ran clean. Aso continues to stretch his lead at the top of the counts.

Oleg Mordassov opened to 2,500 from UTG and was three-bet to 12,500 by Michael Bagdasarov in the hijack. Small blind Howard Doerfling shoved his short stack, and big blind Justin Ong called, along with Mordassov and Bagdasarov, taking the hand four-ways to showdown.

Howard Doerfling: J♣ T♣

Oleg Mordassov: Q♠ J♠

Michael Bagdasarov: A♣ K♣

Justin Ong: 9♠ 9♦

Ong was hoping for low cards as the dealer fanned 6♠ 6♦ 2♠ on the flop, keeping him ahead but leaving Mordassov plenty of equity.

The 8♦ fell on the turn, followed by the 7♠ on the river.

"I win!" Ong exclaimed, thinking his stack was about to get a big boost.

"I have a f*****g flush, bro," Mordassov replied, wiping out most of Ong’s excitement. Ong still doubled through Bagdasarov, Doerfling was eliminated, and Mordassov emerged with a huge stack.

Here are the chip leaders after the first break.

Hijack Anthony James Alway opens to 1,300 and button David Howard responds with a 3 bet to 4,000. Action returns to Alway who announces all in. Howard makes the call for his remaining 26,600.

David Howard: A♥ K♠

Anthony James Alway: A♠ Q♦

Howard dominates Alway preflop, and although the flop J♦ 7♠ 7♥ offers a small sweat for a possible chop, the turn 3♥ and river 5♣ fall safely. Howard secures the double up and moves forward with fresh momentum.

Michihiko Matsuda raised to 1,200 from middle position and called a 2,500 three-bet from cutoff Manuel Ledesma. Button Anant Purohit also called to see the flop.

The dealer fanned 9♥ 7♠ Q♦, and Matsuda checked. Ledesma checked behind, then called Purohit’s 2,500 bet, with Matsuda getting out of the way.

Action checked through the Q♣ turn to the 8♣ river, where Ledesma put himself all in after Purohit bet 12,700, revealing K♥ Q♥ for turned trips.

Ledesma mucked, and the dealer showed 8♦ 7♣ for two pair as he left his seat.

UTG Michihiko Matsuda opens to 1,200 and both blinds call to see the flop T♠ 4♣ 3♥ . All three players check it through and go straight to the turn 7♠ . Matsuda fires 2,000 and small blind Jimin Lim answers with a check raise to 6,500. The big blind folds and Matsuda makes the call.

On the river J♦ , Lim bets 15,000. Matsuda tanks for a moment before putting in the call. Lim mucks his hand, confirming the bluff, and the pot is pushed to Matsuda.

Neil Lawrence limped from early position, only for Manuel Sadornil to raise to 1,500 from middle position. One seat over, Noel Lamado shoved for roughly 27,500. Only Sadornil called, and the hands were revealed:

Noel Lamado: 3♠ 3♣

Manuel Sadornil: A♠ Q♠

Sadornil missed the flop of J♥ 5♣ 6♣, but regained hope when the A♥ hit the turn. By the time the 8♥ completed the board, Lamado was already out of his seat, leaving Sadornil to celebrate the near double-up.

The flop 7♣ 6♥ 2♠ and turn 4♠ are already on the felt, building a pot of around 11,600. From the small blind, Henri Girard checks and Noel Llamedo, left with only 15,800, moves all in. Girard tanks for a moment before making the call.

Noel Llamedo: A♣ 7♥

Henri Girard: 3♣ 2♥

Llamedo is ahead as they go to the river, but the final card 5♣ falls in Girard’s favor as he completes a straight to take the pot. Llamedo can only walk away with a disappointed look as he becomes the next player eliminated.

Cutoff Takumi Hashimoto raised to 1,200 and received a call from small blind Barrientos Lino. Big blind Ohbyung Kwon then three-bet to 5,500, and only Hashimoto made the call.

The dealer fanned the spade-studded Q♠ 8♠ 5♠ flop and Kwon immediately shoved all-in, for around 31,000.

Hashimoto didn't take long to send his cards back to the dealer.

Early position Rajasekar Govindan opens to 1,200 and picks up three callers. In the big blind, Mark Remnant bumps it up to 5,400. Govindan gets out of the way and the three callers continue to the flop for a sizeable pot.

On the flop 9♠ 8♠ 5♠ , small blind Beni Goldstein wastes no time and shoves for 27,000. All players fold and Goldstein proudly reveals his hand 7♠ 2♠ , showing what was the weakest holding pre flop but has now improved to a flush. The table breaks into laughter as the gullible Goldstein drags in the pot.

Howard Everett raised to 1,000 from early position and found callers in Echo Venoza in the cutoff, Kheng Chen Ng on the button, and Nikolai Guliaev in the small blind. Big blind Seitaro Aso then three-bet to 8,000, and Everett responded with a four-bet shove.

"All right, I'm all in. I'm all in with the hand that never loses!" Everett joked as the table looked on.

After folds around the table, and confirming that Everett had him covered, Aso eventually made the call.

"All right, let's gamble!" he said.

Tablemate Manuel Sadornil speculated aloud that Everett might have jacks after seeing Aso commit the chips.

Seitaro Aso: A♣ T♠

Howard Everett: J♣ J♦

The dealer spread a painful flop for Everett, 5♣ A♥ 9♠, vaulting Aso into the lead.

"It's not over yet," Everett insisted.

The 5♥ paired the board before the A♦ on the river sealed it, giving Aso trips and leaving Everett severely short-stacked.

Ng chimed in afterward, noting that Everett had “saved” him, as he had folded pocket queens preflop.

The chips are already in the middle when I arrive and Mark Remnant is all in for 10,000 with a caller in Francis Ancheta on the button.

Mark Remnant: K♥ Q♦

Francis Ancheta: A♣ A♦

Remnant immediately stands up the moment he sees Ancheta’s aces. He is already preparing to leave after the flop T♥ 9♦ 6♣ , but the turn J♣ changes everything as Remnant completes a gut shot straight and locks up the win for a much needed double up. The entire table reacts in disbelief as the dealer reveals the river 5♣ , which does not matter since Ancheta is already drawing dead.

Jimin Lim raised to 800 from early position and picked up four callers, taking the table five-ways to the flop.

Blinds Soochang Lee and Jonathan Looi check-folded when Lim continued for 2,500 on the T♠ 7♣ Q♦ board. Steven Smith, seated next to Lee, made the call while cutoff Ryan Martinez stepped aside.

The 2♦ hit the turn and Lim fired a second barrel worth 6,500, with Smith sticking around once more.

Action checked through on the 7♥ river. Lim revealed K♣ Q♠ for top pair, and Smith sent his hand into the muck.

The board Q♥ 7♦ 3♥ A♦ 6♣ is up with around 6,000 in the middle. Kazuo Yamamoto fires 4,000 and Anton Tcypin responds with a raise to 10,500. Action returns to Yamamoto who tanks for a moment before announcing all in for 21,000. Tcypin snap calls.

Kazuo Yamamoto: 6♦ 6♥

Anton Tcypin: 5♣ 4♣

Yamamoto finds a set on the river, but Tcypin completes his gut shot to make a straight, snatching the pot away. It is a rough beat for Yamamoto as he becomes the second player to exit early.

UTG Howard Everett opens to 700 and calls the 3 bet of Jericho Venoza on the button for 1,900. On the flop 9♦ 8♦ 5♠ , Everett check calls Venoza’s continuation bet of 2,100.

Both players slow down from there and check through the turn 3♦ and the river 8♣ . Everett reveals his hand 6♣ 6♠ and it holds as Venoza tosses his cards into the muck.

Rajasekar Govindan raised to 800 from middle position, then called cutoff Henri Girard’s three-bet to 2,400.

The dealer spread a 2♥ T♦ T♣ flop and Govindan checked. Girard fired 3,000, only for Govindan to respond with a check-raise to 8,000. Girard called to see the turn.

Both players checked as the 7♠ hit the felt.

The A♠ completed the board and Govindan moved all in. Girard gave a small shake of the head before folding, turning over K♣ K♠ as he let it go.

Govindan tabled J♦ 8♦ - the missed straight draw turned into a successful bluff. Girard gave a wry smile.

UTG +1 Ingeun Jho opens to 700 and four players call to go five ways to the flop K♣ 5♠ 5♣ . Jho fires a 1,100 continuation bet and only hijack Masaru Fukuyama along with big blind Anton Tcypin make the call.

The turn 8♦ checks through to Fukuyama who leads for 5,000. Tcypin calls and Jho gets out of the way. On the river A♣ , Fukuyama moves all in and Tcypin quickly folds, sending the pot to Fukuyama after a well timed shove.

Players are pouring in as Mystery Bounty Flight A builds up early momentum.

Henri Girard raised to 600 from early position and received calls from Howard Doerfling next door and Mark Remnant on the button. Big blind Rajasekar Govindan then made it 2,500 to go and all three called.

The 4♠ 8♠ K♦ flop landed and, after checks from Govindan, Girard, and Doerfling, Remnant fired 2,500 into the middle. All three continued to stick around.

The 9♦ fell on the turn and, after another round of checks, Remnant upped it to 5,000. Only Girard stayed in.

The T♣ completed the board and action went check-check. Remnant tabled K♥ Q♣, but Girard’s T♠ 9♠ for two pair was enough to take it down.

Facing a raise and a call, button Graham Cowan fires a 2,600 three bet. The small blind calls and big blind Zenki Isa comes along as well. The initial raiser calls, while the other caller steps aside to create a four way pot.

On the flop 9♣ 7♥ 5♣ , Isa leads out for 1,000. Cowan responds immediately with a raise to 7,000. Isa makes the call and they go heads up to the turn J♦ . Isa wastes no time and moves all in for 20,200. Cowan snap calls for his remaining 19,300.

Graham Cowan: T♣ T♦

Zenki Isa: Q♠ Q♣

Isa is ahead and leaves Cowan drawing to six outs. The river 6♦ does not help and Cowan becomes the first elimination of the day. It is no trouble for him though, as registration is still open and they are only in level one.

On a flop of 6♥ 6♣ 3♥, early-position David Howard and neighbour Eugene Zanozin checked before cutoff Neil Lawrence bet 2,000. Only Howard stuck around to see the 7♣ turn, where he checked once more before folding to Lawrence’s 4,500 bet.

In the next hand, UTG Howard limped, then called button Jeongwon Seo’s 500 raise. Big blind Shane Saito defended.

All three players checked the Q♥ Q♦ 8♠ flop to see the K♠ on the turn, where Saito check-folded and Seo called Howard’s 1,000 bet.

The 6♠ landed on the river and Howard led out for 3,500, prompting a swift muck from Seo.

Hijack Seo Jeongwon raised to 500 and found a lone caller in small blind David Howard.

Once the 3♣ 3♠ 9♣ flop hit the felt, Howard check-called Jeongwon's 1,000 bet.

The dealer flicked over the 8♠ turn card, and Howard checked once more. Jeongwon upped it to 3,000, enough to shake Howard off the pot.

Mystery Bounty Flight A is officially underway as players chase both deep runs and hidden rewards.

The action picks up inside the grand Okada Manila Casino as Somuchpoker begins its coverage of Manila Megastack 23. Today’s focus is the ₱20,000 buy-in Mystery Bounty, a fan-favourite format featuring a ₱2 Million guaranteed prize pool. It isn’t the festival’s opening event, but it’s the first one we’re following, with today's play marking the third straight day of the series. With two starting flights scheduled today, players will have multiple chances to build a stack and position themselves for a deep run in one of the series’ most exciting events.

Flight A starts at 12 p.m. and gives players a 30,000 starting stack (split across two 15,000 bullets) with 30-minute levels guiding the pace through the early stages. The second flight, Flight B, begins at 6 p.m. with the same structure, and late registration stays open for the first ten levels in both flights.

All surviving players from today’s flights will return for Day 2, tomorrow, November 30th, where the mystery bounty envelopes come into play once the field reaches the money. With hidden prizes waiting to be pulled and knockout sweats building at every elimination, the stage is set for a lively start to Manila’s biggest end-of-year poker festival. Here's what you can expect as the festival progresses:

• Nov 29–30 – Mystery Bounty ₱2M GTD

• Dec 1 – Deep Stack ₱1M GTD

• Dec 2 – Double Stack ₱1M GTD

• Dec 3 – Super Stack ₱1M GTD

• Dec 4–7 – Main Event ₱20M GTD

• Dec 5 – Single Day High Roller

• Dec 8 – Mini Main Event ₱1M GTD

Stay tuned throughout the day for live updates here on the ground in Manila from Flight A of the ₱2M GTD Mystery Bounty at Manila Megastack 23!