Warm-up (12,500 PHP)

Action is heating up at PokerStars LIVE, Okada Manila with both qualifiers for its opening highlight, Kickoff, wrapped up. The final heat drew in a slightly bigger field of 159 entries, bumping up the final count to 283. Well over the expected turnout, PHP 3,019,610 (~USD 51,690) in total prizes are on the table, all to be awarded across tomorrow's Day 2 battle.

Twenty four more survivors joined the list across the later flight, with Canada's Christian Lortie topping the charts with a massive 540,000 (90 BB) stack. Lortie's rise to the lead came at the cost of Mike Takayama by the final hour after the latter hero called with pocket jacks against Lortie's two pair. Lortie’s late surge pushed him past Flight A chip leader James Moriles, who finished with 437,000 (73 BB), to take the overall lead. Trailing behind are seasoned locals David Erquiaga 456,000 (76 BB), and Richard Marquez 316,000 (53 BB), to round up the top three spots.

Other players to keep an eye on include Martin Gonzales 186,000 (31 BB), Renniel Galvez 176,000 (29 BB), Ashley Patterson 166,000 (28 BB), and Joseph Sia 161,000 (27 BB).

Action resumes at 12 noon this Sunday, February 2nd, with blinds set at Level 17: 3,000/ 6,000 ante 6,000. Stay tuned for more updates as SMP brings you all the latest directly off the floor!

Kickoff

Date/s: February 1-2, 2025

Buy-in: PHP 12,500 (~USD 215)

Guarantee: PHP 2,000,000 (~USD 34,235)

Entries: 283

Prize pool: PHP 3,019,610 (~USD 51,690)

ITM: 43 places

Flight A: 124 entries, 19 qualified

Flight B: 159 entries, 24 qualified

Day 2/ Final: Sunday, February 2

Tamon Nakamura opened 12,000 on the hijack, called by Renniel Galvez on the button. Ma Carmen Esdaile on the big blind, flicked in her last 24,000, and saw both continue to flop J♣ A♥ Q♦ . Nakamura led 23,000, leaving Galvez to quickly surrender and the two off to showdown.

Tamon Nakamura Q♥ J♥

Ma Carmen Esdaile 6♥ 6♣

Down to two outs, Esdaile headed out as the stone cold bubble shortly after missing to improve on either turn 5♠ or river 5♦ .

June Nuestro opened 15,000 utg+1 and was joined by two other players on flop 6♦ 4♥ J♣ . Minsub So on the small blind, led 20,000, pushing one out the pot. Nuestro on the other hand, answered with an all-in for 73,000 more and won the pot straight away.

Having just doubled up his opponent previously, Seonghun Jeong once again faced Ashley Patterson, this time for his last 50,000.

In for a flip, Jeong dodged bubble elimination, having found a pair on board Q♥ 2♦ 3♣ A♥ Q♣ .

With a pot of 32,000 in the middle across board A♥ 2♥ T♥ 4♠ , Ashley Patterson sent out a hefty bet of 28,000, and gladly called off his remaining 60,000 after Seonghun Jeong moved all-in.

Seonghun Jeong A♠ T♠

Ashley Patterson Q♥ 8♥

Crushed against Patterson's flopped flush, Jeong took the blow after failing to catch up on river 8♠ .

A blind vs blind battle saw 30,000 in the middle across board 8♥ T♠ 4♣ T♥ Q♣ . Ashley Patterson checked to Joseph Talamayan, prompting him to bet 8,000. Patterson decided to raise to 40,000, only to book the loss with 2♥ 2♠ as Talamayan made the call with trip tens T♦ 6♣ .

Martin Gonzales opened 10,000 on the button and saw Anthony Castro on the small blind, come along on flop 9♥ J♠ Q♠ . Both checked it through to turn 2♠ , where Castro check raised to 40,000. Gonzales made the call, yet tank folded on river 4♥ after Castro went for a final 55,000.

Christian Lortie opened 12,000 utg, called by Jiego Erquiaga on the button. David Erquiaga on the small blind, squeezed to 60,000, and convinced both opponents to give it up with action right on bubble time.

With a pot of 54,000 centered around board 8♥ J♦ K♠ 4♥ , Ashley Patterson made a go for it with a bet of 40,000. Yongseok Park check jammed for 58,000 more, and showed set of jacks J♥ J♠ after Patterson slipped the fold.

Action is right on bubble time with one more elimination to go before the flight closes. 24 players are set to advance to Day 2, each guaranteed a mincash.

Christian Lortie opened on the cutoff and called a 45,000 three bet from Mike Takayama on the big blind. On board A♣ 2♠ 8♠ 3♠ , Takayama check called both streets - 52,000 and a final all-in for his last 79,000, with J♠ J♣ . Lortie however, smashed the board with two pair A♦ 8♦ , and eliminated Takayama just as river Q♥ hit the table.

A button vs big blind battle brewed a pot of 87,000 even before flop 3♦ 4♠ 2♣ landed on the felt. Christian Lortie led out 30,000 and was called by David Erquiaga behind. On turn 6♥ , Lortie check folded after being faced with a 60,000 bet from his opponent.

Sergei Korzhenko opened to 11,000, called by Martin Gonzales behind. Christopher Pasion on the small blind, sent out a three bet to 35,000, pushing Korzhenko to pad it further to 61,000. Gonzalez raised all-in, and Pasion flicked in his last 6,000. Korzhenko on the other hand, opted out, costing him a third of his stack.

Pasion at risk over a flip, landed a boat on board 6♦ 5♣ A♥ A♦ 6♠ to scoop the triple up while Gonzales claimed the side pot, cutting his losses by half.

With a pot of 41,000 in the middle on board 7♣ 2♣ 3♠ A♠ , Jiego Erquiaga made a bet of 25,000, and called 33,000 more following a check jam from Jeon Kihoon on the big blind.

Jeon Kihoon 7♦ 7♠

Jiego Erquiaga T♣ 9♣

Erquiaga on the lookout for a third club, found none on river 3♥ , improving Kihoon further to a full house for the double up.

With 29 players left holding onto their seats, that means only five more eliminations are due before the day wraps up, with 24 survivors advancing onto Day 2. A total of 43 players are geared to cut a share of the PHP 3,019,610 (~USD 51,690) prize pool, 19 already qualified from today's initial flight.

Chip Counts

David Erquiaga opened on the hijack and was met with a 33,000 three bet from Christian Lortie on the button. Erquiaga responded with a raise to 90,000, enough to convince Lortie to give it up.

Joseph Talamayan opened 10,000 on the cutoff, called by player on the small blind. Yonghwa Jung on the big blind, squeezed to 29,000, and saw Talamayan make it 100,000 to go. Both opponents were left unable to continue, earning Talamayan the boost.

Christian Lortie opened 9,000 utg, raised by Manuel Geronimo on the button to 22,000. Lortie clapped back with an all-in, and Geronimo called off for his remaining 140,000.

Flipping for nearly 90 big blinds, Lortie cleaned out his opponent shortly after spiking top pair on board 6♠ A♠ 4♣ 2♣ J♦ to take the win.

Sergei Korzhenko opened 8,500 utg+1 and was called by Christopher Pasion on the button. Action on board 8♥ Q♠ 4♦ 6♥ T♣ was checked all the way down to the river, where Korzhenko bet 15,000. Pasion made the call, and mucked after Korzhenko flipped over two pair 8♠ 6♠ .

Facing an open and a button three bet from Janno Alvarez, Mike Takayama bumped it up further to 65,000 on the small blind, and called off for his remaining 23,000 after Alvarez raised all-in.

A crucial flip, Takayama quickly landed the advantage on board J♥ J♦ A♠ A♦ 4♦ , sending Alvarez' pocket pair flying towards the muck.

Joseph Talamayan opened 7,000 on the cutoff and was joined by both players on the blinds onto flop A♥ J♠ 6♣ . Talamayan continued for 9,000, check called only by Seonghun Jeong. Both checked turn A♠ through to river 5♥ , where Jeong led 25,000. Talamayan surrendered, leaving Jeong to pick up the pot.

Following the loss, Minsub So open jammed 61,000 utg+1, and was looked up by Crisanto Hernandez on the small blind.

Running a race, So dodged a potential elimination, having landed two pair on board J♣ K♣ 2♠ 7♠ 5♥ to survive through.

Tamon Nakamura shoved 50,500 from the big blind and saw Minsub So on the button rise to the challenge.

Nakamura ahead, secured the victory on board 7♣ 8♠ 6♥ 6♦ A♠ , bumping him back up to over 30 big blinds.

A three way raised pot led by Anthony Castro saw action on flop 5♥ 8♠ 5♦ check round to turn A♠ . Castro this time, continued for 8,000, and called 10,000 more following a raise from Martin Gonzales on the big blind. On river K♠ , Castro however, decided to let it go after Gonzales asked for a final 30,000.

Po Xiang Jun Thomas opened on the button, and called off for his entire 103,000 after Tamon Nakamura moved all-in.

A pocket pair clash, Nakamura's sixes were no match against Po's ladies all through board 8♦ T♥ 2♦ Q♥ 9♣ , crippling him in the process.

Richard Marquez opened utg and went on to four bet against Yoshiki Nakamura's raise on the big blind. Nakamura committed his last 41,000 and found himself in for a flip for his tournament life.

Board 2♠ T♥ 2♦ 8♠ T♦ steered clear of Nakamura's overcards, shipping Marquez another boost to his already towering stack.

With a pot of 44,000 in the middle across board 6♣ T♦ K♥ J♥ 3♠ , three way action was checked to Janno Alvarez on the button, who gunned for a final 22,500. Jiego Erquiaga called from the big blind with a pair of jacks J♠ 7♠ , and secured the pot after Alvarez showed T♥ 9♥ .

Mike Takayama opened 6,500 utg+1 and was joined by player on the cutoff along with Peter Chung on the big blind. All three checked flop 8♠ 3♥ K♠ through to turn 5♥ , where Takayama bet 11,000. Chung check raised for 20,000 more, and barreled a final 70,000 on river 3♠ . Takayama paid the price, only to muck as Chung revealed a flush 4♠ 2♠ .

With a pot of 128,000 situated around board Q♦ 3♦ 8♠ T♣ 5♥ , action was caught on Mike Takayama with a final all-in on the river. Eunji Chu on the big blind, check folded, giving up the pot to his opponent.

Christian Lortie opened 6,000 utg+1, called by Mike Takayama on the button along with both players on the blinds. On flop A♦ 6♣ 6♥ , Lortie continued for 7,000, and picked up the pot straight away.

With already 22,000 in the middle, Yang Kyeongho pushed his last 47,000 in on the small blind, and saw Joseph Talamayan reshove right behind. Initial raiser Eunji Chu opted out, leaving the two to showdown.

Yang in trouble, found no help on board 9♣ 2♣ J♣ A♦ 3♦ , eliminating him entirely.

Alexander Donn happily committed his remaining 46,000 with K♥ K♣ and was up against Waki Yasuhiro's A♠ T♦ for his tournament life.

Donn at risk, was left drawing slim after flop 7♠ Q♠ A♥ rolled ace-high. Runout 5♣ K♠ however, managed to peel one of his two outers, keeping him in the Kickoff games with a much bigger stack.

Following an open and two calls, Jiego Erquiaga squeezed to 22,000 on the big blind, and called for the rest after initial raiser Manuel Geronimo shoved all-in for 60,000.

In for a flip, board 8♣ 8♠ Q♥ 7♠ 5♠ landed Geronimo's way, earning him a full double up along with another run at the trophy.

Joseph Sia squeezed to 22,000 on the small blind against an utg open and a call, and saw initial raiser Conor Grimsley come back with an all-in for 64,500. Both opponents threw in the fold, shipping Grimsley the dead money in the middle.

With a pot of 35,500 centered around board 2♥ 9♣ Q♥ 2♠ T♠ , Ashley Patterson made a final attempt for it with a bet of 25,000. Jaegill Choi behind, found the call with two pair J♠ T♥ , and locked in the win as Patterson revealed a busted flush draw A♥ 5♥ .

Sergei Korzhenko opened on the cutoff, and called off Alari Kunnapuu's all-in for 48,000 total.

A 50 big blind race, Korzhenko locked in the boost, having landed top pair on board 8♣ 5♣ T♠ K♦ 3♠ , while Kunnapuu headed for the rails.

A back and forth between Lito Quijano and Martin Gonzales saw the latter put his entire 63,500 on the line preflop.

With the best hand in the deck, Gonzalez was left with no worries as board 4♦ T♥ 7♠ 2♦ 5♠ held his rockets in the lead all the way.

Craig Jones squeezed on the big blind for his remaining 28,500 and was looked up by Tamon Nakamura right beside.

In great shape, Jones was crushed to see his opponent land a pair on board 2♣ 6♥ J♦ 8♦ T♣ to deliver his bust.

Aj Cris Acdal opened 3,000 utg and saw both players on the blinds continue to flop 9♣ A♥ 8♣ . Battulga Ganbold check called a 5,000 cbet from Acdal, yet laid it down after his opponent barreled another 20,000 on turn 2♦ .

David Ang open shoved 26,500 utg+1 and was called by Janno Alvarez on the button.

Ang in search of an ace, found none on board 2♦ 6♥ 3♥ 2♣ 8♦ , ending his run in the Kickoff games.

Andrei Vavilonskii opened 3,000 utg and was joined by both players on the blinds - Ashley Patterson and Jaegill Choi, onto flop K♥ 8♦ 7♠ . Vavilonskii continued for 3,500, check called by both to turn 5♠ . Action checked round to river 3♦ , where Choi led 7,500.

Patterson called him down with J♦ J♠ , and shipped the pot as Choi revealed pair of eights A♠ 8♣ .

That's it for this season's Manila Super Series Kickoff games with another 159 entries added onto the tally, bringing up the final count to 283! Well over the expected turnout, PHP 3,019,610 (~USD 51,690) in total prizes are on the table, all to be awarded across tomorrow's Day 2 battle.

Today's action will close once the field is down to 24 players remaining, each guaranteed a payday and a spot onto the next round.

Kickoff

Date/s: February 1-2, 2025

Buy-in: PHP 12,500 (~USD 215)

Guarantee: PHP 2,000,000 (~USD 34,235)

Entries: 283

Prize pool: PHP 3,019,610 (~USD 51,690)

ITM: 43 places

Flight A: 124 entries, 19 qualified

Flight B: 159 entries, 24 ITM

Day 2/ Final: Sunday, February 2

After a quick four day break, PokerStars LIVE Manila is back with another fun festival - the 21st edition of the Manila Super Series - taking place at Okada Manila, Philippines. This low-stakes festival offers 33 trophy events and buy-ins of PHP 5,000 (~USD 35) to PHP 35,000 (~USD 600) across nine days of action.

Today marks the start of its first highlight on schedule, PHP 2,000,000 (~USD 34,235) guaranteed Kickoff. The series is already off to a promising start with 124 entries recorded across its first flight. This evening runs the final heat, Flight B, with similarly 25 minutes set on the clock, and play capped once ITM is reached at 15% of the field. On top of the payouts, the eventual winner will likewise take home an PHP 80,000 APPT Manila Main Event seat, while the top 8 runners pocket a PHP 9,000 APPT Super Qualifier entry.

Current prize pool is nearing the PHP 3 million mark (~USD 51,350), with registration remaining open through one more level - Level 10 @21:30. Stay tuned for updates as SMP brings you all the latest directly off the floor!

Kickoff

Date/s: February 1-2, 2025

Buy-in: PHP 12,500 (~USD 215)

Guarantee: PHP 2,000,000 (~USD 34,235)

Flight A: 124 entries, 19 qualified

Flight B: Saturday, February 1

Day 2/ Final: Sunday, February 2