Warm-up (5,000 PHP)

Right after the break, former chip leader Patrick Noonan opens from UTG for 200,000 as it folds to the SB where another former chip leader in Michael Manlapaz makes the call. In the BB, Marciel Gerbito 3-bets all-in for 540,000 while Noonan’s response is a 4-bet shove for 815,000.

Manlapaz, who still covers both, snap calls.

Gerbito turns over A♣ Q♦ while Noonan has K♥ J♥ . Manlapaz, however, tables A♥ A♦ .

The flop brings in Q♥ 6♦ 3♦ to give Gerbito additional outs while the turn shows the 5♥ to give Noonan additional outs. None of them show up for the embattled pair as the K♣ appears on the river as the well-placed trap works wonderfully for Manlapaz.

Gerbito finishes in eighth place for PhP38,000 (~US$680) while Noonan captures seventh for PhP46,000 (~US$825).

Six players remain.

Still smarting from losing a big chunk of his chips a few prior to the aces of fellow Filipino Mark Anthony Ciruelos, Marciel Cerbito is at it again, this time opening from the HJ for 180,000. It folds to Japan’s Masafumi Kimura who defends his BB.

The flop comes T♦ 8♠ 2♦ as Kimura checks. Cerbito CBets for 80,000 and Kimura calls. The turn is the K♦ and once again the Japanese player checks. This time, the Filipino fires 250,000. Kimura proceeds to check-raise all-in. Cerbito is covered. After contemplating, Cerbito folds but not before losing more chips.

Cerbito is now down to just over five BBs.

From the +1 position, Mark Anthony Ciruelos raises it up to 125,000 and gets called by chip leader Michael Manlapaz in the HJ. Meanwhile, in the CO, Marciel Gerbito 3-bets it to 625,000 and it gets folded back to Ciruelos who shoves his remaining stack of 700,000. Manlapaz folds and Gerbito calls.

Ciruelos turns over A♥ A♦ that completely blindsides his fellow Filipino who shows 7♥ 7♠ .

The runout goes 5♥ 6♦ Q♦ J♥ Q♥ as the double up Ciruelos drops Gerbito to below the one million chip mark.

After the first five hands of the final table carried no significant action, the sixth hand opens from the +2 position as the Philippines’ Michael Manlapaz limps in and gets raised from the LJ to 135,000 by fellow Filipino Marciel Gerbito. At the CO, Kim Hyoungchul puts his remaining 95,000 in the pot as Manlapaz decides to call Gerbito’s raise.

The flop comes Q♥ Q♠ 6♠ as Manlapaz bets 100,000. Gerbito folds.

Kim flips over J♥ J♦ while Manlapaz shows Q♦ 8♦ for trip queens on the flop and the lead. The turn is the A♦ and the river is the 4♦ as Kim becomes the first casualty of the Final Table.

Manlapaz is now the overall chip leader.

Korea’s Kang Myeonghwa swings for the fences from the +1 position for 405,000 and the action gets folded around to the BB where Marciel Gerbito of the Philippines makes the call.

Kang shows A♣ 3♥ while Gerbito has 7♦ 7♠ .

The runout goes 4♦ T♦ 5♣ T♥ 9♦ as the gutshot never shows up for the Korean and he bites the dust at 13th place.