Warm-up (5,000 PHP)

From UTG, Mark Anthony Ciruelos raises it to 280,000 and erstwhile chip leader Michael Manlapaz calls from the D.

The flop is 4♦ 5♥ T♣ as Ciruelos continues for 300,000. Manlapaz raises all-in and Ciruelos tanks and utilizes his last timebank card before making the call for his remaining 1,670,000.

To Ciruelos’ surprise, however, Manlapaz tables J♥ J♣ while Ciruelos turns over K♣ T♥ .

Still with outs, the turn is the 9♦ and the river is the 4♦ to officially bust Circuelos in blindsided fashion.

Four players remain now all assured of PhP110,000 (~US$1,970).

Mark Anthony Ciruelos opens from UTG for 250,000 and gets a BB defense from Masafumi Kimura.

The flop is 8♦ Q♦ Q♥ as Kimura checks. Ciruelos CBets for the same 250,000 and gets called. The turn is the Q♣ and Kimura checks again. This time, the Filipino tanks and uses a timebank card nefore declaring that he is all-in for 860,000. Kimura takes his time to consider and ends up burning two timebank cards. Consequently, the Japanese player chooses to fold.

Ciruelos’ win makes him the third Filipino to breach the two million chip mark.

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.

Chip leader Michael Manlapaz has hardly raised when coming into a pot and once again the Filipino limps in from the +1 position and is joined by other players in Masafumi Kimura from the SB and Mrk Anthony Ciruelo from the BB who checks his option.

The flop is A♣ 5♠ 8♦ as all three players check. The turn is the 9♦ as the blinds check anew. Manlapaz bets 160,000 and it’s enough to take down the pot.

Manlapaz is moving closer to the three million chip mark.

The very next hand has Mark Anthony Ciruelos opening from the +1 position for 150,000 and getting a customer in chip leader Michael Manlapaz in the HJ. Everyone else folds.

The flop comes J♣ 4♥ 2♦ as Ciruelos goes into the tank and burns a timebank card before deciding to bet 125,000. Manlapaz folds as Ciruelos inches closer to the one million chip mark.

In a tussle between two Filipinos, Jester Intia raises from UTG to 100,000 and it goes all the ay to the SB of Mark Anthony Ciruelos of jams his remaining 205,000. Intia calls.

Ciruelos shows 4♥ 4♦ while Intia is flipping with J♣ T♣ .

The flop stays safe for Ciruelos: A♥ 8♦ 3♦ but then the 9♣ appears on the turn giving Intia an open-ended straight redraw to add more outs. The 3♠ on the river quelled any upheaval as Ciruelos doubles through and brings his opponent’s stack down to six figures.

Mark Anthony Ciruelos of the Philippines opens from the +1 position for 80,000 and gets called in the HJ by Korea’s Han Seung Hyun. Over at the SB, an other Filipino in Jester Intia 3-bet shoves for his remaining 400,000. Ciruelos opts to fold but Han makes the call.

Intia shows J♠ J♥ (which he calls “Pocket Jesters”) while Han tables A♥ K♣ .

The runout goes 8♥ 9♠ 9♥ 7♥ 9♦ as Intia’s full house brings him closer to the one million chip mark after being a short stack about an orbit ago. The Flight A chip leader is now an endangered species.

The Philippines’ Mark Anthony Ciruelos is at risk as his remaining 220,000 is in the pot against Claude Henoud of Canada.

Ciruelos shows K♣ K♥ while Henoud has A♥ 6♥ .

The flop already gives the Filipino a near insurmountable lead: K♠ 7♣ T♥ with top set. Henoud needs running cards to reverse the tide but the 4♠ on the turn assures more poker for Circuelos. The river is the 6♠ to officially put the Canadian in dire straits.

Two Filipinos are all-in preflop with Mark Anthony Ciruelos showing A♥ 2♦ while Jay Payuyo holds 7♦ 7♠ . Ciruelos is at risk.

The flop goes 4♦ A♣ 4♣ to give Ciruelos the lead that he would not relinquish as the 4♥ and the 2♠ complete the runout. Ciruelos emerges victorious with a higher full house to double up and practically pull abreast of his victim.

In another battle of the blinds, Anthony Ciruelos of the Philippines shoves against the BB of Japan’s Sakamoto Shingo who decides it’s time to shine with his remaining 62,000 and makes the call.

Ciruelos shows A♠ 3♥ while Shingo has live cards with T♠ 7♦ .

The flop effectively shutdown the ambitions of the Japanese player: 5♠ 4♣ 2♣ as Ciruelos flops a wheel straight. Needing running cards to overturn the situation, Shingo goes drawing dead on the turn as the K♦ appears. The 6♥ on the river made it official.