Warm-up (5,000 PHP)

The ongoing saga between Raymundo Gomez and Michael Manlapaz continues on the very next after Manlapaz lost the chip lead as Gomez opens from the D for 260,000. Manlapaz calls from the SB.

The flop goes 9♦ Q♥ 5♣ as Manlapaz checks and Gomez fires again, this time for 250,000. Manlapaz calls. The turn card is the 3♠ as this time both slow down and check. The river is the 6♣ as Manlapaz checks a third time. Now, Gomez unloads 700,000 to which Manlapaz folds.

In two hands, Gomez has not only taken the chip lead away from Manlapaz but doubled his stack as opposed to his foe’s.

The action is folded to the blinds where Raymundo Gomez completes his SB but is met with a raise from the BB from chip leader Michael Manlapaz to 300,000. Gomez calls.

The flop goes 8♥ 5♥ K♠ as Gomez checks to the raiser. Manlapaz CBets 400,000 as Gomez calls. The turn is the K♥ and this time, both check. The river is the 6♣ as now Gomez bets 500,000. Manlapaz makes the snap call.

Gomez unveils K♣ 7♥ for trips on the turn while Manlapaz shows A♠ A♥ and is lucky to lose the minimum.

Manlapaz does lose the chip to Gomez anew.

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).

Raymundo Gomez has it folded to him in SB where he completes in as chip leader Michael Manlapaz check his option in the BB.

The flop goes T♦ 9♦ 7♣ as both check. The turn is the Q♦ and once again they skip the street. The river is the K♠ and no one fires.

Gomez shows K♥ 2♦ while Manlapaz tables K♦ 6♠ for a split pot, but Manlapaz posted the ante, that is also divided, hence Gomez wins a little more and it is enough to take the chip lead away from Manlapaz.

The action folds to chip leader Michael Manlapaz on the D who limps in anew and it gets to the BB of Masafumi Kimura who keeps the pot unraised.

The flop comes K♣ 5♠ A♦ as both players check. The turn is the 2♠ and this time, Manlapaz bets 120,000. Kimura calls. The river is the 4♦ as Kimura checks a fourth time. Manlapaz unleashes 400,000 as Kimura goes into the tank and consumes one timebank in process. He makes the call.

Manlapaz instantly mucks his hand as Kimura turns over Q♦ 6♦ for a ridiculous call with Queen high.

Manlapaz still has the chip lead, but Kimura’s gutsy play has him hovering in the vicinity.

Chip leader Michael Manlapaz has to folded to him on the D and proceeds to make a raise to 200,000. In the BB, Korea’s Kim Jongsu 3-bet shoves for his evaporating stack of 340,000. Manlapaz makes a snap call.

Kim turns over 9♦ 7♠ while Manlapaz brandishes K♠ K♣ .

The runout goes T♠ 2♠ 3♦ 5♠ 2♣ as Manlapaz now soars to over three million in chips while Kim leaves in sixth place.

There are only five players remaining, all now guaranteed PhP85,000 (~US$1,525).

Raymundo Gomez opens from the +1 position for 200,000 and draws two callers in chip leader Michael Manlapaz in the HJ and Masafumi Kimura in the BB.

The flop is J♥ 4♣ 2♠ as Kimura checks. Gomez CBets for 250,000 and it is enough to get his opponents off the hand.

Gomez is now in solo second place.

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.

In a rarity in the Final Table, chip leader Michael Manlapaz opens from UTG for 200,000 and folds to the BB where Raymundo Gomez defends.

The flop is T♣ 6♥ 2♠ as Gomez checks. Manlapaz continues for 200,000 anew and gets check-raised all-in by Gomez for 735,000. Manlapaz makes the call.

Gomez tables A♠ T♦ while Manlapaz shakes his head as he shows 9♣ 9♠ .

The last two community cards of the hand are the 8♦ and the 2♣ .

Manlapaz’s stack goes down considerably and is now overtaken by Gomez.

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.

The action folds to chip leader Michael Manlapaz on the D and he once again limps in. It folds to the BB of Patrick Noonan who checks his option.

The unraised pot sees a flop of J♣ 6♥ 3♦ as Noonan checks. Manlapaz leads out for 80,000 and Noonan calls. The turn is the 8♠ as this time, Noonan donks for 150,000. Manlapaz makes the call. The river card is the 8♥ and now further action transpires.

Noonan is first to show and the Irishman tables Q♥ T♣ for a miss while Manlapaz takes it down with 6♠ 4♦ middle pair on the flop.

The loss drops Noonan to just above the one million mark while Manlapaz’s separation from the other seven players behind is becoming more definitive.

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.

Chip leader Michael Manlapaz limps in from UTG and the action folds all the way to Raymundo Gomez in the BB who checks his option.

The unraised pot sees a flop of T♦ 9♥ 5♦ as Gomez checks. Manlapaz leads out for 150,000 and it’s enough to have his compatriot to fold.

On the tenth hand of the Final Table, Raymundo Gomez has it folded to him on the D and raises it up to 125,000 and gets called by chip leader Michael Manlapaz in the SB.

The flop is J♣ T♦ 5♥ as both players check. The turn is the 7♥ and once again both opt to skip this betting street. The river is the 7♦ and this time, Manlapaz bets 125,000. Gomez elects to call.

Manlapaz shows 6♥ 5♠ for bottom pair. Gomez mucks.

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.

Flight A chip leader Han Seung Hyun of Korea is down to his last 100,000 in chips and commits them to the pot from the +1 position. It folds to the Philippines’ Michael Manlapaz who 3-bets all-in for 680,000 and gets called in the BB by fellow Filipino Jay Payuyo.

Han flips over K♠ T♠ while Manlapaz shows Q♣ Q♠ . Payuyo has A♣ K♣ .

The runout goes 7♠ 6♣ 9♦ 9♣ 3♥ as the queens hold for Manlapaz, eliminating Han in 12th place and crippling Payuyo in one swift blow.

Two Filipinos tangle as Michael Manlapaz goes all-in for his last 490,000 from the +1 position and is called by Jay Payuyo on the D.

Manlapaz shows 9♥ 9♣ while Payuyo is in a flip with A♠ T♠ .

The runout goes Q♦ 3♣ 3♥ 3♠ 5♣ as Manlapaz now hits seven figures and drags Payuyo back to six figures.

Big stack Jonathan Duque of the Philippines opens from the HJ for 60,000 but gets re-raised all-in by fellow Filipino Michael Manlapaz for his remaining 140,000 from the D. Duque calls.

Manlapaz tables K♣ Q♥ while Duque has the preflop edge with A♠ 7♣ .

The flop immediately gives the advantage to Manlapaz: K♥ T♥ 9♣ . The turn card is the 6♠ to bring in more outs for Duque as he gets a redraw to a gutshot that never appears as the 5♣ completes the board.

Duque’s stack falls below the million mark for the first time in a couple of orbits and Manlapaz is back in contention.

Big stack Jonathan Duque of the Philippines opens from the HJ for 60,000 but gets re-raised all-in by fellow Filipino Michael Manlapaz for his remaining 140,000 from the D. Duque calls.

Manlapaz tables K♣ Q♥ while Duque has the preflop edge with A♠ 7♣ .

The flop immediately gives the advantage to Manlapaz: K♥ T♥ 9♣ . The turn card is the 6♠ to bring in more outs for Duque as he gets a redraw to a gutshot that never appears as the 5♣ completes the board.

Duque’s stack falls below the million mark for the first time in a couple of orbits and Manlapaz is back in contention.

Michael Manlapaz of the Philippines opens from UTG for 50,000 and it gets folded to the BB of Canada’s Claude Henoud who chooses to defend.

The flop comes 8♦ 7♦ Q♣ as Henoud checks. Manlapaz fires 100,000 and Henoud check-raises all-in for 225,000. Manlapaz folds but not before showing the A♣ .

Three Filipinos are involved in this hand which sees Jonathan Duque open from the HJ for 40,000 and Michael Manlapaz calls from the CO. Jester Intia 3-bets from the D to 130,000 as Duque senses it’s his cue to exit and does. Manlapaz 4-bet shoves his remaining 200,000 and Intia makes the call.

Manlapaz flips over A♥ A♦ while Intia unleashes a few expletives before showing K♦ K♥ . Even the suits are covered.

The runout goes J♥ 8♦ 3♣ 3♠ 9♠ as Manlapaz nears the half century mark and Intia is down to about ten BBs.