Main Event (18,500 PHP)

Hand #22: The action folds to the blinds where Marcos shoves from the SB and gets promptly called by Laxamana in the BB.

Marcos flips over 4♦ 4♥ while Laxamana shows A♦ 4♠ .

The flop goes J♦ 4♣ 8♠ as Marcos completes a set on the case card to have his opponent drawing dead. The last two community cards are the J♠ and the 7♦ as six players remain all guaranteed PhP590,000 (~US$10,500).

Hand #8: Tan raises from the HJ to 400,000 and gets on the BB by Laxamana.

The flop goes Q♠ 8♠ K♥ as Laxamana checks. Tan bets 400,000 and gets called. The turn is the 7♣ as Laxamana checks again. Tan goes all-in. Laxamana folds.

Martin Astorga of the Philippines has it folded to him in the CO and limps in. It folds to the SB where big stack and fellow Filipino raises it to 250,000. Astorga calls.

The flop comes J♣ A♦ K♦ as Laxamana chooses to check. Astorga seizes the betting lead for 350,000 and gets called. The turn is the 3♣ and this time both check. The river card is the Q♥ Laxamana bets 1,200,000 as Astorga opts to fold.

With the conquest, Laxamana grabs the chip lead from Lim Seyoo for the time being.

The Philippines’ Martin Astorga opens it from the +1 position for 90,000 as right beside in the +2 position, Kim Seunghyun of Korea 3-bet shoves for his last 295,000. At the CO, another Filipino in Marlon Laxamana makes the call. Astorga joins.

The flop comes 3♠ 5♠ 4♠ as Astorga checks. Laxamana goes all-in and Astorga gets the message and folds.

Kim turns over A♦ J♥ while Laxamana shows K♠ K♣ .

The last two community cards do not produce the Ace Kim needs as the T♣ and the 9♣ rail Kim and as Laxaman enters the chip lead convo.

Martin Astorga of the Philippines opens from the +2 position for 125,000 and gets re-raised on the D by fellow Filipino Marlon Laxamana to 300,000. Astorga calls.

The flop is K♦ A♥ 9♦ as Astorga instantly goes all-in for his last 185,000. Laxamana calls.

Astorga shows A♦ Q♦ for top pair with the nut flush draw while Laxamana tables J♣ J♦ . The last two community cards are the 7♠ and the 6♣ as Astorga gets the double up and re-enters the one million chip mark.

The action folds to the D where Tiwanon Suksumek raises it up to 25,000. It gets re-raised in the SB by the Philippines’ Marlon Laxamana to 70,000. Back it goes to Suksumek who 4-bet shoves for his last 283,000. Laxamana makes the snap call.

Suksumek shows J♠ J♥ and has a 25% chance to win against Laxamana’s K♥ K♠ .

The runout goes 3♥ 7♣ 4♣ 9♠ 5♣ as the Thai player bows out and Laxamana inches closer to the chip lead currently held by fellow Filipino David Lenard Ang.

The action folds to the HJ where the Philippines’ Ferdinand Lu makes a raise to 27,000. It folds to the B where another Filipino in Marlon Laxamana declares that he is all-in. Lu knows he is covered but makes the call anyay.

Laxamana unfurls A♣ 7♥ and learns that it is a severe underdog to Lu’s A♦ K♥ .

The flop, however, goes in favor of the underdog: 3♥ 7♣ 8♣ . Down to a three-outer for his tournament life, Lu sees the turn card is the 2♣ and the river is a face card, but it’s the J♥ .

Lu is sent packing as Laxamana is now in the big stack conversation.

Going all-in preflop are Marlon Laxamana of the Philippines from the +1 position for his remaining stack of 102,000 and gets called by American Leon Steward from the HJ. No one else joins.

Laxamana tables Q♣ Q♥ while Steward has one over-card with A♣ Q♣ .

The runout goes 4♥ J♣ 4♦ 2♠ 2♥ as Steward misses and has his stack decimated.