Main Event (18,500 PHP)

The action folds to the Philippines’ Edilberto Gopez in the HJ who raises to 800,000 and it gets to the D where chip leader Ryuki Shirase 3-bets it to 2,000,000. Gopez is all-in to call and doe decide to pull the trigger for his tournament life.

Shirase shows T♥ T♣ which dwarfs the Filipino’s 8♠ 8♣ .

The runout provides no surprises: 3♥ 9♣ 7♠ K♦ K♣ as Gopez heads to the sidelines and Shirase scalps another.

Korea’s Lim Seyoon is barely still the overall chip leader but remains active as he raises from the +1 position for 250,000 and the action folds to the SB where former chip leader Ryuki Shirase of Japan makes the call.

The flop is 3♦ J♥ 2♥ as Shirase checks. Lim continues for 700,000 and gets called. The turn is the T♠ as the Japanese player checks again. This time, the Korean unloads 800,000 and Shirase stays with it. The river is the 8♦ as now Shirase takes over and fires 1,200,000. Lim tanks and decides to fold.

With the pickup, Shirase takes the chip lead away from Lim.

The Philippines’ Edilberto Gopez and Ryuki Shirase of Japan are at it again as both are all-in preflop with Gopez holding K♠ T♠ and is behind against Shirase’s A♦ Q♥ .

The flop goes 2♦ 5♦ 3♠ while the turn is the 6♠ . Just when it was starting to look bleak for the Filipino, the K♥ appears on the river to give Gopez a full double up and get back on track in the Main Event.

With a pot of already 700,000 and a board reading 7♣ Q♦ 8♠ T♠ 7♥ , former chip leader Ryuki Shirase of Japan pots it against the Philippines’ Edilberto Gopez who calls the 700,000 river bet.

Shirase flips over 8♦ 7♦ for a full house on the turn. Gopez mucks and sees his stack dwindle significantly.

Chip leader Ryuki Shirase of Japan raises it up from the HJ for 170,000 as it gets to the SB where Martin Astorga of the Philippines 3-bet shove for 1,935,000.

Shirase goes into the tank and uses a timebank card. The Japanese players doesn’t continue.

Astorga has picked up three consecutive wins and is trending upward.

Lai Yi-Chi of Taiwan goes for it all via an open shove from UTG for 540,000 as it folds to the HJ where Main Event chip leader Ryuki Shirase re-raises to isolate to 1,500,000. No one calls.

Lai shows 3♥ 3♣ while Shirase has A♣ K♣ .

The flop gives the lead to the Japanese player: A♦ T♠ 9♣ as the cards stay high for the last community cards as the 4♦ and the 9♥ complete the runout as Lai busts and Shirase adds more to his ammunition.

Japan’s Taisuke Niina opens from the +1 position for 40,000 and it folds to the HJ where another Japanese player in big stack Ryuki Shirase makes the call.

The flop comes A♦ J♠ 2♦ as Niina relinquishes the betting lead by checking. Shirase picks it up and bets 35,000. Niina calls. The turn is the 8♦ as Niina checks again. Shirase now ups it to 100,000. Niina still calls. The river is the 7♥ as Niina checks a third time. This time, Shirase goes all-in. He covers his opponent.

Niina goes into the tank and excruciates on his pending decision. Ultimately, Niina folds but not after losing a majority of his stack in the engagement against Shirase whose stack now hovers in the chip lead realm.

Malaysia’s Jonathan Looi opens from UTG for 20,000 and it folds all the way to the SB where fellow big stack Ryuki Shirase of Japan makes the call.

The flop comes 9♣ K♠ A♦ as Shirase checks. Looi continues firing for 15,000 to which his Japanese foe calls. The turn is the 5♦ and this time, it is Shirase leading out for 45,000. The Malaysian calls. The river is the 7♥ as now Shirase unloads 150,000. Looi is compelled to use a timebank card to deliberate and his decision is to fold, but not before Shirase pilfers a considerable portion of his stack.