Main Event (18,500 PHP)

From UTG, the Philippines’ Hernan Villa opens for 13,000 and right beside him in the +1 position, Russia’s John Daenzel David 3-bet shoves his remaining stack of 60,000. It folds back to Villa who calls.

David turns over A♠ Q♠ while the Filipino is live with K♦ J♠ .

Villa takes the lead on the flop: 7♣ J♥ 3♥ and there was no bounce back for David as the last two community cards are the 6♦ and the 6♥ .

Villa is now hanging with the big stacks as Day 1A is down to four eliminations before ending.

Russia’s John Daenzel David raises it up from UTG for 11,000 and it fold all the way to the BB where Akhil Narain Bahadur chooses to defend.

The flop comes 8♦ 4♥ 9♦ as Bahadur checks. David continues for 5,000 and gets called. The turn is the 7♣ as the Indian checks again. David now makes it 15,000 to go but is met with a check-raise all-in for Bahadur’s remaining 78,000. The Russian makes the snap call.

Bahadur unveils 9♠ 7♦ for two pairs on the turn while David shows A♣ A♠ .

The river card does not pair the board as the T♦ makes the cracking of aces official for Bahadur as the loss derails David’s previous momentum.

The Philippines’ Junj Irineo limps in from UTG and successfully makes this an unraised pot with multiple players joining from the D, the SB and the BB.

The flop is T♥ 9♠ 6♥ as John Daenzel David of Russia leads out from the SB for 4,000. Irineo calls as the other players fold. It is now Heads-Up to the turn which produces the 6♣ as David fires again, this time for 7,000. The Filipino still calls. The river is the A♣ as once again David unloads, this time for 11,500. Irineo still calls.

David flips over J♥ J♣ while Irineo shows A♥ 8♦ for what initially was a gutshot that turned into top pair on the river.

Fortunately for the Russian, he still is among the big stacks.