Main Event (18,500 PHP)

The action open from UTG for 2,500 and a call comes from the +1 position. It folds to the HJ where Japan’s Yasuto Suzuki 3-bets it to 6,500 and then a 4-bet shove comes from the CO of another Japanese player in Yosuke Okada for 13,000. It gets to the SB where Mark Anthony Chua of the Philippines 5-bet shoves to isolate as the two original participants get out of the way. Suzuki snap calls.

Okada turns over 8♥ 8♦ while Chua is coin-flipping with him for his tournament life holding A♣ K♣ . However, both are crushed as Suzuki shows A♥ A♠ . Suzuki covers both of his foes.

The flop doesn’t change the outcome: 4♥ 2♠ J♦ but the turn brings in the Q♣ and before anyone could react, the river card is the T♥ to give Chua a backdoor Broadway straight that officially knocks Okada out and cripples Suzuki as his aces get cracked by the Filipino to send his stack to the ICU.

India’s Nikhil Gutta has reloaded and is raising from UTG to 2,500 as he gets called in the HJ. On the D, Gosuke Harado of Japan moves all-in for his last 10,400 and it folds back to Gutta who makes the call. The HJ folds.

Harada shows A♠ Q♦ while the Indian is live with T♠ 9♦ .

The first four community cards favor the Japanese player at risk: 3♠ 6♥ 6♠ 4♥ but then the river card is the 9♥ to boot out Harada for now and install Gutta as a member of the century chip mark on his second bullet.