Warm-up (5,000 PHP)

Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Dong An limps in from the +1 position and is met by a shove from Filipina Alma Aguila for her last 17,000. It gets to the CO where Anastasios Pavlou of Cyprus makes the call. Nguyen folds.

Aguila tables 5♠ 5♥ while Pavlou has two over cards with A♦ J♣ .

The window card immediately makes it even a steeper uphill climb for the Cypriot as the 5♦ shows along with the A♠ and the 7♠ to give Aguila bottom set. Needing running cards to come from behind, the turn card is the 8♦ to effectively shutdown Pavlou’s chances. The river card is the 4♣ to make it another official double up for Aguila who continues to stay afloat.

Alma Aguila of the Philippines opens from the CO for 2,500 and gets re-raised all-in by American Amir Fateh for his last 14,000. The Filipina makes the call.

Fateh turns over J♠ 9♠ while Aguila has K♥ Q♣ .

The first three community cards gave the American a sliver of hope: T♠ 7♥ K♦ as he flops a gutshot. However, the next two were of no help: 3♦ A♥ .

With the elimination of Fateh, Aguila’s roller coaster ride on her solitary bullet continues.

Following a raising battle preflop, Filipina Alma Aguila finds herself in a coin-flip against her Japanese opponent Daichi Miyata as the cards are tabled. Aguila shows A♣ K♠ while Miyata has J♠ J♥ .

Miyata dodges everything: 8♣ 6♣ Q♥ 9♣ Q♠ .

The double up for Miyata brings him just a tad above the starting stack.

Joining a hand already in progress, the board reads 2♣ 3♠ 2♠ 8♥ with a pot of already 12,800.

Alma Aguila of the Philippines checks her option from UTG while fellow Filipino Alex Yao bets 4,600 from the +2 position. Korea’s Jaehyoun Ahn calls from the CO as Aguila also calls. The river card is the 7♥ . Aguila checks again and this time, Yao ships it for his remaining 17,700. Ahn also shoves for his last 14,800. The Filipina snap calls.

Yao shows 3♥ 3♦ for a boat on the flop while A♥ has K♣ Q♦ for a complete miss.

Aguila turns over 2♦ 2♥ for quads on the flop and the cooler send Yao to the sidelines, joined by Ahn.

Aguila now has almost 80,000 in chips and we’re still in Level 1.