Warm-up (5,000 PHP)

The biggest guarantee among the six events slated today at the Manila Super Series 22 had its first qualifying sortie launch as 175 entries were logged in (Event #3A) Warm-Up Flight A with 27 making it through to Day 2 in this PHP780,000 (~US$13,970) GTD event here at Pokerstars Live in Okada Manila.

Among the notable who saw action were Manila Megastack 16 High Roller titlist Niroshan Loganathan from Canada, Pokerstars Open runner-up Kai Danilo Paulsen of Norway, Australia’s Andrew Xu who took down the Super Deep title in Manila Megstack 22 and international campaigners Ronnie Hoffman of the Netherlands, Ireland’s Damien, and Filipino hopefuls in APPT National Open winner Alvir Inocentes, Manila Megastack 19 Super Stack titlist Lenart Ecarma, Manila Super Series 18 Superstack champion Chierro de Leon, and WSOP veteran Tony Abesamis.

The action was riveting from the get-go with the chip trading hands in a frenzying pace until Korea’s Han Seung Hyun came back from certain demise when he shoved his Q♥ J♥ on a Q♣ 8♦ 5♥ Q♠ board and was called by Filipino big stack Segundo Barte who tabled K♥ Q♦ . Han rivered the J♠ to improve to a full houise and claim the overall chip lead that he would not relinquish for the rest of the proceedings.

In the end, the bubble was burst by Japan’s Tomohiro Wada when his steal shove from the SB with 5♦ 4♠ was rewarded by a hit on the flop against the K♥ 7♦ of Cypriot Anastasios Pavlou to ensure that the 27 left would be guaranteed to be ITM.

Han’s stack of 461,000 is closely followed by Wada’s 418,000. Sitting in third is Inocentes with 337,000.

Day 2 is on Sunday at 12:00NN (UCT+8).

Meanwhile, Flight B commences tomorrow (June 7) at 5:00PM.

The action opens from UTG for 6,000 and is followed by a 3-bet shove from Filipino Jonathan Villasis in the +1 position for his last 53,500. William Rogers of England calls from the BB as the original raiser folds.

Villasis tables A♦ Q♥ while Rogers has him crushed with A♠ K♠ .

The runout sealed the win for the Englishman: J♠ 6♣ 2♠ 3♦ 3♣ as Villasis is eliminated and Rogers is just a few hair strands away from the double century chip mark.

The action is opened from UTG to 3,000 as Filipino Alex Taneo calls from the +2 position. It gets folded to the SB where William Rogers of England 3-bet shoves his last 19,500. The initial raiser folds but Taneo makes the call.

Rogers shows A♣ Q♠ (the same hand he chopped with earlier) while Taneo tables K♣ J♥ for live cards.

The runout, however, did not improve the Filipino’s quest: 8♥ 3♣ 5♦ A♠ 4♥ as Rogers finally doubles up.

Joining a hand already ongoing, the board reads T♣ J♦ 8♠ 9♥ and has a pot of 25,400.

William Rogers of England checks and Filipino Anacleto Quijano bets 20,000. Rogers check-raises all-in. Quijano calls.

Quijano shows Q♦ T♥ for a made straight on the turn while Rogers flips A♠ Q♦ for the same straight but needing a King for a higher straight.

The river is the T♦ as both players chop it up.

From the HJ, William Davis Rogers opens for 700 and gets re-raised by Thailand’s Pakkanat Boonlikitchewa from the D. Rogers calls.

The flop is J♣ 9♣ 4♥ as Rogers checks. Boonlikitchewa CBets 5,000 and gets check-raised to 12,000. The Thai player 3-bet shoves for his remaining 20,900 and gets called.

Boonlikitchewa shows Q♦ Q♣ for an over-pair to the board while Rogers tables T♦ 8♦ for an open-ended straight draw that never arrived as the last two community cards go K♦ 5♥ .

Boonlikitchewa almost ties his opponent’s stack with the win.