Philippines, Okada ManilaEVENT #49

2026.03.05 - 2026.03.08Add to Calendar

PokerStars Live

Blind level

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Entries

49/316

Total Chips

9,480,000

Average

193,469

Follow Somuchpoker on Facebook and Instagram for more video updates.

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 4:10:30 PM

Ziqiang Shi Tops The 47 Survivors Of Flight C

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Ziqiang Shi

A total of 316 entries filled up the tables at the PokerStars Live poker room at the Okada Manila to participate in the Manila Megastack 24 Main Event, which came with a PHP 45,000 buyin for a PHP 20 million guarantee.

The guarantee was eventually breached by Flight C, which held the biggest attendance among all four flights. Flight D turbo is still ongoing, but registration closed with 153 total entries to improve the total prize pool to an astounding PHP 33,313,680.

From the 316 Flight C entries, only the top 47 survivors bagged their chips at the end of the night to advance to tomorrow's Day 2 final. Each of the survivors from all flights are guaranteed a minimum cash with the final payouts still to be determined.

Sitting on the chip leader throng among the Flight C survivors is China's Ziqiang Shi with 753,000 chips. His closest rival, at a very distant second, is South Korea's Seoha Lee with 480,000. Rounding up the podium is Chase Cokaliong of the Philippines with 453,000.

Chase Cokaliong bumped himself up with some aggressive bubble play, shoving all in with Big Slick to score some blinds, and in the following hand, raising with ace-ten suited, but finding no callers to scoop more blinds to squeak him into the third spot.

Ziqiang Shi built his stack by knocking out Emmanuel Segismundo in the later stages and then scoring a double elimination of Juden Francisco and Ono Shintaro to catapult him into the chip lead.

The main highlight of the day was the night-ending bubble hand that saw Ryo Miyata's aces get cracked by the kings of Emmanuel Derecho. A king on the flop gave Derecho the lead and went on the way to eliminate Miyata as the bubble boy and sending all 47 survivors to the Day 2 final.

Some notable players who also advanced to Day 2 were Justin Ong (317,000), Tom Verbruggen (222,000) Edwards Lawford (144,000) and Sung Choun Joo (76,000)

The Day 2 final will resume tomorrow Sunday, March 8 at 12 noon local time.

To see some highlight reels of today's Flight C action, please visit the Somuchpoker Instagram or Facebook pages. Don't forget to like and follow us there.

Click HERE for the full chip counts of Flight C survivors.

Here are the top ten chip counts:

Player	Chips
ZS Ziqiang ShiPhilippines	753,000(126 BB)
SL Seoha LeeSouth Korea	480,000(80 BB)
CC Chase CokaliongPhilippines	453,000(76 BB)
JS Juhyung SonSouth Korea	437,000(73 BB)
KJ Kyungsun JungSouth Korea	412,000(69 BB)
JM Jeong MinwoongSouth Korea	401,000(67 BB)
JL Jessie LeonarezPhilippines	347,000(58 BB)
RV Rogelio Villarin Jr.Philippines	346,000(58 BB)
JO Justin OngPhilippines	317,000(53 BB)
MS Moses SaquingPhilippines	296,000(49 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 4:08:43 PM

Play Has Paused

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Following the elimination of Ryo Miyata as the bubble boy, the tournament director has put a stop to play with the remaining 47 players advancing to tomorrow's Day 2 final.

Stay here for a recap of today's events, which will include highlights and the top chip counts.

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 3:57:08 PM

And It's All Over! Ryo Miyata Is The Bubble Boy

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Ryo Miyata and Emmanuel Derecho

Cooler Alert!

Ryo Miyata had all his chips all in against Emmanuel Derecho, who had him covered.

In spectacular poker drama...

Ryo Miyata: A♠ A♥

Emmanuel Derecho: K♥ K♦

The dealer fanned a flop of 6♥ K♣ 9♦, giving Derecho a set to overtake the rockets, also generating a bunch of "ooohs" from those surrounding the bubble action.

The turn was an 8♣ which dimmed the hopes of Miyata.

The river T♠ offered no miracle for Miyata, ending his main event campaign as the bubble boy, and sending the remaining 47 survivors through to the Day 2 final.

Player	Chips
ED Emmanuel DerechoAustralia	233,000(39 BB)
RM Ryo MiyataJapan	busted

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 3:55:26 PM

We Are Now On The Bubble!

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

The elimination of Saud Aldaghaisham on the soft bubble made the dealer announce that hand-for-hand play will begin as the last elimination of the evening looms.

Player	Chips
SA Saud AldaghaishamKuwait	busted

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 3:51:14 PM

Lee Puts Pressure on Jho

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

The pot was more than 160,000 beside a complete board of Q♣ 7♣ K♦ 2♠ Q♥

In contention were Seoha Lee in early position and Ingeun Jho on the cutoff.

Lee was first to act and fired a decent 34,000. Jho snap folded, awarding the massive pot to Lee.

Player	Chips
SL Seoha LeeSouth Korea	450,000(75 BB)
IJ Ingeun JhoSouth Korea	109,000(18 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 3:44:42 PM

Small Blind Power Play

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Mc Yeldarb Mantos

Action folded all the way to Youngsu Choi in the small blind, who open-jammed all in, covering the stack of Mc Mantos on the big blind.

Mantos tanked, looked at his cards, considered his chips and considered the wisdom of folding.

Player	Chips
YC Youngsu ChoiSouth Korea	96,000(16 BB)
MY Mc Yeldarb MantosPhilippines	41,000(7 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 3:35:08 PM

Francisco And Shintaro Out

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Juden Francisco

Apparently just right before the break, there was a hand that resulted in double eliminations. Both getting knocked out at the same time were Juden Francisco and Onno Shintaro.

Two more busts before the remaining 47 are in the money.

Player	Chips
JF Juden FranciscoPhilippines	busted
OS Ono ShintaroJapan	busted

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 49/316

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 3:29:07 PM

Last Break!

Break

The remaining players will take the last 10-minute break of the day. Certainly, the four eliminations needed will come soon.

Stay tuned, the bubble is about to burst!

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 3:14:53 PM

Stacks At Risk

Level 16: 2,000 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Wipat Udomkanjananan

We did a quick scan around the room to search for the shortest stacks, who are at the bottom four and could be the candidates up for elimination, so the top 47 survivors can make it through to tomorrow's Day 2 final.

These are the shortest stacks:

Player	Chips
WU Wipat UdomkanjanananThailand	73,500(15 BB)
SL Seyoon LimSouth Korea	65,000(13 BB)
VL Vitalii LisovskiiRussia	54,000(11 BB)
SY Sho YamamotoJapan	50,500(10 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 3:01:14 PM

Shi Flips Out Segismundo

Level 16: 2,000 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Ziqiang Shi

Ziqiang Shi opened from early position for 12,000. Muneyasu Suzuki called on the hijack. Emmanuel Segismundo jammed all-in for 73,000 on the button.

Shi called and Suzuki stepped down.

Emmanuel Segismundo: T♥ T♣

Ziqiang Shi: A♦ J♣

The poker gods threw a board of K♥ 7♥ 9♣ A♥ 3♠

The flop was promising for Segismundo, but the ace on the turn killed his hopes and went on to end his main event campaign.

Segismundo's elimination brings the total entries down to 52 players. Five more eliminations are needed to reach the magic 47, who will advance to Day 2.

Other recent busts include Shinryo Nonin, Patrick Furlong, Bernard Vu, Jason Ng Tze Wei , Suk Hyang Jun and Mark Remnant.

Player	Chips
ZS Ziqiang ShiPhilippines	424,000(85 BB)
ES Emmanuel SegismundoPhilippines	busted
SN Shinryo NoninJapan	busted
PF Patrick FurlongIreland	busted
BV Bernard VuFrance	busted
JN Jason Ng Tze WeiSingapore	busted
SH Suk Hyang JunSouth Korea	busted
MR Mark RemnantUnited Kingdom	busted

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 2:55:13 PM

Saquing Squeezes Nakamura

Level 16: 2,000 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Moses Saquing

Moses Saquing opened for 10,000 from under the gun. Katsunori Nakamura three-bet raised to 25,000 from the cutoff.

Saquing bade his team before finally making the call.

The dealer opened a flop of 4♠ 4♣ 2♣

Saquing went into slo-mo dramatic action mode and carefully placed in his last 57,000 chips in the middle.

Nakamura tanked a bit, looked at his cards, counted his chips, realized he was covered and decided to not risk it all.

Player	Chips
MS Moses SaquingPhilippines	109,000(22 BB)
KN Katsunori NakamuraJapan	55,500(11 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 2:44:09 PM

Gone Too Soon

Level 16: 2,000 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Rodolf Ramo

We are inching closer towards the bubble with 57 entries still competing for 47 ITM slots.

Some of those who have ended their journey, but can no longer continue are Pan Yao, Rodolf Ramo, Andrew Xu, Seunghee Park, Alexis Lim, Sheung Chau Chan, Koji Okazaki, Hyuto Kodama and Katsumi Oka.

Player	Chips
PY Pan YaoChina	busted
RR Rodolf RamoPhilippines	busted
AX Andrew XuAustralia	busted
SP Seunghee ParkSouth Korea	busted
SC Sheung Chau ChanHong Kong	busted
KO Koji OkazakiJapan	busted
HK Hyuto KodamaJapan	busted
KO Katsumi OkaJapan	busted

Level 16: 2,000 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 57/316

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 2:34:37 PM

Suk Hyang Jun Is The Last Woman Standing (Seated)

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

Suk Hyang Jun

Suk Hyang Jun of South Korea made her debut into the world of multi-table tournament (MTT) poker just in this series. On her debut, she already made two cashes this series - a 15th place finish in the PHP 5,000 Knockout Bounty and and a 10th place finish in the PHP 15,000 Knockout Bounty.

Incidentally, those are her only two official Hendon Mob entries.

Right now, she is still seated with a very critical stack of 38,500 chips.

Player	Chips
SH Suk Hyang JunSouth Korea	38,500(10 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 2:28:42 PM

Minwoong's Set Sends Lim To The Rail

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

Jeong Minwoong and Alexis Lim

We didn't catch the action, but had enough time to do a forensic of the card scene while Alexis Lim took a picture of his elimination hand.

Alexis Lim: A♠ K♠

Jeong Minwoong: T♥ T♣

Board completed J♠ 5♣ T♠ K♥ 6♥

Minwoong made a set on the flop. Lim hit his king and gained an out for a straight, but the river bricked him, sending him to the rail despite a valiant run.

Player	Chips
JM Jeong MinwoongSouth Korea	323,000(81 BB)
AL Alexis LimPhilippines	busted

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 67/316

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 2:04:33 PM

Leonarez Bags A Double Up

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

Jessie Leonarez

Pak Hei Kevin Lau opened for 6,000 from early position. Jessie Leonarez was on the hijack and moved allin for his last 23,000. Lau obliged.

Leonarez showed A♥ K♠ against the 5♣ 5♥ of Lau.

The flop showed an A♠, pairing Leonarez to take the lead and maintain throughout for a critical double-up.

Player	Chips
PH Pak Hei Kevin LauHong Kong	232,000(77 BB)
JL Jessie LeonarezPhilippines	61,000(20 BB)

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 84/316

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 1:01:39 PM

Miyata Removes Rivera In Blind Battle

Level 13: 1,000 / 2,500 ante: 2,500

Euryd Rivera

Action folded to the blinds when Euryd Rivera moved all in for his last 21,000. Ryo Miyata had the chips and made the call.

Euryd Rivera: J♥ T♠

Ryo Miyata: K♣ T♦

The flop arrived T♦ 9♠ 7♠ with both hitting top pair. Rivera was behind but earned a gutshot straight draw.

The turn was a K♦ that gave Miyata two pair, but also improved Rivera's outs to include an open-ended straight draw.

Rivera hoped for a miracle on the river to stay alive but the poker gods threw a 6♣ brick that ended his main event run.

Player	Chips
RM Ryo MiyataJapan	217,000(87 BB)
ER Euryd RiveraPhilippines	busted

Ryo Miyata

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 12:46:45 PM

Jung Stretches Chip Lead

Level 13: 1,000 / 2,500 ante: 2,500

Kyungsun Jung

A quick trip around the Main Event area showed that Kyungsun Jung of South Korea is still on the chip leader throne and has even extended his towering wall of chips to 427,500 - the only player so far who has breached the 400K mark.

Here are some other random big stacks we encountered:

Player	Chips
KJ Kyungsun JungSouth Korea	427,500(171 BB)
AK Akihiro KawaguchiJapan	321,000(128 BB)
MM Michael ManlapazPhilippines	285,000(114 BB)
RV Rogelio VillarinPhilippines	265,000(106 BB)
JS Juhyung SonSouth Korea	252,000(101 BB)
SH Seung Hyun HanSouth Korea	232,000(93 BB)
PO Phenix OesterstroemSweden	215,000(86 BB)

Level 13: 1,000 / 2,500 ante: 2,500

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 84/316

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 12:37:47 PM

Manlapaz Ends Acdal's Journey

Level 12: 1,000 / 2,000 ante: 2,000

Michael Manlapaz

Michael Manlapaz and AJ Acdal were looking at a board of 3♣ 3♠ 4♦ 3♦ beside a pot of around 60,000.

Acdal checked his option and Manlapaz fired out a bet of 25,000. Acdal then jammed his remaining 55,000 or so chips and Manlapaz fired in a chip to call.

Acdal peeled open T♦ T♠ for a boat of threes over tens.

Manlapaz showed K♥ K♣ for a better boat.

The dealer threw a 3♥ on the river, giving both players quads, but Manlapaz held with the better kicker, sending Acdal out of the main event.

Player	Chips
MM Michael ManlapazPhilippines	285,000(143 BB)
AA Aj AcdalPhilippines	busted

Aj Cris Acdal

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 12:11:31 PM

A Moment Of Silence

Level 12: 1,000 / 2,000 ante: 2,000

Henrik Tollefsen

From the 316 total entries of Flight C, there are only 100 remaining in their main event campaign.

Some of the recent eliminations include the likes of Lenart Ecarma, Henrik Tollefsen, Christopher Chua, Cassidy Battikha, Yohn Paredes, David Saab, Vivencio Nachor Jr., Takashi Sakuma, Tsubasa Shiina, Oliver Wurzbacher, Xiang Jun Thomas Po, Junji Yoshinaga, Marvin Cerbito, Lemmor Patulot, Seungyeop Han, Marlon Laxamana, Ryu Ueda, Dakota Leath Anderson, Chin Hei Chan and Hyunsik Nam.

Gods of Poker founder Lloyd Fontillas also took the tables, but has also vacated his seat.

Player	Chips
LF Lloyd FontillasPhilippines	busted
LE Lenart EcarmaPhilippines	busted
HT Henrik TollefsenNorway	busted
CC Christopher ChuaPhilippines	busted
CB Cassidy BattikhaCanada	busted
YP Yohn ParedesPeru	busted
DS David SaabAustralia	busted
VN Vivencio Nachor Jr.Philippines	busted
TS Takashi SakumaJapan	busted
TS Tsubasa ShiinaJapan	busted
OW Oliver WurzbacherGermany	busted
XJ Xiang Jun Thomas PoHong Kong	busted
JY Junji YoshinagaJapan	busted
MC Marvin CerbitoPhilippines	busted
LP Lemmor PatulotPhilippines	busted
SH Seungyeop HanSouth Korea	busted
ML Marlon LaxamanaPhilippines	busted
RU Ryu UedaJapan	busted
DA Dakota AndersonUnited States of America	busted
CH Chin Hei ChanHong Kong	busted
HN Hyunsik NamSouth Korea	busted

Level 12: 1,000 / 2,000 ante: 2,000

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 100/316

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 12:03:13 PM

Burzio Pressures Praisman

Level 11: 1,000 / 1,500 ante: 1,500

Andrea Burzio

Andrea Burzio of Italy was under the gun and was competing against Israel's Arie Praisman two seats over.

Both players had a completed board of J♣ 2♦ A♣ Q♥ 8♦ with a pot of over 50,000.

Burzio led out for 20,000.

Praisman tanked, took a look at his cards and studied the board. He finally mucked his hand forcefully, utterly disappointed.

Player	Chips
AB Andrea BurzioItaly	97,000(65 BB)
AP Arie PraismanIsrael	69,000(46 BB)

Arie Praisman

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 11:55:58 AM

Popov Takes Out Xiong In Blind Battle

Level 11: 1,000 / 1,500 ante: 1,500

Slaven Popov

Cheng Xiong was on the small blind up against Slaven Popov on the big blind. A pot of 40,000 was in the middle beside a completed board of 5♣ T♠ 7♦ 4♦ 9♦

Xiong led out for his last 12,000 and Popov made the call.

Xiong tabled 9♣ 6♦ for a pair of nines while Popov showed T♣ 8♥ for a pair of tens, which was enough to scoop the pot and eliminate Xiong from the main event.

Player	Chips
SP Slaven PopovBulgaria	93,000(62 BB)
CX Cheng XiongUnited States of America	busted

Cheng Xiong

Level 11: 1,000 / 1,500 ante: 1,500

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 138/315

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 11:13:37 AM

Registration Is Officially Closed

Level 11: 1,000 / 1,500 ante: 1,500

Registration has officially closed for Flight C with a total of 316 entries. The total prize pool so far has reached PHP 27,420,390, surpassing the original PHP 20 million guarantee. There is still one more flight to play this evening, so those numbers will still improve.

Meanwhile, this flight will be playing down to the top 47 survivors, who will advance to tomorrow's Day 2 final and will be guaranteed a minimum cash.

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 11:07:44 AM

Jung Sits On Chip Leader Throne

Level 11: 1,000 / 1,500 ante: 1,500

Kyungsun Jung

We were able to do a quick scan around the room to find some stacks that stood out. So far, it seemed that Kyungsun Jung of South Korea has the biggest stack with around 255,000.

These are not official, but these are some of the big stacks we encountered.

Player	Chips
KJ Kyungsun JungSouth Korea	255,000(170 BB)
SH Seung Hyun HanSouth Korea	226,700(151 BB)
YP Yohn ParedesPeru	222,400(148 BB)
RM Ryo MiyataJapan	164,300(110 BB)
CC Chase CokaliongPhilippines	147,100(98 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 11:04:14 AM

Break Time!

Break

Players are going on a short 10-minute break. It's also the last 10 minutes before registration officially closes for Flight C.

The final Flight D Turbo will be opened later at 8PM local time.

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 10:59:56 AM

Brazinskis Applies The Pressure

Level 10: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

Aurimas Brazinskis

A pre-flop pot of around 14,000 was built between Rodelo Pabalate from under the gun and big blind Aurimas Brazinskis.

The flop arrived A♠ K♥ 7♣

Brazinskis led out for 3,000 and was called by Pabalate

The dealer opened a 5♦ on the turn

Brazinksis continued for 6,000 and Pabalate declared, "I surrender!" showing pocket fours before mucking.

Pabalate said, "For sure you have an ace."

Brazinskis just smiled while stacking his chips.

Player	Chips
AB Aurimas BrazinskisLithuania	64,600(54 BB)
RP Rodelo PabalatePhilippines	49,300(41 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 10:31:03 AM

Droppin' Like It's Hot

Level 10: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

Lloyd Locsin

There are a total of 306 entries so far with registration still open for this level. There are 150 players still on their seats.

Some of the recently fallen include the likes of Jan Christian Albea, Hiroshi Tamura, Lloyd Locsin, Masakazu Miyamoto, Takashi Sakuma, Alen Bakovic, Kim Enriquez, Michael Gabby Concepcion, Alexey Malitskiy, Christopher Mateo, Jeonguk Lee, Hideo Sawai and Lim Younhyuck.

Locsin, Sakuma and Concepcion have already re-entered, while the others still have until the end of the level to consider their options.

Player	Chips
LL Lloyd LocsinPhilippines	30,000(25 BB)
TS Takashi SakumaJapan	30,000(25 BB)
MG Michael Gabby ConcepcionPhilippines	30,000(25 BB)
JC Jan Christian AlbeaPhilippines	busted
HT Hiroshi TamuraJapan	busted
MM Masakazu MiyamotoJapan	busted
AB Alen BakovicCanada	busted
KE Kim EnriquezPhilippines	busted
AM Alexey MalitskiyRussia	busted
CM Christopher MateoPhilippines	busted
JL Jeonguk LeeSouth Korea	busted
HS Hideo SawaiJapan	busted
LY Lim YounhyuckSouth Korea	busted

Level 10: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 150/306

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 10:23:42 AM

Remnant Forces Critical Fold For Calingasan

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

Mark Remnant

Carlo Calingasan was on early position against Mark Remnant two seats over. Both players were looking at a pot of 42,000 beside a board that showed Q♠ 9♣ J♦ J♣

Calingasan tapped his option over to Remnant, who fired 15,000 in the middle.

Calingasan tanked and then stacked his chips about to push them forward when he saw Remnant reaching for chips ready to make the call.

Calingasan stepped on the breaks and took his hand away.

Remnant asked "is that a bet?"

And Calingasan responded by pulling his stack back and riffled his chips.

He took a look at his cards and we couldn't help but notice (standing right behind him) that he had pocket kings.

Calingasan continued to go into deep thought and wondered who the brave soul was that first decided to eat a monster alien-looking King Crab. Eventually, the floor called time on Calingasan. A♠ the countdown reached five... four... three... Calingasan mucked his hand.

Player	Chips
MR Mark RemnantUnited Kingdom	116,300(97 BB)
CC Carlo CalingasanPhilippines	27,800(23 BB)

Carlo Calingasan

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 9:39:21 AM

Almost At 300

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

There are a total of 299 entries so far with registration still open until the end of Level 10. Certainly, the 300 mark will be hit sooner or later.

Meanwhile, some of the recent additions include Christopher "Big Time" Mateo, who has over USD 1.29 million in total live earnings. Mateo has had a lot of success in main event tournaments. His biggest live cash came from the APPT Manila 2023 Main Event, where he placed second for USD 180,524.

Mateo's biggest main event win was in the APPT Cambodia 2024 Main Event, where he banked USD 126,500. He also won the APT Manila 2019 Main Event for over USD 80,000. He also bagged a huge main event runner-up finishe during APT Philippines 2022. So if there's anyone who knows how to navigate a main event, then count on Mateo to make it through.

Tak Sin Alex Chong of Hong Kong also took a seat. With over USD 180,000 in total live earnings, Chong made his mark in the Philippines by topping the PokerStars Red Dragon event during the APPT Manila Championship, where he pocketed his biggest live cash of over USD 68,000.

Meanwhile, some entries firing another bullet into this flight include the likes of Tom Verbruggen, Czardy Rivera, Emmanuel Derecho, Rene Mar "Revo" David and Anna Albitskaia.

Player	Chips
CM Christopher MateoPhilippines	30,000(25 BB)
TS Tak Sin Alex ChongHong Kong	30,000(25 BB)
TV Tom VerbruggenNetherlands	30,000(25 BB)
CR Czardy RiveraPhilippines	30,000(25 BB)
ED Emmanuel DerechoAustralia	30,000(25 BB)
RM Rene Mar DavidPhilippines	30,000(25 BB)
AA Anna AlbitskaiaRussia	30,000(25 BB)

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 163/299

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 9:32:31 AM

Marzan's Kings Get Full Pay From Han

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

Edwin Marzan

Seung Hyun Han opened for 2,000 from under the gun and Edwin Marzan jammed all in from the hijack for his last 23,100. Han thought about it, looked at his monster chip-leading stack and decided to make the call.

Edwin Marzan: K♥ K♦

Seung Hyun Han: Q♣ T♣

The flop came Q♦ 5♥ K♣, pairing Han, but giving Marzan a commanding set.

Han was drawing dead on the 6♣ turn and the 5♦ was a formality on the river to officially ship the double up to Marzan.

Player	Chips
SH Seung Hyun HanSouth Korea	113,600(114 BB)
EM Edwin MarzanPhilippines	48,700(49 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 9:24:24 AM

Villa's Big Slick Doubles

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

Hernan Villa

Marciel Cerbito opened for 2,000 from early position. Hernan Villa then jammed all in from the hijack for 13,300. Cerbito made the call.

Hernan Villa: A♣ K♣

Marciel Cerbito: K♥ Q♥

The flop came 3♥ J♦ T♥ giving Cerbito 14 outs (9 hearts, 2 aces, 3 nines) to win the pot and eliminate Villa. However, the run out threw a 6♣ and 5♣, giving Villa the double up and leaving Cerbito the ICU with crumbs.

Player	Chips
HV Hernan VillaPhilippines	29,100(29 BB)
MC Marciel CerbitoPhilippines	9,600(10 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 9:13:04 AM

Han Holds Chip Leader Crown

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

Seung Hyun Han

During the break, we managed to do a quick lap around the Main Event area at the PokerStars Live room here in Okada Manila and determined that Seung Hyun Han held the chip lead with 135,000 chips.

In this series, Han recently bagged a runner-up finish in the PHP 25,000 Survivor Knockout and then topped the PHP 15,000 Knockout Bounty after an ICM deal.

Although this is unofficial, some of the other big stacks we found were:

Player	Chips
PO Phenix OesterstroemSweden	1,114,200(1114 BB)
SH Seung Hyun HanSouth Korea	135,000(135 BB)
GN Gimo NgSingapore	116,100(116 BB)
JO Justin OngPhilippines	115,800(116 BB)
CC Chase CokaliongPhilippines	109,400(109 BB)
BS Billy SorianoPhilippines	108,000(108 BB)
HK Hyuto KodamaJapan	105,000(105 BB)

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 173/268

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 8:54:24 AM

Break Time!

Break

There are still 173 players with chips and a seat and will be taking a breather for ten minutes before play resumes again.

Registraetion still remains open until the end of level 10. There are 268 total entries recorded so far with Flight D still to play this evening.

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 8:42:01 AM

It's Getting Hot In Here

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

Vishrant Goyal

The heat isn't coming from the poker action, but from the number of players that are crowding around the PokerStars Live area with the total entries shooting up to 266 with 179 players still with seats.

Some of the new additions include India's Vishrant Goyal, who just began taking poker professionally again this year. So far, this 2026, Goyal already made six cashes that include five final table appearances and two titles from Poker Dream 20 last February, winning the Mini Main Event and the Big-O Hi-Lo. In this series, Goyal finished as a runner-up in the NLH Megastack Hyper Turbo side event.

Pak Hei Kevin Lau of Hong Kong has also taken a seat. In this series, Lau has already bagged two titles and a third place finish. Lau won the PHP 5,000 NLH - Knockout and the Showtime Hyper Turbo. He placed third in the PHP 20,000 NLH Hyper Turbo.

Lau has over USD 30,000 in total live earnings since he began taking poker more seriously in January 2025. Since then, he has toured all over Asia, making ITM in places like Taipei, Jeju, Macau, Hong Kong and Manila.

Player	Chips
VG Vishrant GoyalIndia	30,000(38 BB)
PH Pak Hei Kevin LauHong Kong	30,000(38 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 8:37:16 AM

Saquing Scores A Double

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

Moses Saquing

Action went to Jessie Leonarez, who opened for 2,000 on the hijack. Moses Saquing was on the button and three-bet raised to 6,500. Leonarez then moved all in, covering the stack of Saquing. Saquing didn't hesitate and risked his last 19,300 with a call.

Moses Saquing: A♣ Q♠

Jessie Leonarez: T♣ T♠

The flop opened Q♣ 7♣ 7♦, immediately giving Saquing the lead with a better two pair after hitting the queen. The turn K♠ and river 6♥ did not improve Leonarez and Saquing made an important double up, while doing some damage to Leonarez.

Player	Chips
MS Moses SaquingPhilippines	42,600(53 BB)
JL Jessie LeonarezPhilippines	22,100(28 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 8:32:47 AM

Amsic Takes From Park

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

Soun Young Park

A healthy pre-flop pot of 9,000 was built by Soun Young Park on the lowjack and Jun Amsic on the hijack.

The dealer fanned a flop of A♠ T♠ 3♦

Park tapped his option over to Amsic, who continued with a bet of 5,100.

Park analyzed the board, looked at his cards, stared again at the board and eventually gave up his hand with a heavy sigh, also surrendering the pot to Amsic.

Player	Chips
JA Jun AmsicPhilippines	43,400(54 BB)
SY Soun Young ParkSouth Korea	32,300(40 BB)

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 182/240

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 7:59:21 AM

Gimo Gives Garcia THE Pressure

Level 6: 300 / 600 ante: 600

Gimo Ng

A preflop pot of around 14,000 was built between Gimo Ng on the hijack and Jonald Garcia on the small blind.

The flop landed T♥ 5♦ T♦ . Garcia checked his option over to Ng, who just shoved all his chips in the middle, covering the remaining stack of Garcia.

Garcia tanked for what seemed like generations, probably having an out of body experience and floating off to the ether for answers. Ng remained stoic and stiff, not moving a single muscle.

When Garcia came back to his body, he took one last look at his cards before finally folding.

Player	Chips
GN Gimo NgSingapore	56,700(95 BB)
JG Jonald GarciaPhilippines	20,300(34 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 7:46:59 AM

But Wait... There's More!

Level 6: 300 / 600 ante: 600

The total number of entries has ballooned to 229 with several levels still left open for registration. This flight has officially become the most well-attended so far, surpassing the 222 from Flight B.

Some of the notable players jumping in include local pro Emmanuel Segismundo, who sits with over USD 500,000 in total live earnings. Segismundo is known as the Mystery Bounty king, having won the event during APPT Manila Championship in October 2025, then following it up with a repeat during Manila Super Series 23 in January.

In this series, he booked a trophy in the Hyper Turbo Knockout side event.

So far, he's already building a decent above average stack.

Also in the field is Hong Kong's Sheung Chau Chan, who has been traveling around Asia wherever the poker action is. Last December 2025, he topped the High Roller Single Day during the OLA Poker Tour, then followed that up with a Double Board Bomb Pot Turbo title during the APT Jeju Classic, where he also banked five worthy cashes.

In this series, Chan already bagged a Hyper Turbo side event. So far, his stack is trending up after just buying in.

Player	Chips
ES Emmanuel SegismundoPhilippines	61,200(102 BB)
SC Sheung Chau ChanHong Kong	41,700(70 BB)

Level 6: 300 / 600 ante: 600

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 174/229

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 7:38:28 AM

Sixes Good Enough For Quijano

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

Anacleto Quijano

Filipino player Anacleto Quijano limped in for 500 from early position. Countryman Marvin Cerbito, on the button, raised to 1,100. Russia's Anna Albitskaia called on the small blind and Royly Oracion defended the big blind with a call. Quijano also matched.

The four players were shown a flop of 4♥ 4♣ 5♠

Quijano was given the option to start and fired 4,500. Only Oracion continued.

Both players checked the 3♦ turn and the 8♦ river.

When cards were shown, Oracion showed a 5♥ for a pair of fives, while Quijano tabled 6♣ 6♠ for the winning pair of sixes.

Player	Chips
AQ Anacleto QuijanoPhilippines	54,700(109 BB)
RO Royly OracionPhilippines	33,100(66 BB)
AA Anna AlbitskaiaRussia	24,600(49 BB)
MC Marvin CerbitoPhilippines	9,300(19 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 7:16:29 AM

Oracion Removes Isip From His Seat

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

Royly Oracion

Royly Oracion of the Philippines limped for 500 from under the gun and was matched by Wei Chuan Tan of Singapore and Daijiro Tomoto of Japan. When action fell to John Nico Isip, he shoved his last 2,000 all in.

Action fell back to Oracion, who moved all in and isolated after Tan and Tomoto stepped down.

John Nico Isip: Q♥ J♣

Royly Oracion: 8♠ 8♣

Board ran 2♣ 9♠ 4♥ 6♦ 7♦

No painted cards came to the help of Isip and he was sent to the rail while Oracion scooped a decent pot.

Player	Chips
RO Royly OracionPhilippines	39,300(79 BB)
JN John Nico IsipPhilippines	busted

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 7:07:00 AM

Catalig Holding The Chip Lead For The Moment

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

Jeremy Catalig

During the break, there were a lot more entries, boosting the total to 201 so far with 167 still with a seat.

Also during the break, we did a quick lap around the room and determined that Jeremy Catalig of the Philippines could be the possible chip leader with 87,300 chips.

While this is not official, these were some of the other big stacks we found:

Player	Chips
JC Jeremy CataligPhilippines	87,300(175 BB)
JM Jeong MinwoongSouth Korea	86,200(172 BB)
YZ Yichen ZhuChina	85,500(171 BB)
BV Bernard VuFrance	82,000(164 BB)
SL Seoha LeeSouth Korea	77,600(155 BB)
KF Kamyar FathiCanada	75,800(152 BB)
PO Phenix OesterstroemSweden	71,500(143 BB)
CX Cheng XiongUnited States of America	66,000(132 BB)

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 167/201

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 7:05:58 AM

Break!

Break

Players are going on a ten minute break.

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 6:58:58 AM

Chop Chop

Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400

Tom Verbruggen

Tom Verbruggen was on the big blind and three bet the open of Jeonguk Lee of 800 to 2,500. Lee called.

A flop of A♦ A♥ Q♣ landed and Verbruggen check-called the 1,500 bet of Lee. The T♥ landed on the turn and once again Verbruggen check-called a 6,000 bet.

The river threw a J♥ and Verbruggen tapped his option over to Lee, who moved all-in for 18,300. Verbruggen took a while, but eventually risked the call.

Lee peeled open K♥ J♣ for a straight.

Verbruggen turned over K♦ K♣ also for a straight.

Both players split the pot. While the dealer was evening the stacks, Verbruggen asked Lee why he would call with king-jack. Lee had a weird explanation that brought Verbruggen to comment, "Good story."

Player	Chips
TV Tom VerbruggenNetherlands	32,500(81 BB)
JL Jeonguk LeeSouth Korea	28,800(72 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 6:29:18 AM

Lirio Shows Seol The Exit

Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400

Oliver Lirio

Katsunori Nakamura of Japan opened for 1,200 from early position. Aurimas Brazinskis of Lithuania called and Jeonguk Lee of South Korea called.

On the button, Oliver Lirio of the Philippines raised it to 4,500. On the small, blind Sungho Seol moved all in for 15,000.

Everyone else folded except Lirio, who made the call.

Sungho Seol: T♥ T♠

Oliver Lirio: A♦ K♥

Flop came 5♦ Q♣ K♣ giving Lirio the lead with a pair of kings. Seol needed help, but the runout of 5♠ 8♦ did not improve him, sending him to the rail.

Player	Chips
OL Oliver LirioPhilippines	50,200(126 BB)
AB Aurimas BrazinskisLithuania	36,700(92 BB)
JL Jeonguk LeeSouth Korea	28,400(71 BB)
KN Katsunori NakamuraJapan	27,100(68 BB)
SS Sungho SeolSouth Korea	busted

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 6:16:11 AM

Seats Filling Fast

Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400

Aleksandr Goloborodko

There are a total of 148 entries so far with 128 players in their seats. Some of the recent entries include Russia's Aleksandr Goloborodko, who has built most of his career playing in Russia, but has made his way in the Philippines to make his mark outside of his home country. Since his move this year, he's made five cashes in Philippine soil, including four coming from these series. Of those four, he's made final table twice. His best finish was in third place during the PHP 8,000 NLH 15/10/5 side event.

Israel's Arie Praisman has returned after losing his chips earlier in Level 1. Praisman has over USD 116,000 in total live earnings, mostly won in the US and Europe. He has yet to make a cash in Asian soil, and hopefully his first time will be in the Philippines, during this series.

Australia's David Saab has over USD 637,000 in total live earnings. The Australian pro has made most of his money all over Australia and the only other exception is the Philippines. Saab has made five cashes already in this series with three final tables, including a title in the Big Mystery Bounty just a few days ago.

Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 128/148

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 5:59:59 AM

Derecho's Boat Earns Well

Level 3: 100 / 300 ante: 300

Emmanuel Derecho

Emmanuel Derecho - a Filipino-Australian pro, who recently moved to the Philippines - opened for 700 from under the gun. Xinye Wayne Shi of China made the call the seat over and Seungyeop Han also made the call on the big blind.

All players checked the flop of J♠ 3♣ A♣ to see a A♥ on the turn.

Han tapped over to Derecho who put in a bet of 800. Shi called and Han stayed out of the way.

The dealer gave a 5♠ on the river.

Derecho led out for 6,000 and Shi made the call.

Derecho turned over A♦ J♥ for a full house, while Shi mucked his hands while tapping the table "nice hand"

Incidentally, we had a conversation with Emmanuel Derecho about his thoughts on the series, his recent achievements and more. The full video of that interview will be out soon, following some edits.

You can watch that live interview along with other interviews and quirky videos from the Manila Megastack 24 series on the Somuchpoker Instagram or Facebook.

Don't forget to like and follow us there.

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 5:52:56 AM

Battikha's Aces Scoop Some

Level 3: 100 / 300 ante: 300

Cassidy Battikha

Cassidy Battikha of Canada was in early position up against Russia's Alexey Malitskiy on the button and big blind defender Yuta Hyodo of Japan.

The three players were looking at a pot of around 7,000 with a board that showed 6♦ J♠ 7♣ 2♠

Hyodo tapped his option to Battikha, who fired 4,200 in the middle. Malitskiy made the call and Hyodo stood down.

Both remaining contenders were given a 3♥ on the river.

Battikha checked and Maliksiy checked behind.

Battikha peeled open A♠ A♣ for a pair of aces, while Malitskiy revealed Q♦ J♣ for a top pair of jacks that wasn't good enough, awarding the pot to Battikha.

While stacking his chips, Chirag Shah of India seated to his left asked, "Check?"

Battikha just smiled and continued to stack.

Player	Chips
CB Cassidy BattikhaCanada	47,000(157 BB)
YH Yuta HyodoJapan	28,700(96 BB)
AM Alexey MalitskiyRussia	24,200(81 BB)

Level 3: 100 / 300 ante: 300

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 91/103

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 5:18:13 AM

More Familiar Faces

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

Lenart Ecarma

The field is growing on Flight C with many hoping to take one of these last chances to make their mark in the Manila Megastack 24 Main Event.

Some familiar faces jumping in include Siyuan Liu of China, who has been a regular at PokerStars live events, having played most of his poker in Okada Manila. While he has yet to win a title, he has made ten cashes since Hendon Mob started recording his achievements back in July 2025.

The Philippines' very own Lenart Ecarma is a true grinder with over 100 cashes to his name going back to his first cash in October 2023. With over USD 100,000 in total live earnings, Ecarma last hoisted a PokerStars spadie back in March 2025 when he won a Split Hold'em side event during Manila Megastack 22.

South Korea's Seunghee Park has also taken a seat, firing a second bullet already today. Park has been highlighted in the previous flights of this Main Event as one of the chip leaders during play. However, Park had failed to cross the ITM line, falling short each time by a few eliminations away. Park has over USD 67,000 in total live earnings, mostly won in Manila. His most recent victories include a Survivor Knockout title for USD 4,330 and a Deepstack crown for USD 7,642 - both won just a few days ago in this series.

Siyuan Liu

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 5:14:58 AM

Ybarsabal's Big Slick Flips A Double

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

Benhur Ybarsabal

Benhur Ybarsabal opened for 600 from early position. On the big blind, Shinryo Nonin three-bet to 4,200. Ybarsabal then four-bet jammed his remaining 17,200. Nonin counted the chips and made the call.

Benhur Ybarsabal: A♣ K♣

Shinryo Nonin: Q♥ Q♠

The flop came 4♦ 9♥ K♥ to give Ybarsabal a lead, slimming Nonin's chances to two outs. The runout of 4♠ 6♣ did not improve Nonin, giving Ybarsabal a juicy double up while doing damage to Nonin's stack.

Player	Chips
BY Benhur YbarsabalPhilippines	34,500(173 BB)
SN Shinryo NoninJapan	16,600(83 BB)

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 5:06:38 AM

Son Claims Chip Leader Crown

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

Juhyung Son

South Korea's Juhyung Son has claimed the early chip lead, winning most of his chips from the elimination of Japan's Hideo Sawai, who jumped back in the same seat after his misfortune.

Here are some other early big stacks:

Player	Chips
JS Juhyung SonSouth Korea	67,400(337 BB)
VK Vanig KalpakianAustralia	62,000(310 BB)
CX Cheng XiongUnited States of America	58,400(292 BB)
VD Van Dong An NguyenViet Nam	57,300(287 BB)

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 51/53

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 4:44:43 AM

Ong Is Out And In

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Justin Ong

Justin Ong was the first casualty of Flight C and burned up all his chips in the first level. However, Ong has jumped back in again, firing a second bullet.

Another early casualty was Arie Praisman of Israel, who also lost all his chips in the first level. We have yet to see him return to the registration counter. Registration still remains open until Level 10, so Praisman will still have time to weigh his decision.

A total of 53 entries have taken to the felt so far with 51 still in their seats.

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 4:29:04 AM

The World Has Come To Play

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Interestingly, the Manila Megastack 24 Main Event has huge international representation from all parts of the globe.

Of course, the Asian neighbors are well represented with players from China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, India, Hongkong, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Macau, Indonesia, Guam and Malaysia present.

Pacific neighbors from Australia and New Zealand have also raised their flag.

From far across the globe, players from the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Israel, Russia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Kuwait, Peru, Italy, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belarus, Netherlands, Croatia, Poland, Germany, Ireland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Lebanon, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Mexico.

Did we miss anyone?

The local Filipino community naturally has a huge percentage of the seats. However, a huge chunk can also be credited to Japanese and Korean players, most of whom have made the Philippines their second home.

It just goes to show, the festivals hosted and organized by PokerStars Live here at Okada Manila is continuously growing as the world comes here to play.

PokerStars Live in Okada Manila has already released their full calendar for 2026. Just click to find out more on how you can participate in some of the best poker action in the Philippines and in Asia.

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 4:15:10 AM

Some Of The Notables

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Alfie Adam

Benhur Ybarsabal

There are a total of 33 registrants so far at the start of Flight C. Among the familiar names in the felt include Alfie Adam of the United Kingdom. Adam has over USD 406,000 in total live earnings and has been focusing his play around the Asian circuit, following his earlier career success in Europe.

This 2026 alone, Adam has already booked seven titles in 21 cashes. In those 21 cashes, he has made it inside the top 5 an astounding 20 times. If he isn't winning, he's a runner-up or a third-placer.

Also taking a seat is the Philippines' very own Benhur Ybarsabal, who put himself on the map after winning the Batang Metro Poker Club Main Event in October last year, then following that up with a APPT Championship Mini High Roller title, bagging his biggest career cash worth USD 27,577.

Justin Ong of the Philippines is also already on the tables. Ong made his mark by winning the APPT Manila PokerStars Red Dragon for a little over USD 82,000, then followed that up a few days later with a back-to-back win by claiming the title in the APPT Manila Main Event, where he scored a career best USD 257,443.

Registration still remains open until the end of Level 10, so a lot more big names are expected to fill the PokerStars Live poker room here at Okada Manila.

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

40 minutes

Remaining Players: 33/33

JJ DuqueJJ Duque

3/7/2026, 4:07:10 AM

Cards Are In The Air!

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Flight C of the Manila Megastack 24 Main Event has officially begun. The dealers have shuffled up and dealt!

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

3/7/2026, 1:24:31 AM

Last Chance Flights For Manila Megastack 24 Main Event

The Manila Megastack 24 Main Event continues today at luxurious Okada Manila, marking the final opportunity for players to qualify for Day 2. Day 1C will kick off at 12:00 PM local time. The event carries a PHP 45,000 (~USD 770) buy-in and a PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 342,000) guaranteed prize pool.

Players begin with a 30,000 starting stack (300 big blinds), alongside 40-minute blind levels. Late registration remains open for nine levels, closing just before the start of Level 10 at approximately 7:10 PM local time.

Players arriving later in the day will still have a chance to qualify as Day 1D Turbo will kick off at 8:00 PM, featuring the same starting stack but with 20-minute blind levels. Registration for the turbo flight will close at 11:40 PM.

Day 1A drew 157 entries, with 24 players surviving, all finishing in the money. Defending champion Edilberto Gopez leads the group with 438,000 (73 big blinds) chips. Day 1B saw a bigger field of 222 entries, with 34 players advancing. Local player Maxwell Rosete topped the flight with a commanding 619,000 (103 big blinds) stack.

Approximately 13% to 15% of the field will be paid based on PokerStars payout structures. Each starting flight will play down to the money (ITM), after which all surviving players will bag their chips and secure their seat for Day 2.

In addition to the prize money, top finishers will also receive APPT packages. The winner will earn an APPT Championship 2026 Package valued at PHP 210,000, while 2nd and 3rd place will each receive an APPT Manila 2026 Package valued at PHP 150,000. Players finishing 4th through 9th will also receive an APPT Super Qualifier seat valued at PHP 9,000.

Best of luck to all players in today’s action.

Somuchpoker is on-site for Manila Megastack 24 at Okada Manila, delivering live updates and exclusive coverage straight from the tournament floor.

Event starts 12:00 local time..

﻿Follow Somuchpoker on Facebook and Instagram for more video updates.

Ziqiang Shi Tops The 47 Survivors Of Flight C

Play Has Paused

And It's All Over! Ryo Miyata Is The Bubble Boy

We Are Now On The Bubble!

Lee Puts Pressure on Jho

Small Blind Power Play

Francisco And Shintaro Out

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Last Break!

Stacks At Risk

Shi Flips Out Segismundo

Saquing Squeezes Nakamura

Gone Too Soon

Level 16: 2,000 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Suk Hyang Jun Is The Last Woman Standing (Seated)

Minwoong's Set Sends Lim To The Rail

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

Leonarez Bags A Double Up

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

Miyata Removes Rivera In Blind Battle

Jung Stretches Chip Lead

Level 13: 1,000 / 2,500 ante: 2,500

Manlapaz Ends Acdal's Journey

A Moment Of Silence

Level 12: 1,000 / 2,000 ante: 2,000

Burzio Pressures Praisman

Popov Takes Out Xiong In Blind Battle

Level 11: 1,000 / 1,500 ante: 1,500

Registration Is Officially Closed

Jung Sits On Chip Leader Throne

Break Time!

Brazinskis Applies The Pressure

Droppin' Like It's Hot

Level 10: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

Remnant Forces Critical Fold For Calingasan

Almost At 300

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

Marzan's Kings Get Full Pay From Han

Villa's Big Slick Doubles

Han Holds Chip Leader Crown

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

Break Time!

It's Getting Hot In Here

Saquing Scores A Double

Amsic Takes From Park

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

Gimo Gives Garcia THE Pressure

But Wait... There's More!

Level 6: 300 / 600 ante: 600

Sixes Good Enough For Quijano

Oracion Removes Isip From His Seat

Catalig Holding The Chip Lead For The Moment

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

Break!

Chop Chop

Lirio Shows Seol The Exit

Seats Filling Fast

Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400

Derecho's Boat Earns Well

Battikha's Aces Scoop Some

Level 3: 100 / 300 ante: 300

More Familiar Faces

Ybarsabal's Big Slick Flips A Double

Son Claims Chip Leader Crown

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

Ong Is Out And In

The World Has Come To Play

Some Of The Notables

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Cards Are In The Air!

Last Chance Flights For Manila Megastack 24 Main Event

Follow Somuchpoker on Facebook and Instagram for more video updates.