Manila Super Series 18: Main Event records richest PHP 13,239,336 (~USD 233,240) prize pool, Philippines’ Butch Bautista tops 154 qualifier list heading to Day 2
The Manila Super Series 18 Main Event has wrapped up all starting flights on schedule following three days of nonstop action in the PokerStars hub at Okada Manila Resort & Casino, Philippines. Another stellar turnout was recorded in this season’s festivities with a total of 1,034 entries collected across three rounds of Day 1 play, generating the tour’s richest PHP 13,239,336 (~USD 233,240) prize pool in its eighteen installment history.
Day 2 plays through today at 13:00 sharp with the action resuming on Level 16: 2,500/5,000 ante 5,000. Blind levels will see a slightly longer 40 minute duration through to the final games as the day closes once the final table is set.
Main Event Day 1C Recap
Yesterday’s final flight exceeded all expectations with a massive crowd having turned up on the felt in a last chance attempt to secure a spot into Day 2. Day 1C collected a total of 525 entries through ten levels of registration, a number more than both Day 1A and Day 1B combined. With the bigger field, it took another seventeen levels of play before the pack dwindled down to its 79 qualifier list led by Philippines’ Butch Bautista. The local runner scored the boost to the top minutes before the bubble burst, after pushing Japan’s Aoyama Takanobu to fold half of his remaining stack to the money. The day closed following Piete Douglas Tooley’s exit with a failed queen high bluff by the hands of France’s Christopher Oswald.
Bautista enters Day 2 as the chip leader with a stack of 630,000 or roughly 126 big blinds, putting him in a good spot to turn up a nice profit. Day 1B’s Mark Dela Cruz comes in close second with a 593,000 chip count along with Singapore’s Lee Wei right on his tail. Also returning to the felt today are previous Manila Super Series Main Event champions Jason Kyle Magbanua and Joemark Vasay, ten-time APT winner John Tech, and Day 1B bubble Oleg Alex Kaminski. Kaminski exited the previous qualifying games in a painful bust with 
at the ninth hour to cap the day.
With each flight having played down to 15% of the field, only 154 qualifiers remain in contention, taking into account runners Lee Wei and Richard Marquez qualified twice. Players returning this afternoon are guaranteed a minimum payout of PHP 23,000 (~USD 404) with the PHP 2,400,000 (~USD 42,232) remaining on everyone’s watchlist.
Day 2 Top Chip Counts
| Pos. | Player | Flag | Chip Count | ~Big Blinds |
| 1 | Butch Bautista | Philippines | 630,000 | 126 BB |
| 2 | Mark Dela Cruz | Philippines | 593,000 | 118 BB |
| 3 | Lee Wei | Singapore | 547,000 | 109 BB |
| 4 | Michael De Leon | Philippines | 522,000 | 104 BB |
| 5 | Hsieh Hao An | Taiwan | 510,000 | 102 BB |
| 6 | Shin Hyeonho | South Korea | 507,000 | 101 BB |
| 7 | Kim Michael Enriquez | Philippines | 485,000 | 97 BB |
| 8 | Ashley Patterson | United Kingdom | 485,000 | 97 BB |
| 9 | Ronato Alcano | Philippines | 482,000 | 96 BB |
| 10 | Joshua Figuerres | Philippines | 473,000 | 94 BB |
Full Day 2 Qualifier List and Chip Count
Manila Super Series 18 Main Event Review
Dates: September 20-24, 2023
Buy in: PHP 15,000 (~USD 264)
Guarantee: PHP 3,000,000 (~USD 52,842)
Prize pool: PHP 13,239,336 (~USD 233,240)
Entries: 1,034
ITM: 156 players
Day 1 Results
1A: 198 entries / 30 advanced
1B: 311 entries / 47 advanced
1C: 525 entries / 79 advanced
