Ace Poker League wraps up in Manila, pays out ₱32.3M; final highlights and what to expect next year

The Ace Poker League wrapped up its first event of the year in the Philippines with games taking place from November 27 to December 3, 2023 at 2Ace Poker Room in Manila. The week-long event witnessed a strong local force matched by an equally strong South Korean contingent. The series paid out PH₱ 32,328,241 (~$582,570) over 11 events.

APL’s James Kim shared news on the brand’s plans for next year,

“It is so nice to be back and after all these years I was delighted to see we still have a following here. As far as hosting more events in the Philippines we will have to see what our schedule is like in 2024. For now, we are looking to host four events in Korea in 2024 and perhaps one or two in China. We are looking to guarantee a minimum KRW 50 Billion ($3.9 Million). The poker scene in Korea is reaching new heights we wanted to focus on building the next generation of poker players. We are closely working with IFMP to take poker to the next level in pursuit of recognition that poker is a sport. As for Taipei, we are working closely with David Tai and Raymond Wong from CTP. We can’t disclose details just yet.”

On the final day, Main Event champion Vince Nachor walked away the richest, William Teoh shipped the Mini Main, and TJPT champion Hyeon Ho Shin claimed the last APL trophy at the Mini High Roller.

APL Manila – Festival Results
APL Manila – Coverage
APL Manila – Photo Gallery

Date:November 27 to December 3, 2023
Venue:2Ace Poker Room Manila, Philippines
Festival prize pool: PH₱ 32,328,241 (~$582,570)
Trophy events:11
Main Event prize pool: PH₱ 21,249,790 (~$382,930)
Main Event winner: Vince Nachor
Trophy by Flag: South Korea (5), Philippines (4), Japan (1), Malaysia (1)

Here are the final highlights.

Vince Nachor wins the Main Event

Vince Nachor clinches APL Manila Main Event title for PHP 3,240,790 (~USD 58,550)

William Teoh wins the Mini Main Event

Malaysia’s William Teoh was the player to overcome at the Mini Main Event as he entered the final day with a monstrous stack. He went on to dominate the final table, eliminating Matsuda Michihiko in 3rd place with staying ahead of on a low board. At heads up, Teoh entered with 84 bb to Choi Dongwoo‘s 37 bb. It took just six hands for Teoh to dispose of Choi with full house crushing on a board . For his victory, Teoh earned a payout of ₱758,430 (~$13,670).

Date: December 2 to 3 , 2023
Buy in: PH₱20,000 (~$360)
Guarantee: PH₱3,000,000(~$54,200)
Entries: 191
Prize pool: PH₱ 3,520,130 (~$63,435)
ITM: 29 places

Hyeonho Shin wins the Mini High Roller

South Korea’s Hyeonho Shin claimed the last trophy of the festival after eliminating the last four players at the Mini High Roller. The event drew 32 entrants with the top 5 paid. The bubble burst on Sangyong Park whose was dominated by Niroshan Loganathan’s .

At ITM, Shin eliminated Emmanuel Segismundo with dominating . The hand of the day was the elimination of Sumin Oh who risked his stack on a check-raise by Shin on a board . Shin had flush, Oh busted with straight. Christopher Mateo was next on Shin’s chopping block with pocket Jacks getting cracked by on a queen high board. Heads up against Loganathan was an easy finish to claim

Date: December 3 , 2023
Buy in: PH₱50,000 (~$900)
Entries: 32
Prize pool: PH₱ 1,474,400 (~$26,570)
ITM: 5 places