APL Manila Blasts Open With A Full House At Prime Poker Club

The wait is finally over, the Korean-established Ace Poker League (APL) is back, sending the Philippine poker scene into frenzy! The highly anticipated APL Manila kicked off on February 21, 2025 at the Prime Poker Club, and players wasted no time diving right into the action.

For those just hearing of the festival, it runs a total of eleven days, closing on March 3. Up for grabs are cool APL hardware and of course big bucks with 33 events to conquer including the Main Event and its jaw-dropping ₱55,000,000 (~US$ 950,000) guarantee. With the first day now in the books, let us give you the opening day highlights and what to expect as the event progresses. 

APL Manila Opening Day Highlights

As soon as  the APL Manila doors opened, local grinders quickly flocked alongside a strong wave of international contenders, particularly from Korea where the brand has built a loyal following. Drawing them in was the very affordable Welcome To APL – ₱1M guarantee (~US$ 17,000) with a buy in of just ₱1,500 (~US$ 25). Many familiar faces were among the roaring 478 entry field some were spotted celebrating winning moments and others just soaking in the excitement of the first day.

Despite the local dominated final table, the event wrapped up with the first festival trophy awarded to Germany’s Cybulski Werner.

#1 Welcome to APL (1,500 PHP)

For an affordable buy-in of PHP 1,500 and PHP 1 million in prizes on the line, the opening event, Welcome to APL Manila attracted 478 entries, and finished with the top ten players securing seats to three event highlights on top of their cash prizes. Werner Cybulski walked away with the victory, earning the largest value of PHP 153,300, inclusive of a Main Event ticket to the PHP 55 million guaranteed APL Manila Main Event games kicking off in a few days.

Total Prize

$17,275

Guaranteed

1,000,000

Entries

478

ITM

49

#	Payout	Player
1	$2,650 153,300 PHP	WC Werner Cybulski Germany
2	$1,860 107,700 PHP	RN Richard Nakila Philippines
3	$1,195 69,200 PHP	AL Adrian Lumbera Philippines
4	$790 45,700 PHP	JC John Clyde Tan Philippines
5	$610 35,200 PHP	JS Jeoffrey Sibal Philippines
6	$505 29,100 PHP	GL Greg Lupena
7	$420 24,400 PHP	RS Roldan Soriano
8	$345 19,900 PHP	RT Robert Tolentino
9	$265 15,400 PHP	MC Michael Cambil Philippines

Check the 49 Payouts & Results ...

A bigger highlight was the featured APL Kick Off which came loaded with a ₱5 Million (~US$ 86,000) guarantee. Two flights were held with a final flight tomorrow, February 22. Entering players had to pony up a higher ₱16,000 (~US$ 275) buy in, but with a chance of turning it into six figures or higher. We will have those results posted as soon as it is available.

To accommodate the evening grinders, there was also the Late Night Madness with buy in at just ₱3,000 (~US$ 50). Claiming the title was Gerardo Lubas Jr after defeating Yau Yin Lun at heads up.

#3 Late Night Madness (3,000 PHP)

Gerald Lubas rose to become the series' first crowned champion with a victory right on opening day at the Late Night Madness side event. The local runner bested a modest field of 20 entries and overcame the final round to secure the PHP 25,840 top prize. Two other players shared a payday, with Yau Yin Lun and Choi Junseong both taking home a profit.

Total Prize

$895

Entries

20

ITM

3

#	Payout	Player
1	$445 25,840 PHP	GL Gerardo Lubas III Philippines
2	$270 15,600 PHP	YY Yau Yin Lun
3	$180 10,400 PHP	CJ Choi Junseong

Of course, these events are just teasers to help pad up one’s wallet in preparation for the big one to come.

APL Manila Main Event

As mentioned above, the APL Manila Main Event comes with an ambitious ₱55,000,000 (~US$ 950K) prize pool. This is the largest guarantee by the brand in the country and it is expected  to be smashed with past Korea editions seeing massive turnouts and seven figure USD pots. The event is yet to come, running from February 26 to March 3. To join in, here are the details:

APL Manila 2025 Main Event Schedule

• Dates: February 26 – March 3, 2025
• Buy in: ₱65,000 (~US$ 1,120)
• Guarantee: ₱55,000,000 (~US$ 947,290)
• Day 1A: Wednesday, February 26
• Day 1B: Thursday, February 27
• Day 1C: Thursday, February 27
• Day 1D: Friday, February 28
• Day 1E: Friday, February 28
• Day 2: Saturday, March 1
• Day 3: Sunday, March 2
• Final Day: Monday, March 3

Among the players expected to bring in the punches is defending champion Vivencio Nachor from the Philippines as he hunts down a repeat. Another player also likely to return is young gun Hyeonho Shin from South Korea who won the APL Main Event Seoul in 2023. Since then Shin has been a force to reckon with at every visit to Manila.

Other Events On The Menu

Apart from the main is a long list of events suitable for every type of player and with buy ins from the lowest of ₱1500 to the very heights of ₱90,000 for the Super High Roller. Listed below are some key events to consider.

Tips For Newcomers

For first-time visitors to the Philippines arriving by air, once you land, book a GrabCar to get to the venue as it offers fair/fixed rates. For accommodations, the venue Prime Poker Club is in Entertainment City where there is a wide selection of hotels and AirBNB to suit different preferences and budgets.

Links:
News and Schedule