Opening day of Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila 2026 got the festival off to a strong start at Cove Manila inside Okada Manila , with the series opener comfortably exceeding its guarantee and the first two trophies of the festival awarded.

Okada Kickoff Surpasses Guarantee with 573 Entries

The opening event of APPT Manila 2026 got off to a strong start as the Okada Kickoff comfortably surpassed its PHP 2,000,000 (~USD 32,400) guarantee. Across three opening flights, the tournament attracted 573 entries, pushing the prize pool to PHP 4,925,184 (~USD 80,000) and setting the tone for the rest of the festival.

Day 1A drew 220 entries, with 33 players advancing to Day 2 after reaching the money. Day 1B followed with 202 entries and 30 survivors, while the final turbo Day 1C flight added another 151 entries, sending 24 more players through. Altogether, 87 players have secured a payday and will return today at 12:00 PM local time to play for the title.

Leading the returning field is Federick Cruz, who bagged 361,000 chips after topping the Day 1B flight. Jansen Tiu sits close behind with 344,000, while Seunghee Park completes the top three with 299,000. With several familiar names still in contention, Day 2 is shaping up to be an entertaining race to the trophy.

More than just prize money is at stake. Along with the championship trophy, the winner will receive an APPT Championship 2026 Package, which includes hotel accommodations at Okada Manila and a seat. The runner-up won’t leave empty-handed either, earning a APPT Manila 2026 Main Event seat as part of the prize package.

Check out the full seat draw, chip counts, and payouts on Somuchpoker .

Players who missed the action can catch up on every key hand, elimination, and chip count through Somuchpoker’s live updates.

Lifeofpoker Founder Joris Michl Wins Ultrastack

The first trophy of the APPT Manila 2026 festival went to Lifeofpoker founder Joris Michl , who came out on top in Event #3 Ultrastack after navigating a field of 79 entries.

The PHP 20,000 (~USD 320) buy-in event generated a PHP 1,300,000 (~USD 21,710) prize pool, with Michl taking home PHP 307,800 (~USD 5,005) for the victory. Already boasting more than USD 800,000 in recorded live tournament earnings, Michl added another title to his resume while becoming the first APPT Manila champion of the series.

#3 Ultrastack (20,000 PHP)

Total Prize USD

$21,710

Total Prize

1.3M PHP

Entries

ITM

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₱307,800 $5,005	JM Joris Michl Netherlands	577.86
2	₱257,684 $4,190	AT Anthony Tamayo United States of America	408.61
3	₱226,300 $3,680	HD Hugo Damian Gotuzzo Spain	333.63
4	₱133,500 $2,170	SK Sakamoto Koichi Japan	288.93
5	₱102,500 $1,665	JT John Tech Philippines	258.43
6	₱81,500 $1,325	CL Christian Lortie Canada	235.91
7	₱65,000 $1,055	HS Hyungun Song South Korea	218.41
8	₱52,000 $845	LJ Lukasz Jankowski Poland	204.31
9	₱41,500 $675	TS Takuma Sato Japan	192.62

Check the 11 Payouts & Results ...

Kazuki Kiyokawa Wins Ladies Warm-Up

The Ladies Warm-Up also crowned its champion on opening day, with Kazuki Kiyokawa coming out on top of a 36-entry field.

Kiyokawa earned her first recorded live tournament title along with PHP 36,645 (~USD 595) in prize money, making it a memorable start to her APPT Manila campaign.

#5 Ladies Warm-up (3,500 PHP)

Total Prize USD

$1,730

Total Prize

106.4K PHP

Entries

ITM

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₱36,645 $595	KK Kazuki Kiyokawa Japan	218.14
2	₱24,000 $390	FA Frida Anderson Sweden	154.25
3	₱16,500 $270	RG Ruffa Gabriel Philippines	125.94
4	₱12,200 $200	CC Catherine Calunsod Philippines	109.07
5	₱9,600 $155	MM Maggy Mae Cenon Philippines	97.55
6	₱7,500 $120	RR Rosalina Rodriguez Philippines	89.05

Day 2 Action Shifts to the Okada Kickoff Finale and APPT National

Attention now turns to Day 2 of the Okada Kickoff, where the remaining 87 players will return to play down to a champion. At the same time, another marquee event joins the schedule as the APPT National begins with its opening flight.

Featuring a PHP 30,000 (~USD 485) buy-in and an PHP 8,000,000 (~USD 130,000) guaranteed prize pool, the APPT National is expected to attract another strong turnout over its three starting flights. Day 1A gets underway at 12:00 PM local time and will play down to the money.

The Somuchpoker team will once again be on the floor throughout the day, providing live updates from both the Okada Kickoff Day 2 and APPT National Day 1A .

View the complete APPT Manila 2026 schedule on Somuchpoker.