Former MLBB Star Billy ‘Z4pnu’ Alfonoso Lands Career-Best Poker Victory as APPT Open Reaches Day 2

The action at Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila 2026 at Cove Manila inside Okada Manila shows no signs of slowing down as the APPT Open returns for Day 2, fresh champions continue to emerge, and another marquee event gets underway ahead of tomorrow’s Main Event.

APPT Open Down to 75 Players

The APPT Open drew a massive 508 entries, generating a PHP 26,334,720 (~USD 432,000) prize pool and comfortably surpassing its PHP 15,000,000 (~USD 250,000) guarantee.

Only 75 players remain in contention, with every survivor already guaranteed a minimum payout of PHP 100,000 (~USD 1,625). Awaiting the eventual champion is the PHP 4,800,000 (~USD 78,750) top prize. The winner and runner-up will also receive an APPT Championship Package , while 3rd through 5th place will earn seats into the APPT Manila Main Event starting tomorrow.

Holding a commanding lead entering Day 2 is India’s Vinay Boob , who topped Day 1B with 830,000 chips to set the pace above the rest of the field. In second sits Edilberto Gopez with 596,000. The Filipino veteran returns less than 24 hours after a heartbreaking 3rd-place finish in the PokerStars Red Dragon , where he held a massive chip lead before several key all-ins went against him. Now, he looks to turn that frustration into another deep APPT run.

Day 2 gets underway at 12:00 PM with 60-minute levels, playing down until the final table of nine is established. Those nine players will return tomorrow to battle for the trophy.

Live updates , chip counts, seat draws, and payout information will be tracked throughout the day on Somuchpoker.

Billy “Z4pnu” Alfonso Scores Career-Best Victory

One of the biggest stories of the festival belongs to Billy Alfonso, better known to many as “Z4pnu”. The former professional Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) player, a massive, global mobile game with over 1 billion downloads, transitioned into tournament poker less than a year ago and is already making serious waves on the live circuit.

Alfonso conquered a 356-entry field to win Event #34: Survivor Knockout [PHP 50,000 Bounty] , taking home PHP 700,000 in first-place prize money. After eliminating six opponents, he collected another PHP 300,000 in bounty prizes, bringing his total payday to PHP 1,000,000 (~USD 16,400) alongside an APPT Championship Package.

The victory marks the biggest cash of Alfonso’s young poker career and adds another trophy to a rapidly growing resume.

#34 Survivor Knockout (25,000 PHP)

Total Prize USD

$121,480

Total Prize

7.5M PHP

Guaranteed

5M PHP

Entries

356

ITM

45

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₱700,000 $11,385	BA Billy Alfonso Philippines	1,318.49
2	₱440,000 $7,155	LJ Lukasz Jankowski Poland	932.31
3	₱320,000 $5,205	WT Willie Thompson United States of America	761.23
4	₱245,000 $3,985	SL Siyuan Liu China	659.24
5	₱190,000 $3,090	BY Benhur Ybarsabal Philippines	589.65
6	₱145,000 $2,360	JS Jeongwon Seo South Korea	538.27
7	₱115,000 $1,870	LT Lester Timonera Philippines	498.34
8	₱98,000 $1,595	DL Daekwan Lee Japan	466.16
9	₱85,720 $1,395	GS Gyucheol Sim South Korea	439.50

Check the 43 Payouts & Results ...

Harry Halim Dominates High Roller Field Back-to-Back

While the multi-day tournaments have drawn massive crowds, Harry Halim has quietly taken over the high roller scene inside Cove Manila. Halim produced one of the most impressive runs of the festival by winning back-to-back High Roller titles on consecutive days.

He first captured the Super High Roller Warm Up , topping a 32-entry field for PHP 1,461,360 (~USD 23,770). Along the way, he knocked out several top Asian pros, including Pete Chen in sixth, Rudy Edenata in fourth, and Florencio Campomanes in third.

#37 Super High Roller Warm Up (150,000 PHP)

Total Prize USD

$68,955

Total Prize

4.2M PHP

Entries

32

ITM

6

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₱1,461,360 $23,770	HH Harry Halim Indonesia	730.66
2	₱954,000 $15,515	SH Samuel Higgs Australia	516.65
3	₱657,000 $10,685	FC Florencio Campomanes Philippines	421.85
4	₱488,000 $7,935	RE Rudy Edenata Indonesia	365.33
5	₱382,000 $6,215	RL Rakesh Lalwani India	326.76
6	₱297,000 $4,830	PC Pete Chen Taiwan	298.29

Not stopping there, Halim returned the following day to win the High Roller Turbo , outlasting another elite 14-entry field for PHP 741,776 (~USD 12,065). After denying Campomanes a podium finish once again, he defeated Kaoru Kishimoto heads-up to secure his second title in as many days.

With all the momentum on his side, Halim now sets his sights on tomorrow’s APPT Super High Roller, featuring a PHP 300,000 (~USD 5,000) buy-in and a PHP 5,000,000 (~USD 82,000) guaranteed prize pool.

#53 High Roller Turbo (120,000 PHP)

Total Prize USD

$24,135

Total Prize

1.5M PHP

Entries

14

ITM

3

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₱741,776 $12,065	HH Harry Halim Indonesia	448.65
2	₱445,000 $7,240	KK Kaoru Kishimoto Japan	317.24
3	₱297,000 $4,830	FC Florencio Campomanes Philippines	259.03

Mystery Bounty Kicks Off Today

Also starting today is the Mystery Bounty, another highly anticipated event on the APPT Manila 2026 schedule. The tournament features a PHP 25,000 (~USD 410) buy-in and a PHP 5,000,000 (~USD 82,000) guarantee.

Players will have two chances to qualify for Day 2, with Day 1A starting at 12:00 PM and Day 1B following at 6:00 PM. With the flagship APPT Manila Main Event beginning tomorrow, today’s schedule serves as the final opportunity for players to build momentum before the main showcase takes over the floor.

Today’s Schedule at APPT Manila 2026