APPT Manila Championship 2024: Australia’s Matthew Wakeman takes down APPT Open for PHP 4.83 Million (~USD 84K)

“I feel very good. It’s always good to win. I’ve been here and played before but this is the first time in a long time. This is also my first time in Pokerstars Manila. I just started getting back in live tournaments. I’ve been playing live tournaments for a long time but when Covid happened, I stopped playing live and focused on online. I just started this year to play in live tournaments. Poker is really booming in Asia so given that it is close in Australia, we decided to come and play plus I know Lorie back in Macau days.”, commented Wakeman following his win.

“I will definitely come back. The facility is great. The hospitality is excellent and the rooms are really good. I am going to celebrate with my girlfriend and then go back to my room to take a rest and then play in the Super High Roller.”, he added.

Following seven hours of APPT Open Final Table gameplay, Australia’s Matthew Wakeman emerged triumphant across the final rounds and banked the largest share of the PHP 25,000,000 (~USD 433,690) prize pool. Wakeman entered today’s games second in rank and continued his positive momentum from Day 2 on to the Final Day. Only eight opponents stood in his way for the title and PHP 4,835,000 (~USD 84,270) top prize, five of which he delivered the elimination.

Right from the start, Wakeman was a dominant force on the table, having already sent out two casualties – Lester Edoc (8th) and Yan Wen Yee (9th), even before the first break took flight. Stacking a commanding lead, Wakeman held on to this advantage all the way to heads up play. The Australian delivered two more busts with Jaime Reyes (6th) and past season’s APPT Open winner Flo Campomanes (5th) being his next victims.

South Korea’s Dohwan Kim on the other hand, was likewise running good, having entered the Final Day from last in chips to eventually take the lead. Kim eliminated Gary Thompson in third place and kicked off the final duel with Wakeman nine big blinds ahead. Wakeman was off to a rocky start, shooting down to a 4:1 disadvantage within the first thirty minutes of play.

The Australian runner however, managed to recover over an hour of back and forth to take the lead following a double up from an ace high battle. Just five deals later, Wakeman finished off his final opponent with A♣9♥ against Kim’s A♦5♠ for the latter’s remaining 18 big blinds. While the South Korean runner settled for a runner up finish, his impressive performance earned him a notable PHP 3,030,000 (~USD 52,810) score, having laddered up seven pay jumps.

APPT Open Review

• Date/s: October 19-22, 2024
• Buy-in: PHP 90,000 (~USD 1,560)
• Guarantee: PHP 25,000,000 (~USD 433,690)
• Prize pool: PHP 25,000,000 (~USD 433,690)
• Entries: 314
• ITM: 47 places

By The Numbers

• Flight A – 64 entries, 13 qualified
• Flight B – 172 entries, 30 qualified
• Flight C Turbo – 78 entries, 19 qualified
• Day 2 – 61 players, 9 qualified

APPT Open Final Table Results

*The top 3 receive ₱165,000 APPT Championship entry taken from the prize pool.

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APPT Manila Championship – Player eGuide
APPT Manila Championship – Festival Results