APPT Manila draws 183 to Kick-Off Day 1A, James Moriles tops the counts; Christopher Mateo wins the Hyper Turbo

Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila burst into action on opening day as players sought their shot at the first PokerStars spade trophy and a chance to score big in the early stages of the festival. The event is scheduled from July 27 to August 6 at world class Okada Manila in the heart of Manila, Philippines. Check out the highlights down below.

APPT Manila Kick-Off – Day 1A results

The APPT Manila Kick-Off has always been a magnet for early birds, and this year’s edition proved no different. As the cards were dealt and the chips flew, notable players graced the tables such as 2019 APPT Manila Main Event champion Florencio Campomanes, 2019 APPT Manila Kick-Off champion Jinlong Hu, WSOP bracelet winner Henrieto Acain, 2023 PSPC Main Event runner up Max Menzel, Henrik Tollefsen, Norbert Koh, John Tech, Mattias Schell, and Jenam Yu.

At the end of registration, 148 signed up with an added 35 re-entries for 183 entries in total. A further three hours later, the bubble burst on Albert Muir who was outdrawn by Xu Qiang. 28 players remained, each one guaranteed a piece of the PHP 3,000,000 (~USD 54,700) upon their return for Day 2.

Bagging the chip lead wasJames Moriles with 92 bb. At his heels was Canada’s Kiril Alex Gelev just 2 bb behind. One of Gelev’s biggest pots was quads Fives just before the close of day.

With Day 1A in the books, APPT Manila Kick-Off continues on Thursday, July 27 starting at 1pm. Players have two entry flights to choose from. These are the last two to try to reach ITM and qualify for Day 2.

APPT Kick-Off Day 1A – Live Updates and Chip Counts

Key Events

Following the opener are five other key events. These events produce the biggest prize pools and award the iconicPokerStars Shard Trophy(except the APPT Superstack).

• APPT National: July 29-August 1, 2023 – PHP 35,000 – PHP 5,000,000 guarantee
• APPT Manila Super High Roller: August 1-2, 2023 – PHP 500,000
• APPT Main Event: August 3-6, 2023 – PHP 65,000 – PHP 20,000,000 guarantee
• APPT Superstack: August 5-6, 2023- PHP 40,000 – PHP 2,000,000 guarantee
• APPT High Roller: August 5-6, 2023 – PHP 250,000

APPT Main Event – PHP 20,000,000 guaranteed

On August 3, the festival star attraction takes the floor, the APPT Main Event featuring a PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 365,000) guarantee. APPT Manila opening day has already seen 2019 APPT Main Event champion – Florencio Campomanes – getting in some early practice. Here are the details:

Buy in: PHP 65,000 (~USD 1,185)
Guarantee: PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 365,000)
Day 1A: August 3, 2023, Thursday
Day 1B & 1C: August 4, 2023, Friday
Day 2: August 5, 2023, Saturday
Final Table: August 6, 2023, Sunday

APPT Manila Main Event past three festival results

2022: 801 entries, PHP 45,452745 (~USD 816,378)
2019: 1,135 entries, PHP 64,405,575 (~USD 1,266,724)
2018: 1,364 entries, PHP 65,492,460 (~USD 1,236,204)

Other Events

Alongside the key events are 27 trophy events that award the iconicPokerStars Spade Trophy.Crowd favorites to be expected are Mystery Bounty, Freezeout, Turbos, Super Stack, and PLO. Also in the mix are High Roller events, both single day and multi day. Side event buy ins range from PHP 10,000 (~USD 185) to PHP 200,000 (USD~3,665).

Side Event results

Christopher Mateo wins Hyper Turbo Re-Entry

Well known Filipino player Christopher Mateo closed out the Hyper Turbo Re-Entry event to win his 7th PokerStars Spade Trophy. We will have those results up shortly.

Buy in: PHP 10,000 (~USD 182)
Entries: TBA
Prize pool: TBA
ITM: TBA

Cash Games

Playing for titles and trophies aren’t the only games that excite players, cash games as well. During APPT Manila, cash tables multiply and are quite lucrative. Players not needing much sleep will be happy to know that these games are offered around the clock.

Registration process

To speed up the process and get players shuffling chips, here are the three simple steps to register:

Step 1 – Sign up for an Okada Reward Card
Step 2 – Sign up for a PokerStars LIVE Card
Step 3 – Head to Tournament Registration

APPT Manila Room Rates

Players can avail of APPT Manila Player Room Rates at two hotels, Okada Manila and Kingsford Hotel. Rates are based on availability.

Okada Manila

De Luxe Weekdays: PHP 11,047.50
De Luxe Weekend: PHP 13,748
Website: www.okadamanila.com
For booking please email [email protected]

Kingsford Hotel

De Luxe PHP 3,600 net single occupancy with breakfast
Del Luxe PHP 4,000 net double occupancy with breakfast
Website: www.kingsfordmanila.com
For booking:

Step 1: Go to website
Step 2: Select Dates and kindly put PROMO CODE: KHMPOKER23
*Make sure to select no. of adults- 1-Single occupancy / 2- Double occupancy*

Airport to Okada Manila

For players flying in to Ninoy Aquino International Airport / Manila International Airport, all terminals are just a short drive to Okada Manila. For the most reasonable rates, players can book a Grab Car. Players can also jump in the Yellow metered taxis however they are quite pricey