APPT Manila to crown Kick-Off champion; Rommel Angeles leads; APPT National PHP 5M gtd starts today; Xu Qiang wins NLH Freezeout

The Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) enters its third day of games at Okada Manila in the heart of Manila, Philippines. The highly revered annual festival commenced on July 27 and will run through August 6 featuring 33 trophy events and PHP 30,000,000 in guarantees. To date, three players have already captured iconic PokerStars trophies with another special one to be awarded today at the APPT Kick-Off event.

Leading the charge is decorated local player Rommel Angeles who bagged a towering 720,000 stack, equivalent to 120 bb. His table will be one to keep a watch on with Day 1A big stack Kiril Alex Gelev and hot running Edwin Dela Cruz both in the round.

The APPT Kick-Off is the first key event of the festival. It drew a total of 589 entries over three entry heats to obliterate the PHP 3M guarantee for a prize pool of PHP 10,283,940 (~USD 187,500). 89 players will be returning today for a shot at the first big title. Each one is guaranteed PHP 31,500 (~USD 574) but what they will be aiming for is the PHP 2,020,000 (~USD 36,830) top prize.

APPT Kick-Off review

Dates: July 27 to 29, 2023

Buy in: PHP 20,000 (~USD 365)

Guarantee: PHP 3,000,000 (~USD 55,000)

Entries: 589

Prize pool: PHP 10,283,940 (~USD 187,500)

ITM / Day 2: 89 players

Day 1 results

Day 1A: 183 / 28 advanced
Day 1B: 226 entries / 34 advanced
Day 1C: 180 entries / 27 advanced

Side Event results

Xu Qiang wins the PHP 40K NLH Freezeout

Buy in: PHP 40,000 (~USD 730)

Players: 17

Prize pool: PHP 593,640 (~USD 10,820)

ITM: 4 places

APPT National – PHP 5,000,000 guarantee

Running alongside the conclusion of the opener is the much-awaited APPT National which features a PHP 5,000,000 (~USD 91,160) guarantee. The event runs from July 29 to August 1 with buy in at PHP 35,000 (~USD 640). Players have three entry flights to choose from, followed by Day 2 and the Final Day. Among the notables to expect is Marc Rivera who topped the largest APPT National in 2018.

Other Key Events

• 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

Florencio Campomanes -file photo 2019

On August 3, the festival star attraction takes the floor, theAPPT Main Eventfeaturing aPHP 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

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