Daniel Lee Leads APT Manila 2024 Main Event Final Table; Joseph Cheong, and John Matsuda Bank Second Seven Digit Scores

Nine days of APT Manila 2024 action has played out at the City of Dreams, Manila, with two more to go before the series arrives to a halt. Excitement continues as its esteemed APT Main Event comes close to crowning its newest champion. The country largest APT Manila 2024 headliner is down to its final nine players with Daniel Lee standing in the forefront to claim the PHP 18,060,000 (~USD 309,430) top prize.  

Sharing the glory are second series winners Joseph Cheong, and John Matsuda, who both impressively shipped notable wins at the Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8 and Baby Superstar Challenge respectively, making their season run truly unforgettable.

APT Manila 2024 – Schedule

APT Manila 2024 Main Event Down to Final Nine

Roll out the red carpet as the APT Manila Main Event sees its final nine return to the felt with American runner Daniel Lee leading the charge. Day 4 saw 48 players back on the tournament tables, all in search for a spot into the final games. One by one fell with action eventually wrapping up by the seventh level of play. Previous APT Main Event titlists Soo Jo Kim (11th) and Mike Takayama (13th) came close, having recorded deep finishes but ultimately missed a few spots short of making the final table.

Already guaranteed his career best cash, Lee bagged the lead by the end of the night, having sent out Sung Jin Yun in 10th place finish to signal the day’s close. Armed with a mighty 6,620,000 (55 BB) chip count, only eight opponents stand in Lee’s way of his first major title, with fierce contenders Gab Yong Kim – 5,820,000 (49 BB), Renji Mao – 4,660,000 (39 BB), and Vincent Huang – 3,250,000 (27 BB), surely about to deliver a tough battle ahead. 

The final fight remains to be up for all runners in contention with all nine chip counts just around fifteen big blinds away from the current average stack. Each returning Day 4 survivor has already secured at least PHP 1,345,000 (~USD 23,040) in winnings, together with a shot to take down the PHP 18,060,000 (~USD 309,430) first place prize and award-winning 24K golden APT lion trophy.

Notable players who missed the cut across Day 4 yet banked a share of the PHP 100,000,000 (~USD 1,713,780) prize pool include past season winners Lester Edoc (39th), and Renniel Galvez (47th), along with Jordan Westmorland (28th), James Mendoza (31st), Joonhee Yea (41st), Joey Weissman (45th), and Abraham Ceesvin (55th).

APT Manila Main Event Review

• Date/s: October 31 – November 6, 2024
• Buy-in: PHP 85,000 (~USD 1,450)
• Guarantee: PHP 100,000,000 (~USD 1,713,780)
• Entries: 1,081 (639 unique)
• Prize pool: PHP 100,000,000 (~USD 1,713,780)
• ITM: 159 places

APT Manila Main Event Final Table Chip Counts

Level 30: 60,000 / 120,000 ante 120,000
Total chips in play: 43,240,000
Average Stack: 4,804,444 (40 BB)

Remaining Payouts

Backtrack on all the day’s action via SMP Live Updates

Joseph Cheong Secures Second Series Win at Zodiac Classic

USA’s Joseph Cheong, just days ago etched his name in APT history, being the first runner to win back to back Superstar Challenge highlights, more than enough to become APT’s All-Time Money Lister with over USD 1.9 million in Tour scores. Relentless across the felt, Cheong delivered another crushing victory, this time at the two-day Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8 games for an additional PHP 5,216,250 (~USD 88,675) in winnings.

Cheong’s journey to the pinnacle was fast tracked after he successfully delivered the money bubble with day chip leader Alex Keating, receiving the brunt. Cheong’s combo draw against Keating’s flopped two pair filled up on the river, earning him a sizable pot enough to land a spot into the final rounds five levels later.

Three hours of play went by before Cheong arrived at the final duel against Singapore’s Abraham Ceesvin, who had been actively running table captain over the final games. Once amongst the lowest, Ceesvin found momentum on his side right from the start, causing him to bust three opponents off of the table. It wasn’t until a pivotal hand came into play where Ceesvin slowed down, having paid all three streets against Cheong’s flopped straight three-handed. Ceesvin managed to quickly recover from the damage after sending Benjamin Jacobs out in third place finish, to stack just ten big blinds behind Cheong for the title.

A quick heads up play landed on the felt with Cheong securing the final victory with queen-eight against Ceesvin’s king-queen as the board rolled two pair for the American runner. For his impressive display, Cheong secured a fourth career APT title along with the coveted silver lion silhouette trophy, bringing up his series cashes just shy of PHP 14 million (~USD 239,870).

• Date/s: November 4-5, 2024
• Buy-in: PHP 125,000 (~USD 2,135)
• Guarantee: PHP 15,000,000 (~USD 257,000)
• Entries: 226 entries (156 unique)
• Prize pool: PHP 24,662,250 (~USD 419,260)
• ITM: 31 places

Zodiac Classic Final Table Results

John Matsuda Banks Another Win at Baby Superstar Challenge

Japan’s John Matsuda has equally booked a memorable run at this season’s games with a second series victory at the Baby Superstar Challenge earning him a second piece of APT hardware. Matsuda followed his win at the Mystery Bounty event with another seven digit score at PHP 3,705,000 (~USD 63,545) over the 50-entry field event, shooting him up further into the green. The local scene regular likewise banked a runner up finish at the APT Super High Roller, bumping his total winnings to a jaw dropping PHP 12,798,950 (~USD 219,290).

• Date/s: November 5, 2024
• Buy-in: PHP 300,000 (~USD 5,140)
• Entries: 50
• Prize pool: PHP 13,095,000 (~USD 224,360)
• ITM: 7 places

Baby Superstar Challenge Full Payouts