Daniel Lee Conquers APT Manila 2024 Main Event for PHP 15 Million (~USD 258,030); Sungwoo Son, Li Ta Hsu, and Mark Furniss Share Winner’s Glory

“It feels so surreal, I’ll be honest, I got pretty lucky. I think heads-up I didn’t play it that well, but in the end we ground it out and persevered, and came away with the victory.”, Lee commented in his post-match interview.

Following an amazing comeback from down to eight big blinds at one point, USA’s Daniel Lee closed out the victory over the historic APT Manila Main Event, having topped the 1,081-entry field. Relatively new to tournament poker, Lee is in for a great start ahead with his career first title earning him PHP 15,060,000 (~USD 258,030) in prizes, along with the award-winning APT golden lion trophy.

“Back in college and high-school I would game professionally, I always loved games, always got to the top. I also love markets, I love risk, I love betting, I love that type of stuff so poker is like a great mix of those two. I love the game, I have a deep passion for the game, it’s so fun, it’s so exhilarating. This deep run makes it so worth it!”, he added.

APT Manila Main Event Final Table Recap

The final nine returned to the felt, due to battle for the lion’s share of the PHP 100,000,000 (~USD 1,713,780) prize pool. With a seven-digit payout (PHP) locked in, two contenders – Vincent Huang (8th) and Jaejoong Kim (9th), found their dreams of an APT Main Event title go up in flames an hour in. Daniel Lee, who kicked off the final rounds with the lead, was off to a rocky start, whilst John Constiniano immediately found a smooth sailing ride to the top. After sending the Kiwi pro off to the rails, Constiniano continued to be in full control, and delivered another bust with bracelet winner Renji Mao ending up in 7th place finish.

Lee on the other hand, found his stack drawing thin, up until he managed to double up through Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar. This allowed him to bounce back in the game, and gain some traction to eliminate the next three opponents – Ferdinand Lu (4th), Munkhbaatar (5th), Gab Yong Kim (6th), all in one level to amass over half the chips in play.

Close to the title, South Africa’s Edgar Antezana secured a seat into heads up play against Lee with a minor lead, having won a crucial race against the last standing Filipino runner, Constiniano (3rd). A deal was immediately put in place, shaving PHP 3,000,000 off the first place money to flatten the payouts.

The final duel ran just under two hours with the lead shifting back and forth between the two. Lee eventually earned back the advantage after a dream river card saw his flush get fully paid against his opponent’s trips. The American amateur went on to widen the gap even further within the next twenty deals or so, and captured the victory with the final hand seeing Antezana call off for his tournament life with queen-seven suited, against his king-jack. Antezana missed the board entirely and was left to settle for a runner up finish, while Lee celebrated with the overall victory.

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 Results

*Denotes deal was made

Backtrack on all the day’s action via SMP Live Updates
APT Manila 2024 Main Event Full Payouts

Sungwoo Son Bests Double Stack

Another APT country record has been set under the Tour’s New Era, with its recently concluded Double Stack highlight having drawn 434 entries, generating a PHP 7,493,444 (~USD 127,390) well over its guarantee. Two days of play ran on the felt and saw South Korea’s Sungwoo Son claim the accolades for a career best score of PHP 1,103,000 (~USD 18,750). Son overcame a 2:1 chip deficit into heads up play and denied Marciel Cerbito the title. While the local runner settled for a runner up finish, his efforts didn’t go unrewarded, banking him a larger share at PHP 1,263,444 (~USD 21,480) following an ICM deal.

• Date/s: November 5-6, 2024
• Buy-in: PHP 20,000 (~USD 340)
• Guarantee: PHP 4,000,000 (~USD 68,530)
• Entries: 434 entries (282 unique)
• Prize pool: PHP 7,493,444 (~USD 127,390)
• ITM: 62 places

Double Stack Final Table Results

*Denotes deal was made

Li Ta Hsu and Mark Furniss Ship Third Series Victories

Taiwan’s Li Ta Hsu has been raging across the APT Manila side event lineup with three victories in the bag across the past ten days. Hsu’s most recent triumph was seen at yesterday’s PL Omaha High – Lazy Rivers games where he outlasted the 17-entry field, taking nearly half of the PHP 174,134 (~USD 2,960) prize pool. For his win, the Omaha enthusiast added another PHP 83,134 (~USD 1,410) in winnings towards his pocket, bumping up his series cashes just shy of PHP 1 million (~USD 16,970).

• Event 42: Big “O” Masters – PL Omaha Hi-Lo – 5 Card – PHP 388,000 (~USD 6,595)
• Event 72: Mix Game Masters – PHP 527,120 (~USD 8,960)
• Event 97: PL Omaha High – Lazy Rivers – PHP 83,134 (~USD 1,410)

Mark Furniss joins the three-peat winners list, having landed another victory over the final side event across the Day 10 schedule, Hyper Turbo – No Limit – Dealer’s Choice. Furniss holds an impressive collection of APT hardware with his recent feat being a career eighth APT title. In addition to his three trophies from the Manila festivities, the Australian runner also lists two runner up finishes across this season’s games, surely padding his bankroll much thicker than it was two weeks ago.

• Event 53: 5 Card Draw Masters – PHP 549,500 (~USD 9,340)
• Event 86: PL Omaha Hi-Lo – 5 Card – PHP 93,799 (~USD 1,590)
• Event 101: Hyper Turbo – No Limit – Dealer’s Choice – PHP 41,765 (~USD 710)