Korea’s Hyung Kim Tae leads APPT Manila National’s final nine, champion set to take home PHP 3,374,690 (~USD 61,534) top prize

Right on the halfway mark, the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila 2023 held in Okada, Manila, Philippines is continuing through its 11-day schedule with its second festival highlight currently underway. The APPT Manila National tournament remains to be a fan favorite judging from this year’s turnout of 558 entries collected across three starting flights. Surpassing expectations, the tournament’s generated prize pool has swelled to PHP 17,171,930 (~USD 312,705) as today’s champion is set to claim a lucrative PHP 3,374,690 (~USD 61,534) top prize.

Final Table

The APPT Manila National wrapped up its Day 2 festivities yesterday after 139 players returned to claim a spot on the final table. After 11 hours of play, the field drew down to its final nine players with Korea’s Hyung Kim Tae leading the pack. Hyung fared well in the Day 2 qualifying round after tabling relentless bluffs and delivering three busts with 18 left to top the charts.

The final nine boasts its share of local and international decorated players including World Series of Poker bracelet winner Henrieto Bonachita Acain. Acain has amassed the largest total live earnings among the remaining few, towing a collected career best score of $701,215 after he bested the Housewarming event’s 20,080 entry field in the 2022 WSOP summer games. Singapore’s Ong Dingxiang similarly came close to clutching a WSOP title after placing a runner-up finish in the 2019 WSOP $1,500 NLH tournament for $251,937.

While today’s international runners boast impressive achievements, the APPT Manila National local contenders are no strangers to making back to back final table appearances. Asian Poker Tour champion Vamerdino Magsakay for one, holds a Main Event trophy from the 2022 APT x VSOP Hanoi festivities which serves as his best live cash at $84,854. Philippines’ Kim Michael Enriquez and Edgar Asehan have also accumulated several PokerStars collectibles throughout the years and are now looking to secure their 4th and 5th trophies respectively.

Also included in the mix is Day 2 chip leader Lloyd Locsin who remains in search of his maiden title along with China’s Zhilian Dong and Korea’s Park Jaehyun. Final Day action resumes today, August 1 at 13:00 sharp.

Stay tuned to APPT Manila National live updates.

Final Nine Chip Counts

Hyung Kim Tae – 4,065,000
Zhilian Dong – 2,365,000
Kim Michael Enriquez – 2,300,000
Lloyd Locsin – 1,935,000
Vamerdino Magsakay – 1,755,000
Ong Dingxiang – 1,545,000
Edgar Asehan – 1,400,000
Acain Henrieto Bonachita – 685,000
Park Jaehyun – 600,000

Remaining Payouts

1st – PHP 3,244,690
2nd – PHP 2,045,000
3rd – PHP 1,464,000
4th – PHP 1,141,000
5th – PHP 895,000
6th – PHP 703,000
7th – PHP 525,000
8th – PHP 363,000
9th – PHP 287,000

*Champion gets APPT Manila Main Event seat valued at PHP 75,000

Day 2 Recap

Action kicked off as 139 hopefuls returned to the PokerStars grounds to claim a share of the PHP 17 Million prize pool. Three hours of play was all it took before the tournament reached its money bubble of 79 players for a minimum payout of PHP 58,000 (~USD 1,060). Filipino runner Dexter Manapat took the fall after China’s Xu Qiang spiked a three outer to eliminate him in 80th place.

Pulling in the biggest stacks to start the day were Day 1B chip leader Zhang Li Jun, and Philippines’ Lloyd Locsin and Lester Edoc. Locsin came in with a healthy 192 big blind stack and continued to dominate the games all the way to the day’s end. A huge pot worth noting was a flopped set against Oleg Mordassov’s top two pair which saw all the chips in the middle and led to the demise of the latter in 22nd place. Zhang on the other hand, started the day strong, having delivered the first bust within six minutes into the day but eventually fell short in 49th place. Local pro Edoc also clocked in a deep run but could just not get the momentum going as he headed for the rails in 20th place.

Following Edoc’s exit, the field dwindled down to its last two tables with final table chip leader Hyung Kim Tae sitting at the top. Hyung’s stack rose significantly after he dusted Kang Yunku in 17th place in a cooler situation, pocket Aces vs . In similar fashion, Singapore’s Ong Dingxiang locked up a final table seat after battling head on against 12th place finisher Thoo Ming Ken in a number of pots to bring in a 1.5 Million chip stack. By the stroke of midnight, the final table was set after Zhilian Dong’s outran Timothy Nichols’ and sent his opponent out in 10th for PHP 236,000 (~USD 4,313).

Read up on the concluded Day 2 action via our live updates.

APPT Manila National Review

Dates: July 29 to August 1, 2023
Buy in: PHP 35,000 (~USD 635)
Guarantee: PHP 5,000,000 (~USD 91,000)
Entries: 558
Prize pool: PHP 17,171,930 (~USD 312,705)
Day 2 qualifiers: 139 players
ITM: 79 players

Day 1 results

Day 1A: 130 entries / 22 advanced
Day 1B: 257 entries / 54 advanced
Day 1C: 171 entries / 63 advanced

Upcoming APPT Manila Highlights

APPT Main Event: Php 65,000 – Php 20,000,000 Guarantee
Day 1: Flight A – August 3, 2023, Thursday
Flight B & C – August 4, 2023, Friday
Day 2: August 5, 2023, Saturday
Final: August 6, 2023, Sunday

APPT Super High Roller: August 1-2, 2023 – Php 500,000
APPT Superstack: August 5-6, 2023- Php 40,000 – Php 2,000,000 Guarantee
APPT High Roller: August 5-6, 2023 – Php 250,000