Local Aces Join The Chase Cup ₱5M Guaranteed Main Event; Joel Diaz, Clyde Ravina Top Flights
The inaugural Chase Cup featuring is well underway in Cebu, Philippines with three of five starting days completed. While the event had a slow start, it picked up at yesterday’s Day 1C with some of the country’s most decorated joining the hunt for a piece of the PH₱ 5 Million (~USD 86,900) guaranteed prize pool and the Rolex Submariner to the champion. There are currently 157 entries with 21 into the ITM round.
Chase Cup – Main Event Live Updates
Among the arrivals were WSOP bracelet winner Mike Takayama, Florencio Campomanes, Maxwell Rosete, and Alexis Lim. Finding a bag was 2023 APPT Cambodia Main Event finalist Junnie Pamplona who now sits in fourth rank in the cumulative Day 2 chip counts.
Chase Cup – Main Event Chip Counts
Chase Cup – Day 1 Update
Date: May 1 to 7, 2024
Buy in:PH₱18,800 (~USD 327)
Guarantee:PH₱ 5,000,000 (~USD 86,900)
Day 1A: 41 entries / 6 ITM
Day 1B: 32 entries / 4 ITM
Day 1C: 84 entries / 11 ITM
Top 5 in Chips
Rank | Player | Stack | BB |
1 | Joshua Figuerres | 611,000 | 152 |
2 | Joel Diaz | 443,000 | 111 |
3 | Clyde Ravina | 380,000 | 95 |
4 | Junnie Pamplona | 343,000 | 85 |
5 | Kenrick Lim | 311,000 | 77 |
Chase Cup – Main Event current leaders
Taking a look at the inaugural Chase Cup current standings, Day 1A’s chip leader Joshua Figuerres bagged up a towering stack of 152 bb, setting the bar very high for others to try to overtake. At Day 1B, USA’s Joel Diaz outgunned the local heavy field, racking up a hefty 111 bb. This earned Diaz second rank in the counts. As a newcomer to the Philippine poker scene, Diaz is one of just several international players looking to lay claim on the inaugural title.
Day 1C saw the arrival of the big guns, local pros ready to tear up the felt. However at the end of day, it was another new contender at the top of the charts, Clyde Ravina, who bagged up 95 bb. Ravina doubled up near the end of day with pocket queens turned set to finish as the day’s chip leader. You can read up on the action via the live updates.
Up next is Day 1D taking place on Saturday, May 4, at 1pm at Poker8 Cebu. This is a shot clock event which means the Action Clock will be in place from the start. Each Day 1 player will be given five time-banks worth 30 seconds each.
Starting stack: 30,000 (150x starting blinds)
Day 1 Starting blinds: 100-200 ante 200
Level increases: 40 minutes
Registration: ends at start of Level 9
Bagging time: 12.5% of the field
Poker in Cebu, Philippines
The Chase Cup is the first poker event to be held in the Central Visayas in over a decade. Taking place at the new roomPoker8 Cebuin Cebu, the game itself has consistently seen a steady stream of enthusiasts in this part of the country. While it may not yet rival the player turnout of Metro Manila, poker in Cebu continues to thrive. Besides tournaments, cash games are also on offer at the poker room, which boasts 12 tables and an in-house restaurant.