Marvin Cerbito Takes Down Manila Megastack 24 Main Event

Originally from the UK’s Lake District, Callum Jury has carved out a niche as a premier live reporter across the Southeast Asian poker circuit. Since 2025, he has delivered high-level coverage for major brands like the APT, PokerStars, and the WSOP, blending a background in business with a deep-rooted passion for storytelling. As a key member of the Somuchpoker team, Callum uses his sharp eye for photography and media to bridge the gap between technical hand histories and the raw human drama of a high-stakes deep run.

Updated: 2026.03.11

When the final card hit the felt at the Manila Megastack 24 Main Event , it was the Philippines’ own Marvin Cerbito who stood above the rest, outlasting a massive field to secure the title.

In a final table defined by high stakes and intense pressure, Cerbito remained composed, eventually overcoming Russia’s Gleb Ershov in a rapid-fire heads-up battle to claim the top prize of PHP 5,750,000 (~USD 99,880), the iconic PokerStars ‘Spadie’ trophy, and a coveted APPT Manila Championship package.

The event saw a staggering field of 848 entries battle for a share of the prize pool. For Cerbito, the victory is a significant career milestone, adding to his already impressive resume as a consistent performer on the regional circuit. Known for his tactical discipline, Cerbito navigated the field with a mixture of patience and well-timed aggression, proving why he is a force to be reckoned with in the Metro Manila poker scene.

Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize (PHP)	Prize (~USD)	Additional Package
1	Marvin Cerbito	Philippines	₱5,750,000	$99,880	₱210,000 APPT Championship Package
2	Gleb Ershov	Russia	₱3,600,000	$62,535	₱150,000 APPT Manila Main Event Package
3	Jean Paul Berdejo	Peru	₱2,570,000	$44,640	₱150,000 APPT Manila Main Event Package
4	Leo Kamiya	Australia	₱1,980,000	$34,395	₱9,000 APPT Super Qualifier Ticket
5	Jayvon Carreon	Philippines	₱1,525,000	$26,490	₱9,000 APPT Super Qualifier Ticket
6	Jianyi Ni	China	₱1,170,000	$20,325	₱9,000 APPT Super Qualifier Ticket
7	Renniel Galvez	Philippines	₱900,000	$15,635	₱9,000 APPT Super Qualifier Ticket
8	Christopher Mateo	Philippines	₱690,000	$11,985	₱9,000 APPT Super Qualifier Ticket
9	Jonathan Looi Tek Wye	Malaysia	₱528,680	$9,185	₱9,000 APPT Super Qualifier Ticket

You can find the full list of payouts here

Cerbito Reflects on the Victory

Following his tournament win, Cerbito sat down to reflect on his experience, describing the feeling of victory as simply, “really great… it’s fun, it’s just really fun.”

While this event marks his biggest poker win to date, it follows a history of success for the player, who noted, “I also [won] in other card rooms in Metro Walk, I also became a champion there.”

Cerbito’s path to the title was a dominant one, marked by a massive surge during the final day. He recounted his start, noting, “I started earlier on the final day with 286,000.” His momentum shifted as the field narrowed: “Then when there were only 90 players left, I think I became the chip leader. The average stack was 400,000, my stack was 1.8 million.”

That momentum carried through the later stages of the event. “Yes, and then down to 60 players, I was still the chip leader,” he shared. “Then I didn’t know what happened next, if I was still the chip leader then.”

When asked about his experience with PokerStars LIVE events, Cerbito had nothing but praise for the organisation, saying, “Oh, it’s very good. The PokerStars tournament is very good, really. Nothing [bad] to say.”

Final Table Action

In a finale that moved at a blistering pace, the action began immediately when Jonathan Wye found himself short-stacked and shoved his final chips from the button with ace-three. Cerbito, holding ace-king in the small blind, made the easy call. The board offered no salvation for Wye, and he was the first to depart in ninth place.

Not long after, Christopher Mateo found himself in a heart-breaking clash against the eventual champion. With a queen-high flop, Cerbito shoved his covering stack with ace-queen, and Mateo snapped it off with pocket kings. Mateo looked primed for a double until a late ace hit the river, sending him to the rail in eighth place and further propelling Cerbito’s momentum.

The pace did not slow down as Renniel Galvez shoved his remaining stack with pocket eights, only to be out-drawn by Jean Paul Berdejo , who made a straight on the turn. Shortly thereafter, Jianyi Ni made his stand with ace-deuce suited, but he could not overcome Ershov’s pocket tens, ending his run in sixth place.

The field continued to thin as Jayvon Carreon pushed his chips into the middle with pocket fours, hoping to double through the table leader. Cerbito, however, was waiting with pocket queens, and the board provided no help for Carreon, who finished in fifth. Shortly after, Leo Kamiya moved his stack in with pocket tens, but fell victim to Berdejo’s queen-jack after a jack appeared on the flop, sending Kamiya out in fourth.

As the final three players took a scheduled break, the conversation turned toward a potential ICM deal to lock up their respective portions of the prize pool. Despite the lengthy negotiations, the three finalists could not reach an agreement, and they returned to the felt with the original payouts still firmly in play.

The impact of the failed negotiations was felt immediately. In the very first hand back from the break, a pivotal clash broke out, with Berdejo three-bet jamming pocket eights, only to find Cerbito holding pocket kings. A king on the turn left Berdejo drawing dead, confirming his third-place finish and setting the stage for the final showdown.

The heads-up battle between Cerbito and Ershov proved to be a short, sharp affair. With a flop showing a six, four, and three, the two players engaged in a check-raise exchange that saw Ershov move all in. Cerbito wasted no time making the call with pocket jacks. Ershov held a six-five for a pair and an open-ender, but the turn and river failed to improve his hand, crowning Cerbito as the Manila Megastack 24 Main Event champion, to the delight of the surrounding spectators.