Manila Super Series 18: Main Event final nine is set with China’s Xia Qi in the forefront for the PHP 2,400,000 (~USD 42,232) top prize
The weeklong Manila Super Series 18 is down to its final day of festivities with the record-breaking Main Event set to crown a champion today. Three starting flights played through on schedule, collecting a stellar turnout of 1,034 entries for the tour’s richest PHP 13,239,336 (~USD 233,240) prize pool. Each flight played down to 15% of the field where Day 2 saw 154 players return to the felt to cut a piece of the pie. Twelve hours later, the final nine is set with China’s Xia Qi leading the band of players in contention for the PHP 2,400,000 (~USD 42,232) top prize.
Final Day action resumes on Level 29: 50,000/100,000 ante 100,000 at 13:00 sharp. Blind duration will play at 40 minutes per level, and will adjust down to 20 minutes once three players remain.
Main Event Day 2 Recap
Day 2 action kicked off with 154 runners back on the felt, each guaranteed a minimum payout of PHP 23,000 (~USD 404). Eliminations were quick to be seen early on, with the field dwindled down to 90 players by the first break of the day. Previous Manila Super Series champions were spotted making another run for the trophy including season 15 winner Jason Kyle Magbanua, and season 14 champion Joemark Vasay, who was two spots short of making the final table.
The final nine was set after fourteen levels of action played through, with China’s Xia Qi bagging the biggest stack of 6.3 Million to cap the day. Xia started strong with a massive double up from local regular Richard Marquez right on the second level. A turning point on Xia’s Main Event run, his set 
got full value against Marquez’ two pair 
on 
, boosting him to a comfortable 91 big blind stack. From there, Xia rose to the top after managing to eliminate three players – Alvir Inocentes (12th), Aihara Takayuki (14th), John Niko Constiniano (15th), deep in the game.
Taiwan’s Ho Tung Chun comes in close second with a 6.2 Million chip count or 62 BB to start the final table. Ho was down to less than ten big blinds by the seventh hour yesterday but won a flip against Jie Shawn to bounce back in the game. The bubble was also delivered by Ho, eliminating Darrell Griffith in 10th following a blind vs blind battle. Having opened the small blind with 
, Ho called off Darrell’s 11 big blind jam and crushed his opponent’s 
after flopping two pair. This win propelled Ho to second in position returning to the felt today and closed the action with nine players left in the running.
Final Table Chip Count
| Pos. | Player | Flag | Chip Count | ~Big Blinds |
| 1 | Xia Qi | China | 6,345,000 | 63 BB |
| 2 | Ho Tung Chun | Taiwan | 6,215,000 | 62 BB |
| 3 | John Clyde Tan | Philippines | 4,270,000 | 42 BB |
| 4 | Paolo Boccaletti | Italy | 3,270,000 | 32 BB |
| 5 | Shah Chirag | India | 3,245,000 | 32 BB |
| 6 | Edilberto Gopez | Philippines | 2,740,000 | 27 BB |
| 7 | John Jay Magadan | Philippines | 2,480,000 | 24 BB |
| 8 | Shin Hyeonho | South Korea | 1,520,000 | 15 BB |
| 9 | Ivan Dela Cruz | Philippines | 775,000 | 7 BB |
Remaining Payouts
1st – PHP 2,400,000
2nd – PHP 1,450,000
3rd – PHP 1,020,000
4th – PHP 765,000
5th – PHP 590,000
6th – PHP 430,000
7th – PHP 315,000
8th – PHP 225,000
9th – PHP 176,336
Manila Super Series 18 Main Event Review
Dates: September 20-24, 2023
Buy in: PHP 15,000 (~USD 264)
Guarantee: PHP 3,000,000 (~USD 52,842)
Prize pool: PHP 13,239,336 (~USD 233,240)
Entries: 1,034
ITM: 156 players
Day 1 Results
1A: 198 entries / 30 advanced
1B: 311 entries / 47 advanced
1C: 525 entries / 79 advanced
