PokerStars LIVE Manila Releases Major Stops for APPT 2025 in Cambodia and Philippines

All good things come to those who wait is a popular saying and this can certainly also apply to the world of poker. In the Asia-Pacific region, several well-established brands have been competing for their share of the market for several years now and among them is also the PokerStars sponsored Asia-Pacific Poker Tour (APPT).

Poker enthusiasts from near and far had to wait until early in February until the schedule for 2025 was finally released but the planning can now begin. Two APPT Main Tour stops have now been officially confirmed along with the APPT Manila Championship, the latter of which once again returns to the PokerStars LIVE Manila poker room with the action set to unfold around the iconic Cove pool area at Okada Manila.

It will be the fourth time in as many years that the Asia-Pacific Poker Tour visits the Kingdom of Cambodia after the inaugural stop in November 2022. Since then, the festival alternated between Spring and Autumn with the fourth installment set to take place from May 2 to 13, 2025. The summer action once again belongs to APPT Manila from July 23 until August 4, followed by the APPT Manila Championship from October 16 to 27 to round up the trio of marquee events.

$1 Million Guarantee for APPT Cambodia Main Event

The full schedule for the upcoming stop at the world-class integrated NagaWorld Resort in Phnom Penh has already been released along with the key events and overall festival details. Players will be competing for more than $1.5 million in guarantees with the biggest slice of the pie up for grabs in the 2025 APPT Cambodia Main Event, which offers the largest guarantee to date with $1 million.

Major live poker tournaments in Cambodia have been thriving and this lump sum is significantly larger than the previous two editions. Other notable tournaments on the schedule include the $150,000 gtd High Roller on May 11 and 12, the $150,000 gtd National and the NagaWorld Kickoff, which will pay out at least $50,000 in prize money.

Huge Event Schedule once more in APPT Manila

Poker players in the Asia-Pacific region can also already plan their trip to APPT Manila in late July as well, when the second APPT festival of the year takes place only a couple of days after the conclusion of the 2025 WSOP in Las Vegas. A total of 96 trophy events are scheduled for the capital of the Philippines with more than PHP 140 Million ($2.4 million) guaranteed.

One year ago, the marquee event on the schedule, the PHP 80,000 APPT Manila Main Event, set a new record field thanks to 1,304 entries with more than $1.5 million in prize money awarded. The PHP 55 million guarantee will be the same from July 31 until August 4, but there is little doubt it will be eclipsed by a large margin.

Several other trademark tournaments during this festival come with healthy guarantees such as the PHP 35,000 National (PHP 10 million gtd), the PHP 55,000 Open ( PHP 15 million gtd), the PHP 40,000 Mystery Bounty ( PHP 5 million gtd) and the PHP 250,000 High Roller on the tail end of the series with  PHP 10 million gtd as well.

The PokerStars Red Dragon returns with a price tag of PHP 65,000 and a guarantee of PHP 20 million. Furthermore, High Roller regulars can showcase their talents in the PHP 500,000 Super High Roller (PHP 10 million gtd) as well as the One Million Challenge Championship, the latter of which is scheduled to run on July 30 and August 1.

APPT Manila Championship Dates Locked In

Subject to regulatory approval is the APPT Manila Championship, which is currently announced from October 16 to 27 with a total of PHP 152.6 Million Guaranteed (more than $2.6 Million). The same festival featured more than 60 trophy events at The Cove inside of Okada Manila in October 2024 and the time slot appears to be almost identical.

With an elevated price tag of PHP 165,000, the Championship Event attracted several well-known Asian poker pros and produced a field of 416 entries for a price pool of nearly PHP 60 million (> $1 million). Vietnam’s Trong Hieu Ngo had a tough task but came out on top after defeating the likes of Bert Perry, Lester Edoc, Willian Ysmael, Justin Chu and New Zealand’s Thomas Ward for a payday of PHP 11.61 million (~$200,936), his largest cash in a live poker tournament to date.

Other PokerStars LIVE Manila Events In 2025

Throughout the year, the PokerStars LIVE room in Manila will be busy as well with other live poker festivals such as further editions. Below are all the festival dates, for further information head over to the PokerStars Live Manila website.

PokerStars LIVE Manila Lineup Of Events