Local Players Dominate Massive Fields at PokerStars LIVE Manila Special 2026
The week-long micro-stakes tournament festival at PokerStars LIVE Manila Special 2026 wrapped up at Okada Manila , pulling in huge crowds. The series proved that low buy-in tournaments can still generate huge prize pools, recording a massive 2,879 total entries across all events (excluding satellites) and building a total prize pool of PHP 14,595,281 (~USD 241,990).
Out of the 14 trophies awarded throughout the festival, Philippines successfully kept 10 of them on home soil, while the remaining four titles went to players from China , Japan , Malaysia , and South Korea .
Lagatuz Wins PokerStars LIVE Manila Special 2026 Main Event
The absolute highlight of the festival was the Manila Special Main Event . It featured an affordable buy-in of just PHP 7,500 (~USD 120) and carried an initial PHP 3,000,000 (~USD 48,900) guarantee. Players turned out in droves for the value-packed structure, generating a massive 975 entries and more than doubling the guarantee to lock in a final PHP 6,241,950 (~USD 103,495) prize pool.
Filipino player Jeorge Lagatuz outlasted the field to claim the trophy and the PHP 1,000,000 (~USD 16,580) top prize. Along with the cash and the spade trophy, Lagatuz won a premium APPT Manila Package, which includes six nights of accommodation at Okada Manila and a direct entry into the upcoming APPT Manila Main Event.
The victory pushed Lagatuz past the USD 300,000 milestone in career live earnings. It also snapped a year-long title drought; his last tournament win came in May 2025 at the APT Taipei Double Stack event, where he outlasted 930 entries to bank his career-best score of TWD 2,639,000 (~USD 81,450).
| # | Payout | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₱1,000,000 $16,580 | JL Jeorge Lagatuz ![Philippines [PHL]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/ph.svg "Philippines [PHL]"){kind=small} Philippines | 1,478.45 |
| 2 | ₱600,000 $9,950 | JT Joseph Talamayan Philippines | 1,045.42 |
| 3 | ₱400,000 $6,630 | AC Aj Cris Acdal Philippines | 853.58 |
| 4 | ₱330,000 $5,470 | GP Genesis Pilao Philippines | 739.23 |
| 5 | ₱250,000 $4,145 | MC Marvin Cerbito Philippines | 661.18 |
| 6 | ₱200,000 $3,315 | RG Renniel Galvez Philippines | 603.58 |
| 7 | ₱155,000 $2,570 | AC Adrian Cazimir ![Sweden [SWE]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/se.svg "Sweden [SWE]"){kind=small} Sweden | 558.80 |
| 8 | ₱120,000 $1,990 | SK Sangsu Kim ![South Korea [KOR]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/kr.svg "South Korea [KOR]"){kind=small} South Korea | 522.71 |
| 9 | ₱91,950 $1,525 | JW Jung Whan Kim South Korea | 492.82 |
Espela Champions the Warm-Up
The PHP 2,000,000 (~USD 32,600) guaranteed Warm-Up event served as another major highlight of the week. Featuring an accessible buy-in of just PHP 4,500 (~USD 73), the event drew an enormous field of 853 entries, crushing its target to settle on a final prize pool of PHP 3,276,544 (~USD 54,325).
The tournament ended with another victory for the home crowd as the Philippines’ own Marco Espela took down the top spot. Espela navigated the massive field to secure the trophy and a first-place payout of PHP 254,000 (~USD 4,210).
| # | Payout | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₱254,000 $4,210 | ME Marco Espela Philippines | 1,166.34 |
| 2 | ₱268,000 $4,445 | JE Jiego Erquiaga Philippines | 824.73 |
| 3 | ₱325,000 $5,390 | PP Pratik Parte ![India [IND]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/in.svg "India [IND]"){kind=small} India | 673.39 |
| 4 | ₱271,000 $4,495 | JR John Riad ![Denmark [DNK]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/dk.svg "Denmark [DNK]"){kind=small} Denmark | 583.17 |
| 5 | ₱182,000 $3,020 | AF Adam Ford ![Australia [AUS]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/au.svg "Australia [AUS]"){kind=small} Australia | 521.60 |
| 6 | ₱90,000 $1,490 | ZL Zhiqiang Liu ![China [CHN]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/cn.svg "China [CHN]"){kind=small} China | 476.16 |
| 7 | ₱64,000 $1,060 | CS Chirag Shah India | 440.83 |
| 8 | ₱52,000 $860 | BJ Bell John Perez Philippines | 412.36 |
| 9 | ₱42,544 $705 | EC Ellezer Castillo Philippines | 388.78 |
Looking Ahead: Road to APPT Manila 2026
The Manila Special festival served as a crucial warm-up arena and gateway for the upcoming Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila 2026 , which is scheduled to run from July 28 to August 10.
Numerous satellite seats were awarded throughout the week, building momentum for the highly anticipated APPT Manila Super Qualifiers . The qualifiers feature an affordable buy-in of PHP 9,000 (~USD 150) and guarantee at least 20 seats to the main event, giving players a low-cost path to secure a spot in one of the region’s most prominent tournament series.
All photos courtesy of PokerStars LIVE Manila.
![Philippines [PHL]](/assets/images/flags/1x1/ph.svg "Philippines [PHL]"){kind=small}
Derick Elomina is SoMuchPoker's Lead Content Writer and Interview Specialist, reporting live from WSOP bracelet events and Asia Pacific poker festivals such as TMT, APT, RDPT and APL Jeju, alongside player features and interviews for the site's Stories section. He discovered poker at 14 playing home games with friends, and by 21 he had entered the industry as a field reporter, starting as a hand reporter before building his current role on the tournament floor.
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