PokerStars LIVE Manila Super Series underway; Warm up draws 344 entries; Main Event ₱3M gtd on October 13-17

For poker players in the Philippines, the 16th edition of PokerStars LIVE – Manila Super Series is currently swinging at Okada Manila. The weeklong event opened on October 11 and will run through the 17th. This is the most popular low buy in series hosted by the brand with prices ranging from just ₱ 3,500 (~US$ 60) to ₱ 30,000 (~US$ 510). For the taking are a total of 14 iconic spade trophies and a whopping ₱5 Million in guarantees. Highlighting the excitement is the Main Event featuring a ₱3 Million (~US$ 50,940) guaranteed prize pool.

Kicking off the festivities, at yesterday’s opener, the Warm Up NLH drew a substantial 344 entries over two flights, and with buy-in at ₱ 6,000 (~US$ 102), it broke past the ₱1M guarantee. Today’s 52 returning players are now guaranteed a piece of the much larger ₱ 1,761,830 (~US$ 29,915) prize pool with a covetous ₱ 340,000 reserved for the eventual champion. Among the contenders are flight leaders Ricardo Torres (Philippines) and Hanam Kim (Korea). Other notable players also with big stacks are locals Hernan Jaybee Villa, Christopher Mateo, and Junnie Pamplona.

Coming up tomorrow is the Main Event which features a ₱3 Million (~US$ 50,940) guaranteed prize pool. The event runs from October 13 to 17 with three starting days. Buy in is ₱ 15,000 (~US$ 255). At the previous edition, the pot more than doubled with 500 turning up for a rich ₱ 6.4M. Filipino Jason Kyle Magbanua won it for a career high ₱ 1,340,000 (~US$ 23,961). For this edition, expect Magbanua to join the locals in full force as he aims to defend his title.

Interestingly, the most expensive event on the roster is the NLH Freezeout Hyper Turbo with a price tag of ₱ 30,000. This event is designed for the fast-punching die-hards as it runs on Saturday, October 15 one minute before the midnight hour.

Full schedule

*All images courtesy of PokerStars LIVE Manila