Singapore’s Ong Dingxiang crowned APPT Manila National champion, banks PHP 2,204,000 (~USD 40,049) in winnings

The fourteenth running of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila playing through until this Sunday, August 6 at Okada, Manila, Philippines, has been nothing short of successful, evident by its guarantee crushing events, multinational participants and strong attendance all throughout. Just yesterday, the festival concluded its fan favorite APPT Manila National event where the generated prize pool swelled to more than three times its listed guarantee. After three days of play, Singapore’s Ong Dingxiang banked the largest share of the prize pooland the coveted APPT National trophy after a four way ICM deal.

Only the second highlight of the series, the much awaited APPT Manila Main Event kicks off its first of three starting flights tomorrow, August 3rd. For a buy-in of PHP 65,000 (~USD 1,181), tournament runners will get the chance to secure the lion’s share of the PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 363,421) prize pool. Also included in the upcoming highlights on schedule are events APPT Superstack and APPT High Roller, both of which are happening on the tail end of the festival, August 5-6.

2023 APPT Manila 14 National – Ong Dingxiang – PHP 2,204,000 (~USD 40,049)

After eleven hours of final table gameplay, Singapore’s Ong Dingxiang emerged victorious following a short heads up battle against China’s Zhilian Dong. Ong’s journey to the trophy wasn’t as quick and easy as one would think. From starting Day 2 with only a fifteen big blind stack to dropping to less than five big blinds with four left in the running, Ong remained calm, waited for the right spots and kept the aggression going. With this, Ong was able to bounce back after a number of bad beats and make his way to victory. For his win, Ong took home PHP 2,204,000 (~USD 40,049) in winnings after a four way ICM deal, a Main Event seat and the coveted APPT National trophy.

Ong’s latest win appears to be his first champion title since 2019 and while it might have taken four years to get here, the Singaporean runner is no stranger to big scores. Under his belt lists $686,581 in total live earnings, ranking him seventh in Singapore’s All Time Money List as per The Hendon Mob. His biggest score remains to be a runner-up a runner-up finish in the 2019 WSOP $1,500 NLH tournament for $251,937, followed by another deep run at the 2022 WSOP Main Event for $176,200.

Final Table Recap

This year’s APPT Manila National event recorded a total of 558 entries collected across three starting flights, generating a sizable prize pool of PHP 17,171,930 (~USD 312,705). From those, only 139 players survived the first round of eliminations and drew down to its final nine to wrap up Day 2.

Heading into the Final Day, Korea’s Hyung Kim Tae held the biggest stack to start the final table at 135 big blinds, followed by runner-up finisher Zhilian Dong at 78. It didn’t take long for action to pick up after cards were in the air. Within ten minutes, WSOP bracelet winner Acain Henrieto Bonachita found himself at the losing end of a flip with against Park Jaehyun’s , knocking him down to five big blinds. However, three double ups later, Acain was back in action, sitting middle of the pack by the first break.

Close to an hour later, the final table’s first casualty was seen as Vamerdino Magsakay’s ran right into Zhilian Dong’s , ending the former’s run in 9th place. Short stacked Park Jaehyun followed not long after as he missed to spike an ace on board against Kim Enriquez’ . In similar fashion, Enriquez exited in 7th place after being crushed by Dong’s .

With six players left, Dong kept the momentum going as he picked up more chips and maintained his spot at the top. By the tournament’s sixth hour, Dong had amassed close to 40% of the chips in play. From this point on, Day chip leader Hyung’s stack continued to decline, diminishing down to ten big blinds and eventually busting in sixth at the hands of Ong. Action then circled around local runner Edgar Asehan as he caught several lucky breaks including a huge double up from Lloyd Locsin. A blind vs blind battle, Locsin was in deep trouble after he jammed on the small blind, called by Asehan with . Locsin dropped down significantly and busted in 5th place a few hands later.

With four left in the running and nine hours in, the remaining contenders agreed to an ICM deal, leaving PHP 780,000 (~USD 14,091), an APPT Main Event seat, and the coveted trophy to play for. Ong took the smallest payout of PHP 1,424,000 (~USD 25,725) following the agreement but quickly turned things around after he dusted Acain in 4th with mid pair vs his opponent’s straight draw. The Singaporean then proceeded to knock out Asehan in third place by winning two flips to get to heads up.

Up against Dong, Ong carried close to a 3:1 advantage and wasted no time in securing the trophy. Within twenty minutes, the final hand saw Ong all-in with and Dong with a call with . The board ran , leaving Ong’s ace-high good enough for the win. Ong bagged the APPT Manila National champion title along with PHP 2,204,000 (~USD 40,049) in winnings for his performance.

APPT Manila National Final Table Payouts

APPT Manila National Review

Dates: July 29 to August 1, 2023
Buy in: PHP 35,000 (~USD 635)
Guarantee: PHP 5,000,000 (~USD 91,000)
Entries: 558
Prize pool: PHP 17,171,930 (~USD 312,705)
Day 2 qualifiers: 139 players
ITM: 79 players

Day 1 results

Day 1A: 130 entries / 22 advanced
Day 1B: 257 entries / 54 advanced
Day 1C: 171 entries / 63 advanced

APPT Manila National – Final Table Action
APPT Manila National – Final 9
APPT Manila National – Day 2 Action