Kiwanont Sukhum Ships Manila Megastack 22 Main Event for PHP 3,410,000 (~USD 59,470)

last Tuesday at 1:52 AM

I feel really good and tired honestly, this is my first time to win a Main Event trophy, so this is very big achievement for me. Patience is the key for this kind of long day tournament

The Manila Megastack 22 Main Event festivities at Okada Manila, Philippines has wrapped up with Thailand’s Kiwanont Sukhum shipping the victory over the 652-entry field. Only 99 players returned back to the scene, all banking a share of the PHP 25,613,820 (~USD 446,695) prize pool.

While many walked away with a profit, only one rose to victory, with Sukhum coming on top of the final rounds to secure the trophy and the PHP 125,000 valued APPT package, in addition to his PHP 3,410,000 (~USD 59,470) guaranteed winnings. Sukhum was up against Manila Megastack 19 Main Event champion William Ysmael at the final showdown, and ultimately denied the former winner a second major title.

I knew this was going to be a long day, so I prepared myself and got enough sleep so I can focus on playing, and be patient and wait for good hands to play. My target was at least 7th place, but when I got momentum and kept winning, I knew I could ladder up to 3rd or bink the win.

Final Table Recap

Sukhum kicked off the final table with just a mere eleven big blinds and remained amongst the shortest throughout the early stages. Two local runners – James Dela Cruz and Ysmael stacked atop the ranks, leading the hunt for the initially listed PHP 4,820,000 (~USD 84,060) top prize. Dela Cruz set the tone early on, getting entangled in several pots to eventually deliver Tamon Nakamura’s elimination as the first final table casualty. Three more short stacks, Uday Duggal (8th), Moosung Lee (7th) and Wanhee Kang (6th), followed not long after, with the two Filipino contenders still remaining on top.

Sukhum’s momentum entirely shifted after delivering Suya Lee‘s exit in 5th place as the pocket pair clash landed him more room to breathe. Sukhum went on to make a smashing hero call at the expense of Dela Cruz, to in time finish him off in 4th, and rise to the lead.

Once three-handed was reached, an ICM deal was struck with all three remaining contenders guaranteed a PHP 3 million payout. Sukhum was granted the largest share for his minor chip advantage, and wasted no time picking up the aggression over his final two opponents. Cheolmin Byeon and Sukhum went head to head several times, until a third showdown saw Byeon finally succumb in third place. Sukhum extended his lead following the boost, bringing a 3:1 advantage into heads up play against Ysmael.

Despite coming from behind, Ysmael put up a mighty fight, managing to take over the lead just minutes in. A pivotal ace-high race however, saw Sukhum catch a major double up and leave Ysmael crippled in the process. The final hand arrived on the felt a couple deals later, with Ysmael seen calling off his last four big blinds with king-six suited, only to fall against Sukhum’s ace-jack of hearts and settle for a runner up finish.

Manila Megastack 22 Main Event Review

Date/s: March 20-23, 2024
Buy-in: PHP 45,000 (~USD 775)
Guarantee: PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 345,280)
Entries: 652
Prize pool: PHP 25,613,820 (~USD 446,695)
ITM: 99 places

Backtrack on SMP Live Updates to relive the action

#48 Main Event (45,000 PHP)

The Manila Megastack 22 Main Event festivities wrapped up with Thailand's Kiwanont Sukhum shipping the victory over the 652-entry field. Only 99 players returned back to the scene, all banking a share of the PHP 25,613,820 (~USD 446,695) prize pool. While many walked away with a profit, only one rose to victory, with Sukhum coming on top of the final rounds to secure the trophy and the PHP 125,000 valued APPT package, in addition to his PHP 3,410,000 (~USD 59,470) guaranteed winnings following the three-way deal.

Total Prize

$446,700

Guaranteed

20,000,000

Entries

652

ITM

#	Payout	Player
1	$59,470 3,410,000 PHP	KS Kiwanont Sukhum Thailand
2	$56,940 3,265,000 PHP	WY William Ysmael Philippines
3	$55,370 3,175,000 PHP	CB Cheolmin Byeon Korea (Republic of)
4	$27,720 1,590,000 PHP	JD James Dela Cruz Philippines
5	$22,140 1,270,000 PHP	SL Suya Lee Korea (Republic of)
6	$16,910 970,000 PHP	WK Wanhee Kang Korea (Republic of)
7	$12,205 700,000 PHP	ML Moosung Lee Korea (Republic of)
8	$8,370 480,000 PHP	UD Uday Duggal Singapore
9	$6,640 380,820 PHP	TN Tamon Nakamura Japan

Check the 99 Payouts & Results ...

Minsoo Hwang Secures Third Series Win

Minsoo Hwang Secures Third Manila Megastack Win — Minsoo Hwang

South Korea’s Minsoo Hwang put on an exceptional display during this season’s Manila Megastack games, securing three trophy victories across the lineup. On the final day, Hwang shipped his largest score amongst the three at the Super Stack Turbo, bringing his total prizes to a smashing PHP 596,386 (~USD 10,380). A truly unbeatable performance, Hwang will definitely need extra baggage to carry home with three PokerStars spadies in tow.

#72 Super Stack Turbo (10,000 PHP)

South Korea's Minsoo Hwang put on an exceptional display during this season's Manila Megastack series, securing three trophy wins across the lineup. In the concluding day, Hwang emerged triumphant over the Super Stack Turbo 105-entry field and lined his bankroll with another PHP 234,280 top prize. Fifteen runners banked a share of the PHP 896,280 prize pool with Yohn Paredes coming close to clinching the title.

In the final duel, Hwang was at risk with A♠ A♣ against Paredes' 9♠ 7♥ on a flop of 9♣ 7♣ 4♥ . Runout 5♠ A♥ however, spiked a set for Hwang to turn the tables, and finish Paredes shortly after with pocket queens against the latter's king-four suited.

Total Prize

$15,635

Entries

105

ITM

#	Payout	Player
1	$4,085 234,280 PHP	HM Hwang Minsoo Korea (Republic of)
2	$2,635 151,000 PHP	YP Yohn Paredes Peru
3	$1,885 108,000 PHP	KO Ko Okubo Japan
4	$1,445 83,000 PHP	MB Michael Bueza Philippines
5	$1,115 64,000 PHP	AU Alexander Ugay Russian Federation
6	$855 49,000 PHP	SI Shinya Iwasaki Japan
7	$690 39,500 PHP	AI Alvir Inocentes Philippines
8	$550 31,500 PHP	KK Keita Kashifuku Japan
9	$455 26,000 PHP	JJ Joseroy Jeremias Philippines

Check the 15 Payouts & Results ...

Myunghwan Han Bests Survivor Knockout

Myunghwan Han Bests Manila Megastack Survivor Knockout — Myunghwan Han

Another Korean runner, Myunghwan Han, recently joined the winner’s circle with a last minute victory at the Survivor Knockout games. While Han missed to find success at the Main Event, his final day triumph pushed him well into the green, banking a PHP 340,000 (~USD 5,930) first place prize for coming out on top of the 152-entry field. In addition to his cash, Han eliminated eight players, bringing his total haul to PHP 715,000 (~USD 12,465).

#70 Survivor Knockout [P50K Bounty] (25,000 PHP)

The PHP 2 million guaranteed Survivor Knockout [P50K Bounty] attracted 152 entries, boosting the prize pool to PHP 3,243,680. Twenty three players cut a share, with Myunghwan Han coming out on top to earn the PHP 340,000 first place prize. In addition to his cash, Han banked a larger PHP 375,000 in bounty winnings, bumping his grand total to PHP 715,000. Han locked in the victory with a final hand seeing him capture Kosei Oguri's last eight big blinds with Q♣ 6♣ against his opponent's J♠ J♥ on a board of 8♣ Q♦ 8♠ 5♥ 7♣ .

Total Prize

$56,565

Guaranteed

2,000,000

Entries

152

ITM

#	Payout	Player
1	$12,465 715,000 PHP	MH Myunghwan Han Korea (Republic of)
2	$5,755 330,000 PHP	KO Kosei Oguri Japan
3	$7,150 410,000 PHP	SX Shi Xinye
4	$3,140 180,000 PHP	YW Yasuhiro Waki Japan
5	$4,445 255,000 PHP	YN Yu Nakajima Japan
6	$3,140 180,000 PHP	JC Jeremy Catalig Philippines
7	$1,920 110,000 PHP	HS Hiroshi Shimizu Japan
8	$2,475 142,000 PHP	JL James Lee Singapore
9	$1,475 84,680 PHP	JS Jeoffrey Sibal Philippines

Check the 23 Payouts & Results ...

Up Next At PokerStars LIVE

That wraps up the 22nd edition of the Manila Megastack. Up next at PokerStars LIVE is the Okada Manila Millions which runs from April 4-13, 2025. This is one of the most popular low-stakes festivals by the brand with buy-ins easy on the pocket.

Festival Highlights

Main Event
PHP 5 Million (~US$ 87,300) guarantee – PHP 8,000 (~US$ 140) buy-in
April 10-13, 2025
Mystery Bounty
PHP 2 Million (~US$ 34,900) guarantee – PHP 12,500 (~US$ 220) buy-in
April 4-6, 2025
Okada Micro
PHP 1 Million (~US$ 17,450) guarantee- PHP 4,500 (~US$ 80) buy-in
April 7-9, 2025