Wilson Lim wins Record-Breaking APPT Manila Main Event

The 2018 edition of the APPT Manila concluded last night.

Singapore’s Wilson Limwins biggest APPT Manila Main Event in Philippines history

Manila is a great destination for poker players looking to play in Asia, and its reputation has certainly grown in recent years. Despite that, few would have anticipated a field of 1,364 players turning out for the Main Event. This number marks a new national record for most tournament entries in one day and overall tournament entries for an international event.

The entire series attracted a total of 6,446 competitors and awarded PHP178,426,612 (US$3,348,219) once the Main Event had concluded.

The 1,364 total entries for the Main Event almost doubled the previous record for an APPT event held in the Philippines, and subsequently the final prize pool for the tournament was announced as PHP65,494,460 (US$1,229,020).

Singapore’s Wilson Lim had anything but a smooth ride to victory, seeing his stack crippled with two tables left. He had just one single big blind, but after hitting several double ups he somehow managed to make it to the final table, although he was the short stack. This didn’t stand in the way of Lim’s unstoppable run though as he took out four players on his way to winning a seven-hour final table. He lifted the trophy and collected a US$30,000 Platinum Pass, along with PHP12,970,000 (US$243,385) for his incredible comeback.

APPT Main Event Manila Final Table Results

1st:Wilson Lim(Singapore) — ₱12,970,000

2nd:Yuan Chao Li(China) — ₱7,960,000

3rd:Bin Zhang(China) — ₱4,745,000

4th:Samuel Welbourne(UK) — ₱3,438,000

5th:Jiang Ho Huang(Singapore) — ₱2,318,000

6th:Sebastian Wong(Singapore) — ₱1,664,000

7th:Daesoon Kang(Korea) — ₱1,400,000

8th:Kenny Shih(USA) — ₱1,205,000

9th:Jun Zhou(China) — ₱1,029,000

Ivan Hon Cheong Lee takes down the High Roller

Following in the footsteps of the Main Event, the High Roller at APPT Manila this year also broke records. The previous attendance record for an APPT High Roller in Manila was 82, but that number was comfortably eclipsed this time around, with 124 players buying in. This created a prize pool of PHP22,131,520 (US$415,303).

The final table of the event saw a few familiar names staking their claim to the title, with Korea’s Jae Wook Shin and US pro Randy Lew both reaching the final 9. They would eventually fall in 8th and 5th respectively though, paving the way for Hong Kong’s Hon Cheong Lee and India’s Sahil Agarwal to reach heads up play. The two struck a deal to ensure they each took home over PHP4,600,000 (USD$86,320), before recommencing their duel. Korean Hon Cheong Lee then locked up the win, picking up PHP4,676,260 (US$87,751).

APPT High Roller Final Table Results

1st:Ivan Hon Cheong Lee(Hong Kong) — ₱4,676,260

2nd:Sahil Agrawal(India) — ₱4,656,260

3rd:Konstantin Pogodin(Russia) — ₱2,446,000

4th:Maxim Befus(Germany) — ₱2,025,000

5th:Randy Lew(USA) — ₱1,633,000

6th:Yilin Yang(China) — ₱1,288,000

7th:Xin Fan(China) — ₱985,000

8th:Jae Wook Shin(Korea) — ₱741,000

9th:Sriharsha Doddapaneni(India) — ₱553,000

Saturday Superstack:Gary Thompson wins the trophy

Another of the headline at events at this festival to draw a big crowd was the Saturday Superstack. 521 players paid the PHP30,000 (US$563) entry fee, creating a prize pool of PHP13,644,990 (US$256,052). It was eventually left to US player Maxwell Curtis and Ireland’s Gary Thompson to battle it out for the title, with Thompson holding a comfortable chip lead going into heads-up play. This was a lead that he never really looked like losing, and the Irishman eventually closed out the deal, winning PHP3,002,000 (US$56,333) and a Platinum Pass worth US$30,000 which will see him jetting off to the Bahamas for that prestigious event. His opponent had to make do with PHP1,876,000 (US$35,204) for his 2nd place finish.

Saturday Superstack Final Results

1st:Gary Thompson(Ireland) — ₱3,002,000

2nd:Maxwell Curtis(USA) — ₱1,876,000

3rd:Jian Liu(China) — ₱1,160,000

4th:Chih Chun Chang(Taiwan) — ₱873,000

5th:Hiroshi Naito(Japan) — ₱600,000

6th:Tae Hoon Han(New Zealand) — ₱478,000

7th:Chih Kao Lin(Taiwan) — ₱390,000

8th:San Hon Pang(Hong Kong) — ₱328,000

9th:Koji Asaka(Japan) — ₱273,990

Article by Craig Bradshaw