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Mike Takayama is a Filipino professional poker player and a monumental figure in Asian poker history, widely recognized as the first “homegrown” Filipino to win a World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet. A former professional billiards player, he has successfully transitioned his competitive instincts to the felt, becoming one of the most decorated players in the Philippines.
Career Earnings & Biggest Results
According to The Hendon Mob, Mike Takayama has total earnings of $3,932,438. He currently sits at 3rd on the Philippines All Time Money List. His career reached a historic peak in 2018 when he won WSOP Event #59: $1,000 NLH Super Turbo Bounty for a career-best score of $198,568.
Takayama is a prolific champion on the Asian Poker Tour (APT) , where he is a three-time APT Player of the Series winner. His major titles include the APT Championships Philippines 2017 Main Event for $105,530 and the APT Asian Series Manila Main Event for $93,000. In 2024, he continued his high-stakes dominance by winning the WPT Prime Cambodia Super High Roller for $158,587. His 2025 campaign has remained active with a victory in an APPT Manila side event for PHP 400,550 (∼$7,024) and a 3rd place finish in the WPT Prime Taiwan Super High Roller for NTD 748,000 (∼$24,982).
Biography & Poker Background
Originally from Mandaluyong City, Philippines, Takayama was a professional billiards player before discovering poker in 2010. He famously became infatuated with the game after winning a local invitational tournament where the top prize was a brand-new BMW.
Known as a “Metro Team Pro,” he has been a central figure in the growth of the Filipino poker scene, earning the title of Asia Player of the Year (APOY) in 2018, the first Filipino ever to receive the honor. He has expressed a desire to use his success to inspire other local players, often citing his own journey from a former athlete to a world-class poker professional as proof that a big break is possible with persistence.
Play Style & Strategy
Takayama is renowned for a hyper-aggressive play style that thrives in fast-paced tournament structures. This aggression was the key to his WSOP bracelet victory, where he eliminated four players early at the final table to seize a commanding chip lead he never relinquished.
His strategy relies on intense pressure and an ability to navigate high-variance situations. While his aggressive bluffs occasionally lead to high-profile exits, they more frequently allow him to “crush” final tables, as seen in his APT Superstar Invitational win where he rivered multiple flushes to decimate his opponents. His background in billiards likely contributes to his high level of focus and tactical precision, making him one of the most feared and respected “closers” in the international Asian circuit.
