After three days of grueling action, the PokerStars LIVE Manila Megastack 18 Main Event has finally concluded its qualifying rounds, racking up a total of 917 entries across four flights. The astounding turnout generated a record breaking prize pool of PHP 36,034,345 (~USD 644,500), making this season’s Main Event the richest in the tour’s history. 139 players return to the felt today, February 24th, all guaranteed a minimum payout of PHP 70,000 (~USD 1,250) and a fighting chance to claim the PHP 6.29 Million (~USD 112K) top prize.
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Festival Results
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Player Guide
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Photos
Those who weren’t able to qualify in the Main Event still have a number of events offering noteworthy prizes along with the coveted PokerStars spade trophy. Scheduled for tomorrow are side events PHP 1 Million (~USD 17,880) guaranteed Freezeout Challenge, Super Knockout, Shot Clock, High Roller, PHP 50K NLH Turbo, Six Plus Hold’em Turbo, and Flight D of the PHP 5 Million (~USD 89,420) guaranteed Megastack Turbo.
Main Event Flight C & D Turbo Recap
The last day of the Main Event starting flights saw a jam packed affair at the Coral Lounge with hundreds of players eager to secure a spot into the next round. Flight C kicked off early in the afternoon and saw its tables quickly fill up, resulting in the guarantee breached by the third hour in. By the time registration closed, only a third of the 372-entry field remained on the felt, led by Philippines’ Ryan Jerico Platon.
The aggressive runner coursed through several more levels yet managed to preserve his big stack all the way through, bagging an impressive 650,000 (130 BB) for the Day 2 games. Platon delivered a crushing bust in the last hour to amass more chips and claim the second top spot across the overall Day 2 chip counts. Along with him are 55 other qualifiers including bracelet winners Jinlong Hu and Mike Takayama, two-time PokerStars Manila Super Series champion Joemark Vasay, and WPT champion John Tech.
Flight D Turbo added another 138 entries to the total tally with 21 more qualifiers joining the list, led by Japan’s Somekawa Kentaro. Kentaro sits just under Platon across the overall ranking, leaving Flight B chip leader Lester Edoc still stacking the largest. Interestingly, Edoc’s brother Redentor Edoc likewise bagged a hefty stack, ranking 4th with a chip count of 537,000 (107 BB).
Action resumes at 13:00 sharp – Level 16: 2,000/ 5,000 ante 5,000, and will play down to the final nine players.
Top 10 Chip Counts
| Player | Flag | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
| Edoc Lester | Philippines | 797,000 | 159 |
| Platon Ryan Jerico | Philippines | 650,000 | 130 |
| Sormekawa Kentaro | Japan | 550,000 | 110 |
| Edoc Redentor | Philippines | 537,000 | 107 |
| Ghanem Michel | Lebanon | 512,000 | 102 |
| Shin Hyeonho | Korea, South | 511,000 | 102 |
| Ungria Jr Alexander | Philippines | 465,000 | 93 |
| Ambata Rick Jason | Philippines | 462,000 | 92 |
| Nguyen Andrew | United States | 445,000 | 89 |
| Morikawa Yuta | Japan | 425,000 | 85 |
Full Day 2 Chip Counts and Seat Draw
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Main Event Live Updates
Manila Megastack 18 Main Event Review
Date/s: February 21 – 25, 2024
Buy-in: PHP 45,000 (~USD 804)
Guarantee: PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 357,430)
Prize pool: PHP 36,034,345 (~USD 644,500)
Entries: 917
ITM: 139 players
Flight A: 176 entries, 27 qualified
Flight B: 231 entries, 35 qualified
Flight C: 372 entries, 56 qualified
Flight D (Turbo): 138 entries, 21 qualified
Final Day: Sunday, February 25
Check out the highlights here:
