The richest Manila Megastack Main Event in the tour’s history is in full swing at Okada Manila, Philippines with the first of four flights in the books. The PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 357,430) guarantee attracted a total of 176 entries across ten levels of registration and played down to 15% of the field at 27 players. South Korea’s Shin Hyeonho topped the list with a massive 511,000 chip count to carry on to Day 2.
Three more flights are set to follow through with Flight B scheduled to start at 13:00, Thursday, February 22nd. Each entry will set players back PHP 45,000 (~USD 804) for a starting stack of 30,000, equivalent to 300 big blinds to course through 40 minute blind levels.
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Festival Results
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Player Guide
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Photos
Running alongside today’s Main Event Flight B are a number of side events beginning at noon with the PHP 25,000 (~USD 447) buy-in NLH event. Three more trophy events – High Roller Knockout, Mix PLO/NLH, and PHP 50,000 (~USD 894) NLH Turbo, follow the action with Flight B for the Megastack Turbo completing the schedule.
Main Event Flight A Recap
The first Main Event flight on schedule welcomed a strong showing from the local force including its share of foreign PokerStars tournament regulars. Starting early on in the day, stacks were seen swinging left and right with players showing little hesitation to gamble it up and attempt to accumulate a big stack. With runners allowed to qualify multiple times and the Best Stack Forward format in place, this strategy might just prove to be advantageous in the long run.
By the time registration closed, only a third of the field was left after seven hours on the felt. Quick on the rise were local pro Edwin Dela Cruz and international runners Liu Zhiqiang and Shin Hyeonho. South Korea’s Shin Hyeonho capped the day strong with a massive 511,000 chip count after delivering at least four crucial eliminations throughout the day. Liu joins the list of top contenders having managed to maintain his advantage to the end. Dela Cruz on the other hand, fell two places short of the money after going through two monstrous losses to ₱25K NLH Turbo winner Christopher Mateo.
After nearly 11 hours of play, the action concluded with Chan William Chun Kuang exiting as the day’s bubble by the hands of Parsacalla Rodillo Jr. Among those making the money are last season’s Manila Megastack Kickoff champion Alvir Inocentes, Philippines #1 All-Time Money Lister Marc Rivera, and two-time PokerStars winner Thomas Young.
Top 10 Chip Counts
| Player | Flag | Chip Count |
| Shin Hyeonho | Korea, South | 511,000 |
| Nguyen Andrew | United States | 445,000 |
| Mateo Christopher | Philippines | 423,000 |
| Sayo John Carlo | Philippines | 407,000 |
| Liu Zhiqiang | China | 352,000 |
| Young Thomas | Indonesia | 260,000 |
| Sembrano Alvin Jeff | Philippines | 256,000 |
| Cheong Yun Rong | Singapore | 250,000 |
| Jaeki Choi | Korea, South | 245,000 |
| Rivera Marc | Philippines | 235,000 |
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Main Event Live Updates
*Full Day 2 Chip Counts can be found under the Main Event tab.
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)
Flight A: 176 entries, 27 qualified
Flight B: Thursday, February 22
Flight C: Friday, February 23
Flight D (Turbo): Friday, February 23
Day 2: Saturday, February 24
Final Day: Sunday, February 25
Check out the highlights here:
