Main Event – Flight A – Live Updates
21:35: Lenart Ecarma tops Flight A field
Level 16: 2,000 – 5,000 ante 5,000
The first flight of the Manila Super Series 19 Main Event closes with Lenart Ecarma as the chip leader, having bagged a hefty 769,000 stack for Day 2. Ecarma surged to the top beginning midday after delivering a double elimination with pocket aces. Since then, Ecarma’s momentum continued all the way through the evening, eliminating several more opponents along the way to top the 14-player pack.
Flight A Chip Counts
| Player | Flag | Chip Count |
| Ecarma Lenart | Philippines | 769,000 |
| Salud George | Philippines | 359,000 |
| Gomez Raymundo | Philippines | 275,000 |
| Quiambao II Cezar | Philippines | 236,000 |
| Boligor Alfredo | Philippines | 185,000 |
| Cruz Alexis | Philippines | 173,000 |
| Cerbito Marvin | Philippines | 171,000 |
| Benigno Ledina Jr | Philippines | 160,000 |
| Ionov Sergei | Russia | 153,000 |
| De Leon Chierro | Philippines | 111,000 |
| Almusajin Mark | Philippines | 97,000 |
| Ganbold Battulga | Mongolia | 90,000 |
| Edoc Lester | Philippines | 54,000 |
| Takeda Minoru | Japan | 33,000 |
21:34: Lee Youngjun exits as Flight A bubble
Level 16: 2,000 – 5,000 ante 5,000
Utg Lenart Ecarma opened to 10,000 and was met with a 108,000 all-in from Lee Youngjun behind. Ecarma makes the call with 
and is up against Lee’s 
for a flip. The two run the board 
, with Ecarma’s pocket pair holding up for the win.
Lenart Ecarma – 769,000
Lee Youngjun – Eliminated
21:20: Blinds up!
Level 16: 2,000 – 5,000 ante 5,000
Action is on bubble time with 15/93 players remaining in today’s Flight A games.
21:10: Lenart Ecarma scoops up huge pot
Level 15: 2,000 – 4,000 ante 4,000
Rundulf Gonzales defended his big blind vs utg Lenart Ecarma’s open and saw flop 
. Ecarma continued for 8,000, check raised by Gonzales to 19,000. Ecarma clapped back with an all-in and Gonzales called off for his 120,000 stack.
Ecarma 
Gonzales 
Crushed against his opponent’s overpair, Gonzales railed shortly after the turn 
and river offered him no help. 16 players remain in the games with two more eliminations left to go.
Lenart Ecarma – 520,000
Rundulf Gonzales – Eliminated
21:07: Czardy Rivera falls short
Level 15: 2,000 – 4,000 ante 4,000
Folded to the small blind, Czardy Rivera pushed all-in for his remaining 47,000 and was called by big blind Cezar Quiambao.
Rivera 
Quiambao 
Up for a race, Rivera was left immediately drawing dead on the flop 
with Quiambao eventually taking the pot down with a full house.
Cezar Quiambao – 150,000
Czardy Rivera – Eliminated
20:58: Lester Edoc bags a double up
Level 15: 2,000 – 4,000 ante 4,000
Button Cezar Quiambao opened to 10,000 and called small blind Lester Edoc’s 52,000 jam.
Edoc 
Quiambao 
A possible chop, this wasn’t the case as Edoc paired up on the river 
to take the full double up.
Lester Edoc – 112,000
Cezar Quiambao – 102,000
20:52: Lee Youngjun outflops Rick Jason Ambata
Level 15: 2,000 – 4,000 ante 4,000
Utg Lee Youngjun opened to 8,000 with and called off Rick Jason Ambata’s 30,000 all-in. Ambata is ahead with 
yet was instantly crushed after the board 
paired up Lee’s jack for the win.
Lee Youngjun – 140,000
Rick Jason Ambata – Eliminated
20:40: Break Time!
Level 15: 2,000 – 4,000 ante 4,000
21 players still in the Main Event Flight A games with seven more eliminations before the day closes.
Top Chip Counts
Lenart Ecarma – 360,000
George Salud – 300,000
Raymundo Gomez – 280,000
Alexis Cruz – 230,000
Cezar Quiambao – 180,000
20:10: Blinds up!
Level 14: 1,500 – 3,000 ante 3,000
21 players remain in the Main Event Flight A games with only 14 guaranteed a spot into Day 2.
20:08: Rundulf Gonzales gets there on the river
Level 13: 1,000 – 2,500 ante 2,500
Hijack Schumann Christoph opened to 6,500, joined by both players on the blinds. Flop 
saw Schumann continue for 15,000, check called by the small blind. Action on big blind Rundulf Gonzales, he put in a raise to 55,000, leaving only Schumann in for his entire stack.
Gonzales
Schumann 
Gunning for a ton of outs, the runout 
landed Gonzales trip three’s to earn him the pot and knock Schumann out of the running simultaneously.
Rundulf Gonzales – 250,000
Schumann Christoph – Eliminated
19:58: Cezar Quiambao shows bluff
Level 13: 1,000 – 2,500 ante 2,500
Having built up an 80,000 pot, action by the river on board 
saw big blind Cezar Quiambao move all-in for 113,000. Cutoff Raymundo Gomez saves his 130,000 behind and shows Jx. Quiambao returns the favor and shows 
for a bluff before shipping the pot.
Cezar Quiambao – 193,000
Raymundo Gomez – 130,000
19:53: Choi Jaeki runs into the nuts
Level 13: 1,000 – 2,500 ante 2,500
Utg George Salud opened to 7,500 and was met with a huge all-in from small blind Choi Jaeki. Salud quickly called off for his 151,000 stack with , crushing Choi’s 
. The board 
offered no help for Choi as he plummeted down to 18 BB remaining.
George Salud – 307,000
Choi Jaeki – 45,000
19:43: Lee Youngjun scores a boost
Level 13: 1,000 – 2,500 ante 2,500
Hijack Lee Youngjun opened to 5,000 and called off small blind Huang Cheng Wen’s 32,000 jam.
Huang
Lee
At risk, Huang managed to flop a straight draw but eventually bricked out on 
to land him his elimination.
Lee Youngjun – 145,000
Huang Cheng Wen – Eliminated
19:41: Blinds up!
Level 13: 1,000 – 2,500 ante 2,500
The 93 player field is down to 25 runners with the day set to close at 14 players remaining.
19:39: Raymundo Gomez claims three bet pot
Level 12: 1,000 – 2,000 ante 2,000
Hijack Lester Edoc defended his open and called a 15,500 three bet from button Raymundo Gomez. Flop was checked through, moving on to turn . Checked to Gomez, he fired a 10,000 bet to which Edoc folded.
Raymundo Gomez – 145,000
Lester Edoc – 100,000
19:20: No sweat for Lester Edoc
Level 12: 1,000 – 2,000 ante 2,000
A three way pot saw 30,000 already in the middle on flop . Utg Lester Edoc sent out an 8,000 bet, called behind by Raymundo Gomez. Action on small blind Jesus Rivera, he shoved all-in for 25,000 total with only Edoc completing for showdown.
Rivera 
Edoc 
Ahead with his overpair, Edoc easily bagged the win after the runout failed to improve Rivera’s top pair.
Lester Edoc – 120,000
Raymundo Gomez – 105,000
Jesus Rivera – Eliminated
19:14: Chzhen Evgenii gets coolered
Level 12: 1,000 – 2,000 ante 2,000
An all-in preflop situation, Chzhen Evgenii got his 56 BB stack in with and ran right into Lenart Ecarma’s . At risk, Chzhen headed for the rails shortly after the board 
delivered no bad beats.
Lenart Ecarma – 320,000
Chzhen Evgenii – Eliminated
18:40: Registration is closed!
Level 11: 1,000 – 1,500 ante 1,500
Main Event Flight A entries comes down to a total of 93 with 35 runners remaining in the games. Play is set to conclude once the field is down to 14 players left.
Top Chip Counts
Cezar Quiambao – 260,000
Lenart Ecarma – 240,000
Alfredo Boligor – 160,000
Chae Jaeki – 140,000
Ionov Sergei – 120,000
18:18: Overpair no good for Shin Hyeonho
Level 10: 600 – 1,200 ante 1,200
With 9,500 in the middle, all the chips piled in right on the flop 
. Both with overpairs, Shin Hyeonho found his behind Marvin Cerbito’s 
. No jack on either turn or river meant Shin was shortly eliminated from the games.
Marvin Cerbito – 100,000
Shin Hyeonho – Eliminated
18:01: Blinds up!
Level 10: 600 – 1,200 ante 1,200
A total of 89 entries have been recorded for the Flight A games with registration remaining open until the end of this level.
17:47: Alfredo Boligor wins crucial flip
Level 9: 600 – 1,200 ante 1,200
Utg Alfredo Boligor opened to 2,500 and was met with a three bet to 10,000 behind from James Dela Cruz. Boligor answered back with a 35,000 jam to which Dela Cruz called all-in.
Boligor
Dela Cruz
Running a flip, the board dodged Dela Cruz’ overcards to send him packing out of the Main Event arena.
Alfredo Boligor – 160,000
James Dela Cruz – Eliminated
17:34: Blinds up!
Level 9: 600 – 1,200 ante 1,200
46/88 players remain in the Flight A games with roughly an hour left before registration closes.
17:32: Lenart Ecarma continues to ascend
Level 8: 500 – 1,000 ante 1,000
Utg Lenart Ecarma opened to 2,500 and was met with two all-ins behind – Jeon Jihwan (15,900) and Tan Johnson (7,100). Ecarma makes the final call and the three run the board.
Jeon
Tan
Ecarma
Covering both opponents, Ecarma scooped up the pot after the turn 
gave him top pair for the win.
Lenart Ecarma – 230,000
Jeon Jihwan – Eliminated
Tan Johnson – Eliminated
17:11: Ionov Sergei outpips Adrian Motos
Level 8: 500 – 1,000 ante 1,000
A button vs small blind battle, 18,000 was already seen in the middle on flop . Sb Ionov Sergei led for 8,000 and called a raise to 20,000 from his opponent Adrian Motos. Turn saw Motos slam all-in for 19,100, check called by Sergei.
Motos
Sergei
Both with top pair, Sergei’s better kicker runs in play, successfully knocking Motos out after the river sealed his win.
Ionov Sergei – 105,000
Adrian Motos – Eliminated
17:01: Blinds up!
Level 8: 500 – 1,000 ante 1,000
55/82 players have registered so far for the first flight of the Main Event. Registration remains open through Level 10 @18:20.
16:54: Cezar Quiambao scores double knock out
Level 7: 400 – 800 ante 800
Utg William Ysmael opened to 1,600 and was joined by three opponents on flop . Checked to hijack Cezar Quiambao he bet 3,000, called by button Mark Almusajin. Original raiser Ysmael reshoved for 21,000 total and saw both players behind get their stacks in the middle.
Ysmael
Quiambao
Almusajin
Ahead with another set, Quiambao picked up the sizeable pot after the turn and river filled up his boat.
Cezar Quiambao – 250,000
William Ysmael – Eliminated
Mark Almusajin – Eliminated
16:42: Cezar Quiambao running hot
Level 7: 400 – 800 ante 800
Utg opened to 1,600 and was joined by four other players to make it a five way pot on flop . Big blind Mark Kavaleu led for 3,000 and was met with a raise to 8,000 from hijack Cezar Quiambao. Kavaleu bumped it up to a bigger 18,000 and pulled the trigger for another 38,000 on turn . Two easy calls for Quiambao with a set , left Kavaleu’s top pair drawing dead. Quiambao bags another hefty boost and surges to the top while Kavaleu heads for the exit.
Cezar Quiambao – 180,000
Mark Kavaleu – Eliminated
16:30: Blinds up!
Level 7: 400 – 800 ante 800
71 players in with registration remaining open for three more blind levels through Level 10 @ 18:20!
16:29: Lenart Ecarma piles it high
Level 6: 300 – 600 ante 600
Utg Shin Hyeonho opened to 1,500, called by James Dela Cruz behind. Button Lenart Ecarma bumped it up to 6,500 to which both opponents completed. Flop checked to Ecarma, he continued for 4,500, called by both Shin and Dela Cruz. Turn was checked round, revealing river . Shin led out for 35,000, called by Dela Cruz. Action on Ecarma, he raised all-in for 41,200 total, and Dela Cruz threw in the additional 10 BB.
Ecarma reveals for a full house aces over eights, well enough to crush Dela Cruz’ flush.
Lenart Ecarma – 150,400
James Dela Cruz – 50,000
Shin Hyeonho – 18,000
16:06: Joseph Talamayan slams it in
Level 6: 300 – 600 ante 600
Hijack Joseph Talamayan sent out a three bet to 4,600, joined by original raiser Chen Ting Yi and the small blind. Flop saw Talamayan continue for 6,000, check called by Chen. Turn went check check, leading to river . Chen led out a small bet of 1,800 and snap folded after Talamayan shoved all-in.
Joseph Talamayan – 45,000
Chen Ting Yi – 15,000
15:55: Break Time!
Level 6: 300 – 600 ante 600
Main Event Flight A has so far collected 66 entries for today’s games. Registration remains open through Level 10 @ 18:20.
Top Chip Counts
James Dela Cruz – 90,000
Shayne Villanueva – 85,000
Cezar Quiambao – 80,000
Chierro De Leon – 60,000
Mark Kavaleu – 55,000
15:32: Back to back pots for Cezar Quiambao
Level 5: 200 – 500 ante 500
A limp pot, five players headed on to see flop . Checked to last to act John Paul Flores, he bet 1,500. Small blind calls and big blind Cezar Quiambao raised all-in, called by Flores.
Quiambao
Flores
Drawing to two outs, Flores was eliminated from the table after the runout spared no eights.
Cezar Quiambao – 55,000
John Paul Flores – Eliminated
On to the next hand, Cezar Quiambao got it in with against short stacked Joseph Talamayan’s and ran board . Quiambao won the flip and collected another boost for his two pair.
Cezar Quiambao – 68,000
Joseph Talamayan – Eliminated
15:20: Blinds up!
Level 5: 200 – 500 ante 500
56 players have registered so far for the first flight of the Main Event. Registration remains open through Level 10 @18:20.
14:50: Blinds up!
Level 4: 200 – 400 ante 400
46 runners in with registration remaining open for six more blind levels through Level 10 @ 18:20!
14:36: Shayne Villanueva delivers double elimination
Level 3: 100 – 300 ante 300
A three way all-in preflop situation, Shayne Villanueva found himself behind with Ax 10x up against two players’ Ax Kx. Whilst dominated, luck was on Villanueva’s side as he managed to spike a ten on the turn to pair up and knock both opponents out. Villanueva earns the massive boost and rises to the chip lead.
Shayne Villanueva – 85,000
14:29: Alexis Cruz wins showdown
Level 3: 100 – 300 ante 300
A multiway raised pot, four players checked flop through and headed to turn . Checked once more to Alexis Cruz, he bet 3,000, called only by big blind Gambold Battulga. River completed the board, Cruz with a final bet of 7,000 and Battulga with a call. Cruz shows and claims the pot.
Alexis Cruz – 41,000
Gambold Battulga – 18,000
14:23: Blinds up!
Level 3: 100 – 300 ante 300
30 players have registered so far for the first flight of the Main Event. Registration remains open through Level 10 @18:20.
14:21: Marcial Lou gives up the river
Level 2: 100 – 200 ante 200
With 4,500 already in the middle, utg John Dela Cruz was seen firing 3,500 on flop . Opponent Marcial Lou called behind and called another 6,000 barrel on turn . Dela Cruz bet all-in for 15,300 on river , enough to convince Lou to give up the fight and make the fold.
John Dela Cruz – 38,800
Marcial Lou – 16,500
14:17: Richard Marquez takes it down
Level 2: 100 – 200 ante 200
Beginning with an utg open and a call, button Richard Marquez sent out a three bet to 2,000 and completed Adrian Motos’ four bet to 10,000 behind. Heads up, the flop came and Motos continued for 7,000, called by Marquez. Turn saw Motos check and fold shortly after Marquez pushed all-in for 10,000.
Richard Marquez – 45,000
Adrian Motos – 13,000
13:50: Blinds up!
Level 2: 100 – 200 ante 200
19 players in with registration remaining open for eight more blind levels through Level 10 @ 18:20!
13:20: Shuffle Up & Deal!
Level 1: 100 – 100 ante 100
Main Event Flight A action begins, good luck to all the players!
A preview of what’s to come for the rest of the year, PokerStars LIVE is kicking off 2024 strong with its 19th Manila Super Series currently running through the 9th at Okada Manila. The eight day series features 21 trophy events headlined by the PHP 20,000 (~USD 360) buy-in Main Event which boasts a generous PHP 10,000,000 (~USD 180,000) guarantee.
This Wednesday, January 3rd marks the beginning of the Main Event festivities with a champion crowned by week’s end, January 7th. Flight A action starts at 13:10 with registration remaining open through Level 10 @ 18:20!
MSS 19 Main Event Schedule
Dates: January 3-7, 2024
Buy in: PHP 20,000 (~USD 360)
Guarantee: PHP 10,000,000 (~USD 180,000)
ITM: 15% of the field
Flight A: January 3, 2024, Wednesday
Flight B: January 4, 2024, Thursday
Flight C: January 5, 2024, Friday
Flight D Turbo: January 5, 2024, Friday
Day 2: January 6, 2024, Saturday
Final Day: January 7, 2024, Sunday
