Ryoji Hatanaka tops Manila Super Series 20 Main Event Flight A
The 20th Edition of PokerStars LIVE Manila Super Series got off to a roaring start at premier resort Okada Manila in Manila, Philippines. With a guarantee of PHP 10 Million (~USD 171,180) on the table, it was action-packed from the get-go with the opening flight attracting 228 entries. This impressive turnout was more than 2.5 times the previous edition’s starting day and with three more flights to play out, breaking the guarantee is highly probable.
Manila Super Series – Main Event
The Manila Super Series Main Event kicked off at 3pm on May 29, 2024 with the first of four flights on deck. Among the attendees that failed to make it through were locals Euryd Rivera, Jonald Garcia, MSS 17 Main Event champion William Ysmael, and two time MSS Main Event champion Joemark Vasay.
Just past the eighth hour of play, Japan’s Ryoji Hatanaka knocked out fellow countryman Takashi Yagura on the bubble to signal the end of day. The win also sent Hatanaka straight to the top of the 35 player survivor list.
Joining the leader to the next round was Mark Almusajin – the only player to qualify for Day 2 in back-to-back Flight A editions. Other advancing notables were Vamerdino Magsakay, William Teoh, and Korean high roller Namhyung Kim.
End of Flight A – Top 10 in chips
| Rank | Player | Flag | Stack | BB |
| 1 | Ryoji Hatanaka | Japan | 436,000 | 87 |
| 2 | You Yusyun | Taiwan | 384,000 | 77 |
| 3 | Aivaras Bardauskas | Lithuania | 372,000 | 74 |
| 4 | John Matsuda | Japan | 350,000 | 70 |
| 5 | Yu Kunlong | China | 316,000 | 63 |
| 6 | Tetsuya Tsujisaka | Japan | 311,000 | 62 |
| 7 | Vamerdino Magsakay | Philippines | 287,000 | 57 |
| 8 | William Teoh | Malaysia | 262,000 | 52 |
| 9 | Mark Almusajin | Philippines | 243,000 | 49 |
| 10 | AJ Cris Acdal | Philippines | 240,000 | 48 |
You can check out the complete survivors list via the Live Updates link just below.
Main Event – Info
Dates: May 29 to June 2, 2024
Buy in: PHP 20,000 (~USD 350)
Guarantee: PHP 10,000,000 (~USD 171,80)
ITM: 15% of the field
Main Event – Schedule
With one flight in the books, players looking to get in still have three flights left to tackle. The top 15% of each flight advances to Day 2. Entering players start with a stack of 30,000, which is 300 times the opening blinds.
For Flight B and Flight C, blinds increase every 30 minutes while a shorter 15 minutes duration is scheduled for Flight D Turbo. Registration closes at the start of Level 11 then from there, each flight plays down to ITM of 15% of the field.
Flight A: 228 entries / 35 ITM – completed
Flight B: Thursday, May 30 at 3pm
Flight C: Friday, May 31 at 1pm
Flight D Turbo: Friday, May 31 at 6pm
Day 2: Saturday, June 1 at 1pm
Final Day: Sunday, June 2 at 1pm
After Day 1, survivors will move forward to extended 40 minute gameplay for Day 2 until the final 9 players is reached. In addition to the juicy payouts, thetop two finishersof the Main Event will receive anAPPT Manila Main Event Package – seat and accommodation, valued at PHP 120,000 (~USD 2,090) taken from the prize pool.
Somuchpoker will be onsite from start to finish. You can track the action via theLive Updates.
