The Race to the Money and Beyond on Day 2 of the 2023 APPT Manila Main Event
A new record for the PokerStars sponsored Asia-Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) was narrowly missed but history has been made in the capital of the Philippines. The flagship 2023 APPT Manila Main Event shattered the PHP 20 million guarantee and nearly quadrupled the amount up for grabs in the stunning Coral Room at Okada Manila.
The number to beat was 1,364 from five years ago and it was missed by fewer than a dozen as 1,354 entries were generated in the
flagship tournament of the series, which comes with a price tag of PHP65,000 ($1,168) This has resulted in the biggest prize pool for an APPT Main Event here in Manila as those still in contention will battle for their share of the PHP76,832,730 (～$1,381,101) prize pool. It is the second-biggest tally for an APPT Main Event and only trails the last edition at the City of Dreams here in Manila back in 2018, which featured a lower price tag of PHP55,000.
A total of 45 tables are in play when the action resumes at approximately 1 p.m. local time and 343 players are still in contention with almost half of them to reach the money stages, which are set to be announced when the cards go back in the air.
Day 1a: 395 entries, 91 advanced
Day 1b: 646 entries, 143 advanced
Day 1c: 313 entries, 109 advanced
Total Day 1: 1,354 entries, 343 return for Day 2
Top 10 Chip Counts for Day 2
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oleg Kaminski | Canada | 426,000 | 142 |
| 2 | Florencio Campomanes | Philippines | 423,500 | 141 |
| 3 | Chierro De Leon | Philippines | 357,500 | 119 |
| 4 | Andrej Nagy | Slovakia | 351,500 | 117 |
| 5 | Hiroshi Irimajiri | Japan | 340,500 | 114 |
| 6 | Iargo Guimaraes | Brazil | 340,500 | 114 |
| 7 | Christopher Mateo | Philippines | 325,500 | 109 |
| 8 | Hyeonho Shin | South Korea | 324,000 | 108 |
| 9 | Lok Ching Li | Australia | 323,000 | 108 |
| 10 | Jungsup Yun | South Korea | 322,000 | 107 |
Canada's Oleg Kaminski retained his top spot from Day 1a and returns with 426,000 but the 2019 APPT Manila Main Event champion Florencio Campomanes claimed 423,500 to his name upon completion of 13 levels on Day 1b. Both have already secured a gap over the nearest contenders with Chierro De Leon (357,500) and Andrej Nagy (351,500) next in lime.
Back in 2019, rising Pinoy poker pro Campomanes came out on top of an 1,135 entry strong field here at Okada Manila after defeating Thijs Hilberts in heads-up. The first ever Filipino to win a WSOP bracelet, Mike Takayama finished third then and also advanced with a healthy stack of 247,500 today as well as he returns in 26th place on the leaderboard.
Other notables with big stacks to look out for are Christopher Mateo (325,500), Lok Ching Li (323,000), Thomas Ward (284,500), Jason Magbanua (269,000), Vamerdino Magsakay (263,000), John Tech (215,000), Junnie Pamplona (211,000), and Nicolas Cardyn (199,000).
Day 2 recommences in level 14 with blinds of 1,500-3,000 and a big blind ante of 3,000. As of today and for the remainder of the tournament, the default level duration increases to 60 minutes each. First goal for the penultimate day is reaching the money and it remains to be seen whether or not the nine-handed final table will be reached after such an exceptional turnout.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor at Okada Manila from start to finish to provide as many of the exciting hands as possible until the golden shard trophy has been awarded.