HomeDay 1a of the Asian Poker Tour Kickoff 2016 Main Event was underway today at the Waterfront Manila Pavilion Casino Filipino with a total of 66 entries recorded after late registration. By the end of the scheduled eight levels of play, only 32 players made the cut with Filipino player JC Sayo as the chip leader. For a quick background on Sayo, he placed 6th at the APT Finale 2015 Main Event in December.
JC Sayo on top after Main Event Day 1A of APT Kick Off 2016
Day 1a Recap
The day began with over twenty players making their way to the tournament area to avail of the Main Event Bubble Protection. This was the first time the APT introduced such an incentive for early birds. Quite a few notables ensured themselves of this protection such as Japan’s Iori Yogo, Jun Saito, Tetsuya Tsuchikawa, as well as USA’s Gerald Casey and Korean gamer Lim Yo Hwan to mention a few.
As the day progressed, USA’s Mike Artis was the early chip leader, eliminating three players in the early rounds. He climbed to over 70K at the first half of the tournament but after some rough moments in the second half, his stack fell, but he still ended the day with an above average stack of 41,575 chips.
The second half of the Main Event also saw the rise of players such as APT Poker Series Manila 2015 Main Event champion Gerard Bringley, Germany’s Robert Piltz, and the day’s chip leader, Sayo. For most of the latter levels, Sayo was seen constantly grinding the table as if he were in a cash game. He also engaged in multiple pots against Frenchman Rebei Karim. His strategy proved fruitful as he ended the day at the top with 95,050 chips. Right behind him was Japan’s Aso Seitaro with 75,275 chips. Seitaro earned his stack when he tripled up against Karim and Czardy Rivera with his set of nines. Bringley rounded out the top three with 69,175 chips.
Additional notables who survived Day 1a were USA’s Gerald Casey with 56,350 chips, Filipino player Lester Edoc with 57,750 chips, Japan’s Iori Yogo with 44,500, and Tetsuya Tsuchikawa with 41,100 chips.
Among the half that fell to the wayside were quadruple crown APT POY champion Sam Razavi, APT Philippines 2015 Main Event champion Julius Malzanini, APT Asian Series Manila 2015 Main Event champion Lim Yah Loon, and two-time APT OFC champion Sim Jae Kyung.
Congratulations to all the survivors! For the day’s Chip Counts and Live Reporting, head to the Live Updates section of the website.