After twelve levels of poker action at the Casino Filipino – Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel, the APT Poker Room Manila Inaugural Tournament concluded with 42 players out of the 141 entries of Day 1A making the cut into Day 2.
Leading the pack was Yul Maravilla who took full control of his table during the latter part of the event to end the day with a hefty stack of 159,500 chips.
There were several others who also crossed the 6-digit chip mark, among them were Rehg Delos Reyes running second-in-chips with 136,000, followed by Martin Gonzales with 126,000, and Randy Boone with 125,200 chips.
Some of the day’s qualifiers included poker enthusiasts Atty. Jojo Allado, Ian Brion, and Ron Regis while poker pros Samad Razavi, Lester Edoc, and Richard Marquez were sent to the rail. Luckily for them, there is still a chance to fight another day.
Upon reflecting on the day’s turnout, APT CEO Jeff Mann expressed his delight, “I am very thrilled at the turnout of the first day. Not only did we see some familiar faces but we also saw a lot of players whom we haven’t seen at our other APT events. We will continue to offer great value for their buck in order to build, promote, and reach out to all types of poker players. Our aim is to give them the opportunity to eventually compete in our bigger events.”
With the Asian Poker Tour brand continuing to grow, there is no doubt that this bold direction will certainly fill the void that has been lacking in the past, that is, the need for more live satellites to their Main Events.
The APT Poker Room Manila Inaugural Tournament will resume tomorrow for Day 1B. Cards will start flying at 4pm.