HomeThe Asian Poker Tour concluded the first day one flight of its ongoing APT Manila 2016 highlight Main Event at the APT Poker Room in the Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel and Casino. At the time of bagging, only two players crossed the century mark with Filipino Lester Edoc holding the largest stack of 123,675 and Peru’s Yohn Paredes in the second spot with 108,600 in chips.
Main Event Day 1A Chip Leader, Lester Edoc
Day 1A began on a slow and steady pace with players backed up by a starting stack equal to 500 times the big blind. Midway through the eight hours of scheduled tournament play, action began to heat up. Entering the event late was Edoc who busted out fairly quickly but with the option of re-entering, Edoc returned to the felt and this time, the outcome was the very opposite. His second bullet would prove to be the charm.
Edoc amassed pots in rapid fashion and eliminated a player who gambled and lost his tournament life with pocket twos against Edoc’s pocket queens. Edoc dominated the table, using his big stack to intimidate the players. During the last level of the day, Edoc accumulated more chips by eliminating another player with his trips of eights holding 10-8 against pocket kings and later, a straight against India’s Akash Chandrashekhar.
Coming in second-in-command was Paredes who eliminated several players including the top two APT Player of the Year 2016 race leaders, Japan’s Iori Yogo and UK’s Samad Razavi. Up against Yogo, Paredes shoved with A♦ K♦ on a board of 10♦ 8♦ 3♠ banking on one of his nut flush draw outs to carry him through with two cards to come. Yogo called with Q♠ Q♥. The turn of 4♣ was a blank for Paredes but the river Q♦ had him take the lead and ship in all of Yogo’s chips. In the hand against Razavi, Paredes had pocket aces that fully dominated Razavi’s A-K.
Among the other survivors of the day were notable players Denmark’s Michael Kim Falcon, Korea’s SJ Kim, Japan’s Naruyasu Ota, Filipino Alexis Lim, and Slovenian pro Casey Kastle. They will be returning on Sunday for Day 2. Players with short stacks at Day 1A can try their luck at bagging a bigger one in Day 1b. If a player qualifies into Day 2 with multiple stacks then the smaller one will be removed from play. Day 1B takes place tomorrow, Saturday, October 8 at the APT Poker Room starting at 1pm. This will be the final flight to enter the APT Main Event.
Main Event Hand Highlights
Below are random highlights of Day 1A from Level 5-8. Read up on how players chipped up and how some fell out of the running.
Level 8: Blinds 250-500 Ante 50
Last hand of the day saw SJ Kim up against Akash Chandrashekhar. Action started with a raise by Chandrashekhar to 1300 then Kim three-bet to 3500. Chandrashekhar called. On the flop of 4♠ 2♦ 7♥, Chandrashekhar check-called Kim’s 3700 bet. On the turn, both checked it. The river came 2♥ and Chandrashekhar led out for 5500. Kim tanked then opted to fold.
Michael Kim Falcon was on the move winning several small pots and landed another against Linglin Zeng with a lucky river card. On a board of K♠ 5♥ 8♦ 2♠, Zeng bet 4600 and Falcon raised to 11k. He was called and fifth street came J♣. Both players checked and Falcon won with his J♠ 6♠ second pair against Zeng’s 9♦ 9♥.
Naruyasu Ota eliminated a player during one of the final hands of the day. On a raised pot preflop and a board of J♦ 4♥ 2♥, Ota bet 2k, one player folded, and the other opponent raised to 6k. Action back to Ota saw him shove and was called. Ota had J♣ 10♠ top pair and his opponent had Q♠ Q♣ overpair. The turn of 10♣ switched it up with Ota improving to two pair. The river of A♣ kept Ota ahead and railed one out of the field.
With a 4K pot in the middle and a board of A♥ 9♦ A♣ 3♠ 2♣, Akash Chandrashekhar bet 3K and his opponent Thin Pham raised to 10K. After tanking, Chandrashekhar folded awarding Pham the pot without a showdown.
Linglin Zeng was in a raised pot preflop with three other players. At the flop of J♣ 9♥ 8♠, Zeng bet 3500 and Michael Kim Falcon called. On the turn of 6♣, Zeng bet 6600 and won it with her aggressive betting.
Sung Ho Kim gets the double up call on the river against Thin Pham with his A♦ 10♠ full house on a board of A♣ A♠ Q♣ 10♦ 5♥.
Alexis Lim loses a pile of chips to Chiu Sze Keung with K-J connecting on the board for two pair against Lim’s top pair with A-K.
Lester Edoc won a beefy pot against Akash Chandrashekhar with his 7-8 completing a straight on a board that ran 3-5-6-4-3.
Lester Edoc was awarded a massive pot after eliminating a player with his 10-8 trips of eights on the board against pocket kings.
Level 7: Blinds 200-400 Ante 50
On a completed board of 8♠ 5♠ 10♦ 8♦ A♣, Michael Kim Falcon fired out a 7k bet and Yohn Paredes check-called. Falcon showed 9♦ 7♦ for a missed straight flush draw while Paredes had A♦ 5♦ two pair.
Sung Ho Kim claimed a pot with strong continuation bets. He raised to 900 preflop and found four callers. On the flop of K♥ J♣ A♠, action was checked to him and he bet 2200. Two players dropped out while two continued with a call. On the turn of 2♦, he shoved his 5300 stack won it with the players folding.
Linglin Zeng doubles up through Lester Edoc with two pair. She climbed to over 110K.
Level 6: Blinds 150-300 Ante 25
Break time. Lester Edoc leads with over 110K and SJ Kim running second with around 100K.
Lester Edoc won a big pot without a showdown against Sung Ho Kim. The board was 4♠ 9♠ 2♣ 6♠ and Kim called his bet. On the river of K♠, Edoc fired out again and won it with no call from Kim.
Yohn Paredes eliminated Iori Yogo. Paredes shoved on a board of 10♦ 8♦ 3♠ and Yogo called for his tournament life. Paredes had A♦ K♦ and Yogo with pocket queens. Q♠ Q♥. The turn of 4♣ was blank for Paredes, but with the river of Q♦, Yogo improved to a set but Paredes landed his nut flush.
Level 5: Blinds 100-200 Ante 25
Akash Chandrashekhar triples up while eliminating Yukiko Sumida in a three-way shove. The chips went in on the flop of A♣ K♣ 8♦. Sumida had A♥ Q♠ top pair, Chandrashekhar with A♠ 8♣ two pair, and Steven Thinh with Q♣ 5♣ flush draw. The turn of 6♣ awarded Thinh with the nut flush but when the river spiked an A♦, Chandrashekhar shipped it with a full house.
After a series of raises preflop, the stacks were shoved in the middle and Lester Edoc shipped it in eliminating a player with Q♠ Q♦ over 2♣ 2♥.
Johnson Tan won a good pot with his J♦ 10♦ flush on a board of Q♦ 7♥ 9♦ 2♦ 5♣.
Yohn Paredes called Michael Kim Falcon’s bet on the river. Board was 8♣ 6♥ Q♠ 5♦ A♣. Paredes showed K♠ Q♦, and won the pot with Falcon mucking.