HomeDoors open today for APT Finale Philippines 2018! This is the Asian Poker Tour’s last event of the calendar year and it’s bigger than ever with PHP 24 Million (~US$458,000) in guarantees. The event runs for ten days, from today November 27 to December 6 at partner and host venue Resorts World Manila (RWM). 19 trophy events are lined up.
Resorts World Manila
2018 has been a big year for the APT. For the first time in history, we kicked off our calendar year outside of the Philippines thus becoming the first international tour to bring a full poker festival to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The event was a major success. It set a new Main Event record of 664 entries for the tour. It also paved the way for other brands to enter the Vietnam market.
APT Kickoff Vietnam 2018
The APT also visited Korea twice this year with one of the events hosted at Paradise Casino in Walkerhill Seoul for the first time. In total, the APT hosted 8 highly successful events in 2018. The finale will be the 9th.
For newcomers to the Philippines, host venue RWM is the first integrated resort casino in the country and is a stone’s throw away from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. Hotels are within the complex with APT Player Only rates (upon availability). If you fancy cash games, the RWM poker room rakes only 5%. As added perk, players can use their gaming player points to buy in to all APT Finale events.
Full APT Finale Philippines 2018 schedule
Here’s a look at the events we have lined up at the festival.
Featured events
The last two APT majors for 2018 are up for grabs. Each one comes with a PHP 10 Million (~US$190,900) guarantee:
- MAIN EVENT – November 28 to December 2 – Buyin PHP 55,000 (5 days)
- CHAMPIONSHIPS EVENT – December 3 to 6 – Buyin PHP 165,000 (4 days)
These are the most highly revered events of the tour. They are equipped with the best structures in the region. The tournaments run back-to-back giving players a chance to win two major titles in one festival. (View structures here)
*Keep in mind there is only one starting day offered for the Championships Event however players can still sign up in the first hour of Day 2.
Onsite satellites will be offered for these events.
Other guaranteed events
- APT-RWM Opening Event – PHP 1,000,000 GTD – November 27 to 28 – Buyin PHP 11,000
- MegaSportsWorld Deep Stack Turbo – PHP 1,000,000 GTD – December 1 – Buyin PHP 5500
- Monster Stack – PHP 2,000,000 GTD – December 5 – Buyin PHP 27,500
*The APT-RWM opener kicks off today at 1pm. Blinds escalate every 30 minutes. Registration closes at the start of Level 7.
High Rollers events
- Super High Rollers – November 27 to 28 – Buyin PHP500,000
- High Rollers – December 1 to 2 – Buyin PHP 107,500
- Short Deck High Rollers Single Day (Shot clock) – December 2 – Buyin PHP 107,500
- High Rollers Single Day (Shot clock) – December 6 – Buyin PHP 215,000
*The Super High Rollers kicks off at 2pm today. Defending champion Lester Edoc has confirmed his attendance.
APT Player of the Series
Once again, the APT will be awarding Player of the Series winners. The top three players in points will earn prizes with the ultimate winner awarded the POS 1st place trophy, POS ring, an exclusive luxury watch, and US$800. All events are point generating except for the Super High Rollers and satellites.
2018 APT festival highlights
Looking back at some of the year’s biggest winners, Philippine’s Lester Edoc and Japan’s Iori Yogo won two APT majors. Edoc claimed back-to-back Philippines series Main Event titles. Yogo won both a Philippines Championships Event and a Korea Main Event.
Lester Edoc – APT Philippines II Main Event champion
After years of attempts, Malaysia’s Victor Chong finally claimed his first-ever live tournament career title. He won the CoinPoker Super High Rollers event in Vietnam. At the same series, Tetsuya Tsuchikawa won his first-ever APT Main Event title. He also won the CoinPoker Last Man Standing which earned him a seat to the APT Finale 2018 Main Event.
The next ten days are going to be loaded with fun both on and off the felt so we hope to see everyone come out. There will also be a Players Party on Tuesday, December 4. Let’s end the season roaring in Manila!