HomePASAY CITY, Philppines – If last night a Korean won an event dominated by Filipinos, today a Filipino emerged victorious in an event sponsored by Koreans as Royly “Chipblaze” Oracion bested a field of 110 to snare the Professional Offline Poker League (POPL) Head-Hunter tournament in the Asian Poker Tour (APT) 2022 Philippines here at the Grand Wing Casino, Newport World Resorts.
Oracion, who got a mere five bounties en route to Heads-Up, faced fellow Filipino Jose Colada and enjoyed a more than 2-1 chip advantage heading into the final duel that lasted all of ten minutes as the final hand had Colada shoving AsTc and was instantly called by Oracion with QdQh.
The flop of Qs3d2s all but extinguished any hope of Colada staying alive, but a 4h on the turn gave him a redraw that never came as the 4s sealed the deal for Oracion as the 34-year-old Cainta, Rizal native finally won his first APT championship after cashing only once before–in the 2016 APT Manila Deep Stack Turbo (DST) event.
Oracion also won the PhP399,000.00 (US$6,988.00) and earned PhP25,000.00 (US$438.00) in bounties for a total payday of PhP424,000.00 (US$7,426.00)–his biggest live cash of his career. Colada got PhP265,800.00 (US$4,655.00) for his second place finish while “Big” Ron Tate of the United States got third for PhP184,800.00 (US$3,237.00).
POPL Chief Operations Officer Lee Yong and General Manager Yoo Eun Jeong were on hand to fete Oracion.
Oracion feted by POPL COO Lee Yong
Meanwhile, the PhP215,000.00 (US$3,766.00) VIP High-Rollers (Event #2) entered the Final 8 with a veritable who’s-who of Philippine poker with five of the top ten players on the Philippine all-time money list included with Mike Takayama, Flo Campomanes, John Tech, Lester Edoc and David “Dave Spade” Erquiaga all making it through and joined by a former APT Player of the Series in Vamerdino Magsakay. The other two who made it are Englishman William Fasano and the “Malaysian Sensation” Victor Chong.
The champion takes home PhP1,992,700.00 (US$34,900.00).
The PhP215k VIP High-Rollers Final 8 (L-R): John Tech, Lester Edoc, Mike Takayama, William Fasano, Flo Campomanes. Vam Magsakay, Dave Erquiaga, Victor Chong
The 2-day Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) event is also now at full swing along with the PhP65,000.00 Single Day High-Rollers (Event #5), while Day 1A of the PhP15M GTD Main Event has now breached 80 entries and is still in its early stages.