HomePASAY CITY, Philippines – Twelve-time Asian Poker Tour (APT) Side Event champion Kai Danilo Paulsen, a Filipino-Norwegian from Trondheim, Norway is among the early notable players that are in the hunt at the opening event of the APT 2022 Philippines at the Grand Wing Casino, Newport World Resorts here.
Paulsen, who last pocketed an APT crown in the 2019 Superstack Freeze-Out Classic in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is looking to add to his over $800K in career live earnings and second cash this year.
A World Series of Poker (WSOP) Bracelet holder has also joined the fray with Henrieto Acain, who took down the 2022 WSOP $500 NLH – Housewarming (Event #37), also in the thick of the action.
WSOP Bracelet winner Henrieto Acain
Filipino poker icon John Tech (currently fifth in the Philippine all-time money list) is looking to attain another title to add to his eight APT championships, which includes a conquest of the 2015 APT Cebu Main Event.
2015 APT Cebu Main Event Champion John Tech
Two winners of the APT Player of the Series are also deep into the plunge with 2019 Manila victor Richard Nakila and recent Vietnam Pho Quoc titlist Vamerdino Magsakay beginning to amass at their respective tables.
Local regulars such as Terry Gonzaga, Richard “Hot Sauce” Marquez, Czar Ian Marcos, Eman Seguismundo and Don “Pusang Gala” Carmona were also seen in the trenches.
But perhaps the most noticeable among the aspirants was APT’s former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jeff Mann who is actually playing in his first APT event as he (by his own admission) banned himself from playing in the APT during his term.
“Freedom!” Mann said, doing his best impression of Mel Gibson in “Braveheart”.
Former APT CEO Jeff Mann playing in his first ever official APT event