HomeThe much-anticipated APT Philippines 2019 has arrived! Welcome players!
Starting today April 24 until May 5, the Asian Poker Tour brings you a roaring twelve days of nonstop festivities at long time partner and host venue Resorts World Manila. The Main Event and the Championships Event are the hottest attractions, each come with a P10 Million (~USD 192,000) guarantee. In addition, we have 21 side events, of which six are High Rollers events, to fulfill every type of bankroll.
At last year’s installment of this event, the APT attracted 2300 entries from all over the world to bring about a grand prize pool of over USD 1 Million. With this year’s event coinciding with Japan’s Golden Week and an expected 200 strong Japanese nationals making landfall, we aim to surpass those numbers. As always, the APT is set to provide you with the best tournaments and structures in the region along with the mightiest Golden Lion trophies to the winners.
Before we give you a detailed look on what to expect these next twelve days, here are some helpful tourist tips for all of you travelers.
Tourist information
It is summer in the Philippines which means it is hot. Daytime temperature boils up to 38℃ or 100℉. Nights cool down to about 27℃ or 80℉. However, it can get very cold in the casino so make sure to bring a jacket just in case.
If you are flying in to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, there is a free shuttle located in the arrivals area. It is a red bus that will conveniently take you to Resorts World Manila and to select hotels in the vicinity such as Marriott, Maxims, Holiday Inn, Belmont, Sheraton, and Hilton. There are also yellow metered taxis available and a Grab booth if you prefer to take a car or a larger vehicle. For travelers that don’t mind a short and easy stroll, there is a fully air conditioned pedestrian bridge – Runway Manila – connecting NAIA Terminal 3 to RWM.
Getting away from RWM is also quite easy. There is a taxi line located near the parking area. The closest places with plenty of restaurants and great night life are BGC and Makati. Of course if you have extra days at your disposal and are looking to explore more than the city life, heading off to one of the many gorgeous beaches the country has to offer is highly recommended.
The Philippine currency is the Piso. There are exchange counters in the airport and a 24 hour money changer at RWM.
To book accommodations
With the festival taking place at RWM, there are an abundance of hotels to choose from. Most are walking distance to the venue. Rates vary per establishment. For hotels further down the street, there is a complimentary shuttle running up and down Newport Boulevard. Check out our APT Player rates via this link.
Resorts World Manila
Resorts World Manila is the first integrated resort casino in the Philippines. It is directly across NAIA Terminal 3. In addition to the casino there are a wide variety of restaurants, coffee shops, shopping outlets, cinema, and a performing arts theater.
With that covered, let’s now take a look at what we have in store for you at APT Philippines 2019.
Full APT Philippines 2019 schedule
Featured Events
The Main Event and the Championships Event run back-to-back. Both of these events are equipped with an APT custom-crafted structure highly revered by many poker players. They each run a course of five days and each come with a P10 Million guarantee. Blinds increase every 60 minutes. The APT utilizes the Ante Big Blind format.
Main Event – P10 Million guarantee
Dates: April 26 to 30
Buy-in: P55,000 (USD1,060)
Entries: multiple; best stack forward rule
Starting stack: 25,000 (~500x opening blinds 25-50)
Registration: closes at the start of Level 10 in Day 2
Day 1A: Friday, April 26 – play 8 levels
Day 1B: Saturday, April 27 – play 8 levels
Day 2: Sunday, April 28 – play 8 levels
Day 3: Monday, April 29 – play to the Final 8
Final 8: Tuesday, April 30
Championships Event – P10 Million guarantee
Dates: May 1 to 5
Buy-in: P82,500 (USD1,600)
Entries: multiple; best stack forward rule
Starting stack: 50,000 (~250x opening blinds 100-200)
Registration: closes at the start of Level 10 in Day 2
Day 1A: Wednesday, May 1 – play 8 levels
Day 1B: Thursday, May 2 – play 8 levels
Day 2: Friday, May 3 – play 8 levels
Day 3: Saturday, May 4 – play to the Final 8
Final 8: Sunday, May 5
* For players looking to enter the featured events at a lower cost, we do have scheduled satellites offered.
High Rollers
Starting today until the last day of the series, we have a variety of High Rollers events lined up with buy-ins ranging from P86,000 to P500,000 (~USD 1700 to USD 9,700). On the highest end is the lone Super High Rollers event. Several players have already confirmed attendance: Filipino pros Lester Edoc, Mike Takayama, and Marc Rivera. England’s Simon Burns will also be joining. See below for the full High Rollers schedule:
April 24 – 25: High Rollers #1 – Buy-in P107,500
April 26: High Rollers Single Day #1 (Shot Clock) – Buy-in P86,000
April 29 – 30: Super High Rollers – Buy-in P500,000
April 30: Short Deck Single Day High Rollers (Shot Clock) – Buy-in P86,000
May 4 – 5: High Rollers #2 – Buy-in P107,500
May 5: High Rollers Single Day #2 (Shot Clock) – Buy-in P86,000
Opening Event
Tables come alive today with the Dream Maker series opener. This unique event pays out only 5% of the field. It is the brainchild of CTP Club owner David Hsing Tai and was first introduced at APT Taiwan in February. The aim of this event is to reward a larger payout to a smaller percentage of players for a sizable starting bankroll throughout the series.
Dream Maker
Date: April 24 to 25
Buy-in: P16,500 (USD 317)
Starting time: 1pm
Blinds: increase every 30 minutes
Registration: closes at the start of Level 7
As mentioned above, High Rollers #1 will also be kicking off on opening day.
High Rollers #1
Date: April 24 to 25
Buy-in: P107,500
Starting time: 2pm
Registration: closing is dependent on the # of entries
*Winners of these two events will set the pace in the APT Player of the Series race.
Side Events
All the usual APT side event favorites are offered such as the Head Hunter, NLH events, PLO events, Turbos, Short Deck, and two events extending guarantees: Monster Stack – P2 Million (USD 38,700) guarantee and the MegaSportsWorld Deep Stack Turbo – P750,000 (USD 14,500) guarantee.
APT Japan Corp Invitational Freeroll
A special event is included in the roster, the APT Japan Corp Invitational Freeroll. This is a two-day event running from April 28 to 29. For players attending, please keep in mind the starting time on Day 1 is 10am.
APT Player of the Series
As always, the APT rewards players with points throughout the series. The top three players in points at the end of the festival will be recognized and awarded special prizes. For the ultimate winner, an exclusive watch, a customized APT POS ring, a trophy, and USD 800. For 2nd and 3rd, a trophy an USD 100.
Once again, welcome to APT Philippines 2019!