Daniel Lee Triumphs in Main Event as APT Manila Achieves Unprecedented Success

Calum Grant Editor & Live Reporter

Nov 08, 2024 7 min read

Lee Gets Gold in Manila
APT Manila Main Event Final Table Results
Other Notable Winners
2024 APT Manila Full Series Results

The Asian Poker Tour (APT) has achieved an exciting milestone with the APT Manila 2024 festival, now recognized as the largest and richest poker series ever held in the Philippines. Over 11 action-packed days at the stunning City of Dreams Manila, the festival attracted a remarkable 8,102 entries from 1,321 unique players across 53 countries. This year's event generated a jaw-dropping total prize pool of PHP 349,691,602 (around USD 5,944,757), showcasing just how popular poker has become in the region.

The highlight of the festival was the PHP 85,000 APT Main Event, which not only drew a significant number of participants but also boasted a nine-figure prize pool (seven in USD). Other standout events included the Philippines National Cup, the Mystery Bounty Hunter, the Zodiac Classic, the Double Stack, the Mini Main Event, and the APT High Roller, all of which set new records for both entries and prize pools.

Lee Gets Gold in Manila

A big slice of the series prize money was up for grabs in the record-breaking Main Event, where 1,081 entries (639 unique players) from 36 countries and several regions battled it out for a portion of the PHP 100 million (~USD 1.7 million) prize pool. The series showstopper culminated with Daniel Lee from the United States capturing the coveted 24K gold lion APT Main Event trophy and PHP 15,060,000 (~USD 256,020) winner's payout.

Notables to make the final table included High Stakes regular Gab Yong Kim along with WSOP bracelet winner Renji Mao.

The top 159 players made the paid places, with Joey Weissman (45th), WSOP Main Event final tablists Hye Park (72nd), and Joseph Cheong (97th) also among the in-the-money finishers.

APT Manila Main Event Final Table Results

Place	Name	Country	Prize
1	Daniel Lee	United States	PHP 15,060,000 (~USD 256,020)
2	Edgar Antezana	South Africa	PHP 13,850,000 (~USD 235,450)
3	John Costiniano	Philippines	PHP 7,640,000 (~USD 129,880)
4	Ferdinand Lu	Philippines	PHP 5,740,000 (~USD 97,580)
5	Sandagdorj Munkhbaatar	Mongolia	PHP 4,390,000 (~USD 74,630)
6	Gab Yong Kim	South Korea	PHP 3,210,000 (~USD 54,570)
7	Renji Mao	China	PHP 2,410,000 (~USD 40,970)
8	Vincent Huang	New Zealand	PHP 1,725,000 (~USD 29,325)
9	Jaejoong Kim	South Korea	PHP 1,345,000 (~USD 22,865)

Other Notable Winners

William Teoh made waves by snagging the pewter lion APT Super High Roller trophy, claiming a hefty portion of the impressive PHP 32,621,100 (~USD 554,560) prize pool. With this win, the Malaysian player took home the series’ second-largest top prize of PHP 9,785,100 (~USD 166,350).

In another exciting battle, the PHP 200,000 APT High Roller generated the festival's fourth-largest prize pool at PHP 23,396,400 (~USD 397,740). Australia’s Daniel Neilson triumphed, earning the bronze lion APT High Roller trophy and a solid first-place prize of PHP 4,317,000 (around USD 73,390).

The PHP 125,000 Zodiac Classic also showcased its value, attracting 226 entries (157 unique) and boasting a prize pool of PHP 24,662,250 (about USD 419,260). APT All-Time Money List leader Joseph Cheong claimed his second title of the series, marking his fourth career APT title and winning the fourth-largest first-place prize of PHP 5,216,250 (approximately USD 88,675).

Cheong wasn’t done yet—he also secured the third-largest top prize of the festival in the PHP 1.5M Superstar Challenge, which offered a prize pool of PHP 16,672,500 (about USD 283,430). This victory gave him a record second Superstar Challenge title and the exclusive black lion trophy, along with a fantastic prize of PHP 8,002,500 (around USD 136,040).

2024 APT Manila Full Series Results

Event Name	Entrants	Winner	Country	Prize (PHP)	Prize (USD)	Prize Pool (PHP)	Prize Pool (USD)
Event 1: Philippines National Cup - Final Day - PHP4,000,000 GTD	726	Marco Espela	Philippines	1,170,050	$20,651	7,436,563	$131,255
Event 2: Single Day High Roller - Freezeout	35	Nang Quang Nguyen	Vietnam	954,750	$16,851	3,055,500	$53,930
Event 3: PL Omaha High	25	Shao Me Yang	Taiwan	229,625	$4,053	545,625	$9,630
Event 5: Limit Hold'em	16	Minh Vo Hoang	Vietnam	39,014.40	$689	81,014	$1,430
Event 6: Limit Triple Draw 2-7	23	Martin Schamaun	Switzerland	99,593.60	$1,758	235,593	$4,158
Event 7: Turbo - PL Omaha Hi-Lo - 5 Card (Big O)	20	Gary Yip	Canada	107,080	$1,890	256,080	$4,520
Event 8: Turbo - High Roller	31	Yu Chung Chang	Taiwan	350,205	$6,181	947,205	$16,718
Event 9: Hyper Turbo - NL Single Draw A-5	19	Yu Tang Wang	Taiwan	40,204.60	$710	96,204	$1,698
Event 10: Mystery Bounty Hunter - Final Day - Sponsored by Natural8 - PHP 6,000,000 GTD	480	Youngje Ahn	Korea, South	1,096,680	$19,356	5,407,680	$95,446
Event 11: Single Day High Roller - Mystery Bounty	55	John Matsuda	Japan	2,014,950	$35,564	3,216,950	$56,779
Event 12: PL Omaha Hi-Lo - 5 Card (Big O)	£28	Daniil Shalaev	Russia	178,448	$3,150	483,448	$8,533
Event 13: Turbo - Double Stack	£45	Daijiro Tomoto	Japan	76,853	$1,356	227,853	$4,022
Event 14: Limit Triple Draw - Lowball Mix (A-5, 2-7, Badugi)	£33	Camilla Samsing	Norway	125,025.60	$2,207	338,025	$5,966
Event 16: Turbo - NL Omaha High	£26	Shion Ogawa	Japan	120,516.80	$2,127	288,516	$5,092
Event 17: Hyper Turbo - High Roller	£36	Zhi Jian Sean Ooi	Malaysia	290,700	$5,131	785,700	$13,868
Event 18: Hyper Turbo - NL - R-O-S-E (Razz, Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud, Stud Hi-Lo)	£12	Song Wang	China	30,760.80	$543	60,760	$1,072
Event 19: Hyper Turbo - Win the Button	36	Lester Edoc	Philippines	90,043.20	$1,589	243,043	$4,290
Event 20: Super Stack - PHP 6,000,000 GTD	258	Philipp Zukernik	Canada	1,432,020	$25,275	6,757,020	$119,261
Event 21: APT Super High Roller - Final Day - PHP 15,000,000 GTD	59	William Teoh	Malaysia	9,785,100	$172,707	32,621,100	$575,762
Event 22: PL Omaha High	26	Shing Kit Kwan	Hong Kong	187,916	$3,317	448,916	$7,923
Event 23: Turbo - Double Stack	59	Yuma Endo	Japan	89,740.60	$1,584	298,740	$5,273
Event 24: Limit - Triple Stud (Razz, Stud, Stud Hi-Lo)	23	Hisashi Yamanouchi	Japan	99,593.60	$1,758	235,593	$4,158
Event 25: NL Hold'em - Teams Event (PHP 30K Buy-In Per Team of 2 Players)	52	Michikiko Matsuda	Japan	113,770	$2,008	0	$0
Event 27: Turbo - PL Omaha High - Bomb Pot	56	Gabriel Dominic Carter	United Kingdom	85,550.40	$1,510	283,550	$5,005
Event 28: Hyper Turbo	80	En Hao Chan	Taiwan	148,096	$2,614	540,096	$9,533
Event 29: Hyper Turbo - High Roller	40	Batnyam Zayabaatar	Mongolia	231,000	$4,077	873,000	$15,408
Event 30: Hyper Turbo - NL Single Draw Mix (A-5, 2-7)	16	Keita Kitamura	Japan	58,019.20	$1,024	108,019	$1,907
Event 31: APT Main Event - Final Day - PHP 100,000,000 GTD	1081	Daniel Junemo Lee	United States	15,060,000	$265,809	100,000,000	$1,765,000
Event 32: High Roller - Double Stack - Day 1	13	Alexander William Keating	United States	653,880	$11,541	1,361,880	$24,037
Event 33: Omaha Masters - PL Omaha High	58	Shing Kit Kwan	Hong Kong	918,040	$16,203	3,038,040	$53,621
Event 34: NL Hold'em - Freezeout	72	Philipp Zukernik	Canada	733,240	$12,942	2,514,240	$44,376
Event 35: Razzdugi (7 Card Razz, 1/2 Pot to Razz, 1/2 Pot to Badugi)	31	Denis Nesterenko	Russia	77,287.20	$1,364	209,287	$3,694
Event 36: Senior's Event (Minimum Age is 50 to Play)	35	Anthony Gabitan	Philippines	224,310	$3,959	604,310	$10,666
Event 38: Turbo - PL Courchevel Hi-Lo - 5 Card (Omaha Hi-Lo and First Flop Card is Exposed Preflop)	28	Song Wang	China	133,512	$2,356	358,512	$6,328
Event 39: Hyper Turbo - Super Hold'em (3 Hole Cards, Use 3, 2, 1 or 0 Cards)	55	Rex David Clinkscales	United States	83,487	$1,474	278,487	$4,915
Event 40: Hyper Turbo - NL Triple Stud (Razz, Stud, Stud Hi-Lo)	13	Benjamin Christopher Boo Han Jie	Singapore	31,824.20	$562	65,824	$1,162
Event 41: Superstar Challenge - Final Day	12	Joseph Sanghyon Cheong	United States	8,002,500	$141,244	16,672,500	$294,270
Event 42: Big "O" Masters - PL Omaha Hi-Lo - 5 Card	24	Li Ta Hsu	Taiwan	388,000	$6,848	1,257,120	$22,188
Event 43: Single Day High Roller	60	Jiaqi He	China	2,290,000	$40,419	7,857,000	$138,676
Event 44: NL Hold'em	87	Gabriel Dominic Carter	United Kingdom	598,530	$10,564	2,278,530	$40,216
Event 45: Limit Triple Draw - Dealer's Choice (Badugi, A-5, Badacey, 2-7, Badeucey, High)	26	Yu Tang Wang	Taiwan	73,531.20	$1,298	175,531	$3,098
Event 46: Women's Event	76	Saori Tokunaga	Japan	140,091.20	$2,473	513,091	$9,056
Event 48: Turbo - PL Omaha High	55	Keita Kitamura	Japan	149,376	$2,636	563,376	$9,944
Event 49: Hyper Turbo	112	Sangbong Kim	Korea, South	191,134.40	$3,374	756,134	$13,346
Event 50: Hyper Turbo - High Roller	78	Sergius Angelo Santos	Philippines	465,350	$8,213	1,702,350	$30,046
Event 51: Hyper Turbo - NL Single Draw 2/7	40	Jia Yu Chen	Taiwan	72,536	$1,280	202,536	$3,575
Event 52: Single Day High Roller	117	Alexander William Keating	United States	2,720,000	$48,008	12,256,920	$216,335
Event 53: 5 Card Draw Masters (Limit Triple Draw A-5, 2-7, Badugi)	25	Furniss Mark	Australia	549,500	$9,699	1,309,500	$23,113
Event 54: NL Hold'em	92	Suya Lee	Korea, South	634,480	$11,199	2,409,480	$42,527
Event 55: 9 Game (NLH, Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw, PLO, Stud H/L, Limit Hold'em, NL 2-7 Single Draw, Stud, Omaha H/L)	43	Mathias Schell	Switzerland	99,301.60	$1,753	290,301	$5,124
Event 56: Women's Event	55	Ma Arlene Rivera	Philippines	225,168	$3,974	751,168	$13,258
Event 57: Turbo - Atomic Pineapple (Get 5 Cards, Discard 1 After Betting Preflop, Flop, Turn)	32	Beng Hong Ker	Singapore	99,048	$1,748	270,048	$4,766
Event 58: Turbo - PL Omaha Hi-Lo - 5 Card (Big O)	22	Daniil Shalaev	Russia	78,658	$1,388	185,658	$3,277
Event 59: Hyper Turbo - High Roller	89	Kotaro Nakayama	Japan	508,425	$8,974	1,942,425	$34,284
Event 60: Hyper Turbo - NL R-O-S-E (Razz, Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud, Stud Hi-Lo)	22	Zhun Wang	China	47,394.80	$837	111,394	$1,966
Event 61: Hyper Turbo	119	Keisuke Tajiri	Japan	202,392.80	$3,572	803,392	$14,180
Event 62: 9 Game (NLH, Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw, PLO, Stud H/L, Limit Hold'em, NL 2-7 Single Draw, Stud, Omaha H/L)	31	Yu Tang Wang	Taiwan	222,000	$3,918	676,575	$11,942
Event 63: Sunday Super Stack	181	Seoha Lee	Korea, South	1,000,800	$17,664	6,320,520	$111,557
Event 64: High Roller - Double Stack	22	Lester Edoc	Philippines	1,452,080	$25,629	3,457,080	$61,017
Event 65: Turbo - Double Stack	138	Ravipol Aemjareon	Thailand	423,952	$7,483	1,766,952	$31,187
Event 66: Turbo - PL Omaha High - Lazy Rivers (Individual River Card Face Up)	38	Daiki Aoki	Japan	144,241.60	$2,546	389,241	$6,870
Event 67: Hyper Turbo - Bomb Pot	53	Anton Edward Del Rosario	United States	84,360.20	$1,489	268,360	$4,737
Event 68: Hyper Turbo - High Roller	47	Gyeongbyeong Lee	Korea, South	322,775	$5,697	1,025,775	$18,105
Event 69: Hyper Turbo - NL Single Draw Mix (A-5, 2-7, Badugi)	23	Seongsu Kong	Korea, South	48,458.20	$855	116,458	$2,055
Event 71: NL Hold'em Heads Up (64 Cap) - Best of 3 All Rounds	26	Jun Obara	Japan	238,450	$4,209	567,450	$10,015
Event 72: Mix Game Masters	24	Li Ta Hsu	Taiwan	527,120	$9,304	1,257,120	$22,188
Event 73: NL Hold'em - Freezeout	144	Sayaka Seshimoto	Japan	595,304	$10,507	2,486,304	$43,883
Event 74: Zodiac Classic - Final Day - Sponsored by Natural8 - PHP 15,000,000 GTD	226	Joseph Sanghyon Cheong	United States	5,216,250	$92,067	24,662,250	$435,289
Event 75: Omaholic (Omaha High - PL Pre / NL Post) - Sponsored by Natural8	46	Leon Lionel Menezes	India	104,555.20	$1,845	310,555	$5,481
Event 76: Turbo	73	Ji Seok Han	Korea, South	271,692	$4,795	934,692	$16,497
Event 77: Turbo - NL Omaha Hi-Lo - 5 Card (Big O)	32	Haydn-Douglas Pearl	England	51,600	$911	162,028	$2,860
Event 78: Hyper Turbo - 3/2/1 Single Winner (3 Flops, 2 Turns, 1 River)	18	Pang Ching Kuen Kelvin	Malaysia	38,141.20	$673	91,141	$1,609
Event 79: Hyper Turbo - High Roller	38	Lkhagvasuren Lkhagvajamts	Mongolia	307,350	$5,425	829,350	$14,638
Event 80: Hyper Turbo - NL 9 Game (Hold'em, Razz, 2-7 Single Draw, Omaha, Stud H/L, A-5 Single Draw, Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud, Badugi Single Draw)	18	Eugene Co	Philippines	38,141.20	$673	91,141	$1,609
Event 81: Double Stack - Final Day - PHP 4,000,000 GTD	434	Sungwoo Son	Korea, South	1,103,000	$19,468	7,493,444	$132,259
Event 82: Baby Superstar Challenge	50	John Matsuda	Japan	3,705,000	$65,393	13,095,000	$231,127
Event 83: 7 Card Stud Masters (High, Hi-Lo, Razz)	17	Antonio Seremet	Australia	427,460	$7,545	890,460	$15,717
Event 84: Flip 'N Go Hyper (1 in 7 Advance to ITM @ 19:00)	63	Chu Yi Jedidah Tan	Singapore	90,994.20	$1,606	318,994	$5,630
Event 85: Short Deck - Triple Chance	7	Lee Wee Liew	Malaysia	195,550	$3,451	305,550	$5,393
Event 86: PL Omaha Hi-Lo - 5 Card (Big O)	41	Furniss Mark	Australia	93,799.20	$1,656	276,799	$4,886
Event 89: Turbo - PL Courchevel High - 5 Card (Omaha Hi and First Flop Card is Exposed Preflop)	14	Joshua Cordova	Philippines	56,146	$991	118,146	$2,085
Event 90: Hyper Turbo	42	Bayar-Erdene Osor	Mongolia	94,550.40	$1,669	283,550	$5,005
Event 91: Hyper Turbo - NL Single Draw Mix (Badugi, A-5, Badacey, 2-7, Badeucey, High)	27	Yu Tang Wang	Taiwan	56,711.80	$1,001	136,711	$2,413
Event 92: Hyper Turbo - High Roller	50	Kazuhiro Shirazawa	Japan	344,250	$6,076	1,091,250	$19,261
Event 93: Mini Main Event - Final Day - PHP 5,000,000 GTD	320	Gun Jegal	Korea, South	1,374,000	$24,251	6,984,000	$123,268
Event 94: APT High Roller - Final Day - PHP 15,000,000 GTD	134	Daniel John Neilson	Australia	4,317,000	$76,195	23,396,400	$412,946
Event 95: Dealer's Choice (22 Games)	21	Denis Nesterenko	Russia	120,000	$2,118	362,586	$6,400
Event 96: Short Deck - Triple Chance	17	Boon Kit Khoo	Malaysia	68,463	$1,208	143,463	$2,532
Event 97: PL Omaha High - Lazy Rivers (Individual River Face Up)	17	Li Ta Hsu	Taiwan	83,134.40	$1,467	174,134	$3,073
Event 98: Turbo - PL Omaha Hi-Lo - Lazy Rivers (Individual River Card Face Up)	21	Yang Lu	China	90,107.20	$1,590	215,107	$3,797
Event 99: Hyper Turbo - Hold'em "Limits" (Limit Pre, PL Flop, NL Turn and River)	12	Aaron Toroussian Jacobs	United States	29,760.80	$525	60,760	$1,072
Event 100: Hyper Turbo - High Roller	46	Youngshin Im	Korea, South	341,950	$6,035	1,003,950	$17,720
Event 101: Hyper Turbo - No Limit - Dealer's Choice (15 Games)	13	Furniss Mark	Australia	41,765.60	$737	87,765	$1,549
Event 102: Micro Main Event	89	Xia Qi	China	130,642.60	$2,306	450,642	$7,954
Event 103: High Roller - Last Chance	63	Rishi Mehra	India	1,603,900	$28,309	5,499,900	$97,073
Event 104: PL Omaha Hi-Lo - 5 Card (Big O)	19	Antonio Seremet	Australia	138,054	$2,437	328,054	$5,790
Event 105: Turbo - Short Deck - Double Chance	1	Ayato Shibata	Japan	17,266	$305	17,266	$305
Event 106: Turbo - High Roller	37	Yu Chun Chen	Taiwan	418,535	$7,387	1,130,535	$19,954
Event 107: Turbo - PL Omaha High	22	Michikiko Matsuda	Japan	94,350.40	$1,665	225,350	$3,977
Event 108: Hyper Turbo	34	Hochung Song	Korea, South	84,540.80	$1,492	229,540	$4,051
Event 109: Hyper Turbo - High Roller	20	Yuji Yaginuma	Japan	183,500	$3,239	436,500	$7,704

Images courtesy of the Asia Poker Tour
_{Conversion rate used: 1 PHP = 0.01765 USD}

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Calum Grant Editor & Live Reporter

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

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