Hogyun Kang Grabs Overall Lead After 2019 APPT Manila National Day 1b
After 13 exciting levels of play, Day 1b of the 2019 Asia Pacific Poker Tour Manila ₱33,000 National is in the books. When the ninth level of Day 1b ended, that meant the end of registration and there were 438 entries for the second starting flight of the National event. Those will be added to the 236 entries of Day 1a, comprising a total field of 674 entries. The total prize pool is ₱19,417,266 (~$380,570), but the payouts will be announced tomorrow, before the start of Day 2.
After everything was done, 118 players remained in their seats with chips in front of them. Along with the 60 players that advanced after Day 1a, there will be 178 players playing tomorrow for Day 2.
One thing is for sure, and this is the fact that there is going to be a new champion for 2019, since Marc Rivera busted during the tenth level of the day. He was unlucky enough to see his ace-queen lose from Ulrik Scotwin's ace-jack, when a jack hit the turn.
On the top of the counts sits Hogyun Kang with 418,500 in chips, although the Korean flew under the radar during Day 1b. Edgar Eui Kim is in second place with 395,000, Gab Yong Kim is third with 305,000, and Joven Huerto is following with 305,500 chips. Christopher Mateo rounds up the top five stacks of the field, with 295,000.
Team PokerStars Pro had its representative in the face of Celina Lin, but she fell short before the end of Day 1b, after spending most of the day around 50k chips. She had her share of success though during the day, since she finished fifth in the ₱100,000 Shot Clock High Roller for a prize of ₱549,500 (~$10,770).
Several notables are still in the field, with Rex Clinkscales (107,000), James Bonanno (105,500), Victor Chong (102,000), and Pete Chen (48,000) among them.
Day 2 is scheduled to start on Tuesday July 30, and the players will play for 12 levels, as it was officially announced after the end of Day 1b.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for continued live coverage as the festival continues!