2009 Asian Poker Tour - Manila

Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

2009 Asian Poker Tour - Manila

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
kq
Prize
$185,000
Event Info
Buy-in
$2,500
Prize Pool
$635,500
Entries
262
Level Info
Level
21
Blinds
6,000 / 12,000
Ante
2,000

Observations from the Floor

In what can only be described as a modern day coincidence, we believe that we have spotted the Asian Winnie Cooper. For those of you that are a bit too young to know, Winnie Cooper was the girl in the hit series, "The Wonder Years."

Here we compare our modern day equivalent, Fred Savage + Winnie (Wonder Years) vs Matt Savage + Air (APT Manila)

Yes folks, that is her real name, Air.

Put's a whole new meaning to that song by Jordan Sparks, No Air.

New Chip Leader Emerges

Norihito Suzuki
Norihito Suzuki
Norihito Suzuki has emerged as the new tournament chip leader after taking down several pots including most of Toto Leonidas' chips.

Most recently the small blind completed before he checked his option in the big blind. The flop fell down {Q-Spades}{K-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds} and the small blind led out for 800, before Suzuki raised to 1,600, with his opponent making the call.

The turn landed the {3-Hearts} and Suzuki's 3,600 bet was enough to take the pot down and moved him to over 57,000 in chips.

Suzuki is in some good company on his table. Being the last to break for the tournament, it includes: Neil Arce, Julio Diaz, Damien Oborne, Toto Leonidas and Mansour Matloubi.

Tags: Norihito Suzuki

Bring in the Accountants

Wally Sombero has fewer chips.
Wally Sombero has fewer chips.
After Tricia David sent Andrew McGill to the rail a few minutes ago, she and Wally Sombero were comparing their stack sizes. David felt that she somehow did not have as many chips as she expected to have. Sombero felt that he had more chips than he would have expected. There was a short stack of chips that was kind of between the two players which the dealer had indicated were Sombero's.

As Sombero and David discussed the McGill elimination further, Sombero realized that the dealer pushed chips to him that actually belonged to David. Tournament Director Matt Savage was called over to the table and listened to the tale. With no dissent from any players at the table and with the dealer indicating that he felt Sombero might be correct, Savage awarded the chips to David.

Sombero and David know each other quite well and had a good laugh about the incident. No hard feelings there.

Tags: Tricia DavidWally Sombero

Local Contingent Shows Up in Force

There is a small cadre of local Filipino poker-industry movers and shakers on Table 4, and they are representing their country well. We've already mentioned Filipino poker godfather, Wally Sombero (28,000). He's joined at his table by Filipino Poker Tour CEO Alan Escano (4,500); and local Tricia David, who leads all runners with 46,000.

Level: 6

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 50

Kastle's Value Bet Goes Uncalled

Casey Kastle was the only person to call his opponent's bet of 2,000 chips on the turn of a board that showed {4-Diamonds} {7-Clubs} {8-Hearts} {3-Diamonds}. When the turn fell {7-Hearts}, Castle's opponent checked. Castle fired out 1,000 chips, a seeming value bet that his opponent wanted no part of. As he dragged in the pot, Castle flashed a cat-who-ate-the-canary smile.

Tags: Casey Kastle

McGill Manages Double

Young Suk Shon opened to 800 from the button and was met with an immediate all in reraise from Andrew McGill for 8,075, out of the small blind.

Shon went into the tank for several minutes before making the call, only to be in dire shape against McGill's {A-Diamonds}{K-Clubs} holding {K-Diamonds}{Q-Diamonds}.

The board fell {7-Clubs}{2-Clubs}{5-Hearts}{6-Clubs}{6-Hearts} to see McGill double to over 17,000 as Shon slips to 31,000 in chips.

Tags: Andrew McGillYoung Suk Shon

Massive Slowdown

It's hard to believe that we could be at this stage of the tournament already, but a massive slowdown is underway in the ballroom of the Dusit Thani hotel. Part of the issue is that, with only 75 runners starting in the field, we're already at the stage where only five tables are in play. That means that we're just not getting the volume of hands that we would normally expect at this stage of the tournament.
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