APPT Manila

cctv · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:02 pm Post subject: APPT Manila

PokerStars.net APPT Manila, Day 1a: Suk, Shell, Tied for Early Lead

The Hyatt Hotel & Casino in Manila, the Philippines played host to Day 1a of the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour earlier today, with 149 players from around the globe taking their shot at the title claimed by Brett Parise in 2007. Among the notable players participating on Day 1a were Michael Chrisanthopoulos, Dennis Huntly, David Saab, Andrew Scott and James Broom.

With many former World Series of Poker Main Event champions in Las Vegas for the final table of the 2008 Main Event, at least one champion ventured to Manila for the APPT event instead. In 1991, Brad Daugherty became the first WSOP Main Event champion to take down a prizepool worth $1 million. This week in Manila, he was the lone World Champion on hand during day 1a action, fighting for his share of the prize pool. Daugherty busted on Day 1a when he got his chips in with

on a board of

, but his opponent had made a better two pair with

. The

on the river gave both players a full house, but Daugherty\'s jacks full of sixes was not good enough to keep the champ in the building.

Filipino Poker Tour founder Franco Mabanta rode an afternoon roller coaster before his departure from the felt. In one huge hand, he sent two players to the rail after raising preflop and finding two callers to a flop of

. Mabanta led out with a bet, and the small blind called all in. The other opponent was all in preflop, and Mabanta tabled

for ace-high and the lead in the side pot as the small blind showed

. The short-stacked player tabled

and looked to triple up until the

came on the turn. The

came on the river, and both of Mabanta\'s opponents headed to the rail.

Just a few hands later, Mabanta was involved in another big pot, this time with decidedly different results. With a board of

, Mabanta got the last of his chips in the middle against Hyounjim Nam. Mabanta felt good about his

for the flush, but Nam tabled

for the rivered full house and sent Mabanta to the rail.

Chang Yong Suk was relatively quiet through most of Day 1a, but went on a late surge to finish the day tied for the chip lead with Michael Shell. One huge hand found Suk all in preflop against one short stack and Hyoungjim Nam, who had Suk and the short stack covered. The short stack tabled

for live cards against Suk\'s

and Nam\'s pocket sevens. Suk picked up a flush draw on the

flop, then turn the nut flush when the

landed. The

on the river was no help to his opponents, and Suk virtually tripled up.

Just a few hands later Suk had all his chips in the middle again, this time calling Eric Sia\'s preflop shove with

. Sia tabled

, and needed help when the flop came down

. The turn improved neither player when it brought the

, and the

on the river vaulted Suk into the chip lead as Sia was left on life support as the day drew to a close. Suk and PokerStars qualifier Michael Shell led a field of 38 survivors into Day 2, as notables David Saab, James Broom, Michael Chrisanthopoulos and Sunshine Samson all made it through Day 1a. More big names are expected to take the field on Day 1b, so join PokerNews at 12:30 PM Manila time for all the live updates.

The top ten chip counts from Day 1a play:

Michael Shell – 124,300
Chang Yong Suk – 124,300
Pang Leng Josh Ang – 88,800
Hans Daniel Nordstrom – 75,200
Donny Michael Morris – 71,700
Victorino Torres – 64,800
Wenceslao Sombero – 60,100
Jong Sung Kim – 55,800
Ramil Soriano Tandoc – 53,800
Antony Phillips – 52,400
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cctv · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:12 pm Post subject:

PokerStars.net APPT Manila, Day 1b: Natasha Ellis Tops Session

A slightly smaller field took to the felt at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino in Manila yesterday for Day 1b of the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Main Event. With only 136 players on Day 1b, compared to the 149 on Day 1a, there were certainly more champions per capita in the field. 2007 Manila champion Brett Parise joined the action on Day 1b, as did fellow APPT champions Yoshihiro Tasaka and Eddy Sabat, not to mention PokerNews Cup champion Nali Kaselias and multiple WSOP champ John "The Razor" Phan.

The press hovered around both the former champions and Table 17 as well, where former Miss Earth Priscilla Meirelles also competed on Day 1b, finishing the day with a healthy stack. It was a good day for the ladies all around, as Meirelles and Celina Lin both moved on to Day 2, while Natasha Ellis was the woman in the top spot, finishing the day with the overall chip lead and as the only player with more than 100,000 chips.

Day 1b was less kind to several notable players, including Carter Gill, J.J. Liu, and David Steicke, who busted at the hands of Eddy Sabat early in the day. Sabat raised preflop, and Steicke defended his big blind with Q-10. Steicke led out on the flop of 2-2-5, and Sabat put out a small raise. Steicke made the call as another deuce landed on the turn. Steicke fired another bet on the turn, and Sabat called again. The river was a blank and Steicke moved all in. Sabat thought for a long moment before making the hero call with A-J and sending Steicke to the rail.

John Phan has enjoyed a monster 2008, with multiple WPT cashes, multiple WSOP cashes, two WSOP bracelets and a WPT title, but he failed to add an APPT title to his resume when he busted on Day 1b in Manila. All the chips went in on the turn as Henrik Hvidberg bet enough to put Phan all in on a board of

. Phan thought for a moment before calling with

for one pair with a flush draw. Hvidberg showed

for the overpair, and the

on the river sent Phan packing.

Chip leaders Van Marcus and Tasha Ellis spent much of the evening tangling, with Marcus doubling through Ellis in one of the biggest pots of the night. Ellis opened the action with a preflop raise, and Marcus three-bet from the small blind. Ellis called and the flop came down

. Marcus led out with a sizable bet, and Ellis again called. Action checked around when the

came on the turn, and Marcus moved all in when the river brought the

. Ellis went into the tank for several minutes before calling, only to find Marcus holding

for the overpair. Ellis mucked, and Marcus was in good shape to finish the day near the top of the leader board.

Ellis finished the day on top, thanks to several big hands throughout the day. In one confrontation just before the dinner break, she sent three opponents to the rail in a single hand. Ellis called three all-in bets with

and needed to improve as her opponents tabled

, pocket tens and pocket nines. With an ace in the window, Ellis took the lead in the hand and was never headed. The final board ran out

, and Ellis claimed three victims, including one belonging to APPT Seoul champion Yoshihiro Tasaka, in the huge hand.

As Day 1b drew to a close, Ellis and Marcus topped the standings. Other notable survivors included Brett Parise, James Obst, Celina Lin, Priscilla Meirelles and Lee \"Final Table\" Nelson. The survivors from Day 1b will combine with the remainder of the Day 1a field for Day 2 action Saturday at 12:30 PM Manila time (late night Friday for North American readers), so be sure to join PokerNews for all the live updates from Manila. The top ten chip counts from Day 1b play:

Natasha Ellis - 112,100
Van Marcus - 69,700
Jeppe Drivsholm - 65,400
Dimitrios Pappis - 63,300
Sang Beom Chris Roh - 57,500
Melvin Alvarez Matibag – 56,200
Tae Jun Noh - 53,300
Chi Kan Tang - 44,000
June Canlas Caberoy - 41,300
Goto Toshiki - 38,900
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cctv · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:28 pm Post subject:

PokerStars.net APPT Manila, Day 2: Nam, Marcus, Nelson Headline Final

Seventy-seven players returned to the Hyatt Hotel & Casino in Manila yesterday to continue their quest for the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Manila championship, including 2007 champion Brett Parise, chip leaders Michael Shell and Chang Tong Suk, and internet wunderkind James Obst. Also in the field were Lee \"Final Table\" Nelson, Celina Lin, David Saab and PokerNews Cup champion Nali \"Iraqi Nick\" Kaselias, but when action concluded, Hyoungjin Nam led the nine survivors into Sunday\'s final.

Van Marcus started Day 2 strong, moving up in two huge hands to capture the chip lead early in the day. In the first, he found himself on the wrong end of a set-over-set hand against Daniel Nordstrom when his

was no good to Nordstrom\'s

on a board of

. David Saab, watching from his seat at the same table, said to Saab, \"Just hit the one-outer, it\'s that easy.\" As requested, the

came on the river, giving Marcus the one-outer he needed and sending Nordstrom home early. Only moments later, Marcus sent Saab packing with

to Saab\'s

on a board of

. Marcus moved into the chip lead and finished Day 2 with one of the biggest stacks.

Michael Chrisanthopoulos, who made the final table of the Aussie Millions this January, fell to Jeppe Drivsholm early on Day 2. Drivsholm flopped a set with pocket threes, and called Chrisanthopoulos\' all-in move on a board of

. Chrisanthopoulos tabled

and needed help to stay alive. The turn and river ran out

and he was done. Other early eliminations included Wally \"The Dream\" Sombero, James Obst and Miss Earth 2004, Priscilla Meirelles.

The money bubble burst on simultaneous eliminations on two tables, saving the remaining players from hand-for-hand play. Celina Lin busted from the feature table with two pair against a set at the same time that Xiaogang Lin ran

into Josh Pang Ang\'s

. Lin picked up a flush draw on the

board, but the turn and river bricked out, sending both Lins home just outside the money and assuring money for the remaining 32 players.

After the bubble burst, Van Marcus continued his big-stack play when he busted two players in another big come-from-behind win. James Broom raised preflop and found two callers before Takashi Ogura moved all in for a little more than Broom\'s opening raise. Marcus moved over the top with a big raise, and Broom quickly called all in. The callers in the middle got out of the way, and Ogura tabled

, only to find himself facing two pocket pairs. Marcus tabled

, but was looking for help when Broom showed

. He got all the help he needed when he flopped a set on the

board, but Broom still had the nut flush draw. The

turn was no help to anyone, and the

river sent Ogura and Broom to the payout line, while Marcus moved closer to his spot at the final table.

Lee Nelson sent Nang Quang Nguyen home in 28th place ($3,257), as Nelson worked at living up to his nickname once again. Nelson called Nguyen\'s all-in with pocket queens and flopped a set on a board of

to send Nguyen packing. As the field continued to thin, more notable players busted on Day 2, including Nali \"Iraqi Nick\" Kaselias, Melvin \"The Miracle\" Matibag and 2007 champ Brett Parise.

Another late casualty on the march to the final table was Day 1b chip leader Tasha Ellis, who never got much going on Day 2 and busted in 12th place ($6,514). Facing one all-in and a re-raise from her big blind, Ellis moved all in with

and found a caller in Hyoungjin Nam with

. Dimitrios Pappis was already all in for the main pot with

as Ellis and Nam battled for the larger side pot. Pappis hit an ace on the

flop to triple up, and the turn and river ran out

to send Ellis to the rail just off the final table.

Just moments later, Josh Pang Ang was the final-table bubble boy when he tangled with Noh Tae Jun. Jun raised preflop with (J-Hearts)(9-Hearts), and Ang called. Ang checked the

flop and Jun fired out a bet. Ang check-raised all in with

, and Jun snap-called with his flush. The

on the turn left Ang drawing dead, and the

river locked up the final table as Ang collected $6,514 for his 10th-place finish.

As the players bagged their chips, Hyoungjin Nam held the chip lead, with dangerous pros Lee Nelson and Van Marcus joining him at the final table. The seating assignments and chip stacks looked like this once the final table was set:

Seat 1: Noh Tae Jun - 466,000
Seat 2: Lee Nelson - 238,000
Seat 3: Van Marcus - 438,000
Seat 4: Benjamin Lim - 115,000
Seat 5: Rainier Aquino - 40,000
Seat 6: Hyoungjin Nam - 561,000
Seat 7: Manish Sansi - 192,000
Seat 8: Chang Yong Suk - 539,000
Seat 9: Ramil Tandoc - 184,000
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cctv · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:39 pm Post subject:

PokerStars.net APPT Manila, Day 3: Van Marcus Surges to Victory

After several final tables without a win, Van Marcus claimed his first APPT title today at the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Manila Main Event, besting Tae Jun Noh in a marathon heads-up battle to claim the championship and the $162,856 top prize. The longest event in APPT history finished up in the wee hours of the morning after Marcus and Noh battled for nearly three hours in a back-and-forth, heads-up duel that saw plenty of lead changes and hours of small-ball poker before Marcus could finish off his opponent.

As the final table kicked off, no one could have guessed that it would go for over twelve hours, as the action started right away. Short stack Ranier Aquino moved all in over the top of Tae Jun Noh early on Day 3, finding callers in both Noh and Hyoung Jin Nam. The live players checked the action down to the river, and the final board read

. Noh made a small bet on the river, which Nam quickly called as the hand were all revealed. Aquino\'s

looked good against Nam\'s

, but Noh tabled

for rivered trips, enough to send Aquino packing in ninth place with $9,228 for his effort.

Benjie Lim became the next to fall when he moved all in over the top of Tae Jun Noh with

. Noh thought for a moment before calling with

, and the board ran out

. Both players rivered two pair, but Noh\'s ace played to bust Lim in eighth place ($12,485). Manish Sansi busted in seventh place ($16,285) when his pocket nines couldn\'t outrun Ramil Tandoc\'s pocket jacks on a board of

.

Lee \"Final Table\" Nelson lived up to his moniker yet again in Manila, finishing in sixth place for a $21,714 payday. His tournament came to an end when he lost a race against Hyoung Jin Nam for all his chips. Nelson raised preflop from the button with

, and Nam re-raised from the big blind with

. Nelson moved all in over the top, and Nam called. The

on the flop put Nam in the driver\'s seat, and Nelson never caught up as the board ran out

.

Van Marcus found himself on the short stack shortly before the dinner break, and moved all his chips in from the button with

. He found one caller in Michael Chang, who tabled the dominating

, but Marcus feared no draw on his way to victory. The flop came down the exciting

and Chang still led, but the

on the turn moved the ball firmly back into Marcus\' court. The

on the river completed his double-up, and Marcus was back in the game. Not long after that hand, Marcus found himself looking for help again after open-shoving with pocket sevens and running face-first into Hyoung Jin Nam\'s pocket queens. The

flop gave Marcus the set and left Nam looking for a two-outer of his own, but it was not to be as the turn and river ran out

to give Marcus another double-up.

Ramil Tandoc had none of Marcus\' luck as he busted in fifth place ($29,314). He moved the last of his chips in with

, and got action from Tae Jun Noh, who tabled

. The flop gave Tandoc a pair as it came down

, but Noh had overcards and the nut flush draw, which quickly came on the turn as the

landed. Tandoc was drawing dead on the turn, and the

on the river was a mere formality as the last Filipino in the field headed to the rail.

Four-handed action started off slow, but picked up quickly as the players began to gamble it up after dinner. Michael Chang got all his money in slightly ahead of Hyoung Jin Nam in his last hand, but eventually ran out of steam and finished in fourth place ($37,999). Nam opened for a raise, only to find Chang putting in a stiff re-raise. Nam thought for a moment before moving all in, which Chang eventually called. Nam tabled

, slightly behind Chang\'s

. The flop put Nam in the driver\'s seat when it came down

, and Chang needed an ace to stay alive. No help came on the turn or river, and his tournament was over.

Play continued three-handed for more than four hours before the next player was eliminated, with a couple of patented Van Marcus double-ups along the way. Holding

, Marcus open-shoved from the big blind, only to find himself way behind as Hyoung Jin Nam called with

. Marcus needed one of three outs to stay alive, and none of them came on the

flop. The

on the turn, however, was just what the doctor ordered for Marcus, as he then only needed to fade three aces to double through Nam. The

on the river assured Marcus yet another double-up.

Marcus doubled through Nam again later, as he called a small raise from Nam to see a flop of

. Marcus checked, Nam led out, and Marcus check-raised big. Nam moved all in and Marcus thought briefly before making the call. Marcus tabled

for the open-ended straight draw, but Nam had him dominated again with

for the flopped straight. The

on the turn was no help for Marcus, as he saw his tournament life hang in the balance with yet another slim draw. But once again he hit, catching the

on the river to make the higher straight and take the chip lead with that double-up.

It was not long after that hand that Nam busted in 3rd place ($54,285). He moved the last of his stack into the middle preflop and was called by Tae Jun Noh. Nam\'s

was live against Noh\'s

but needed help. No help came on the board of

, and Nam was finished. Van Marcus took the chip lead into heads-up play as the remaining chip stacks looked like this:

Van Marcus: 1,674,000
Tae Jun Noh: 1,100,000

Heads-up play took over three hours and set a record for the longest APPT final table ever, with the two remaining contestants taking small pots and small swings for hours before the outcome was decided. In the end, Van Marcus outdrew Tae Jun Noh to send Noh packing in second place ($103,142) and claim his first APPT title.

After a raise and a call preflop, Noh fired out at a flop of

. Marcus moved all in over the top, and Noh called to create the first all-in confrontation of the heads-up match. Noh led with

for top pair, but Marcus tabled

for the open-ended straight draw. The

on the turn ended all the suspense as it made Marcus\' straight and finished off Noh. The

was the irrelevant river card as Marcus took down the APPT Main Event in Manila for $162,856.
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cctv · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:41 pm Post subject:

Congratulations Van Marcus! So Long Manila!

A hugely successful tournament has reached a conclusion with an unbelievably intense final table that stretched well over 14 hours. Players didn't give an inch here today, with every chip valued like a prized possession.

In the end, it was Australian Van Marcus who overcame the field of 285 players to collect the trophy. Van rode his luck throughout the tournament, with some breaks going his way on Day 2, followed up with some major fortune on this final table. It was somewhat fitting that his victory was delivered on the wave of another straight draw that connected. While Van had some luck, it must be remembered that he has been a hugely successful online player for many years and this major poker title simply confirms his status as one of Australia's, Asia's, and the world's best all around poker players.

Van collects the trophy and $162,856 for his efforts here at the 2008 PokerStars.net APPT Manila Main Event. Congratulations to Van and Tae Jun Noh for an epic heads-up contest, and to all of our cash winners.
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cctv · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:42 pm Post subject:

Buy In: $ 2,080
Entries: 285

Place Prize Winner

1 $ 162,856 Van Marcus

2 $ 103,142 Tae Jun Noh
3 $ 54,285 Hyoung Jin Nam
4 $ 37,999 Michael Chang
5 $ 29,314 Ramil Tandoc
6 $ 21,714 Lee Nelson
7 $ 16,285 Manish Sansi
8 $ 12,485 Benjie Lim
9 $ 9,228 Rainier Aquino

10 $ 6,514 Josh Pang Ang
11 $ 6,514 Dimitrios Pappis
12 $ 6,514 Natasha Ellis

13 $ 4,885 William Te Jr
14 $ 4,885 June Caberoy
15 $ 4,885 Rey Tuason
16 $ 4,885 Rudy Lim

17 $ 3,800 Chi Kan Tang
18 $ 3,800 Brett Parise
19 $ 3,800 Jeppe Drivsholm
20 $ 3,800 Melvin Matibag
21 $ 3,800 Michael Mariakis
22 $ 3,800 Marco Andria
23 $ 3,800 Nali Kaselias
24 $ 3,800 Aloysius Pacia

25 $ 3,257 Michael Shell
26 $ 3,257 Tsutomu Nagashima
27 $ 3,257 Arthur Kocher
28 $ 3,257 Nang Quang Nguyen
29 $ 3,257 Victor Torres
30 $ 3,257 James Broom
31 $ 3,257 Takashi Ogura
32 $ 3,257 Kil Seok Yang
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