Asia PokerNews Blogs

Pages

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Davao City’s First Eagle Cup Slated for Mid August

Poker players in the Philippines are all familiar with the Metro Card Club’s tournaments, but this August, it will be the poker room’s branch in Davao City grabbing the headlines.

To celebrate an annual local festival, Metro Card Club Davao will be holding the first-ever Eagle Cup poker tournament. The event will take place from August 19 to 22 with a guaranteed prize pool of Php 2,000,000. Buy-in is set at Php 10,000 + Php 1,000.

“This tournament will become the benchmark for all succeeding major tournaments to be held in the City and through this we hope that Davao finally finds its place in the poker map,” said a spokesperson for the Metro Card Club Davao.

The Eagle Cup was held in line with the celebration of Davao City’s Kadayawan festival. Kadayawan is an annual festival of thanksgiving that traces its roots back to Davao’s ethnic tribes from the past.

It hopes to showcase Davao City, which is best known for the beautiful Waling-Waling orchid, the durian, and of course, the mighty Philippine Eagle, hence the name “Eagle Cup”.

Day 1A is on August 19, Day 1B on August 20, Day 2 on August 21, and Day 3 will be on Sunday, August 22.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Fourth and Fifth Tournaments of RWM Satellite Series Officially Announced

Fourth and Fifth Tournaments of RWM Satellite Series Officially Announced

Fourth and Fifth Tournaments of RWM Satellite Series Officially Announced

Resorts World Manila and the Asian Poker Tour have officially announced two more Php 500,000 guaranteed RWM Satellite Series events.

According to the APT's website, the fourth in the series of APT Philippines 2010 satellite events at the resort complex will be held on Sunday, August 8. The next weekend, RWM Satellite Series Event 5 will be held on Sunday, August 15.

Players will be able to join for Php 5,000 while RWM regulars can exchange 5,000 player points for entry.

Mega satellites to the two RWM Satellite Series events will be held on Saturdays starting on July 31 at a buy-in of Php 500 (with optional one rebuy and one add-on) and no registration fee.

The RWM Satellite Series' first three winners were Ray Serion, Win Carlos, and Michael Cua, who all won APT Philippines main event seats and cash for topping their respective tournaments.

Php 25/50 cash games will be available to all players during the Sundays that the Satellite Series events will be held. The minimum cash game stakes at the Resorts World Manila poker room are typically Php 50/100.

Eighteen winners will be receiving cash prizes, with the winner of the tournament receiving an APT Philippines 2010 main event seat and at least Php 40,000 in cash.

In addition, players who finish second all the way to fifth will be awarded seats to the final event of the Satellite Series.

The final event, entitled the RWM Satellite Series Finale, will take place on August 21 at RWM for a buy-in of Php 10,000 + Php 1,000.

APT Philippines 2010 will be held from August 23 to 29 at the Resorts World Manila complex in Manila, Philippines. Buy-in is set at approximately US $2,500 + US $200.

Last year’s main event in Manila was won by local poker pro Neil Arce, who was awarded US $185,000 for finishing first.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Last Minute Addition Boosts TPC Motherboard to Php 3 Million

Just when we thought that everything was already closed and settled, another Philippine poker room has joined The Poker Circuit’s (TPC) Motherboard at the last minute to boost the tournament’s total guarantee to Php 3,000,000.

Asia PokerNews found out earlier today that Kings Poker Sports Club in Angeles City, Pampanga, has officially signed a deal to become the TPC Motherboard’s fourth and last qualifying leg before the series’ finals on the first day of APT Philippines 2010.

The Kings leg will take place on August 19 to 22 at its poker room in Pampanga. Kings will contribute Php 500,000 to the Motherboard’s prize pool, boosting the total guarantee of the TPC Motherboard to Php 3,000,000 and ensuring that a minimum of nine more players will be making their way to the TPC Motherboard’s finals on August 23 at Resorts World Manila.

Buy-in for each TPC Motherboard event is set at Php 5,000 + Php 400. With the prize pool at Php 3,000,000, it looks like at least twelve seats to the APT Philippines 2010 main event will be given away in the finals.

With the Kings event ending the day before APT Philippines 2010, it will be the last chance for players to qualify for the main event outside of Resorts World Manila.

The first qualifying leg of the TPC Motherboard takes place this weekend. All-In Poker Sports Club’s leg will be held from July 29 to August 1 at its poker room inside the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu. The club's contribution will be Php 1,000,000 for a minimum of eighteen qualifying players.

The TPC will then hold legs at Poker Royale in Pasay City (August 6 to 9) and The Midas Touch in Pasig City (August 13 to 16) before wrapping up its qualifying round at Kings.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

The Poker Circuit’s Motherboard Now at Php 2.5 Million Guaranteed

The Poker Circuit (TPC) Motherboard is now at a guaranteed prize pool of Php 2,500,000 after the addition of two more Philippine poker rooms.

TPC founder Lloyd Fontillas recently announced that All-In Poker Sports Club in Cebu and The Midas Touch in Pasig City both recently signed on to become a part of the innovative tournament series, which will be culminating in a final event at APT Philippines 2010 with main event seats at stake.

“We now have a total of three poker rooms holding TPC Motherboard legs after All-In and Midas Touch officially signed on,” he said. “The prize pool, which grows as more poker rooms become part of the Motherboard, is now at 2.5 million.”

All-In Poker Sports Club’s leg will be held from July 29 to August 1 at its poker room inside the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu. The club's contribution will be Php 1,000,000, which, according to the TPC Motherboard’s mechanics, means that it will be sending a minimum of eighteen players to the Motherboard’s finals during APT Philippines 2010.

According to the APT’s website, “…for every Php 500,000 prize pool reached by a poker room, nine players will be in the money and will qualify for the TPC Motherboard Finals on the opening day of APT Philippines 2010.”

One week after, the TPC Motherboard moves to Metro Manila for the second leg, which will be held at Poker Royale in Pasay City from August 6 to 9. Poker Royale will also be contributing Php 1,000,000 to the event, which equals at least another eighteen players to the finals.

Finally, the TPC Motherboard’s third official leg will take place the next weekend at The Midas Touch in Pasig City from August 13 to 16. The Midas Touch is contributing Php 500,000, good for at least nine players moving on to the Motherboard’s finals.

Buy-in for each TPC Motherboard event is set at Php 5,000 + Php 400. With the prize pool now at Php 2,500,000, at least ten seats to the APT Philippines 2010 main event will be given away at the TPC Motherboard’s finals on August 23 at Resorts World Manila.

APT Philippines 2010 will be held from August 23 to 29 at the Resorts World Manila complex in Manila, Philippines. Buy-in is set at approximately US $2,500 + US $200.

For more information about the TPC Motherboard, click here.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Friday, July 23, 2010

August's Macau Millions Event Looks To Break New Ground in Asia



PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa will be looking to break new ground this August with its five-day Macau Millions tournament.

Held from August 4 to 8, the Macau Millions is looking to set a new record for players in Asia. A big HK $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool will be up for grabs with a buy-in of only HK $2,200. Unlike most of the tournaments held at PokerStars Macau, this one will be unique because eliminated players will be able to re-enter at any time during the five starting days.

The schedule is made up of Days 1A to 1E. The starting days will then be followed by Day 2, where the winner will ultimately be decided.

In an interesting twist, only the top seven percent of each Day 1 field will advance to the final day. That rule will surely make for some huge pots towards the end of each day as players scramble to make it into the upper echelon of the chip counts.

Players who make their way to PokerStars Macau for the event will also have a big chance of making a big impact on the poker room's Asia Player of the Year leaderboard.

"The Asia Player of the Year race will be prominent as both the Macau Millions and $5,000 NLH 350K Guarantee event (August 7-8) will count towards the APOY Leaderboard," said PokerStars Macau marketing manager Fred Leung.

The Macau Millions comes less than a month after the last Macau Poker Cup (MPC), which was won by Kenichi Takarabe for a cash prize of HK $620,100.


PokerStars Macau is located at the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. For more information, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the poker room by clicking here.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Lloyd Fontillas is Asian Poker Tour's Newest Tournament Director



Lloyd Fontillas has officially been named by the Asian Poker Tour (APT) as the tournament director for the upcoming APT Philippines 2010 next month.

According to the APT, Fontillas will be spearheading all the events at its big event at Resorts World Manila from August 23 to 29.

"I've been involved with the APT in one way or another for the past two years and I'm definitely happy to be on board as tournament director for APT Philippines," said Fontillas.

APT head Jeff Mann added that the new tournament director would be introducing some new changes in the upcoming APT Philippines main event to improve the overall playing experience.

“Lloyd will be implementing some great new changes this August. Playing days will be shorter this time around to make it better for the players, with an extra day added to the schedule. Starting stacks are now deeper, too, as players will be getting 15,000 in chips to start.”

One of the most sought after tournament directors in Asia, Fontillas is fresh off another year in Las Vegas as a member of the tournament management team of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). He has worked with the APT in the past, having served as the Tour’s poker specialist in 2009.

Fontillas is well known on the Philippine poker scene as the founder and tournament director of The Poker Circuit, a series of poker events that are held in different venues throughout the country.

He has also worked with the World Poker Tour (WPT) and the Poker King Club in Macau.

Fontillas has considerable experience in the field of tournament directing, having trained under and worked with renowned directors such as Matt Savage of the WPT, Jack Effel of the WSOP, and Sam Quinto of Commerce Casino.

APT Philippines 2010 will be held from August 23 to 29 at the Resorts World Manila complex in Manila, Philippines. Buy-in is set at approximately US $2,500 + US $200.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Resorts World Manila Announces Next Satellite Series, Raffles Off APT Main Event Seats

Resorts World Manila
With a successful showing in its second event, Resorts World Manila has announced that the third leg of its RWM Satellite Series to APT Philippines 2010 will take place next Sunday.

The Php 500,000 guaranteed RWM Satellite Series Event #3 will be held at Resorts World Manila’s poker room on Sunday, July 25 at 2:00 pm, with two mega satellites to be conducted beforehand.

According to the APT's website, the buy-in is still set at Php 5,000. RWM regulars can exchange 5,000 player points for entry into the RWM Satellite Series Event #3.

Meanwhile, the mega satellites to the RWM Satellite Series #3 will be held at 2:00 pm on July 17 and 24. Both will have a buy-in at only Php 500 (with optional one rebuy and one add-on) and no registration fee.

RWM Satellite Series Event #2 proved very popular as 128 players showed up to break the guaranteed prize pool of Php 640,000. It was Win Carlos who came out on top, winning Php 86,000 in cash and seat to the APT Philippines 2010 main event.

Php 25/50 cash games will be available to all players on Sunday. The minimum cash game stakes at the Resorts World Manila poker room are typically Php 50/100.

As part of its build up towards the APT main event, RWM will also be awarding four seats through a "Lucky Draw" between between August 16 to 19. Players who purchase PHP 5,000 and play in the RWM poker area are eligible to gain one ticket for each into the raffle. The draw will take place in the evening hours and players need to be present to claim.

Eighteen winners will be receiving cash prizes, with the winner of the tournament receiving an APT Philippines 2010 main event seat and at least Php 40,000 in cash.

In addition, players who finish second all the way to fifth will be awarded seats to the final event of the Satellite Series.

The final event, entitled the RWM Satellite Series Finale, will take place on August 21 at RWM for a buy-in of Php 10,000 + Php 1,000.

APT Philippines 2010 will be held from August 23 to 29 at the Resorts World Manila complex in Manila, Philippines. Buy-in is set at approximately US $2,500 + US $200.

Last year’s main event in Manila was won by local poker pro Neil Arce, who was awarded US $185,000 for finishing first.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Next Asian Poker King Tournament Revealed

Asian Poker King Tournament
The Poker King Club in Macau has announced that its next Asian Poker King Tournament will be held in early August.

According to the poker room, the event will be held from August 5 to 8 at the eighth floor of the StarWorld Hotel. It will feature a guaranteed prize pool of HK $880,000 for a buy-in of HK $6,000 + HK $500.

It will be the third edition of the poker room’s biggest tournament, which has attracted players from different countries such as Hong Kong, China, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines.

The last Asian Poker King Tournament was held in late April, with Elton Tsang besting a total field of 233 players to win the HK $553,600 first prize. That tournament featured a bigger guarantee of HK $1,000,000 but also a higher buy-in at HK $7,500 + HK $500.

This time, though, the event will have a new twist as a number of seats to the upcoming Asian Poker Tour (APT) Philippines 2010 main event worth US $2,700 will be inclusive in the prize pool.

“We’re getting closer to the APT event in Manila this August and we are delighted to have the support of the Poker King Club,” said APT chief Jeff Mann.

APT Philippines 2010 will be held from August 23 to 29 at the Resorts World Manila complex in Manila, Philippines. Buy-in is set at approximately US $2,500 + US $200.

The Poker King Club is located on the third floor of the StarWorld Casino in Macau. For more information, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the Poker King Club. You may also visit their web site by clicking here.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Macau Poker Cup Red Dragon July Event







Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Kenichi Takarabe Wins July 2010 Macau Poker Cup Main Event



Kenichi Takarabe outlasted a field of 296 players from different parts of the world to become champion of the Macau Poker Cup (MPC) Red Dragon main event.

Takarabe built up his chip stack steadily throughout the tournament and continued his ways at the final table. He struck at exactly the right time as he eliminated Victor Chen and Chen Feng Li on the same hand to give his stack a boost heading into his showdown against Team PokerStars Asia Pro Bryan Huang.

The two started heads-up nearly even in chips but Takarabe took the opportunity and used a steady dose of raises and re-raises to wear down Huang's stack. Finally, on a flop of {10-Spades}{8-Diamonds}{9-Spades}, the two got into a raising war and Kenichi ended up declaring that he was all-in. Bryan thought about it and decided to make the call for his tournament life.

Kenichi tabled {a-Hearts}{9-Hearts} for mid pair with top kicker while Bryan had {j-Clubs}{3-Spades} and had the chance to double up with plenty of available outs. Unfortunately for him, it did not happen as the {8-Spades} landed on the turn and the {5-Hearts} came on the river, pushing all the chips Kenichi's way.

For the win, Kenichi took home HK $620,100 in prize money, a sparkling new trophy, and the title of Red Dragon champion. Bryan, meanwhile, missed out on the golden opportunity to add to his list of accomplishments but still went home with HK $424,600 in prize money.

Here are the complete results from the final table:

1st - Kenichi Takarabe (HK $620,100)
2nd - Bryan Huang (HK $424,600)
3rd - Chen Feng Li (HK $256,100)
4th - Victor Chen (HK $202,200)
5th - Eric Stanley (HK $161,800)
6th - Che Wei Chao (HK $134,800)
7th - Kenji Kurashina (HK $107,800)
8th - Ricky Foo (HK $80,900)
9th - Tomoki Yasuda (HK $67,568)
10th - Anthony Hughes (HK $53,900)

The Red Dragon main event of the Macau Poker Cup was held at the Grand Lisboa Casino's PokerStars Macau ppoker room from July 9 to 11. It featured a HK $2 million prize pool (which ended up at more than HK $2.6 million) and had a buy-in of HK $10,000.

Asia PokerNews was at the event doing live coverage of the Red Dragon from the first shuffle until the last hand was dealt. Read about everything that happened in our live reporting pages by clicking here.


PokerStars Macau is located at the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. For more information, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the poker room by clicking here.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Catch Chinese Language Live Reporting of the Red Dragon Main Event!



Want to get Chinese language live reporting of the Macau Poker Cup's Red Dragon main event? Visit China PokerNews and the traditional Chinese language version of Asia PokerNews!

The Asia PokerNews crew will be there to give regular updates as well as post chip counts, news stories, photos, and more. To follow all of our posts, visit the Asia PokerNews live reporting page!

Aside from the Asia PokerNews live reporting pages, updates will be posted directly on the Asia PokerNews pages on Facebook and Twitter!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Follow the Macau Poker Cup's Red Dragon Main Event Live on Asia PokerNews!

Want to get the latest on the Macau Poker Cup (MPC) Red Dragon main event, which starts this Friday in Macau? Then log on to Asia PokerNews, which will be providing live reporting and other updates straight from the tournament venue!

The Red Dragon tournament will take place from July 9 to 11 at the PokerStars Macau poker room at the Grand Lisboa Casino. Up for grabs is a guaranteed a HK $2,000,000 prize pool, with buy-in set at HK $10,000.

The Asia PokerNews crew will be there to give regular updates as well as post chip counts, news stories, photos, and more. To follow all of our posts, visit the Asia PokerNews live reporting page!


Follow defending champion Raymond Wu as he defends his title against a tough field, including fellow PokerStars Team Asia pros Celina Lin, Bryan Huang, and Tae Jun Noh. Coverage starts on Friday, July 9, at 8:00 pm.

Aside from the Asia PokerNews live reporting pages, updates will be posted directly on the Asia PokerNews pages on Facebook and Twitter!

PokerStars Macau is located at the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. For more information, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the poker room by clicking here.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Macau Poker Cup Brings Big Week of Tournament Action to PokerStars Macau

It will be a week full of action-packed tournament poker at the Grand Lisboa Casino’s PokerStars Macau poker room as the Macau Poker Cup (MPC) gets underway again.

From July 7 to 11, players from all over Asia and around the world will be heading to the poker room to compete in the MPC’s various events.

The main focus, of course, will be the HK $10,000 Red Dragon event, which will be guaranteeing a HK $2,000,000 prize pool. PokerStars Team Asia Pro Raymond Wu will be there to defend his MPC title, but it won’t be easy.

Aside from Wu’s fellow PokerStars Team Asia Pro members Celina Lin, Bryan Huang, and Tae Jun Noh, players such as Elton Tsang, Devan Tang, Daoxing “Bobo” Chen, and Ricky Foo will be also be vying for top honors at the main event.


The side events will also be full of action. The HK $5,000 No-Limit event with a HK $400,000 guaranteed prize pool is a new addition to the schedule, which will also include the return of popular tournaments like the HK $1,500 Deep Stack, the HK $2,000 KO Bounty, and Charity event.

PokerStars Macau is located at the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. For more information, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the poker room by clicking here.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Tony Chang Wins Poker King's Summer Challenge

Tony Chang was this past weekend’s big tournament winner, ruling the Summer Challenge event at the Poker King Club in Macau.

Chang bested a field of 64 players from Macau and other parts of the world to take home the HK $110,720 winner’s cash prize.

It was not an easy feat for Chang as he faced some tough players at the final table, including Ricky Foo. A consistent in-the-money finisher in Asian tournaments, the Singaporean pro finished third and went home with HK $63,000.

In the end, Chang would seal the deal against King Man “Kenny” Wong, who finished as the runner-up. For his second place finish, Chang was awarded HK $76,000 in prize money.


The Summer Challenge event was held at the Poker King Club from July 3 to 4 and guaranteed a prize pool of HK $388,000. Buy-in was set at HK $4,500.

A small, heads-up tournament was also held on Sunday afternoon, with Ngok Mei winning it all for a cash prize of HK $19,500.

For more information about the Poker King Club, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the Poker King Club. You may also visit their web site by clicking here.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Macau Heads for Big Week of Tournament Poker



Fans of tournament poker in Macau will have plenty to talk about in the next week with both the Macau Poker Cup (MPC) and the Poker King Club’s Summer Challenge taking place in the coming days.

The Poker King Summer Challenge will be a two-day event featuring a HK $388,000 guaranteed prize pool. Buy-in is set at HK $4,500.

The first day will take place on Saturday, July 3, at 1:00 pm. Play will continue until the final table is reached. The remaining players will then return on Sunday afternoon to duke it out for the top prize.

In addition to the Summer Challenge, the Poker King Club will also be holding a small 32-max Heads-Up event on Sunday afternoon.


Three blocks away, the Grand Lisboa’s PokerStars Macau poker room will be holding its next Macau Poker Cup from July 7 to 11. All eyes will be on the Red Dragon main event, which is guaranteeing a prize pool of HK $2,000,000 for a buy-in of HK $10,000.

There will also be several side events for players to participate in, including a charity tournament and a knockout bounty tournament.

Some of Asia’s best players, including top pros such as Bryan Huang and Celina Lin will be looking to dethrone reigning MPC winner Raymond Wu, who won the event last March.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Johnny Tan Emerges as Champion of Filipino Poker Tour's Php 5M Tournament

Local player Johnson “Johnny” Tan bested a big field of 658 to win Php 2,000,000 at the Filipino Poker Tour (FPT) Php 5 Million Guaranteed tournament this week.

Tan was fourth in chips heading into the final day of the tournament, which started with a total of fourteen players. After losing some big pots, though, he fell all the way down to seventh in chips with 837,000 by the time the final nine were announced.

He did not give up, staying aggressive and getting a large portion of his chips by eliminating three players at the final table, including popular pro Derrick Hernandez, before finding himself one-on-one against Vic Catalan.

With the two starting heads-up play almost dead even in chips, it looked like the winner would be decided by who could make the most plays and outlast the other player. That was exactly what happened, as the two battled for a record seven hours in the longest heads-up match in Philippine tournament poker history.


Finally, at almost 10 am of the next morning, both players got their stacks all-in with Johnny having Vic covered. On a flop of {q-Spades}{10-Hearts}{2-Diamonds}, Johnny Tan bet out 1,000,000. Vic Catalan then declared he was all-in and everybody got up as Johnny made the instant call. Johnny flipped over {q-Diamonds}{2-Hearts} while Vic tabled {j-Spades}{10-Diamonds}.

Johnny was way ahead with the two-pair and Vic would need a lot of help to stay alive. That help never came as the turn {8-Diamonds} and river {j-Clubs} were of no use, sending Vic to the rail as Johnny's fourth and last final-table victim. He won Php 1,100,000 for finishing as the runner-up.

One of the biggest highlights from the final table was the hand in which Tess Datu, who was playing while eight months pregnant, was eliminated.

Pre-flop, Derrick Hernandez raised to 200,000 and Tess Datu made the call. The flop came {10-Clubs}{6-Clubs}{8-Diamonds} and Tess bet out 300,000, getting a call from Derrick. On the turn {4-Diamonds}, Tess fired out another 300,000 in chips, and Derrick decided to make the call. Finally, the river card of {2-Hearts} was dealt. Tess then declared she was all-in for her last 867,000. Derrick tanked for a long time, agonizing over his decision, and finally declared, "Call."

Everybody in the room was in shock as Derrick showed {a-Clubs}{k-Diamonds} for ace-high, while Tess could only reveal {5-Hearts}{9-Clubs} for the gutsy bluff attempt. Despite being eliminated after that hand, Tess certainly earned respect from opponents and spectators alike for her fearless play all throughout the event.

The FPT tournament was held at the Metro Card Club in Pasig City from July 25 to 28 and featured a guaranteed prize pool of Php 5 million. A total of 658 players showed up, boosting the prize pool to well over Php 6.5 million.

Here are the results from the final table:

1st - Johnson Tan (Php 2,000,000)
2nd - Vic Catalan (Php 1,100,000)
3rd - Derrick Hernandez (Php 600,000)
4th - Tess Datu (Php 400,000)
5th - Ramil Tandoc (Php 260,000)
6th - Ronald Dimaano (Php 220,000)
7th - Percy Shy (Php 180,000)
8th - Michael Boling (Php 140,000)
9th - Oliver Buquiran (Php 100,000)

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Second Leg of RWM Satellite Series Announced

Resorts World Manila has announced the second event of its RWM Satellite Series, giving players another shot at winning a seat to the APT Philippines 2010 main event in August.

The RWM Satellite Series Event #2 will be held at Resorts World Manila’s poker room on Sunday, July 11 at 2:00 pm, with two mega satellites to be conducted beforehand.

According to RWM’s Mr. Hakan Dagtas, the buy-in is set at only Php 5,000 but there will be no registration fee. RWM regulars can also exchange 5000 player points for entry into the RWM Satellite Series Event #2.

Meanwhile, the mega satellites to the RWM Satellite Series #2 will be held at 2:00 pm on July 3 and 10. Both will have a buy-in at only Php 500 (with optional one rebuy and one add-on) and no registration fee.


To celebrate the start of its satellites to the APT main event, Resorts World Manila also announced that Php 25/50 cash games will be available to all players on Sunday.

The minimum cash game stakes at the Resorts World Manila poker room are typically Php 50/100.

Eighteen winners will be receiving cash prizes, with the winner of the tournament receiving an APT Philippines 2010 main event seat and at least Php 40,000 in cash.

In addition, players who finish second all the way to fifth will be awarded seats to the final event of the Satellite Series.

The final event, entitled the RWM Satellite Series Finale, will take place on August 21 at RWM for a buy-in of Php 10,000 + Php 1,000.

APT Philippines 2010 will be held from August 23 to 29 at the Resorts World Manila complex in Manila, Philippines. Buy-in is set at approximately US $2,500 + US $200.

Last year’s main event in Manila was won by local poker pro Neil Arce, who was awarded US $185,000 for finishing first.

Sign up for an online poker room through Asia PokerNews to get exclusive freerolls, bonuses, and promotions!

Join Asia PokerNews on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!