The Asian Poker Tour (APT) Manila Classic wrapped up earlier this week as the premier poker tour in Asia, once again, broke records for numbers as the worldwide pedigree of this tour continues to skyrocket.
Some 1,268 unique players put their money in the pot to compete in APT Manila over the course of the series. In total, the prizepools would equal up to surpass $6 million in money won in a great example of how poker tournaments work.
APT Manila Main Event
The highlight event of the series was the APT Manila Main Event which garnered a snazzy number of entries with 1,202 to nudge the prizepool just over $1 million equivalent in USD. These numbers created the largest ever tournament for the APT in the Philippines.
While the APT is based in Asia and attracts majority players from Asia, there are a large number of players who come from all throughout the globe to come play these events. This was evident based on the APT Main Event final table alone with seven unique countries represented at the final table.
The winner of the APT Manila Main Event ended up being Ivan Govorov of Russia who conquered the field to win the top prize of $192,498 equivalent. This was the largest win for the Russian in his career and moved his career prize money above $588,000.
Govorov was one of three Russians at the final table with the other two, Alexander Ugay and Dmitri Belikov, finishing in 5th and 6th respectively. Heads up, Govorov defeated Samuel Mullur of Austria.
Women’s Events at APT Manila
Heading into this APT Manila event, one of the most notable things to keep an eye on were the multiple women’s events that were held throughout the series. In a unique twist compared to many poker series, APT Manila held daily women’s events because of the larger percentage of women who play APT events than in other parts of the world.
The ten total women’s events were all a success with good numbers and prizepools and produced ten different winners. The multiple women’s events culminated in the Women’s Championship Event which got 44 players and was won by Yotaka Phutiya of Thailand who took home the $6,690 equivalent grand prize.
Next on the APT Tour
The next stop on the APT Tour will be APT Taipei from April 25 through May 4 before coming back to Manila from May 30 through June 8.
Time will tell if this tour continues to explode in numbers as it appears as though live poker is on the up in Asia. This goes along with the rise of online poker in Southeast Asia with the increase in popularity for online poker in Singapore and online poker in Malaysia.