APPT Manila Wraps Up

I'm too exhausted to do a long post. for excellent coverage, hop over to Maverick's blog. He's done an excellent job of wrapping up the coverage on the final table. Congrats to Ira B., part of the Bangkok crew and 2nd place finisher.

Congrats to Derrick Hernandez, who took two sick, sick beats in a row to finish 9th and cash 11K.

Thanks to the APPT and Pokerstars for the event.

Peace out...

Final Table today 2pm - pls come out and support Derrick

Hyatt Manila - you should see the FT setup. Insane

It's Derrick, not Derek

My apologies to Derrick Hernandez, the final Pinoy hope. I've been spelling his name "Derek" all along.


Derrick on the left, Eric on the right

Final Table Bubble Bursts

TV Table is done. Derek Hernandez is good to go with 300+K and guaranteed 11,386. He's playing hella good. He'll get deep. GO BORD!

Amor Nario out

Our very good friend Amor just busted in 12th. 11 players left, only Derek Hernandez left. Go Pinoy!

Doc Butch out

Doc Butch Javier out in 15th. Derek Hernandez, Amor Nario, Carlo Lascana left. GO BORDS!!!!

RVS and Eric Sia out

RVS out 22nd, Eric Sia out 17th: Derek Hernandez, Amor Nario, Carlos Lascano, Butch Javier left. 16 remain

In the Money!

We are in the money!

Japanese player Norihito Suzuki has just busted out going all in with a super short stack and getting called by 2 other players to seal his fate as the bubble boy!

Six Filipinos out of 24 players left, and at least 2 of them have a good chance to make a run for first with their huge stacks. I think our boys represented our local poker community very well today, taking up 2 seats in each table out of 4 tables left.

Everybody is guaranteed just shy of $5,000 for their efforts right now.

Congratulations everybody! now go win the whole thing!

Bubble Time!

BUBBLE TIME!

25 left, 24 paid.

At least 5 of our guys left.

The most heart-breaking time to bust out has come...

Philippines represent!

Hand for Hand with 27 left

The players can smell the money.

24 places paid, and we are now hand for hand.

At least five of our guys are still in, RVS, Eric S., Derek H. doc Butch, and Amor N. Most of them have good stacks too.

The prize pool for this three-day event is as follows:

1st: $179,775
2nd: $113,858
3rd: $62,921
4th: $44,940
5th: $35,955
6th: $26,966
7th: $20,974
8th: $14,981
9th: $11,386
10th - 12th: $8,390
13th - 16th:$5,993
17th - 24th: $4,794

Good luck Bords!

Harvey Ty busts in 30th

7 pinoys left - 5 to the bubble

Alex Pagulayan busts

This leaves us down to about 8 pinoys - will get that confirmed asap

Derek Hernandez and Amor Nario in the top 5!

Local good guy rounders Amor Nario and Derek Hernandez in good. Both in the top 5. Amor at 121K, Derek at 160K...

Avg. stack 77,272 level 13 1200/2400 ante 400 - 33 left

RVS: Miracle Boy

Scenario:

RVS with around 100K snap calls with AJ for most of his chips

Villain shows AK

RVS down to <10K with blinds at 1200/2400

He rushes by my desk and says "that was a bad call"

Then he sits back down

Then he pushes the next hand - no action

Then he pushes the next hand - doubles

then he pushes QTo, gets called by 55

Q on the turn

He now has more than 100K

Idol

wally just busted

damn damn damn...wally just busted after having played a great tourney.

Great job Wally!

Level 12 Pinoy update

If my info's correct, here's who our horses are at this point: Level 12, 1000/2000 ante 300

43 players remain.

RVS
Wally
Eric Sia
Derek Hernandez
Butch Javier
Harvey Ty
Amor Nario
Alex Pagulayan

Go bords!

APPT Manila Pinoys

RVS
Wally
Eric
Butch Javier
Amor Nario
Carlos Lascano
Harvey Ty
Derek Hernandez

and some guys i don't know if i know

Graham Edward
(?) Suzuki
(?) David
(?) Lim

11 folks calling the RP home

Day 2 shots: Pinoy Contingent

RVS


Wally the Dream


Eric Sia


Alex Pagulayan

Aces in the BB

Eric Sia raises 7K with rockets on the button. JJ moves in on him. Rockets hold up...Eric doubles...yeah baby

just showed up to day 2 and we've got 7 bustouts alread!

APPT Main Event Day 2:

Got my comp with me and a wifi card from the hyatt. Barb with the cam and me with on the keyboard...

Day 2 started with 72 and I'm told 9 Pinoys left. When I showed up the Tournament Manager showed 65 remaining. 7 bustouts within 20 minutes. And I thought all these stacks had blinds in 'em!

24 spots paid.

Alan Escano walked up to me and declared he'd just busted out. Damn. One fewer pinoy...

Trying to get a count on pinoys.

Stay tuned....

The value of different perspectives

Just thinking about my table through the 7 levels I lasted at the APPT Main Event. Seven hours of hands, scenarios and conversations tease out the way the players you're with view the game. Many will provide their take on how this hand or that played out, etc. All this is super valuable to all of us, even we jaded ones who think we've seen it all.

Playing locally, we tend to bang up against the same folks playing our stakes in the live tourneys and rings. I would humbly advise you to find ways to play more diverse fields to help add perspective and knowledge to your game. If you can't bankroll trips and buyins, play online, but choose your games wisely. Do what you can to find tables with smart folks on it. Rail it and read the chats. Spend tons of time there.

I had a great exchange with Negreanu during the Celeb/Media event. Here are a couple of conversations:

Daniel (looking over at my drink): Is that Philippine beer or like Budweiser or something

Nickg: Local. It's called San Miguel Light.

Daniel: Is Philippine beer good?

Nickg: Yes

__________________

Daniel (looking over at my phone): Is that a Blackberry with a local number?

Nickg: Yes

__________________

Here's another one, this time with Joe Hachem

Nickg pulls up to urinal to relieve himself during the break. Joe Hachem pulls up to the one beside Nickg.

Joe: Hey Nick, putting that seat you won last night to good use?

Nickg: Just suriving Joe, just an average stack. how are you doing?

Joe: About the same, but it's early days yet, things should be ok as long as I don't do anything stupid.

Nickg: That's precisely my problem.

Joe: That's all our problem, mate.

__________________________________

Deep stuff, dude.

You can't buy that kind of deep conversation in a book. Get out there and learn from the pros!

Officially on the rail

Made it past dinner at the Pokerstars APPT Main Event. Lasted three hands into that, busting when I tried to run a bluff for my tourney life on Alan E., which would rank right up there on my list of all time bonehead moves. A lot of Pinoys fell by the wayside too; but we've got approximately 10 pinoys left in the field going into Day 2, including poker stalwarts and proven performers, Wally Sombero, RVS (who cashed deep in the 2006 Bellagio Cup). Both are sitting on big stacks.

Eric S., Amor N., Harvey T., Alan E., all uber-experienced players, are also on this list.

Alex Pagulayan has made Day 2.

I'll be railing with my laptop today, working to bring you live updates on the Pinoy contingent's fortunes.

72 players left. Playable blinds. We'll be in for some good poker. Join me in cheering the home team on.

Now I can die happy

I have a beautiful, loving wife, three gorgeous kids with another one on the way, and great friends. I do have many blessings to count. To all this I can now add the fact that I've busted Negreanu and outlasted Hachem in a tournament. Sure, I have to temper this with the reality that it was a "celebrity" event with a pretty soft field, but hey - give me my moment.

It was at the Asia Pacific Poker Tour Celebrity/Media event, put together for well, celebrities and media types. It was five-table shootout for which I qualified by virtue of being a blogger. Needless to say I was always the least attractive at the table - how do you compete in the looks department against starlets and zoolanderesque really, really, really good looking male model types. Well, at least I had poker experience on my side. I found comfort in this edge until Daniel Negreanu walked in and took his seat two spots to my left! HAHAHAHA...


WTF do I do now !?!?!?!

Anyway, to make a long story short, I wound up busting Daniel Negreanu when we get heads up at our table (my TT vs. his AQ). Damn...

Final Table: Joe Hachem, Alex Pagulayan, and more gorgeous people. I watched a master play poker, avoided that very same master (in most pots), and spent most of the FT drinking the Hyatt's P220 beers.

Then, against all odds and pundits predictions, I won. Beat DJ Slick Rick (Ray Ban Celeb series champ) Virata...can't even remember the winning hand.

Got a 500-piece Pokerstars chipset (which I donated to the great folks at the PAGCOR Poker Department for their lunchtime poker games) and a $2500 seat to today's main event.

So in brief, I saved $2500 and outlasted two of the world's greatest players (note I said outlasted and not outplayed - please be clear on that distinction).


How to look uninterested while doubling up...

Awesome feeling. Got drunk with my closest friends at the kickoff party.

The Main Event plays today at 2pm; 300 players expected from 40 countries. Come down and play or hang out, whatever. Let's collectively soak in this great event.

Peace...

APPT Manila Kicks Off

The Asia Pacific Poker Tour has landed, with the Hyatt Hotel Manila being its first stop on its three-leg tour around the Asia Pacific region this year (the succeeding two stops will be Seoul and Australia, where the championship is to be held).

Barb and I were fortunate enough to be invited to the kick-off press conference this morning, where media types (as well as perennial party crashers like me) were treated to a panel discussion led by Mr. Jeff Haas, APPT President, and Mr. Sarne Lightman, Pokerstars.net (the APPT's Title Sponsor) representative. Our very own Boy Rosero, Boss of All Poker Bosses from PAGCOR, and Mr. Dodie King, PAGCOR Communications Head, were also present.

On the players side, Neil "Dirty Ice Cream" Arce, the Philippines' own Mr. WSOP, and Philip Chua, online qualifier to the tomorrow's APPT Main Event were on hand to field questions.

As for the rockstars on the panel, we were joined by Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem, and Vanessa Rousso, Pokerstars.net players, brought a bit of Vegas glitter as well as more than a few bracelets to the table.

The APPT is a regional poker tour centered on our region (The the EPT but with an "A" instead :). Mr. Haas described the APPT's mission and vision to help develop Asian Poker and support the regional tournament needs of the Asian Poker market (I do hope I'm not putting words into his mouth - it was early). The organizers described how the Philippines and PAGCOR provided the perfect launchpad for the tour, given the comparative maturity of our poker market and the regulator's support for the game. Jeff noted that the largest poker market in the region was the Philippines. Hearing this made me a little teary; just look back to the very first post on this blog, circa May 2005. Look how far we've come!

The event runs over 3 days, with the Manila Cup having been concluded last night. The APPT Main Event ($2500 buy-in, featuring players from 40 countries, including a large local contingent to root for) plays tomorrow at 2pm. Satellites run all day today and in advance of the event. A $500 event seats tomorrow night at 8pm, and side games all throughout.

Wow...

All I can say is thanks, APPT, thanks Pokerstars, and thanks PAGCOR, for sending our local scene to the next level.

Regardless of the local crew's ultimate performance, we've already won.

Stay tuned to this blog as I try to keep you folks updated on the goings-on.


APPT Bosses Sarne and Jeff




Daniel Negreanu, Barb Galan, Joe Hachem


Daniel Negreanu, Nick Galan, Joe Hachem


Philip and Neil on a Panel - wtf!?!?!#?


Mabanta, Arce, Galan, Constantino



Negreanu keeps his head down


Neil Arce and Vanessa Rousso: The one thing I respect about Neil is he's always workin'


Joe Hachem

Read Maverick's Blog!

Please read his latest entry. I couldn't have stated it better.

see y'all at the metro...

Kadayawan 700,000 Guarantee, Davao

Just came back from a great weekend at the Kadayawan Poker Tournament, co-sponsored by Casino Filipino-Davao and the Metro Madayaw Poker Room. With a 750K guarantee and a 250K Royal Flush Jackpot, this was the 1st major guarantee tournament held in Mindanao, which attracted player contingents from Davao, Cotabato, General Santos, Cebu, and other areas around the south. Metro Manila was represented by Barb, Dirty Ice Cream, Eric M., Derek B., and yours truly.

The tourney was co-run by the Metro Madayaw staff, led by the uber cool Karloz Alba, in conjunction with the Casino Filipino poker crew, under the watchful and competent gaze of the man in the red shirt himself, Boss Dado.

76 players, 800K Pot.

I started the day behind the eight ball, having played the cash game till 5am that morning (needless to say I also single-handedly drove San Miguel Corporation's Davao sales up by 50% during that session).

Had brunch with local media types and the boys from the Metro Madayaw Card Room.


Left to Right: Bryan Lim, Chi-Boy Apostol, Karloz Alba, me, Dirty Ice Cream.


Us and the crew from Cebu, including Tito Nonoy Tirol, who ultimately finished in 2nd

Made the 1st break with a healthy stack.

Made dinner with a healthy stack.

Made final table with a super short stack.

Caught a series of baby pockets throughout - 88, 44, TT, 66, TT, and finally, JJ. Forced to push each time and called by big aces, I never lost a race! Never happened in my life. Poor Barb didn't share the same luck - shortstacked with 21 players remaining, she pushed with KK, got called by AQ and JJ, and busted when an A spiked.

Barely awake, I managed to get to the final 3, guaranteed 96K and some sleep. I repeated an earlier offer to deal with the other 2. With about half the chipleaders stack, Nonoy Tirol of the Cebu Players Club and I agreed to 145K each with 250 going to Armand C. Coupled with the 40K I cashed the previous night, a good weekend all in all. Ice Cream killed the baccarat table for 100K.

With the deal done and cash shipped, I lingered a bit, pushed with some suited-connected something, and busted.

Then I slept.

Great job to the organizers, all who played, and Davao City, which once again showed us the utmost in hospitality, enthusiasm, and customer service.

300K Guaranteed

As usual, it was a blast playing with a buncha familiar faces at Runners Card Club in Carmona yesterday. As I'm too hung over to write anything even remotely interesting, I'll just post a buncha pics. And oh yeah, a guy named Nick (not me) won it. mnlgrind came in 2nd. 1st place paid 114,000, mnlgrind cashed for 70K. 60 players.

Nice!!!!