At Okada Manila, the Asia-Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Main Event, sponsored by PokerStars, celebrated a new champion, Yuanning Wu from China. While many spectators had their bets on local favorite Christopher “BIGTIME” Mateo, Wu took the win in the climactic heads-up round.
The 2023 APPT Manila Main Event, hosted in the Coral Room, wasn’t just any tournament. With an entry fee of PHP65,000 (around $1,168), the event attracted an impressive 1,354 entries. This event set a new record, boasting a prize pool of PHP 76,832,730 (about $1,381,101). Wu and Mateo, recognizing their respective strengths, negotiated a deal during the heads-up round, leaving PHP1,414,730 still up for grabs. Along with the cash prize and the prestigious APPT Main Event trophy, Wu also bagged a package for a future APPT event valued at PHP105,000.
Interestingly, both Wu and Mateo were not the forerunners when the final table began. They started in the sixth and seventh positions in terms of chips. However, their paths converged when the tournament neared its climax, separated by just two big blinds. This isn’t Wu’s first rodeo; he is a two-time finalist of this high-profile poker event. This win marks his biggest tournament cash prize yet, amounting to PHP11,414,730 ($204,769).
Two other local Filipino players, John Tech(4th) and Archie Mariano(7th), graced the final table, alongside Gyuhyuk Lee from South Korea(3rd), Thomas Ward from New Zealand(8th), Riku Sasahara(6th) from Japan and Dutch young gun Nino Pansier(5th).
Final Table Results
| Result | Winner | Country | Prize (in PHP) | |
| 1 | Yuanning Wu | China | PHP11,414,730 | |
| 2 | Christopher Mateo | Philippines | PHP10,000,000 | |
| 3 | Gyuhyuk Lee | South Korea | PHP5,501,000 | |
| 4 | John Tech | Philippines | PHP4,074,000 | |
| 5 | Nino Pansier | Netherlands | PHP3,184,000 | |
| 6 | Riku Sasahara | Japan | PHP2,398,000 | |
| 7 | Archie Mariano | Philippines | PHP1,833,000 |
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