Justin Ong Tops APPT Manila Field for $256K Payday

Justin Ong has made waves in the Philippines poker scene after picking up his second title in a matter of days, this time winning the 2025 APPT Manila Main Event. Held at the lavish Cove Manila inside Okada Manila, the tournament pulled in more than 1,200 entries, generating a prize pool well over $1.5 million. Ong, who also won the Red Dragon event earlier in the week, added another strong score to his summer run and locked up the biggest payout of the festival.

Good to know

• Ong won $256,370 in the APPT Manila Main Event after taking down the Red Dragon just days earlier for $81,605.
• The 80,000 PHP buy-in drew 1,246 entries and paid out over $1.5 million in total prizes.
• Runner-up Oliver Lirio earned $160,230, while third-place finisher Chase Cokaliong took home $114,330.

Ong Completes Double Victory with APPT Manila Main Event Win

The final day kicked off with 20 players, and Ong held the chip lead from the start. He didn’t let go of it easily. While Oliver Lirio gained some momentum during the final table, it was Ong who steadied himself when it mattered most. As the field thinned to six, Ong picked up crucial eliminations — including knocking out Sungmin Oh and Ryan Tan — to reclaim control.

By the time play reached three-handed, the chips bounced around between the top stacks. Lirio knocked out Cokaliong in third after a brutal cooler — second nut flush into the nuts — and entered heads-up play with the lead. Ong, however, flipped the script in the early stages of the duel. After regaining the advantage, he closed it out with pocket eights holding strong against Lirio’s suited jack-nine. The final board ran out clean for Ong, sealing the deal and the title.

Both Ong and Lirio are locals, adding to the pride surrounding this edition of the APPT Manila series. While Ong takes the spotlight with back-to-back trophies, Lirio’s runner-up run and $160K score were nothing short of impressive.

The APPT Manila Main Event capped off a strong summer of live poker in the Philippines, further reinforcing the country’s place on the international tournament map. And for Ong, it’s a week he won’t soon forget.

The post Justin Ong Tops APPT Manila Field for $256K Payday appeared first on iGaming.org.