APPT Manila Crowns its Champion – Yuanning Wu Takes Home the Trophy and Over PHP 11,000,000

Another leg of the prestigious PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) has come to a close in Manila, with the Main Event attracting 1,354 entries and becoming the second-biggest Main Event in Tour’s history.

The festival, which ran from July 27 to August 6 in the Filipino capital, drew in hundreds of professional poker players from the region and beyond, along with plenty of poker enthusiasts and local recreational players looking for some action.

In the end, it was China’s Yuanning Wu who took home the coveted PokerStars trophy and just over $200,000 in prize money after defeating a final table stacked with players from Philippines, Japan, New Zealand, and even the Netherlands.

The massive turnout for the Main Event was also reflected in all the other tournaments that were part of the Manila festival.

Thousands of players competed in events like APPT National and APPT Kickoff, and the APPT High Roller and Super High Roller also attracting significant number of entries.

With another stop of APPT now in the books, PokerStars has once again demonstrated the interest in tournament poker in this part of the world, and is expected to continue doing so in the months to come, as we anticipate the dates for further APPT stops.

#APPTManila2023 Day 7 and Players Party. pic.twitter.com/Tn2W7j93vx

— PokerStarsLIVEManila (@PSLiveManila) August 6, 2023

APPT Manila Trophy Goes to China

APPT Manila drew in thousands of poker enthusiasts this time around, with a grand total of 1,354 entries made into the PHP 65,000 ($1,168) Main Event, creating a prize pool of PHP 76,832,730 ($1,381,101).

The magnificent Coral Room at Okada Manila played host to the Main Event, which saw players from all corners of the world fight for the prestigious title and the significant cash prizes reserved for final table finishers.

When Day 1 flights were said and done, remaining 30 players made their way back to the venue for Day 2, well in the money, and on their path to the final table.

The final table of APPT Manila 2023 Main Event featured several well-known names, including Thomas Ward from New Zealand, who previously finished second in an APPT Macau event in 2015, and local hero Christopher “BIGTIME” Mateo.

Presenting the 2023 #APPTManila Main Event Final Table!
🇰🇷 Gyuhyuk Lee – 11.3M
🇱🇺 Nino Pansier – 7.19M
🇳🇿 Thomas Ward – 6.47M
🇯🇵 Riku Sasahara – 5.02M
🇵🇭 John Tech – 3.9M
🇨🇳 Yuanning Wu – 3M
🇵🇭 Christopher Mateo – 1.4M
🇵🇭 Archie Mariano – 1.4M
🇭🇰 Alex Chong Tak Sin – 1M pic.twitter.com/L0gztlU3GF

— PokerStarsLIVEManila (@PSLiveManila) August 6, 2023

In the end, they were all outdone by Chinese player Yuanning Wu, who came 7^th at APPT Manila Main Event in 2019, and came back to finish the job he left undone.

Thomas Ward (New Zealand), Archie Mariano (Philipines), and Riku Sasahara (Japan) were the early victims of the final table, and all hit the felt before the only non-Asian player, Dutch Nino Pansier was eliminated in 5^th.

One of the two remaining Filipinos, John Tech left the tournament in fourth, and South Korean Gyuhyuk Lee made way for the heads up battle when he was eliminated in third place.

Playing for the Glory

The heads up battle came down to Wu and Mateo, with large portions of the crowd at Okada Manila cheering on their local hero throughout.

The two players made a deal when it came down to heads up play, which meant the winner would receive some $25,000 more than the runner-up, creating a relatively relaxed atmosphere for the final skirmish.

Wu’s straight eventually beat the one pair bluff-catcher of BIGTIME, and the Chinese was set to lift the first trophy of his promising poker career.

Christopher Mateo, who is one of the most prominent players in the region, continued to add to his impressive resume and build his name in the Asian poker community as one of the most consistent grinders on the live circuit.

Here are the full results of APPT Manila Main Event, along with the payouts each of the final table finishers earned:

1^st Yuanning Wu (China): $204,769
2^nd Christopher Mateo (Philippines): $179,390
3^rdGyuhyuk Lee (South Korea): $98,683
4^th John Tech (Philippines): $73,084
5^th Nino Pansier (Netherlands): $57,118
6^th Riku Sasahara (Japan): $43,018
7^th Archie Mariano (Philippines): $32,882
8^th Thomas Ward (New Zealand): $23,339

Upcoming PokerStars Events around the World

With the conclusion of APPT Manila, APPT will be taking a short break, with new dates set to be released soon, but PokerStars continues to offer plenty of opportunities to play live poker in other venues.

The most anticipated PokerStars festival at this time is certainly EPT Barcelona, which is schedule to play out along with the lower buy-in Estrellas Poker Tour Barcelona starting August 21.

upcoming pokerstars live events

The festival will be followed by plenty more tournament action on European soil, with UKIPT Brighton scheduled for September 5 – 10, Estrellas Poker Tour Mallaga for September 14 – 24, and UKIPT London for September 19 – 24.

Players in Latin America will also have a chance to compete in BSOP and LAPT events between October 4 and 10, with the Foz do Igacu festival on the books and set to be one of the most exciting offered on the Tour.

PokerStars continues to grow its live tournament schedule, and with all tours posting record numbers in recent months, we are all but guaranteed to see live tournaments in brand new and perhaps unexpected venues over the next 12 months.

More PokerStars APPT to Come Soon

PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) has been one of the leading poker tours in Asia for many years, and it continues the trend in 2023, with several successful events already in the bag this year.

APPT Manila brought out some of the highest numbers of players in the history of the Tour, consistent with the international trends that live poker tours have been setting this year.

While no APPT events have been put on the schedule for the remainder of the year just yet, it is very likely that the massive success of the Manila stop will lead PokerStars to add a few more to the calendar.

Stay tuned for the announcements of further APPT stops in the coming months, and remember to join PokerStars to be informed as soon as new APPT tournaments are announced, and to get into the early bird satellites where you could win APPT seats at an affordable price and with minimal efforts.