The record breaking PokerStars LIVE Manila Super Series Main Event is just one day away from crowning its richest champion in the history of the series with the Final 9 players established. Kicking off on May 29 2024 at Okada Manila in the Philippine metropolis, the 20th edition set new heights with 1,277 entries across four Day 1 flights to generate a shattering prize pool of PHP 21,800,944 (~USD 374,560).
Manila Super Series – Main Event Day 2 recap
At Day 2, the money flowed with each of the 194 returnees guaranteed a piece of the pot. It took a lengthy thirteen hours of play to whittle down the field to one table. Among the casualties was the day’s entering chip leader Karen Talamayan whose bid for the title was denied by Taiwan’s Wang Kuan Wei.
On the opposite end of the pole is Ronato Alcano, one of four locals in the lineup. Alcano kept a steady pace throughout, even sliding into the top spot at one point, then crushed the competition during the final three tables. Alcano knocked out several players including Baek Youngseok in 10th place to signal the end of day. He bagged up the chip lead of 48 bb and is seeking his maiden Main Event title.
Trailing the leader by just 2 bb is Kihyung Kim, one of three Koreans in contention, and also seeking his maiden Main Event win. Rounding out the top three is Korean Woosang Lee with 42 bb. Lee is already guaranteed his first payout on foreign soil.
Considerably the most decorated player in the lineup is Filipino Czar Ian Marcos with a portfolio filled with cashes around Asia. Marcos is destined for a Main Event title having reached numerous final tables in his career.
Other contenders are Japan’s Kento Chogo and Argentina’s Mariano Balfagon. Whle Chogo has made the Philippines his trophy hunting ground, for the latter Balfagon, this is his first cash in Asia.
Final 9 players
| Rank | Player | Flag | Stack | BB | Table | Seat |
| 1 | Ronato Alcano | Philippines | 7,710,000 | 48 | 27 | 6 |
| 2 | Bok Kihyung Kim | Korea | 7,350,000 | 46 | 27 | 4 |
| 3 | Woosang Lee | Korea | 6,670,000 | 42 | 27 | 3 |
| 4 | Kento Chogo | Japan | 5,750,000 | 36 | 27 | 8 |
| 5 | Alvir Inocentes | Philippines | 4,055,000 | 25 | 27 | 1 |
| 6 | Ju Won Chung | Korea | 2,355,000 | 15 | 27 | 7 |
| 7 | Mariano Balfagon | Argentina | 1,955,000 | 12 | 27 | 2 |
| 8 | Czar Ian Marcos | Philippines | 1,720,000 | 11 | 27 | 9 |
| 9 | Anthony Gabitan | Philippines | 750,000 | 5 | 27 | 5 |
Coning final day, one of the nine contenders will walk away with the enormous PHP 3,670,000 (~USD 62,649) top prize. Included in the hefty cash rewards, the top two finishers will receive an APPT Manila Package worth PHP 120,000.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Payout in PHP |
in USD equivalent
|
| 1 | ₱3,670,000 | 62,649 |
| 2 | ₱2,320,000 | 39,604 |
| 3 | ₱1,580,000 | 26,972 |
| 4 | ₱1,215,000 | 20,741 |
| 5 | ₱935,000 | 15,961 |
| 6 | ₱715,000 | 12,206 |
| 7 | ₱550,000 | 9,389 |
| 8 | ₱420,000 | 7,170 |
| 9 | ₱321,944 | 5,496 |
The race to glory kicks of at 4pm on Sunday, June 2, 2024. Make sure to track the action via the SMP Live Updates. Just click the link provided.
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