Team Poker King Club Philippines Wins International Poker Open
Last week, the International Poker Open (IPO) Battle of the Nations took place at the Resorts World Manila. The event, which saw teams from countries in the Asia-Pacific region compete for points, saw Team Philippines, which was sponsored by Poker King Club at Solaire, emerge victorious to capture a $10,500 first-place prize.
It was an impressive win for the team, who swept all their heads-up matches in the opening round with John Tech, Lester Edoc and Andrew Gaw prevailing over opponents from Korea, China and Japan respectively.
From there, Tech won the second round, which featured an eight-man sit-and-go table, while Ian Brion and Yves Sy eliminated all their opponents; and Jay Tolon and Marc Rivera finished first and third at their table. Other team members Martin Gonzales and brothers Czardy and Euryd Rivera also contributed to the point total.
Team PKC Philippines, who also has Neil Arce as non-playing captain and Ashby Rivera as coach, finished with 88 points, well ahead of the 73 points collected by runner-up Korea. Meanwhile, China and Japan finish in third and fourth with 64 and 58 points respectively.
It was a nice win for Poker King Club at Solaire Resort & Casino as they are preparing to host the WPT National Philippines Festival of Poker from January 2-8.
That stop will include the largest buy-in event in WPT history – a $200,000 Super High Roller.
"We at Poker King Club always aim to push the boundaries of poker, which led to us being named the ‘Home of the World’s Biggest Game,’" said President and CEO of Poker King Club, Winfred Yu. "That aim is now coming to WPT National Philippines with a Super High Roller, and we are happy to add the gravitas of well-known poker players into that mix, such as Aussie Millions champion and businessman, Mr. Richard Yong."
Cyrus Sherafat, SVP of Casino Marketing for Solaire Resort and Casino, echoed those sentiments: "We are looking forward to kicking off 2016 with the exciting WPT National Philippines Festival. Last year, both local and international players showcased their skills at Solaire, and we are confident they will continue to demonstrate the very best in poker during Season XIV of the WPT. We also believe poker fans enjoy watching the world-class poker competition here at Solaire, and look forward to welcoming back the great fans and players."
For more information on the WPT National Philippines festival, click here.
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PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
