Day 1a of the PokerStars.net APPT Season 8 Manila main event came and went in a flash inside The Metro Card Club Friday.
By the time registration was through some 107 players had ponied up the Pisos to play, but after eight and a half levels just 35 remained. With Day 1b set for 1 p.m. local time Saturday, the Day 1a survivors will return to play on Day 2 Sunday, also beginning at 1 p.m.
If things stand through Saturday's second starting flight, they will all be looking up at Estonian PokerStars player Daniel Belov, who built a massive stack of 177,500 chips by the time play ended.
Right behind him sits Ricky Foo (140,000), Ronald Singson (133,600), Thanh Ha Duong (121,500), Anyang Xu (107,600) and Mike Takayama (106,500) as the only other players above the 100,000-chip mark.
Once again, The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will return to the The Metro Card Club Saturday at 1 p.m. for Day 1b action in the PokerStars.net APPT Season 8 Manila main event and as always, you are welcome to join.
Team PokerStars Pro Vivian Im got down to less than 6,000 in chips and decided to get it all in with .
It appeared to be a good decision, as she ended up heads-up against a player with . Then he spiked an eight and her APPT 8 Manila main event came to a quick close.
Team PokerStars Pro Celina Lin was left with what looked like a rather tough decision moments ago.
Her heads-up opponent had bet 6,000 into an 8,000-chip pot on the river of a board. She mulled it over for a minute or two before finally sliding in a call.
Her opponent showed but his busted gutter was no good against her . Second pair now has Lin back in decent shape after an up and down early part of the tournament.
A rather small pot was brewing until Damian Gonzales Cid bet 600 on the turn of a board.
That's when Team PokerStars Pro Vivian Im made it 1,000 more. Cid called, then checked the river. Im fired 2,500 at it this time and after a minute or two in the tank, Cid threw out a call.
Im turned over having flopped a set that was still good after the river.
A big pot started brewing on an flop over at Team PokerStars Pro Celina Lin's table.
There was already about 1,500 in the middle when Lin led out for 950. Mark Amparo promptly made it 3,000 and Peter Kleudgen shipped it in for what looked like 13,000.
Lin then pushed all in over the top and Amparo folded. The cards were turned on their backs and Lin held for top two. Kleudgen was holding and a flush draw that hit on the turn.
The river came the and the pot was shipped to Kleudgen, leaving Lin a little less than a starting stack.
The PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Season 8 Manila main event kicks off just minutes from now and the Metro Card Club is buzzing.
The Philippines leg of the tour went off in Cebu last season with Korean Simba Jae Kyung Sim taking the top prize PHP 3,948,000. The last time the APPT was in Manila was in 2010 when Binh Nguyen captured the crown.
This season, moving back to Manila means gaining the support of a rather large local poker community and hundreds are expected to vie for the coveted title. The PHP 45,000+5,000 Phillipine Peso buy-in translates into just over US $1,000 and should attract some of the best and brightest poker minds from around the region.
The plan is to play some eight levels on Day 1a Friday, with the first three lasting 40 minutes and the rest 60 minutes.
Of course, PokerNews will bring you all the action in tidy live update form from start to finish here in Manila. Just sit back and enjoy, APPT Manila is coming at you.
![[user127999]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
against his 
. The eights held on a 
run out to send Chen packing.
board. She mulled it over for a minute or two before finally sliding in a call.
. Second pair now has Lin back in decent shape after an up and down early part of the tournament.
having flopped a set that was still good after the river.
flop over at Team PokerStars Pro Celina Lin's table.
for top two. Kleudgen was holding 
and a flush draw that hit on the 
and the pot was shipped to Kleudgen, leaving Lin a little less than a starting stack.