Day 1b of the PokerStars.net APPT Season 8 Manila main event was a day filled with action.
A total of 153 players joined the fray by the time registration was closed and what that means is a grand total of 260 players entered over the event's two starting flights.
This created a healthy PHP 11,349,000 prize pool that will pay 28 spots with PHP 3,472,000 reserved for the champion.
Building the kind of stack that will give him an inside track on that kind of money today was Korean Seung Soo Jeon.
Jeon enjoyed a late flurry of activity that saw him become the first player to crest the 200,000-chip mark and he will bring the overall chip lead into play Sunday when the survivors of both starting flights combine for the first time.
Elan Zak shot up the leader board early and although he slipped some, he also enjoyed the late level action pushing his stack up into the 130,000-chip range to end the night. Meanwhile, Eric Sia got chips early and played solid to end the day just under 100,000.
The one player bearing the Team PokerStars flag today didn't fare as well, as Vivian Im busted out of this event for the second day in a row Sunday.
In the meantime, the defending champion - having won the title in Cebu the last time the APPT was in the Philippines - Simba Jae Kyung Sim made an appearance today. He flirted with a decent sized stack most of the day, but ended with 15,900 and should be looking to make some moves early Sunday.
With some 60 players making it through the day, there will be a grand total of 95 when play begins at 1 p.m. local time Sunday and as always, the PokerNews Live Reporting team will be on hand to bring you all the action from start to finish.
It's been a wild last half hour for chip leader Seung Soo Jeon. Just one had after doubling up a short stack when he turned top pair only to see his foe river a flush, he managed to bust that same player.
He got him all in with queens against a weak ace, held and is now running away with Day 1b here in Manila.
With just half a level to play in the day Jeon has a legitimate shot at being the chip leader heading into Day 2.
The only Team PokerStars Pro in the field today is no longer here.
Vivian Im took a relatively bad beat calling all in with pocket kings on the river of a hand where two diamonds had come on the flop, but none since. Her opponent was on a flush draw and had missed, but back-doored his way into a straight.
Eric Sia is having a great day at the tables here in Manila.
First he hit a three outer with spiking a king on the river against one opponent who flopped the joint on a [ board.
Then he got real tricky, calling a three-bet preflop with and blind betting at the pot. The flop came and Sia ended up in a raising war with his opponent on . They eventually got it all in and Sia's flush held to give him a place among the early leaders.
It seems everyone wants a piece of Simba Jae Kyung Sim, the winner of the Cebu event the last time the APPT was in the Philippines.
Between one player needling him for playing at the World Series of Poker and on the PokerStars European Poker Tour claiming Asia was too small for him and others after his stack, it's hard to be the champ.
He fired away at a flop in a three-way pot moments ago, getting one caller. Sim checked the turn, but called when his opponent took a 1,550-chip stab at it.
He checked again on the river and went deep into the tank when his opponent made it 3,200. Eventually he emerged folding and now has less than a starting stack with which to defend his title.
The second Day 1 flight of The PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Season 8 Manila main event will go off inside the Metro Card Club Saturday afternoon.
Play will begin just after 1 p.m. local time and even more than the 107 runners Day 1a garnered Friday are expected to put together the PHP 45,000+5,000 buy-in for a seat.
In fact, some of those who busted out on Day 1a will be in the field today as this is a repechage event allowing players who lost all their chips on the first starting flight another kick at the can,
The Philippines leg of the tour went off in Cebu last season with Korean Simba Jae Kyung Sim taking the top prize of PHP 3,948,000. The last time the APPT was in Manila was in 2010 when Binh Nguyen captured the crown.
On Day 1a just 35 players survived the same eight and a half levels they will play today. The structure dictates everyone will start with 20,000 in chips with the first three levels lasting 40 minutes and the rest 60.
The PokerNews Live Reporting team is on hand to bring you all the action from start to finish here in Manila. Lay back and relax, lots of PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour action is on the way from the Philippines.
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spiking a king on the river against one opponent who flopped the joint on a [
board.
and blind betting at the pot. The flop came 
and Sia ended up in a raising war with his opponent on 
flop in a three-way pot moments ago, getting one caller. Sim checked the 
turn, but called when his opponent took a 1,550-chip stab at it.
river and went deep into the tank when his opponent made it 3,200. Eventually he emerged folding and now has less than a starting stack with which to defend his title.