Main Event | 2023 Poker Dream Manila

05-07-2023 16:56 UTC+9

Nicola Montalbano Eliminated in 8th Place (PHP609,000/$10,999)

Christian Zetzsche

Level 26 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Tor Welo raised to 120,000 with the A♣10♣ from under the gun and Terry Nguyen three-bet to 300,000 with the K♠K♣ in the hijack. Nicola Montalbano in the big blind had just 125,000 behind and called all-in for 185,000 total.

The A♥K♥10♠ flop gave Welo top and bottom pair while Gonzaga had the middle set. Welo checked to the three-bettor and Gonzaga continued for 300,000. "How much do you have?" Welo inquired and glanced over to the other side of the table, then opted to call.

A second flush draw came with the 6♠ turn and Welo checked once more. Gonzaga pushed all-in and that forced out Welo after some deliberation, as a quite happy Gonzaga smiled back with the Norwegian in the tank.

Once the cards were revealed, Montalbano was left drawing dead already and his tournament run officially concluded with the 4♥ river.

Player	Chips	Progress
Terry Gonzaga	2,900,000 800,000	800,000
Tor Welo	2,800,000 -500,000	-500,000
Nicola Montalbano	Busted

Tags: Nicola Montalbano Terry Nguyen Tor Welo

05-07-2023 16:44 UTC+9

Gonzaga Doubles Through Teoh

Christian Zetzsche

Level 26 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Ryan McAllister raised to 120,000 with the A♣7♣ and Edwin Dela Cruz three-bet to 350,000 on the button with the 7♠7♥. Terry Gonzaga folded the 9♠9♣ out of the big blind, and McAllister came to the same conclusion.

Soon after, Nicola Montalbano raised to 250,000 with K♠Q♥ and kept 245,000 behind. William Teoh then three-bet to 550,000 on the button only for Gonzaga to push all-in for 845,000 in the small blind. Montalbano threw up his hands in the air almost immediately and sigh-folded while Teoh instantly called.

Terry Gonzaga: A♥K♣
William Teoh: 8♠8♣

The K♥5♠4♦ flop improved Gonzaga to the superior pair, which stayed in the lead throughout the J♣ turn and 10♦ river.

Player	Chips	Progress
Terry Gonzaga	2,100,000 1,135,000	1,135,000
William Teoh	785,000 -1,015,000	-1,015,000
Nicola Montalbano	245,000 -100,000	-100,000

Tags: Edwin Dela Cruz Nicola Montalbano Ryan McAllister Terry Gonzaga William Teoh

05-07-2023 15:23 UTC+9

David Erquiaga Eliminated in 9th Place (PHP499,000/$9,013)

Christian Zetzsche

Level 24 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

David Erquiaga opened to 90,000 with the 8♦8♣ and Alessandro Taranto flat-called in the cutoff with the K♠J♠, which led them to the J♥9♠3♣ flop. The initial raiser check-raised his pocket pair from 70,000 to 300,000 and Taranto glanced over to see the stack size of his opponent before making the call.

The 7♠ fell on the turn, giving Erquiaga a gutshot while Taranto added a flush draw on top.

Erquiaga pushed all-in for 995,000 and Taranto called within just a few seconds to put the local hero at risk.

The 4♦ river was a blank and both stacks were counted. Taranto had 1,120,000 behind and Erquiaga was covered by just a few blinds to become the first casualty on the final table.

Player	Chips	Progress
Alessandro Taranto	3,000,000 1,600,000	1,600,000
David Erquiaga	Busted

Tags: Alessandro Taranto David Erquiaga

05-07-2023 13:30 UTC+9

A Winner Will be Crowned in the 2023 Poker Dream Manila Main Event

Christian Zetzsche

The final day of the 2023 Poker Dream Manila live poker series has arrived in the Grand Wing Casino at Newport City in Metro Manila and all eyes are set on the conclusion of the flagship 2023 Poker Dream Manila PHP66,000 Main Event. Out of a 499-entry strong field, nine players from six different countries remain return to their seats on the feature stage to battle for the biggest portion of the PHP 28,751,382 ($519,578) prize pool.

Three locals poker players are in contention to try and keep the trophy on home soil with Edwin Dela Cruz sitting atop the leaderboard by some margin, as he boasts an impressive stack of 4,325,000. David "Dave Spade" Erquiaga, one of the hottest-running players in Asia in the last few years, returns in the middle of the pack 1,335,000 narrowly ahead of veteran Terry Gonzaga (1,180,000).

Norway's Tor Welo is second in chips with 2,080,000 while the always dangerous William Teoh possesses 1,470,000. Day 1b chip leader Ryan McAllister also made it through, alongside Valeriy Pak, and the two Italians Alessandro Taranto as well as Nicola Montalbano.

Final Table Seat Draw

Seat	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Nicola Montalbano	Italy	640,000	16
2	David Erquiaga	Philippines	1,335,000	33
3	Tor Welo	Norway	2,080,000	52
4	Edwin Dela Cruz	Philippines	4,325,000	108
5	William Teoh	Malaysia	1,470,000	37
6	Terry Gonzaga	Philippines	1,180,000	30
7	Alessandro Taranto	Italy	1,690,000	42
8	Ryan McAllister	United States	1,165,000	29
9	Valeriy Pak	Belarus	1,090,000	27

The final table continues at approximately 1 p.m. local time with 35:03 minutes left in Level 25 at blinds of 20,000/40,000 with a big blind ante of 40,000, which creates an average of 41 big blinds and a potentially long night ahead to determine the champion here in Manila.

All the action can be followed on a security delay of 30 minutes with cards-up coverage and commentary available on the Poker Dream Facebook page, the PokerNews updates will be published according to the delay as well to not spoil any of the hands.