Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2023 Poker Dream Manila
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2023 Poker Dream Manila
Buy-in
66,000 PHP
Prize Pool
28,751,382 PHP
Entries
499
Level
31
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Entries
141
Players Left
22
Wai Keong Yong Tops 22 Survivors on Day 1a; Hal Rotholz Among Big Stacks
Level 17
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
The first starting day of the 2023 Poker Dream Manila PHP66,000 Main Event has concluded in the Grand Wing Casino at Newport City, Metro Manila. It took more than 13 hours to reduce the 141 entry-strong field to the last 22 survivors, all of which have locked up a portion of the PHP20,000,000 guarantee already. With another two starting flights to follow, the amount to be played for may however still increase.
After more than 16 levels of 40 minutes each, Wai Keong Yong topped the Day 1a leaderboard with a stack of 421,000. Several other contenders already had more chips at their disposal but faltered late on, which allowed the Malaysian to blaze through the final stages and emerge as the chip leader. Alessandro Taranto finished in second place ahead of Hal Rotholz and Lijun Zhang, the latter of which was was the only woman to advance.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wai Keong Yong | Malaysia | 421,000 | 53 |
| 2 | Alessandro Taranto | Italy | 368,000 | 46 |
| 3 | Hal Rotholz | United States | 282,000 | 35 |
| 4 | Lijun Zhang | China | 281,000 | 35 |
| 5 | Wai Loon Ng | Malaysia | 271,000 | 34 |
| 6 | Junho Kim | South Korea | 266,000 | 33 |
| 7 | Wooseok Kim | South Korea | 251,000 | 31 |
| 8 | Suya Lee | South Korea | 238,000 | 30 |
| 9 | Edwin Dela Cruz | Philippines | 223,000 | 28 |
| 10 | Hui Shen Mok | Brunei | 207,000 | 26 |
Other notables among the 22 survivors include Wooseok Kim (251,000), Alan Tsang (136,000), Jose Drilon (100,000), and Kanishka Samant (84,000). The last player to leave empty-handed was Yuan Xiang Cheong, who got it in ahead with ace-king against the ace-jack of Suya Lee only for the dreadful jack to appear right away on the flop.
Big names that entered and bowed out without anything to show for included the likes of Florencio Campomanes, Valeriy Pak, Andrew Nguyen, Marc Rivera, Ngoc Anh Cao, the Super High Roller finalists Eng Siang Ewe and Eng Soon Ewe, Marcuss Liow, Ryan Hong, and Thijs Hilberts to name all but a few.
With just three stops of the up and coming live poker series completed thus far, as many Main Event champions have been crowned thus far and one of them entered the fray on Day 1a. China's Devan Tang saw his fate sealed when pocket kings were cracked by the pocket fives of eventual chip leader Yong. Likewise, Poker Dream founder and Short Deck Super High Roller winner Winfred Yu was among the slate of casualties when he couldn't get there with a dominated pocket pair.
Two starting days remain for poker enthusiasts from near and far to join the action. Day 1b is scheduled to get underway at 1pm local time on Friday, May 5, 2023. The turbo Day 1c will follow as of 8pm local time with a reduced level duration of 20 minutes each. Both heats will play down to their respective top 15% and the survivors of all three starting days then return on May 6 to determine the final table line-up for the grand finale.
If players bag up chips across multiple starting days, the larger stack will be carried towards Day 2 while the lesser stack gets taken out of play and a min-cash is awarded.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be back to cover all the action of Day 1b and provide chip counts of all Day 1c survivors. Furthermore, there will also be a dedicated cards-up coverage on the Poker Dream Facebook page on a 30-minute security delay as well.
Late Night Pictures on Day 1a
End-of-Day 1a Chip Counts (full)
Level 17
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
421,000 | 141,000 |
|
368,000 | 58,000 |
|
282,000 | 62,000 |
|
281,000 | -19,000 |
|
271,000 | 26,000 |
|
266,000 | -64,000 |
|
251,000 | 21,000 |
|
238,000 | 8,000 |
|
223,000 | -17,000 |
|
207,000 | -63,000 |
|
186,000 | 56,000 |
|
155,000 | 5,000 |
|
136,000 | -24,000 |
|
|
126,000 | 6,000 |
|
119,000 | -241,000 |
|
112,000 | |
|
|
103,000 | -2,000 |
|
103,000 | -17,000 |
|
|
101,000 | -29,000 |
|
100,000 | -15,000 |
|
84,000 | -31,000 |
|
78,000 | -77,000 |
Cheong Eliminated by Lee on the Day 1a Bubble
Level 17
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
On the outer tables, Suya Lee raised it up on the button and Yuan Xiang Cheong three-bet jammed out of the small blind. Lee inquired for his raising chips to be pulled in and it was another 46,000 on top. The reluctant call by Lee followed and a crowd gathered around the tables ahead of the showdown, once all other tables were completed.
Yuan Xiang Cheong: A♠K♥
Suya Lee: A♣J♠
Lee paced around the table and then celebrated when the A♦J♦8♦ flop improved his hand to aces and jacks. The A♥ turn made that aces full of jacks and the 4♦ river let the Day 1a bubble burst with 34:22 minutes remaining in level 17.
All 22 survivors will bag up their chips and return on Saturday, May 6, 2023 with a min-cash already locked up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
230,000 | 70,000 |
|
Busted |
Ding Out Before the Money on Day 1a
Level 17
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Yoong Piu Ding had previously doubled William Teoh and then got it in for 50,000 from under the gun, which Alessandro Taranto called out of the big blind.
Yoong Piu Ding: Q♦5♦
Alessandro Taranto: K♥Q♥
Ding picked up several outs on the A♠J♦4♦ flop but bricked the 7♣ turn and 4♣ river, which now unlocks the hand-for-hand bubble on Day 1a.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
310,000 | 40,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level: 17
Blinds: 4,000/8,000
Ante: 8,000
Bubble Action Continues
Level 16
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
The blinds will go up in trey minutes and the money bubble is looming.
William Teoh earned a double on the live-stream table with the A♦J♣ out of the small blind when he held versus J♠10♠ on a sweaty runout of K♥Q♠5♦Q♦2♣. Yoong Piu Ding was the opponent, who now has as many chips left as Teoh prior to the hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
112,000 | -48,000 |
|
|
50,000 | -60,000 |
Taranto Bust "Willy" To Set Up Redraw
Level 16
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Down to the last 57,000, "Willy" was all-in with the A♠Q♠ and he was looked up by Alessandro Taranto with the dominating A♥K♣.
The K♠4♠2♦ flop gave Taranto the top pair and top kicker while "Willy" had the nut flush draw. Nothing changed with the 5♣ turn and 4♣ river, which reduced the field to the final 24 players.
Only 22 of them will advance and there is now a short break to set up the new live-stream table before the bubble rush is going to continue.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
270,000 | 85,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Yong Knocks Out Sze
Level 16
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Wai Keong Yong raised from under the gun and earned one caller. Chi Fu Sze then pushed all-in with his short stack in the small blind and Yong rejammed over the top to isolate.
Chi Fu Sze: J♥9♥
Wai Keong Yong: 10♥10♣
No hearts or jack appeared on the K♦Q♦4♦2♣3♦ runout and Sze missed out on a Day 2 berth.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
280,000 | 120,000 |
|
Busted |