Just 14 players remain out of the 594-strong field in the PokerStars Festival Manila Main Event, with play re-starting at 2pm local time (GMT+7) on Monday 7 August.
All 14 remaining players are guaranteed a payday of at least ₱285,000 (~$5,663) but it is the trophy, title and ₱5,515,000 (~$109,563) first prize that all will have their eye on.
The man flying high is Day 1b frontrunner Michael Falcon who ran hotter than the sun for the majority of Day 2, busting players left, right and centre to bag up an absolutely monstrous 3,820,000 in chips – nearly 1 million more than next closest rival Uday Bansal who finished the day with a stack of 2,950,000.
Finland’s Antti Halme rounds out the top three after gunning down Chi Thinh Nguyen with pocket aces shortly after the last five hands were announced in the early hours of Sunday night/Monday morning. Halme bagged 2,130,000 in chips – the only other player to have more than 2 million – with the rest of the field stacking up as follows:
Day 3 Redraw:
Table
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
1
Raphael Gall
Germany
430,000
14
1
2
Yo Seb Rhee
Japan
1,765,000
59
1
3
empty
-
-
-
1
4
Uday Bansal
India
2,950,000
98
1
5
Hoa Thinh Nguyen
Vietnam
1,055,000
35
1
6
Andre Peters
Germany
1,260,000
42
1
7
Kenneth Buck
Australia
455,000
15
1
8
Duc Nguyen
Vietnam
150,000
5
2
1
Tien Than Nguyen
Vietnam
675,000
23
2
2
Jaehyun Lim
South Korea
1,140,000
38
2
3
Michael Falcon
Denmark
3,820,000
127
2
4
empty
-
-
-
2
5
Sam Razavi
United Kingdom
775,000
26
2
6
Mike Takayama
Philippines
745,000
25
2
7
Corbin White
United States
620,000
21
2
8
Antti Halme
Finland
2,130,000
71
Blinds will be starting at 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 running ante and the levels have been extended from 60-minutes to 75-minutes when the cards are back in motion. You can read a full recap of the Day 2 action here.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the tournament floor in the Grand Ballroom at the City of Dreams casino until a champion is crowned and will be bringing you all the action as it happens. Stick around and we’ll see who has what it takes to become the first everPokerStars Festival Manila Main Event champion.
Sam Razavi raised and showed when all opponents folded, while over on the other table Kenneth Buck's shove went through and he showed pocket queens.
Then, Corbin White raised to 65,000 and chip leader Michael Falcon three-bet to 150,000 in the small blind. White moved all in and the 150,000 were pulled into the middle. Falcon had to call another 455,000 and did so after brief consideration.
Corbin White:
Michael Falcon:
The board ran out and White had to settle for 14th place and a payday of PHP285,000, which equals approximately $5,661.
Raphael Gall Eliminated in 13th Place (PHP322,000)
Action folded around to Germany’s Raphael Gall on the button and he moved all-in for roughly 450,000 and was quickly called by big blind Uday Bansal.
Raphael Gall:
Uday Bansal:
It was left to a good old-fashioned race to decide Gall’s fate and the flop fell to keep the Indian player in front. Gall received no help on the or the river and departed in 13th, taking home the equivalent of $6,399 while Bansal stacked up to 3.25 million.
From under the gun, Hoa Thinh Nguyen raised to 65,000 and Yo Seb Rhee called in the small blind. Uday Bansal three-bet to 215,000 out of the big blind and that forced out Nguyen. Rhee however had other plans and clicked it back up to 600,000 with around 1,200,000 behind.
Bansal moved all in and that sent Rhee into the think tank. Ultimately, the Japanese called and the cards in the showdown triggered gasps from the other players and the rail.
Yo Seb Rhee:
Uday Bansal:
The flop improved Bansal to a pair of kings, while Rhee picked up some outs with the turn. All hearts except for the and any ace would do, but the river bricked off to send Rhee to the rail in 12th place for PHP322,000.
There are no friends at the poker tables, a fact that Duc Nguyen has recently discovered, to his cost. It was Nguyen’s fellow countryman Hoa Thinh Nguyen (no relation) who kicked off proceedings by moving all-in from middle position. Big blind Duc Nguyen squeezed his cards and then made the call.
Duc Nguyen:
Hoa Thinh Nguyen:
With no spade in hand and his tournament life on the line the all black flop was not a good one for Duc Nguyen, while the turn doubled his outs with the seven of spades not being good for a full house.
There was no miracle, however, as the hit the river and brought Duc Nguyen’s Main Event to a close and he departed in 11th place taking home the equivalent of $6,399 while Hoa Thinh Nguyen stacked up to1,525,000.
A brutal cooler of a hand saw the dealer take the deck straight out of the freezer and deal Germany’s Andre Peter’s an ice-cold hand. Pre-flop it was Michael ‘The Terminator’ Falcon the man wielding the pruning shears once more, popping the action up to 125,000 from the cutoff and the action folded around to Peters in the big blind.
The German player took his time over his decision but eventually pulled the trigger for another 790,000 more than Falcon’s initial raise, moving all-in for 915,000 in total.
Falcon asked for a count and decided to roll the dice, slapping down a tower of red 25k chips to represent the call and the cards were turned over.
Andre Peters:
Michael Falcon:
Peters looked to be in great shape for a double up with the dominating hand and maintained his lead on the flop. Both players were on their feet and the turn changed nothing. The tension was palpable and while he held the lead Peters did not look comfortable, and paced agitatedly with his hands atop his head.
The dealer burned and turned and the river was the shiny black to give Falcon a set of sixes and crush Peters dreams of a final table appearance in one of the cruellest ways imaginable. The German player looked visibly crushed when Falcon came over to shake his hand and departed in 10th place for the equivalent of $7,640 while Falcon regained the chip lead and stacked up to 6.1 million.
In the very last hand of the level, short stack Tien Than Nguyen pushed for 290,000 and Uday Bansal called from two seats over to force out everyone else.
Tien Than Nguyen:
Uday Bansal:
It was a flip for the tournament life, and the board of failed to improve the player from Vietnam. Nguyen was eliminated in 9th place, earning a payday of PHP470,000 (~$9,335). All remaining players are now guaranteed at least PHP596,000 (~$11,837) for their efforts.
The final table has quickly gone from two Vietnamese players to zero in a remarkably short space of time. Michael Falcon won a pot over in the PokerStars Cup final table and ran over in time to raise to 110,000 from under-the-gun in the Main Event.
Hoa Thinh Nguyen moved all-in for 545,000 and the action folded around to Jaehyun Lim on the button, who mulled things over for a good three to four minutes before deciding to get out of the way and Falcon called.
Hoa Thinh Nguyen:
Michael Falcon:
It was the classic coin flip, Nguyen’s pocket pair racing against Falcon’s overcards and the Dane immediately paired his queen on the flop, though Nguyen did have outs to a gutshot straight as well as the deck’s two remaining tens.
The turn was of no help, and neither was the river and Nguyen headed for the rail in eighth place for a $11,800 payday.
Falcon also laddered up two places in the PokerStars Cup event while this was going on with two players busting in one hand to take that event down to six. Falcon is now up to 5.65 million in chips in the Main Event and is guaranteed a payday of PHP185,000 (~$3,665) in the PokerStars Cup.
Kenneth Buck stood true to his word and folded every hand until he was forced all in for just 35,000 out of the big blind. Jaeyhun Lim limped in and so did Michael Falcon in the small blind. "Are you going to fold this time?" Falcon joked to Buck, who replied "I have a good hand, I am all in."
The flop fell and both players checked. On the turn, Falcon bet 150,000 and Lim folded.
Kenneth Buck:
Michael Falcon:
A split pot was very likely, but Falcon had a straight and flush draw as well. The on the river indeed gave the Dane two pair and Buck was eliminated in 7th place, missing out on the target he had announced to the table. Buck receives PHP870,000 (~$17,280) and the remaining six players have PHP1,170,000 (~$23,238) locked up.
The very first hand back after the break saw the field reduced by one more, with the United Kingdom’s Sam Razavi falling at the hand’s of Finland’s Antti Halme.
It was Halme the man in the driver’s seat, accelerating to 130,000 from the cutoff and action folded around to Razavi in the big blind, who put his foot on the gas pedal and moved all-in for 1,170,000 in total.
The Finn made an extremely speedy call, usually never a good sign if you are the player who has just pulled the trigger, and the cards were turned over.
Sam Razavi:
Antti Halme:
Halme was in front as a 70-30 favorite and the flop kept the Finn in the lead. The turn left Razavi drawing to the deck’s three remaining aces and the river brought the Brit’s tournament to a close. Razavi departed in sixth place for a PHP1,170,000 (~$23,238) payday and Halme stacked up to 3,330,000 in chips.
when all opponents folded, while over on the other table Kenneth Buck's shove went through and he showed pocket queens.
and White had to settle for 14th place and a payday of PHP285,000, which equals approximately $5,661.
flop improved Bansal to a pair of kings, while Rhee picked up some outs with the 
and any ace would do, but the 
river bricked off to send Rhee to the rail in 12th place for PHP322,000.
flop was not a good one for Duc Nguyen, while the 
turn doubled his outs with the seven of spades not being good for a full house.
flop. Both players were on their feet and the 
to give Falcon a set of sixes and crush Peters dreams of a final table appearance in one of the cruellest ways imaginable. The German player looked visibly crushed when Falcon came over to shake his hand and departed in 10th place for the equivalent of $7,640 while Falcon regained the chip lead and stacked up to 6.1 million.
failed to improve the player from Vietnam. Nguyen was eliminated in 9th place, earning a payday of PHP470,000 (~$9,335). All remaining players are now guaranteed at least PHP596,000 (~$11,837) for their efforts.
flop, though Nguyen did have outs to a gutshot straight as well as the deck’s two remaining tens.
river and Nguyen headed for the rail in eighth place for a $11,800 payday. 
and both players checked. On the 
on the river indeed gave the Dane two pair and Buck was eliminated in 7th place, missing out on the target he had announced to the table. Buck receives PHP870,000 (~$17,280) and the remaining six players have PHP1,170,000 (~$23,238) locked up.
