button in SafariEdzel Villares Scores First and Last Knockout to Top Day 1c of the 2026 SPT Manila Main Event
The third starting flight of the inaugural 2026 SiGMA Poker Tour Manila Main Event has concluded just before midnight and currently stands at 103 total entries with a possible overlay and a lot of value waiting for poker enthusiasts from near and far in the capital of the Philippines. For a buy-in of PHP 40,000 (≈$650), the flagship tournament of the festival at the luxurious five-star City of Dreams Manila hotel and entertainment complex boasts a PHP 15 million (≈$242,755) guarantee.
On Day 1c, there were 15 entries and the top two finishers were destined to reach the money stages. In somewhat unusual fashion, Edzel Villares was responsible for the first knockout of the flight in just the third hand of play. He was then knocked out himself, re-entered and sent Raffaele De Nicola to the rail on the 1c bubble to advance with a stack of 435,900. Villares was joined on Day 2 by Lukasz Jankowski (164,100), who previously finished on the final two tables of the 2023 APPT Cambodia Main Event.
So far, a total of 14 players have qualified for Day 2 and Villares leaped into third place among them with his late surge. With the action in the money set to resume on the fastest flight to reach the money, the blinds will roll back to at least level 13 which features blinds of 1,000-2,000/2,000. An overview of all qualifiers can be found below:
SiGMA Poker Tour Manila Main Event Day 2 Qualifiers 1a-1c:
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | BB Day 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gursimran Brar | India | 988,800 | 494 |
| 2 | Alex Chong | Hong Kong | 672,900 | 336 |
| 3 | Edzel Villares | Philippines | 435,900 | 218 |
| 4 | Marco Espela | Philippines | 273,900 | 137 |
| 5 | Henrik Tollefsen | Norway | 252,400 | 126 |
| 6 | Jaeil Lee | South Korea | 250,400 | 125 |
| 7 | Patrick Clarke | Ireland | 245,200 | 123 |
| 8 | Rodolf Ramo | Philippines | 209,900 | 105 |
| 9 | Justin Ong | Philippines | 190,600 | 95 |
| 10 | Lukasz Jankowski | Poland | 164,100 | 82 |
| 11 | Oleg Mordassov | Switzerland | 136,000 | 68 |
| 12 | Anton Del Rosario | Philippines | 110,900 | 55 |
| 13 | Christian Cloutier | Canada | 100,700 | 50 |
| 14 | Dylan Yip | Ireland | 90,200 | 45 |
Among the notable casualties on Day 1c were Edgar Kim, Edgar Asehan and Marko Tabak while Christopher Su went from big stack to zero to set up the bubble play which ultimately led to a very similar story for De Nicola. With more even stacks among the final trio, the Italian flopped a jack-high straight but couldn't get away from it when Villares turned a flush to check-raise and move all-in in the dark prior to the river card.
Another three events were running inside of the Grand Ballroom in cooperation with the Soul Poker Club with eight entries generated in the Main Event satellite. The PHP Sigma Bounty Event drew a total of 47 entries with PHP 615,465 in cash and bounty prizes up for grabs. Only the top six finishers locked up a cash prize for their efforts and Canada's Christian Cloutier ended up as the champion.
Down to the final five players, there was a three-way all-in with all three players holding ace-queen. The A♥Q♥ of Cloutier rivered a flush to eliminate Stefan Van Huyssteen and it ultimately set up the Canadian for the victory. Cloutier already bagged up chips on Day 1a of the Main Event, as did sixth-place finisher Dylan Yip from Ireland.
Final Result PHP 15,000 Bounty Event
| Place | Player | Country | Cash Prize (in PHP) | Cash Prize (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian Cloutier | Canada | PHP 148,465 | $2,401 |
| 2 | Minjung Kim | South Korea | PHP 87,500 | $1,415 |
| 3 | Benhur Ybarsabal | Philippines | PHP 53,300 | $862 |
| 4 | Anthony Castro | Philippines | PHP 38,000 | $614 |
| 5 | Stefan Van Huyssteen | South Africa | PHP 30,400 | $492 |
| 6 | Dylan Yip | Ireland | PHP 22,800 | $369 |
Last but not least, the Cubeia Platinum Freeroll sponsored by the online poker provider drew 75 entries and $5,000 in prizes are up for grabs thanks to Cubeia. Among the notable participants were the two well-known local Filipino poker pros Richard "Hotsauce" Marquez and David "Dave Spade" Erquiaga as well as Sugen Singh from South Africa. All of them are expected to join the action with two more flights to come in the Main Event.
Day 1d is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. local time on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 with a regular level structure of 40 minutes each. It will be followed by the last-chance turbo heat 1e at 6 p.m. local time with a 20-minute level duration.
Never Miss a Moment with MyPlayers on PokerNews
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on legends like Daniel Negreanu or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you. No subscriptions, no paywalls - just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most.
It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Stay tuned for all of the live action from Manila right here on PokerNews as the live reporting team will be on the floor to cover the 2026 SiGMA Poker Tour Manila Main Event all the way until a champion has been crowned on June 4, 2026.