button in SafariFrom the Airport to the Final Table Chip Lead for Tsun Yin Wong in Manila
The inaugural 2026 SiGMA Poker Tour (SPT) Manila Main Event is one step closer to crowning a champion in the flagship tournament of the series at the luxurious five-star City of Dreams Manila hotel and entertainment complex. Out of a field of 362 entries for the PHP 40,000 (≈$650) buy-in, only nine players remain in contention for the biggest slice of the PHP 15 million (≈$242,755) guaranteed prize pool.
So far, the festival has attracted players from 44 different countries and six of them will be represented on the nine-handed final table, which is set to conclude as of 1 p.m. local time on Thursday, June 4, 2026. An entrepreneur back home in Hong Kong, poker enthusiast Tsun Yin Wong essentially jumped out of the plane at the nearby Ninoy Aquino International airport and went straight to the venue to play some cards. Wong participated in the Cubeia Freeroll and was hooked right away, then won his entry for the crown jewel of the series in a satellite, which he not only converted into a deep run but also the top spot for the grand finale with a stack of 2,695,000.
Second in chips is Day 1e chip leader Hyunsik Nam with 2,205,000 while one of three locals hoping to keep the trophy on home soil is in third place in Ronn Mesina (1,715,000). Arguably the most experienced finalist is Irish poker pro Patrick Clarke, who won the Irish Open Main Event back in 2014 and reached two EPT Main Event final tables. Clarke has more than $1.9 million in cashes to his name and has the fourth biggest stack of 1,410,000, he also currently resides in Manila.
Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qi Xia | China | 825,000 | 28 |
| 2 | Patrick Clarke | Ireland | 1,410,000 | 47 |
| 3 | Tsun Yin Wong | Hong Kong | 2,695,000 | 90 |
| 4 | Gursimran Brar | India | 1,315,000 | 44 |
| 5 | Alexis Lim | Philippines | 1,260,000 | 42 |
| 6 | Hyunsik Nam | South Korea | 2,205,000 | 74 |
| 7 | Ronn Mesina | Philippines | 1,715,000 | 57 |
| 8 | Seung Hyun Han | South Korea | 1,180,000 | 39 |
| 9 | Ivan Dela Cruz | Philippines | 1,245,000 | 42 |
Gursimran Brar visited the capital of the Philippines for the SiGMA conference but loves to jump into the live poker action as well, not getting much sleep the last few sleep due to the networking opportunities at City of Dreams. He returned as the chip leader among 47 Day 1 survivors with a gargantuan stack of nearly 500 big blinds after the roll back and never really lost his mojo en route to the final table with 1,315,000 in chips. Likewise, Day 1e chip leader Nam stayed near the top of the leaderboard all day long.
The final day is scheduled to recommence with 13 minutes remaining at blinds of 15,000-30,000 and a big blind ante of 30,000. For the final conclusion, the level duration will increase to 60 minutes each and the average is still quite deep with more than 40 big blinds.
Among the notables to reach the penultimate tournament day but fall short of reaching the final table were such familiar names as PHP 15,000 SiGMA Bounty Event winner Christian Cloutier, John Tech, Alex Chong, Terry Gonzaga, Joshua Figuerres, and Paul Tirnovean. The SiGMA Asia ambassador Benjamin Ebarle was grinding a short stack for many hours during the late stages and reached the final two tables before his flopped nut flush draw in a five-way pot failed to get there. Soon after, Henrik Tollefsen with more than $1.5 million in cashes to his name lost almost all of his chips in a flip and had to settle for 13th place.
The tension on the final table bubble ultimately culminated in a clash between Wong and former run-away chip leader Marlon Laxamana. In a three-bet pot, Wong flopped a set of jacks and Laxamana couldn't get away from top pair and top kicker holding ace-queen to become the final casualty of the night.
All remaining nine players have already locked up PHP 304,200 ($4,931) for their efforts but the winner can look forward to the SPT Main Event trophy and top prize worth PHP 3,041,700 ($49,306). On the final day of the series here in Manila, the first-ever The Hendon Mob Championship on Asian soil will also play down to a winner in the PHP 12,000 (≈$194) tournament with 30 survivors battling for a slice of the PHP 3 million (≈$48,551) guarantee.
Payouts for the 2026 SPT Main Event Final Table
| Place | Prize (in PHP) | Prize (in USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3,041,700 | $49,306 |
| 2 | 2,130,000 | $34,527 |
| 3 | 1,369,300 | $22,196 |
| 4 | 899,800 | $14,586 |
| 5 | 692,600 | $11,227 |
| 6 | 573,000 | $9,288 |
| 7 | 480,200 | $7,784 |
| 8 | 392,600 | $6,364 |
| 9 | 304,200 | $4,931 |
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The PokerNews live reporting team will once again be on the floor to provide all of the action until a winner has been crowned so stay tuned for what shapes up to be a thrilling end to the live poker action in Manila.