PokerNews live coverage of this event will begin on Day 1c (June 1). Until then, we will be keeping readers informed with updates on chip counts and core event statistics, including chip counts, entries and prize pool. Scroll down to see more.
Main Event
Day 1ab Completed
The evening heat was played in a turbo format with the blind levels lasting 20 minutes each and a total of 11 entrants were hoping to make it through, of which two contenders accomplished that goal. South Korea's Jaeil Lee and Justin Ong from the Philippines secured a portion of the cash prize pool whereas all others who busted have another three flights available to join them on Day 2.
Day 1a saw a total of 77 entries and the top ten finishers reached the money with Gursimran Brar as well as Alex Chong as the two by far largest stacks among the survivors. The bubble burst in level 13 with an average of more than 140 big blinds. Also advanced have the seasoned poker pros Henrik Tollefsen and Patrick Clarke who currently reside in the Philippines.
One of the newest live poker tours on the global scale is the player-focused SiGMA Poker Tour (SPT) which debuted in 2025 and it is heading to the Philippines for the very first time. The inaugural SPT Manila 2026 stop runs from May 31 to June 4 at the iconic five-star City of Dreams Manila hotel and entertainment complex, which has been hosting international live poker tournaments for more than a decade already.
Highlight of the series is the SPT Manila 2026 Main Event which carries a buy-in of PHP 40,000 (≈$650) and comes with a guaranteed prize pool of PHP 15 million (≈$242,755). There are a total of five different starting flights, all of which are destined to play down to the top 12.5% of each respective field to secure a cash prize. All those surviving then advance to Day 2, which will aim to reach the final table for the grand finale on June 4, 2026.
Three of the five flights feature a level duration of 40 minutes each and that also includes the already ongoing opening heat Day 1a, which kicked off earlier today at 1 p.m. local time. There will also be a turbo heat 1b at 6 p.m. local time today as well as on June 2, 2026. All participants receive 40,000 in chips to begin with, which represents a total of 200 big blinds for the opening level at 100-200.
The tournament has all the features of modern live poker including the popular big blind ante format as well as an action clock right from the start, giving all players 20 seconds to act preflop and on the flop with 30 seconds thereafter. Players have the option to try and qualify multiple times for Day 2 in which case the larger stack will be carried over with a min-cash awarded for each inferior stack.
The entire festival in the capital of the Philippines boasts a combined PHP 20 million (≈$323,675) in guarantees and also includes the debut of the The Hendon Mob Championship on Asian soil. With a buy-in of PHP 12,000 (≈$194), the tournament runs on the final two days of the series and features a PHP 3 million (≈$48,551) guarantee. Other notable events on the schedule include the PHP 15,000 Sigma Bounty, PHP 15,000 Mystery Bounty, a PHP 5,000 Deepstack Turbo and a PHP 5,000 Last Chance event, as well as the invitation-only ATFX Highroller Invitational.
Concurrently, the SiGMA Poker Tour is also hosting another stop on Malta right now and the PokerNews live reporting team is on the floor here in Manila to provide live updates as of June 1, 2026 all the way until a winner has been crowned a few days later. The full chip counts of all Day 1a and Day 1b survivors will be published later today once they have been provided.
Main Event
Day 1ab Started
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