2023 Poker Dream Manila

Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

2023 Poker Dream Manila

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
106
Prize
5,510,000 PHP
Event Info
Buy-in
66,000 PHP
Prize Pool
28,751,382 PHP
Entries
499
Level Info
Level
31
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Players Info - Day 1a
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
Day 1a chip leader Wai Keong Yong
Day 1a chip leader Wai Keong Yong

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.

RankPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Wai Keong YongMalaysia421,00053
2Alessandro TarantoItaly368,00046
3Hal RotholzUnited States282,00035
4Lijun ZhangChina281,00035
5Wai Loon NgMalaysia271,00034
6Junho KimSouth Korea266,00033
7Wooseok KimSouth Korea251,00031
8Suya LeeSouth Korea238,00030
9Edwin Dela CruzPhilippines223,00028
10Hui Shen MokBrunei207,00026
Hal Rotholz
Hal Rotholz

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.

Winfred Yu
Winfred Yu

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.

Tags: Alessandro TarantoDevan TangEng Soon EweFlorencio CampomanesHal RotholzLijun ZhangMarc RiveraNgoc Anh CaoWai Keong YongWinfred YuYuan Xiang Cheong

Cheong Eliminated by Lee on the Day 1a Bubble

Level 17 : Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Yuan Xiang Cheong
Yuan Xiang Cheong

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
Suya Lee kr
Suya Lee
230,000
70,000
70,000
Yuan Xiang Cheong my
Yuan Xiang Cheong
Busted

Tags: Suya LeeYuan Xiang Cheong

Choi Chops with Teoh; Then Busts to Yong

Level 15 : Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Wai Keong Yong
Wai Keong Yong

William Teoh raised to 10,000 and then called the all-in of Chuck Choi for 37,000 after Wai Keong Yong had tank-folded, mentioning in the table chat he had ace-five.

Chuck Choi: A?Q?
William Teoh: A?Q?

The board ran out J?8?4?6?7? and they chopped it up.

Soon after, Choi was all-in again and this time, Yong didn't fold.

Chuck Choi: A?3?
Wai Keong Yong: K?K?

The 10?6?2?K?3? board left Choi drawing dead on the turn.

Player Chips Progress
Wai Keong Yong my
Wai Keong Yong
220,000
60,000
60,000
Day 1A Chip Leader
William Teoh my
William Teoh
220,000
20,000
20,000
WSOP 1X Winner
Chuck Choi kr
Chuck Choi
Busted

Tags: Chuck ChoiWai Keong YongWilliam Teoh

Yu's Pair Is Not Good Enough

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Winfred Yu
Winfred Yu

Winfred Yu was spotted all-in and at risk for more than 20 big blinds and Harun Mzb looked him up from the next seat, to which he had just been moved to after the previous table broke.

Winfred Yu: 7?7?
Harun Mzb: Q?Q?

The dominated pair never caught up on the A?4?3?4?8? board and Yu was eliminated on the final four tables of Day 1a.

Player Chips Progress
Harun Mzb bn
Harun Mzb
315,000
95,000
95,000
Winfred Yu hk
Winfred Yu
Busted

Tags: Harun MzbWinfred Yu

De Rosa Dpearts in Five-Way Pot

Level 13 : Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Enrico de Rosa
Enrico de Rosa

Lijun Zhang raised to 6,000 and earned two callers in Yicun Ma as well as Hui Shen Mok. Enrico De Rosa then pushed all-in for 29,000 on the button and Gai Lax Lim called all-in for 9,000. Zhang, Ma and Mok all called and the three active players checked down the 10?5?3?2?8?.

De Rosa's A?Q? were matched by the A?Q? of Zhang but they were no good. Lim tabled the Q?Q? to win the side pot and Ma's J?10? beat the 9?9? of Mok for the bigger main pot.

Player Chips Progress
Lijun Zhang cn
Lijun Zhang
350,000
-10,000
-10,000
Yicun Ma cn
Yicun Ma
200,000
60,000
60,000
Hui Shen Mok bn
Hui Shen Mok
190,000
-10,000
-10,000
Gai Lax Lim my
Gai Lax Lim
65,000
Enrico de Rosa it
Enrico de Rosa
Busted

Tags: Enrico De RosaGai Lax LimHui Shen MokLijun ZhangYicun Ma

Lee Tank-Folds; Then Loses Massive Pot

Level 12 : Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante

In a battle cutoff versus button, Harun Mzb check-jammed over the top of a bet worth 50,000 by Won Jae Lee on a completed board of 10?6?3?Q?7?. The shove was for 70,000 more and and Lee tank-folded once again, but still had a healthy stack.

What followed next was a battle of the players from South Korea when Lee jammed himself on a 8?6?3?9? turn. Junho Kim sigh-called for the 110,500 he had behind and that created a large pot at the very end of level 12.

Junho Kim: A?A?
Won Jae Lee: 7?6?

The 2? river kept the aces in the lead and Lee was left with slightly more than the starting stack as the final 40 players headed into a scheduled 15-minute break.

Player Chips Progress
Junho Kim kr
Junho Kim
270,000
130,000
130,000
Harun Mzb bn
Harun Mzb
200,000
60,000
60,000
Artem Utevskii ru
Artem Utevskii
100,000
25,000
25,000
Jose Drilon ph
Jose Drilon
75,000
10,000
10,000
Jose Colada ph
Jose Colada
45,000
Won Jae Lee kr
Won Jae Lee
35,000
-115,000
-115,000
Day 1C Chip Leader

Tags: Harun MzbJunho KimWon Jae Lee

Zhang Busts Fukaya To Join Big Stacks

Level 11 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Lijun Zhang
Lijun Zhang

With 17,000 in the middle to the A?K?10? flop, Lijun Zhang bet 15,000. Keisuke Fukaya then pushed all-in for 61,500 total and Zhang asked for an exact count. She tanked for nearly two minutes and made the call with the covering stack.

Keisuke Fukaya: A?8?
Lijun Zhang: K?10?

The board completed with the 9? turn and 5? river, as Zhang held onto her lead with two pair to reduce the field by one.

Player Chips Progress
Lijun Zhang cn
Lijun Zhang
195,000
150,000
150,000
Keisuke Fukaya jp
Keisuke Fukaya
Busted

Tags: Keisuke FukayaLijun Zhang

Tang Sent to the Rail by Yong

Level 11 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Devan Tang
Devan Tang

The 2022 Poker Dream Vietnam Super High Roller runner-up and 2023 Poker Dream Malaysia Main Event champion Devan Tang has been eliminated. It was a bad beat of sorts that sent the third of China's all-time money list to the rail when his K?K? were cracked by the 5?5? of Wai Keong Yong.

On a board of 7?3?3?5?8?, Yong turned a full house to knock out Tang who will very likely be back for either Day 1b or Day 1c.

Player Chips Progress
Wai Keong Yong my
Wai Keong Yong
130,000
20,000
20,000
Day 1A Chip Leader
Devan Tang hk
Devan Tang
Busted

Tags: Devan TangWai Keong Yong

Clarked Flipped Out by Campomanes

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Patrick Clarke
Patrick Clarke

William Teoh opened the action with a raise to 3,000. Patrick Clarke then pushed all-in for 33,000, admitting to "gamble" in table chat with Teoh. Florencio Campomanes also moved all-in for little more in the small blind and the big blind tank-folded, as did Teoh.

Patrick Clarke: A?K?
Florencio Campomanes: J?J?

"That's what you call gamble?" Teoh joked and Clarke grinned.

No help arrived for the Irishman on the 9?8?2?10?6? runout and Campomanes essentially doubled.

Player Chips Progress
Florencio Campomanes ph
Florencio Campomanes
70,000
35,000
35,000
William Teoh my
William Teoh
50,000
4,000
4,000
WSOP 1X Winner
Patrick Clarke ie
Patrick Clarke
Busted

Tags: Florencio CampomanesPatrick ClarkeWilliam Teoh

Ng Wins Raising War With Rotholz

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Wai Loon Ng
Wai Loon Ng

Picking up the action on the 10?6?3? flop, Wai Loon Ng in the cutoff had checked and Hal Rotholz bet 5,500 on the button. Ng then check-raised to 16,000 only for Rotholz to make it 45,000 to go.

That was not the last of it yet as Ng went all-in over the top for another 64,500 more. Rotholz went deep into the tank and folded.

Player Chips Progress
Wai Loon Ng my
Wai Loon Ng
155,000
75,000
75,000
Hal Rotholz us
Hal Rotholz
60,000
-55,000
-55,000

Tags: Hal RotholzWai Loon Ng