Day 2 was off to an early start as most of the 50 remaining players arrived on time ready for poker action. After a few hours, it was already bubble time for the final two tables. It was finally burst after Mark Esteban bluffed with an A8 hearts which was busted out with the AK spades of PM's BuddhaGeorge. This gave him a low stack, and forced him to go no look, all in. Surprisingly, he had the top pair on board as he was holding KL suited. Even more surprising, Alex Cruz also called him, no look, all in. And he had pockets Q!
After the bubble excitement, only 20 players remained. All twenty of them were already ensured of a prize as the 11th to 20th placers were each given P10,000 non-cashable chips by Pagcor. Locals were rooting for tournament regulars Reggie Lu, James Young, Maui Abella, Kenneth Ansano, former MCCD Floor Manager Ken Ansano, the Almaden brothers: Tata and Iceman, and the lone lady remaining, Rose Newman.
Of course, players from out of town didn't travel all the way to Davao just to be busted early. Alex Cruz of General Santos, Wennie Odog of CDO, and the famed Eric Cheung of Cebu remained strong in their campaign for the championship. Among them, it was really Eric that showed an impressive strong gameplay from early game until the wee hours of the morning.
Metro Manila was also well-represented with Ariel Reyes, Jojo Tech, Raymond Enriquez, and PM's George, among others. It was George who provided much entertainment to the spectators and the players alike as he went all in, more than enough times. Early during the day, he also shocked a lot of players when he jokingly cursed in Bisaya. LOL! :)
It was definitely, not a day to joke as locals started to bow out of the competition even before the final table. A lot of people were disappointed as Maui, Reggie, Rose, James, and the Iceman busted out to their competitors. Meanwhile, Ken remained strong and aggressive, getting chips, and busting out players from the final 20. So much so that going into the final table, he was the chip leader.
Past 10 pm, ten poker players stood up to take their seats at the final table. The 10 consisted of five local players, Eric of Cebu, Wennie of CDO, and Raymond, Jojo, and Ariel of Manila. It was a quiet and intense poker action punctuated by cheers and jeers from supporters of the final 10.
In the end, it was early chip leader Ken and the silent Jojo who battled in the final heads up, after local favorite Tata was eliminated from the tournament. The two battled for only 3 hands. In the final hand, the two went all in as the board showed a King high. Ken was holding a K10 off suit, which was trumped by Jojo's AK off suit. In the end, Jojo's patience and smart plays paid off as he took home the prize, the trophy, and the admiration of many poker enthusiasts who watched him play his way to the top.
The other placers in the final ten are:4th place - Rebel Magdagasang of Davao
5th place - Eric Cheung of Cebu
6th place - Franz Avelino of Davao
7th place - Ariel Reyes of Manila
8th place - Raymond Enriquez of Manila
9th place - Wennie Odog of Cagayan de Oro
10th place - James Young of Davao
Congratulations and thank you to all the winners and participants!
We look forward to more fun and interesting poker action. ;) Only at the Metro Card Club Davao... the best deal in town. :)
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