Japan’s Yohei Kitazato Tames Bronze Lion APT High Roller Trophy for PHP 5.3M (USD 92K) Payday

Hong Kong’s Jason Chau Wins Tour’s Largest Philippines-based Micro Main Event

APT MANILA CLASSIC 2025 SCHEDULE| OFFICIAL RESULTS | PLAYER LISTS | IMAGES | WINNERS

MANILA, PHILIPPINES, February 16, 2025 — The first APT festival of the Year of the Snake has kicked off the 2025 poker season with record-breaking numbers, with the APT Manila Classic 2025 officially the tour’s largest and richest APT series ever to play out in the Philippines, beating the previous record set during APT Manila 2024.

Run in partnership with the Metro Card Club and playing out in the Grand Ballroom of the prestigious Crowne Plaza Galleria the ten-day festival saw 1,268 unique entries from 54 combined countries and regions generate 8,406 total entries over 100 events (including satellites), with the players competing for a hefty PHP 350,124,235 (~USD 6,015,880) in prize money.

APT Manila Classic 2025 by the Numbers

The festival set thirteen tour country records for field size and prize pools, with the biggest draw of the series the PHP 60,000 APT Main Event which attracted a four-figure field and generated an eight-figure prize pool (USD seven-figure).

Other key events to set new tour country records for field size and prize pool included: Event #21: APT Super High Roller, Event #42: Baby Superstar Challenge, Event #63: Superstar Challenge, Event #64: Zodiac Classic - Sponsored by Natural8, Event #71: Mini Main Event, and Event #92: Micro Main Event – the latter of which you can read about in more detail below.

For a breakdown of prize money, player numbers, and records set during the festival you can view the APT Manila Classic 2025 Festival Breakdown by Prize Pool, Player Numbers & Records HERE

View a graphic of Event Breakdown by Prize Pool, GTD & First Prize HERE

View a graphic of Festival Prize Pool Percentage by Event HERE

Close to a fifth (18%) of the series prize money was awarded in the tour's largest-ever Philippines-based Main Event, which saw 1,202 entries (673 unique) from 47 countries & regions compete for the largest prize pool of the festival—a hefty PHP 61.6 million (~USD 1.05 million)—with Russia's Ivan Govorov taming the award-winning 24K Gold Lion APT Main Event trophy and walking away with the third-largest winner’s purse of the series.

For Main Event Breakdown by Country/Region please CLICK HERE with a graphic available HERE

It was Tobias Schwecht taming the Pewter Lion APT Super High Roller trophy and earning the lion’s share of the festival’s second-largest prize pool, which came in at a sizable PHP 44.7 million (~USD 769.5K), with the German player taking home the second-largest first place prize of the series – a impressive PHP 12,143,900 (~USD 208,660).

The tour's other signature event, the PHP 200,000 APT High Roller, generated the fourth largest prize pool of the festival—a respective PHP 21,945,600 (~USD 377,072)—with Japan’s Yohei Kitazato taming the Bronze Lion APT High Roller trophy and banking the fourth largest first-place prize of the series – a robust PHP 5,360,600 (~USD 92,100).

The PHP 1.5M Superstar Challenge, boasting the biggest buy-in on the schedule, generated the third-largest prize pool of PHP 29,791,125 (~USD 511,875), setting a new country prize pool record for the tournament, with Australia’s Matthew Wakeman winning the largest first-place prize of the series – a whopping PHP 12,512,125 (~USD 214,985)!

The PHP 100,000 Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8 was another record-breaker, drawing the tour’s largest Philippines-based field for this event and generating the festival’s fifth largest prize pool of PHP 19,699,200 (~USD 338,475), with Austria’s Matthias Lipp claiming the fifth largest winner’s purse of PHP 4,168,200 (~USD 71,620).

Japan’s Yohei Kitazato Tames Bronze Lion APT High Roller Trophy for PHP 5.3M (USD 92K) Payday

Yohei Kitazato earned a career-best score taming the APT High Roller Bronze Lion

Just 35 players out of a field of 127 entries returned for the Final Day of the PHP 200,000 APT High Roller to duke it out for a share of the PHP 21,945,600 (~USD 377,072) prize pool—the fourth largest of the festival—with the award-winning Bronze Lion APT High Roller trophy their eventual goal.

Of course, there was also the added incentive of the PHP 5,360,600 (~USD 92,100) top prize and TWD 350,000 (~USD 10,700) **APT Championship (APTC)** ticket for the eventual winner, and with only the top 17 places paid, competition for a spot in the paying positions was ferocious.

The action recommenced at 11:15am local time (GMT+8) on level 17 with blinds of 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 big blind ante and a shot clock in play from the start.

It took close to four 40-minute levels to reach the money, with the departure of South Korea’s **Seong Uk Huh** at the hands of France’s **Emilien Pitavy** guaranteeing the 17 remaining players a payout of at least PHP 335,000 (~USD 5,756).

It took a further three 40-minute levels to thin the field down to the final nine, with the tournament clock rolled back one level to grant all remaining players a 30 big blind average stack.

While it was Benjamin Jacobs who brought the chip lead into the final table, the US player was unable to convert it into the win, with Japan’s Yohei Kitazato hitting quads in an unexpected three-way pre-flop all in hand between Jacobs, Kitazato, and Germany’s Leon Sturm to power into the chip lead.

Kitazato ushered Jacobs to the rail the very next hand to bring over a two-to-one chip lead into the heads-up match against Sturm.

Leon Sturm and Yohei Kitazato battle for the Bronze Lion

While the experienced German player managed to seize the lead on the first hand of the confrontation Kitazato battled back, hitting the nut flush against Sturm’s flopped set of threes to edge back in front.

Four hands later it was all over, with Kitazato taming the Bronze Lion.

The 44-year-old publisher, who resides in Malaysia and learned poker from Japanese rockstar Gackt after a chance encounter on a plane, banked the largest cash of his poker career, in addition to claiming his maiden APT tournament title.

Kitazato admitted that it was the trophy that enticed him to play the APT Super High Roller tournament, and armed with his lucky cat card protector, he decided to try his luck.

"Every time when it comes APT there are so many good players, and when I try to bluff they always catch me. Especially in Philippines, there's Mike Takayama or Lester [Edoc]. I was in the same table with them in the different tournament and I was so amazed how they play. It became like a motivation; I want to fight with them," Kitazato stated in his post-match interview.

"Even at the final table I know my level of skill is low and what that means for poker, but you know, I have the luck and and the cat!"

“When it comes to heads up, even if anyone has better skill, they also need luck, right? And I have the luck, so I was not afraid,” Kitazato confided after his epic win.

Sturm looked like he enjoyed his final table experience and will not be unhappy with the PHP 3,624,000 (~USD 62,270) on offer for second place.

While Jacobs may have been unable to turn his final table chip lead into victory, the PHP 2,355,000 (~USD 40,465) third place prize represents the fourth largest cash of his thirteen-year playing career so the US player will not be too disappointed with the result.

APT HIGH ROLLER FINAL TABLE RESULTS

Matthew Belcher narrowly missed out on making a fourth final table showing of the series with the Brit banking PHP 437,000 for tenth place.

Other notables to make the money but come up short of the final table included former APT Super High Roller champion Thanisorn Saelor (11th for PHP 437,000), Lithuania’s Egidijus Digrys (12th for PHP 384,000), the UK’s Scott Margereson (13th for PHP 384,000), and Singapore’s Bao Qiang Ho (14th for 352,000).

For APT High Roller Final Day Player List please CLICK HERE

For APT High Roller Results please CLICK HERE

You can read about all high rolling action via the APT Blog, or follow all the action as it played out via the APT High Roller Final Day live stream.

All tournament information can be found on the APT High Roller - Final Day tournament page.

Hong Kong’s Jason Chau Wins Tour’s Largest Philippines-based Micro Main Event

Hong Kong’s Jason Chau claimed his maiden APT title in the record-breaking Micro Main Event

The trend of any APT tournament playing out in Manila containing the words ‘Main Event’ setting a new tour record continued for the second series in a row; the PHP 12,000 (~USD 200) Micro Main Event broke the previous record set during APT Manila 2024, attracting a 164-entry (127 unique) field.

This resulted in a PHP 1,662,566 (~USD 28,566) prize pool—the richest this event has ever generated in the country—with the action playing out over thirty-one 20-minute levels as players jockeyed for a place in the paying positions.

A total of 24 players made the money, with Canada’s Christian Lortie and the USA’s Gary Herstein chopping a min-cash between them.

However, it was Hong Kong’s Jason Chau who earned the largest slice of the prize pool pie, defeating the USA’s Feridoun Farboud heads-up to claim his maiden APT title, the Silver Lion silhouette trophy, and the PHP 387,566 (~USD 6,660) top prize – the second largest of his poker career to date.

Farboud collected PHP 262,000 (~USD 4,500) for his runner-up finish, with the Philippines Alexis Lim rounding out the winner’s podium and taking PHP 175,000 (~USD 3,000) for third place.

Local’s Renniel Galvez (4th for PHP 143,000), and Marco Espela (8th for PHP 48,000) also made the final table, with the top nine places paying out as follows:

MICRO MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE RESULTS

For Micro Main Event Player List please CLICK HERE

For Micro Main Event Results please CLICK HERE

All tournament information can be found on the Micro Main Event tournament page.