From Short Stack to Victory: Dakota Anderson Wins the 2026 GOP Manila Main Event
By Christian Zetzsche
Dakota Anderson - 2026 GOP Manila Main Event Winner
In the fifth edition of the Gods of Poker live poker series, a new champion has been crowned in the flagship 2026 GOP Manila Main Event here at the Grand Ballroom inside of the City of Dreams Manila Luxury Hotel Resort & Casino.
For the final day of the crown jewel on the schedule held in cooperation with the Soul Poker Club, 12 players out of a 383 entry-strong field returned to claim the biggest slices of the PHP 30 million guaranteed prize pool. Ultimately, it was Dakota Anderson who came out on top after a topsy-turvy final which spanned across more than 200 hands.
The American had already cashed in live events here in Manila all the way back in 2017 before his Hendon Mob resume went on a hiatus for seven years. You may guess where his next recorded result came to be: Right here in Manila, of course, in November 2025. Since then, three dozen cashes followed all over Asia and he reached a final table in Vietnam for his second-largest live poker score earlier this year.
That's until today when he grabbed the golden gauntlet and lifted it up in celebration after coming back from a major chip deficit in heads-up play against Joris Michl. The Dutchman was essentially on home turf because he resides in Manila for several years already but the only gauntlet that will be coming into his apartment after The Arena of Champions is the one of fellow countryman Tom Verbruggen, who won the Titan Stack High Roller on Day 6.
Anderson's top prize of PHP 6,304,500 ($101,322) represents nearly three times the previous best score according to The Hendon Mob and was visibly relieved and very emotional when the river card bricked for Michl. Once all the winner shots were done and the trolley for the gorgeous Main Event trophy arrived, he was actually flabbergasted for a moment.
"Dude, I get all that? This is by far the coolest thing I have ever won in my life," the American said and then left the room with a big smile on the face a few minutes later with "time to go home". During the next upcoming Gods of Poker live festivals, his winner banner will be on display.
Both finalists entered the nine-handed final table in the middle of the pack behind the local seasoned pros Lester Edoc and Marc Rivera, who ultimately finished in fourth and third place respectively. Edoc was the long-time chip leader but once Anderson doubled through him, the rapid downfall unfolded.
Final Table Result:
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (in PHP) | Prize (∼ in USD) |
| 1 | Dakota Anderson | United States | 6,304,500 | $101,322 |
| 2 | Joris Michl | Netherlands | 3,840,000 | $61,723 |
| 3 | Marc Rivera | Philippines | 2,600,100 | $41,798 |
| 4 | Lester Edoc | Philippines | 1,886,100 | $30,311 |
| 5 | John Matsuda | Japan | 1,436,700 | $23,089 |
| 6 | Aleksei Zhukov | Russia | 1,134,600 | $18,234 |
| 7 | Thanh Cao Nguyen | Vietnam | 921,900 | $14,815 |
| 8 | Dmitrii Belikov | Russia | 765,900 | $12,309 |
| 9 | Joven Huerto | Philippines | 648,300 | $10,419 |
Dakota Anderson (left) and Joris Michl (right)
Action of the Final Day
Sangjin An from South Korea returned with fewer than six big blinds and was the first player to bow out inside of the first ten minutes. He got it in with queen-nine against the king-six of Marc Rivera to hit the rail after both missed the board. Mc Yeldarb Mantos then jammed a suited queen from the small blind on the outer table and Joris Michl happily called with ace-king to recover some of the early losses against Lester Edoc.
That brought the field down to the last ten players on the final table bubble. Vietnam's Thanh Cao Nguyen doubled through Manoj Pentakota to get out of the danger zone and Aleksei Zhukov doubled through Edoc. Pentakota managed to triple once with his severe short stack but ultimately busted to set the stage for the grand finale.
Joven Huerto came into the final table as the shortest stack on just ten big blinds and became the first casualty when he got it in with ace-ten only to be looked up by John Matsuda, who prevailed with pocket kings to reduce the field by one. From there on, the shorter stacks evened out and that left two run-away chip leaders to slow down the action a lot.
Dmitrii Belikov doubled once but remained the shortest stack after two blind increases made proceedings more shallow for everyone but the duo atop the leaderboard. With the average dropping below 30 big blinds, Belikov found himself all-in once again with king-ten against the pocket tens of Michl and couldn't escape this time.
Dmitrii Belikov
Shortly thereafter, the Flying Dutchman picked up pocket aces and Nguyen ran right into them with ace-jack to be left drawing dead on the turn. When both found an ace to go with, Anderson doubled through Zhukov and the latter then busted right after to bow out in sixth place.
Michl had the chance to make it three knockouts in the span of half an hour when he picked up ace-queen against the king-queen of Matsuda. The flop came ace-ten high for top pair against a gutshot, the latter of which never came to send Matsuda to the rail and let Michl further ascend on the leaderboard.
Four-handed play become more active with many medium-sized pots being traded before it culminated in one clash. Anderson jammed ace-jack and Edoc eventually called with king-queen to shake up the leaderboard, all of a sudden Edoc was no longer in the commanding driver's seat that he had maintained all day long. Michl took the lead when Edoc paid off his ace-high flush and they went four-handed into the next break with Michl even further ahead after hitting top pair and two streets of value.
Lester Edoc
When they came back, Edoc was the shortest stack and he got those chips into the middle in the very first hand. His three-bet jam with king-queen was called by Michl with pocket sixes and they held to bring the field down to three with one commanding chip leader. Nothing much changed within half an hour until Michl's open raise was called twice and produced a king-nine high flop. Rivera had king-nine for top two and walked out of the door already when he got shown pocket kings for top set by the Dutchman.
Heads-up play was a cagey affair in which Anderson jammed many a times to keep his dominated stack afloat. When he was called the first time with top pair on the flop, Michl had a ton of equity with an open-ended straight and flush draw. Michl made an inferior pair on the turn and the river bricked. A couple of hands later, Michl was then the at-risk player with both players revealing top pair. There was a sweat with 15 outs on the turn but the river bricked to deny Michl another victory on the Asian live poker circuit.
Joris Michl
One more tournament day remains where the Player of the Series leaderboard will be decided. Martijn Gerrits is still the odds-on favourite to win his third leaderboard title after already having earned seven trophies during the festival so far.
Level 24:
250K/500K (500K BBA)Joris Michl Eliminated in 2nd Place for PHP 3,840,000 ($61,723)
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl - 2nd Place
At new blinds of 250,000-500,000/500,000, Joris Michl limped in the Q ♣️ 8 ♣️ and Dakota Anderson pushed all-in with the dominating A ♣️ J ♣️ to force a fold.
Anderson then limped in the next button and Michl checked to the 10 ♥️ 6 ♠️ 2 ♠️ flop. Michl check-raised from 500,000 to 1,500,000 and Anderson clicked it back to 5,000,000.
Michl went into the tank and then moved all-in, Anderson called.
Joris Michl: 10 ♦️ 5 ♠️
Dakota Anderson: K ♣️ 10 ♣️
Dakota Anderson and Joris Michl
Now it was Michl who was at risk and needed to improve on slim odds. He added many outs with the 3 ♠️ turn but the 15 outs never came on the 7 ♣️ river.
Both players shook hands before a very relieved and delighted Anderson grabbed the golden gauntlet, put it on and celebrated.
For Michl, he was denied the victory and had to settle for a consolation prize of PHP 3,840,000 ($61,723) one spot short of adding another trophy for the cabinet at home in Manila.
Level 23:
200K/400K (400K BBA)Anderson Pulls Ahead Some More
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl raised the K ♦️ 2 ♣️ to 900,000 and Dakota Anderson defended his 10 ♣️ 7 ♦️ to the 9 ♠️ 8 ♥️ 7 ♥️ flop which gave Anderson a pair and straight draw. They checked to the Q ♣️ turn on which Anderson bet 1,000,000 and Michl folded.
Two hands later, Michl limped the K ♦️ 2 ♦️ and called Anderson's raise to 1,600,000 with the A ♣️ J ♦️ . The ace came right away on the A ♥️ 8 ♥️ 6 ♦️ flop and Anderson's bet of 1,200,000 took it down.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Dakota Anderson | 31,000,000 |
| Joris Michl | 15,000,000 |
Level 23:
200K/400K (400K BBA)Anderson Dodges Many Outs to Double
By Christian Zetzsche
Dakota Anderson
Dakota Anderson had chipped up to around 15 million and raised the button to 800,000 after which Joris Michl defended the big blind.
On the 8 ♦️ 5 ♣️ 2 ♦️ flop, Michl checked and Anderson bet 1,000,000. Michl check-raised to 3,000,000 and Anderson then pushed all-in to get called for the first all-in and call in heads-up play.
Dakota Anderson: 10 ♦️ 8 ♣️
Joris Michl: 7 ♦️ 6 ♦️
Michl had a straight and flush draw, then added a pair to his outs on the 7 ♠️ turn.
The river was the J ♠️ and the stack sizes were flipped.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Dakota Anderson | 30,000,000 |
| Joris Michl | 16,000,000 |
Level 23:
200K/400K (400K BBA)Michl Stops The Bleeding
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl raised the A ♥️ K ♦️ for 800,000 and Dakota Anderson defended the 7 ♠️ 5 ♣️ to find middle pair on the 9 ♥️ 7 ♣️ 4 ♣️ flop. Anderson check-called 1,000,000 and the 7 ♦️ turn was checked by both.
Anderson didn't bet his trips on the Q ♣️ river and won no further chips from Michl who checked back.
Anderson found no value from kings in the big blind and then raised to 800,000 with the K ♥️ 6 ♥️ , Michl three-bet to 2,600,000 with the A ♣️ K ♣️ and Anderson peeled.
The 8 ♠️ 3 ♦️ 2 ♣️ flop saw Michl continue for 2,500,000 and Anderson folded.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 30,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 16,000,000 |
Level 23:
200K/400K (400K BBA)Favorable Flop for Anderson
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl limped in with the 7 ♣️ 6 ♥️ for Dakota Anderson to check back the J ♣️ 5 ♥️ in order to flop top and bottom on J ♦️ 7 ♥️ 5 ♣️ . Anderson check-raised from 500,000 to 1,700,000 and Michl stuck around with his second pair.
The K ♣️ came on the turn and Anderson's bet of 2,500,000 took down the pot.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 34,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 12,000,000 |
Level 23:
200K/400K (400K BBA)Showdown Pot for Michl To Bounce Back
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl
Joris Michl limped in with his Q ♣️ 9 ♣️ and Dakota Anderson opted to check the A ♦️ 4 ♥️ out of the big blind.
On the J ♥️ J ♠️ 10 ♦️ flop, Anderson check-called for 500,000 and they checked the 3 ♠️ turn. Michl checked behind the A ♣️ river to get shown the ace by Anderson.
Anderson limped the Q ♥️ 6 ♠️ and Michl's raise to 1,500,000 with A ♣️ 8 ♣️ shut down the American.
The next button saw Anderson limp the K ♠️ 10 ♣️ and Michl check back the 7 ♦️ 4 ♣️ . On the J ♣️ 5 ♥️ 4 ♦️ flop, Michl bet 400,000 and Anderson called. They checked the J ♦️ turn to the Q ♦️ river and Michl bet 800,000.
Anderson contemplated the call with king-high and did to get shown two pair.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 34,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 12,000,000 |
Level 23:
200K/400K (400K BBA)Anderson Picks Up A Nice Boost
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl limped the button with 4 ♥️ 3 ♦️ and then called a raise to 1,200,000 after Dakota Anderson bumped up his K ♥️ 10 ♦️ . They checked the A ♥️ K ♠️ 8 ♦️ flop to the 3 ♣️ turn and Anderson now bet 900,000, Michl called.
Nothing changed on the Q ♣️ river and Anderson grabbed into his stack before making it 4,500,000 to go for Michl to snap fold.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 33,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 13,000,000 |
Level 23:
200K/400K (400K BBA)Very Small Chip Changes
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl limped the J ♦️ 7 ♦️ and Dakota Anderson checked the 8 ♣️ 6 ♦️ to a flop of Q ♠️ J ♠️ J ♥️ after which Michl got no value out of his trips when he bet small.
Anderson raised the K ♦️ 6 ♣️ to 800,000 and Michl called with the slightly superior K ♣️ 9 ♦️ . Both whiffed the Q ♥️ 4 ♥️ 2 ♥️ flop and Michl check-folded to a bet of 800,000.
Michl's next raise to 900,000 came with the A ♥️ 6 ♠️ and Anderson called with the J ♣️ 5 ♣️ after which both checked the K ♠️ 4 ♦️ 4 ♥️ . Anderson checked the 2 ♠️ turn, Michl bet 80,000 and won the pot.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 36,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 10,000,000 |
Level 23:
200K/400K (400K BBA)
Dakota Anderson
Dakota Anderson limped the 10 ♦️ 8 ♥️ and then called a raise to 1,500,000 by Joris Michl, who had bumped it up with the 6 ♣️ 5 ♦️ .
On the Q ♠️ 8 ♦️ 2 ♦️ flop, Michl continued for 1,000,000 and Anderson jammed to shut down his opponent.
A rare limped pot produced the 9 ♥️ 6 ♦️ 6 ♣️ flop on which Anderson check-called for 400,000 with Q ♣️ 2 ♣️ when Michl bet his K ♣️ 8 ♣️ .
The 10 ♦️ turn was checked to the 6 ♠️ river on which both checked once more, king-high won the pot.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 35,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 11,000,000 |
Level 22:
150K/300K (300K BBA)Heads-Up Play Underway
By Christian Zetzsche
GOP Main Event Heads-Up
Heads-up play began with a button limp by Dakota Anderson with the A ♠️ 9 ♣️ and Joris Michl raised to 900,000 with the J ♣️ 10 ♣️ .
Anderson limp-jammed for 23 big blinds and Michl folded.
Michl then limped the 10 ♠️ 4 ♣️ and folded when Anderson jammed the K ♠️ Q ♣️ .
Anderson then raised to 600,000 with the K ♦️ 8 ♦️ and Michl defended the 10 ♣️ 4 ♣️ to the J ♣️ 9 ♣️ 3 ♣️ flop. Michl check-raised from 500,000 to 1,300,000 and instantly shut down Anderson.
After the hand, the blinds went up to 200,000-400,000/400,000.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 38,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 7,800,000 |
Level 22:
150K/300K (300K BBA)Marc Rivera Eliminated in 3rd Place for PHP 2,600,100 ($41,798)
By Christian Zetzsche
Marc Rivera - 3rd Place
Joris Michl raised the button to 600,000 with the K ♦️ K ♣️ and was called by Dakota Anderson in the small blind with the A ♣️ 6 ♣️ .
Marc Rivera made it three ways with K ♥️ 9 ♦️ from the big blind and the flop came K ♠️ 9 ♥️ :8s to spell disaster. It checked to Michl who bet 600,000 and Anderson folded.
Rivera check-jammed for 4,300,000 and was snapped off.
Once the cards were turned over, Rivera already shook Michl's hands and grabbed his belongings with a laugh. The back pack over his shoulder, Rivera was out of the doors of the Grand Ballroom even before the 3 ♥️ turn had him drawing dead prior to the J ♦️ on the river.
His third place comes with a payday of PHP 2,600,100 ($41,798) and there will now be an extended break prior to the heads-up duel. There will be three hands left at blinds of 150,000-300,000/300,000 and Anderson has 23 big blinds.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 38,875,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 6,975,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 0 |
Level 22:
150K/300K (300K BBA)The Jams Keep Coming
By Christian Zetzsche
Dakota Anderson
Joris Michl raised the button to 600,000 with the 8 ♦️ 2 ♣️ and Marc Rivera defended the J ♦️ 7 ♦️ to a flop of J ♠️ 8 ♣️ 4 ♦️ for top versus second pair. Rivera check-caleld 600,000 to the 9 ♦️ turn and they checked to the 6 ♥️ river.
Rivera bet 1,500,000 and Michl folded.
The next few minutes didn't bring much excitement and Michl carried on with his commanding lead.
Dakota Anderson then raised to 600,000 on the button holding the K ♦️ J ♥️ and Rivera three-bet to 1,800,000 with K ♣️ 4 ♣️ in the small blind.
Michl found the A ♣️ K ♥️ in the big blind and jammed, forcing two folds.
Michl opened the button to A ♣️ 7 ♠️ to 600,000 and Anderson jammed the A ♠️ K ♦️ in the small blind. Rivera folded the A ♦️ 3 ♦️ and Michl also let go.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 32,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 8,200,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 5,200,000 |
Level 22:
150K/300K (300K BBA)Rivera Jams Two Times
By Christian Zetzsche
Marc Rivera
Joris Michl raised to 600,000 with the 4 ♦️ 3 ♠️ and Marc Rivera defended the big blind holding the 6 ♦️ 5 ♥️ . On a flop of K ♦️ 6 ♠️ 2 ♦️ , Rivera checked and Michl bet 800,000. Rivera check-jammed for 4,300,000 and got it through.
Rivera made it 700,000 on the button with the A ♥️ 6 ♠️ and Dakota Anderson mulled it over with the K ♥️ 5 ♠️ to end up folding.
Michl's button raise then came with 8 ♠️ 6 ♣️ and Rivera defended 10 ♥️ 3 ♥️ to the 9 ♠️ 9 ♦️ 7 ♠️ flop. Rivera checked, Michl bet 600,000 and that ended the hand.
Rivera limped in next and Michl checked with the 9 ♥️ 8 ♣️ to the 8 ♦️ 6 ♦️ 4 ♣️ flop. Rivera check-raised from 400,000 to 1,300,000 and Michl stuck around with his top pair. The J ♠️ came on the turn and Rivera pushed all-in without his cards shown yet.
Michl asked for a count on the shove, which was for 4,800,000. No call followed and Rivera chipped up further.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 29,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 8,700,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 8,300,000 |
Level 22:
150K/300K (300K BBA)Lester Edoc Eliminated in 4th Place for PHP 1,886,100 ($30,311)
By Christian Zetzsche
Lester Edoc - 4th Place
In the first hand coming back from the break, Lester Edoc had 6.9 million for 23 big blinds at his disposal. He three-bet jammed them with two paint cards and button raiser Joris Michl called.
Lester Edoc: K ♦️ Q ♥️
Joris Michl: 6 ♥️ 6 ♦️
Edoc had a smile on the face throughout the A ♥️ A ♣️ 3 ♥️ A ♦️ 8 ♦️ board but couldn't catch on to depart in fourth place for PHP 1,886,100 ($30,311).
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 31,000,000 |
| Lester Edoc | 0 |
Level 21:
120K/240K (240K BBA)Edoc Jams Into the Break
By Christian Zetzsche
Marc Rivera opened to 500,000 on the button with the 8 ♥️ 7 ♦️ and Joris Michl in the small blind called holding the Q ♣️ 10 ♦️ . Lester Edoc then jammed from the big blind and got it through before they headed into a 15-minute break.
When they come back, the blinds will be 150,000-300,000/300,000 and Michl is now in the driver's seat.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 24,000,000 |
| Lester Edoc | 7,000,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 5,300,000 |
Level 21:
120K/240K (240K BBA)Michl's Lead Continues to Grow
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl
Marc Rivera opened to 500,000 from under the gun with the Q ♥️ 4 ♥️ and Joris Michl three-bet to 1,300,000 holding the 2 ♥️ 2 ♣️ on the button. Both blinds folded and so did Rivera.
Dakota Anderson opened the button with K ♥️ 6 ♥️ soon after for Michl to stick around with the 5 ♠️ 5 ♦️ in the big blind. The 5 ♥️ 4 ♦️ 3 ♣️ flop was checked to the A ♣️ turn on which Michl's bet of 600,000 was called.
Thanks to the A ♦️ river, Michl improved to a full house and he fired a bet of 2,500,000. Anderson sighed, mulled it over and folded while Michl raked in the chips with a smirk on the face.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 24,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 10,000,000 |
Level 21:
120K/240K (240K BBA)Michl Jams Into Edoc
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl made it 750,000 to go from the small blindf with the A ♥️ 10 ♣️ and Lester Edoc in the big blind called with the 3 ♦️ 3 ♣️ to see a flop of A ♦️ K ♠️ 7 ♥️ roll off.
Michl bet 650,000 and Edoc stuck around to the 2 ♠️ turn. The 2 ♠️ turn saw Michl fire a bet of 1,600,000 and Edoc was a non-believer to see the 6 ♥️ on the river.
Michl moved all-in and Edoc finally gave up the pot, parting with a big portion of his stack.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 22,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 12,000,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 6,900,000 |
| Lester Edoc | 5,900,000 |
Level 21:
120K/240K (240K BBA)Anderson Rivers a Wheel on Michl
By Christian Zetzsche
Dakota Anderson
Dakota Anderson opened the button to 500,000 with A ♥️ 4 ♠️ and Joris Michl in the big blind called with the 8 ♦️ 6 ♠️ in the big blind. The 9 ♦️ 5 ♥️ 2 ♠️ flop was checked by both and Michl bet the K ♦️ turn for 450,000, Anderson called.
On the 3 ♥️ river, Anderson hit the wheel and Michl bet 900,000. Anderson riffled his T-500,000 placques before he raised to 2,600,000 and Michl snap-folded.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 15,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 13,000,000 |
Level 21:
120K/240K (240K BBA)Michl Takes Over the Lead from Edoc
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl
Joris Michl raised to 500,000 with the A ♦️ 5 ♦️ first to act and Lester Edoc three-bet to 1,500,000 on the button with A ♥️ 3 ♥️ . Both blinds folded and Michl called to get the nut flush draw on the K ♠️ 7 ♦️ 4 ♦️ flop. Edoc checked behind to the 7 ♥️ turn on which both checked again.
The 3 ♦️ came on the river for Michl to improve to the ace-high flush. He bet 2,400,000 into a pot of 3,600,000 and Edoc used one of his time bank extensions before double checking his cards.
One more time bank followed and Edoc then called to see Michl take over the lead.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 16,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 12,000,000 |
| Lester Edoc | 11,000,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 7,300,000 |
Level 21:
120K/240K (240K BBA)Anderson Double Puts a Dagger in Edoc's Stack
By Christian Zetzsche
Dakota Anderson
In a limped battle of the blinds, Joris Michl was in the small blind with A ♥️ 2 ♦️ and Lester Edoc had the 10 ♥️ 3 ♦️ in the big blind. They checked to the K ♦️ Q ♣️ 8 ♣️ 3 ♠️ turn on which Michl check-called 300,000. They checked the 6 ♠️ river and Edoc won the pot.
Edoc was in the big blind in the next hand and opened to 600,000 . Dakota Anderson jammed for 5.9 million and Edoc gave it some thought before he called.
Dakota Anderson: A ♣️ J ♦️
Lester Edoc: K ♣️ Q ♠️
The 9 ♠️ 6 ♣️ 2 ♦️ 2 ♠️ 9 ♦️ board awarded the double to Anderson.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 15,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 12,000,000 |
Level 21:
120K/240K (240K BBA)Top Pair Meets Top Pair
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl opened to 500,000 with the A ♦️ J ♣️ and Lester Edoc on the button flatted A ♠️ 6 ♠️ to the A ♥️ Q ♥️ 4 ♥️ flop that was checked through. Both also checked the 9 ♠️ turn to the 2 ♦️ river on which Michl bet 625,000.
Edoc called and lost some of his chip lead.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 20,000,000 |
| Joris Michl | 11,000,000 |
Level 21:
120K/240K (240K BBA)Four-Handed Play Carries On
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl opened to 500,000 from under the gun with the A ♣️ 3 ♠️ and Marc Rivera called with the J ♠️ 8 ♣️ , missed the K ♠️ 10 ♥️ 3 ♦️ flop and folded to a bet.
Lester Edoc then opened the action to 500,000 with A ♥️ 3 ♥️ and folded when Michl three-bet big to 1.7 million with the K ♠️ K ♣️ .
Dakota Anderson joined the action with a raise to 500,000 holding the A ♦️ 9 ♥️ and Michl flatted the Q ♦️ 10 ♠️ from the small, Edoc did so with 8 ♣️ 3 ♥️ in the big. They checked the J ♦️ 5 ♥️ 2 ♣️ flop to the 4 ♠️ turn. Edoc bet 700,000 and that won the pot right there.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 21,000,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 9,600,000 |
| Joris Michl | 9,200,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 6,500,000 |
Rivera Continues to Trap With Premiums
By Christian Zetzsche
Marc Rivera
Joris Michl raised to 500,000 when the blinds moved up holding the Q ♣️ J ♣️ from under the gun. Marc Rivera just flatted the K ♠️ K ♣️ in the big blind and they checked the 9 ♣️ 7 ♣️ 7 ♠️ flop to the 10 ♠️ turn.
Rivera checked his over pair again and Michl bet 700,000 with the straight and flush draw. Rivera then check-raised to 2,000,000 after short deliberation.
Michl pondered about his next move for a few seconds and opted to flat-call with the combo draw.
There was another black card with the 5 ♠️ river and Rivera used a time bank extension before he bet 2,500,000, Michl folded.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 9,900,000 |
| Joris Michl | 9,400,000 |
Level 20:
100K/200K (200K BBA)Edoc Pulls Further Ahead of the Pack
By Christian Zetzsche
Lester Edoc
Marc Rivera raised the button with the Q ♠️ J ♥️ for 500,000 and was called by Lester Edoc with the K ♠️ 10 ♦️ , after which both had a piece of the J ♠️ 10 ♠️ 6 ♣️ flop.
Edoc check-called for 500,000 and then led the K ♥️ turn for 1,200,000 with his two pair. Rivera called with the second pair and straight draw, both then checked the 6 ♠️ river for Edoc to further increase his lead.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 20,000,000 |
| Joris Michl | 11,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 7,600,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 7,000,000 |
Level 20:
100K/200K (200K BBA)Michl Doesn't Fire the River Part II
By Christian Zetzsche
Marc Rivera limped the small blind with the K ♥️ 9 ♠️ and Joris Michl checked the 10 ♥️ 8 ♠️ flop to the A ♠️ Q ♦️ 9 ♦️ flop. Rivera check-called for 300,000 and checked the 3 ♠️ turn.
Michl opted for a second barrel worth 1,100,000 for nearly the full pot size, which Rivera called.
The 2 ♠️ came on the river and Rivera checked the third street in a row. Michl gave up and checked behind to see both players get closer on the leaderboard again.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 11,000,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 9,900,000 |
Level 20:
100K/200K (200K BBA)John Matsuda Eliminated in 5th Place for PHP 1,436,700 ($23,089)
By Christian Zetzsche
John Matsuda - 5th Place
Out of the small blind, Lester Edoc raised to 500,000 with just 4 ♥️ 2 ♣️ and John Matsuda defended 9 ♦️ 6 ♣️ from the big blind. Both checked the J ♦️ 10 ♥️ 5 ♣️ flop to the 3 ♥️ turn.
Edoc had an open ender and bet 800,000, Matsuda snap-folded.
Matsuda was down to 3.2 million and in the small blind next, which he three-bet jammed. Initial raiser Joris Michl went all-in over the top and button caller Edoc folded the 10 ♣️ 6 ♣️ .
John Matsuda: K ♦️ Q ♥️
Joris Michl: A ♠️ Q ♦️
The A ♣️ 10 ♦️ 3 ♣️ 4 ♠️ 5 ♠️ runout kept Michl ahead and his third knockout in just over half an hour propelled the Dutchman into a comfortable second place.
Matsuda's run ended in fifth place for PHP 1,436,700 ($23,089).
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 17,000,000 |
| Joris Michl | 12,000,000 |
| John Matsuda | 0 |
Level 20:
100K/200K (200K BBA)Top Pair no Good for Michl
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl
Joris Michl made it 500,000 to go with the A ♦️ 10 ♥️ and Lester Edoc called with the K ♥️ 8 ♣️ in the big blind. The 10 ♠️ 7 ♥️ 6 ♣️ flop saw Michl bet 600,000 and Edoc called.
They headed to the 4 ♣️ turn and both now checked to see the 9 ♠️ on the river, which improved Edoc. Michl was the one to bet for 800,000 and Edoc raised to 2,500,000, Michl snap-folded his top pair.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 16,000,000 |
| Joris Michl | 8,900,000 |
Level 20:
100K/200K (200K BBA)Who Is Trapping Who?
By Christian Zetzsche
Marc Rivera
Joris Michl raised to 400,000 from the cutoff with the K ♥️ 7 ♦️ and Lester Edoc clicked it up to 1,200,000 with the A ♦️ K ♦️ for Michl to fold.
A few hands later, Marc Rivera limped with the Q ♦️ Q ♣️ in the small blind. Michl in the big blind trapped with checking the K ♠️ K ♣️ and they headed to the 9 ♣️ 8 ♠️ 4 ♣️ flop.
Rivera bet 200,000 and Michl raised to 600,000 for his opponent to call.
On the 3 ♥️ turn, Rivera check-called for 750,000 and that led them to the A ♠️ on the river which could potentially kill the action.
Rivera opted to lead for 1,100,000 via block bet and Michl called to win the pot, as both players smirked about the hand.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 11,000,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 8,700,000 |
Level 20:
100K/200K (200K BBA)Aleksei Zhukov Eliminated in 6th Place for PHP 1,134,600 ($18,234)
By Christian Zetzsche
Aleksei Zhukov - 6th Place
Dakota Anderson raised to 400,000 in the cutoff and Aleksei Zhukov in the big blind gave it some thought before he three-bet jammed only to get snap-called by Anderson for 4,400,000.
Dakota Anderson: A ♥️ K ♦️
Aleksei Zhukov: A ♣️ 7 ♣️
The K ♠️ 6 ♠️ 3 ♣️ flop left Zhukov on very little equity and the 3 ♠️ turn as well as the J ♦️ river left Zhukov on a fraction of a blind with only 20,000 left.
Zhukov was forced all-in from the small blind with the A ♦️ 8 ♥️ and Marc Rivera raised the cutoff with the A ♣️ J ♥️ in the cutoff to 400,000, Lester Edoc called in the big blind as well with the 9 ♣️ 5 ♣️ .
The 10 ♦️ 7 ♠️ 3 ♥️ A ♠️ turn saw Rivera bet 400,000 and Edoc got out of the way.
Zhukov needed an eight but already had the back pack on prior to the 10 ♣️ river, which ended his run in sixth place. That came with a payday of PHP 1,134,600 ($18,234) for the efforts.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 14,000,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 9,400,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 9,100,000 |
| Joris Michl | 8,600,000 |
| John Matsuda | 5,700,000 |
| Aleksei Zhukov | 0 |
Level 20:
100K/200K (200K BBA)Thanh Cao Nguyen Eliminated in 7th Place for PHP 921,900 ($14,815)
By Christian Zetzsche
Thanh Cao Nguyen - 7th Place
Joris Michl raised to 400,000 on the button and instantly called when Thanh Cao Nguyen three-bet jammed his short stack of 2,700,000 from the big blind.
Thanh Cao Nguyen: A ♥️ J ♣️
Joris Michl: A ♦️ A ♣️
The Q ♥️ 8 ♣️ 4 ♣️ 8 ♠️ 8 ♦️ runout left Nguyen drawing dead on the turn and Michl notched up his second elimination in short order to further climb up on the leaderboard.
Nguyen was eliminated in seventh place for PHP 921,900 ($14,815).
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 7,200,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 0 |
Level 20:
100K/200K (200K BBA)Dmitrii Belikov Eliminated in 8th Place for PHP 765,900 ($12,309).
By Christian Zetzsche
Dmitrii Belikov - 8th Place
Marc Rivera raised to 400,000 from under the gun with the A ♠️ J ♦️ and Dakota Anderson found the A ♥️ A ♣️ in the big blind to three-bet to 1,200,000. Having barely been involved in the action on the final table so far, Anderson didn't get any further action as Rivera folded.
Dmitrii Belikov then jammed for the last 820,000 with the K ♣️ 10 ♦️ and Rivera folded the K ♦️ 5 ♦️ in the big blind.
Joris Michl was in the big blind with the 10 ♥️ 10 ♣️ and instantly called.
The Q ♥️ 8 ♥️ 5 ♥️ 3 ♣️ 6 ♦️ runout ended the short stack grind of Belikov in eighth place for PHP 765,900 ($12,309).
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 3,300,000 |
| Dmitrii Belikov | 0 |
Level 20:
100K/200K (200K BBA)Matsuda and Edoc Meet Twice
By Christian Zetzsche
Lester Edoc
John Matsuda opened to 400,000 with the A ♣️ Q ♣️ from under the gun and Lester Edoc with the 4 ♥️ 3 ♣️ called in the big blind. Both had a pair on the Q ♥️ 3 ♦️ 2 ♣️ flop and Edoc check-called for 325,000.
The 9 ♥️ turn saw Edoc check again and Matsuda now bet 1,300,000 to take it down.
Edoc then limped the K ♦️ 9 ♦️ in the next hand and Matsuda checked the 10 ♣️ 7 ♦️ to the J ♣️ 9 ♣️ 5 ♦️ flop. Edoc check-called for 270,000 and the 4 ♦️ turn gave Edoc even more equity.
Edoc checked the second street in a row and Matsuda bet 360,000 this time. Edoc came along to the J ♥️ on the river and Edoc checked for the third time. Matsuda pulled the trigger with a third small barrel for 425,000 and was snap-called to give the chips back to Edoc.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 14,000,000 |
| John Matsuda | 6,500,000 |
Level 20:
100K/200K (200K BBA)Two Shoves Work for Nguyen
By Christian Zetzsche
Thanh Cao Nguyen got a shove through with the K ♥️ Q ♥️ as Joris Michl folded the A ♣️ 9 ♣️ in the small blind.
Aleksei Zhukov raised to 500,000 in the small blind with the 5 ♠️ 4 ♣️ and then folded when Nguyen jammed the A ♥️ 9 ♠️ in the big blind.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Aleksei Zhukov | 5,900,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 3,000,000 |
| Joris Michl | 2,400,000 |
Level 20:
100K/200K (200K BBA)Action Resumes for Level 20
By Christian Zetzsche
Several players have dropped into the danger zone with the new blinds of 100,000-200,000/200,000 and the updated counts of the final eight players can be found below.
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
| 1 | Dakota Anderson | United States | 4,500,000 | 23 |
| 2 | Marc Rivera | Philippines | 10,000,000 | 50 |
| 3 | Joris Michl | Netherlands | 2,400,000 | 12 |
| 5 | Aleksei Zhukov | Russia | 6,800,000 | 34 |
| 6 | Thanh Cao Nguyen | Vietnam | 2,000,000 | 10 |
| 7 | Dmitrii Belikov | Russia | 1,300,000 | 7 |
| 8 | Lester Edoc | Philippines | 13,000,000 | 65 |
| 9 | John Matsuda | Japan | 6,500,000 | 33 |
Level 19:
80K/160K (160K BBA)Zhukov Hits a Full House Against Rivera
By Christian Zetzsche
Aleksei Zhukov
Lested Edoc popped it up to 325,000 with the 6 ♥️ 6 ♦️ in the hijack and Marc Rivera in the small blind three-bet to 900,000 holding the J ♥️ J ♦️ for the superior pocket pair and dominating suits.
Edoc used a rare time extension and opted to fold.
Joris Michl limped in the 5 ♥️ 3 ♥️ from the small blind next and folded when Aleksei Zhukov jammed the A ♦️ 2 ♥️ from the big blind.
A few hands later, John Matsuda was under the gun and his 9 ♦️ 9 ♥️ warranted a raise to 325,000. Dmitrii Belikov in the small blind folded the 5 ♠️ 5 ♦️ as the shortest stack whereas Edoc called with the 4 ♥️ 3 ♥️ in the big blind.
The A ♣️ J ♠️ 10 ♦️ flop was checked by Edoc, Matsuda gave him a brief stare and bet 260,000 to win the pot.
Marc Rivera then opened to 325,000 and Zhukov three-bet to 800,000 with Q ♠️ Q ♦️ , Rivera quickly called with his J ♠️ 9 ♠️ when it had folded back to him.
The K ♥️ K ♠️ 8 ♠️ flop provided the flush draw for the big stack and he checked. Zhukov bet 425,000 and Rivera check-raised to 1,100,000. Zhukov wasn't folding just yet and the K ♦️ on the turn gave him the check mark.
Rivera checked and Zhukov checked back to the 6 ♥️ river. Rivera checked again and Zhukov used a time bank extension before he checked back to win a healthy pot.
After the hand, the remaining eight players went on a scheduled 15-minute break.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 12,000,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 10,000,000 |
| Aleksei Zhukov | 6,800,000 |
| John Matsuda | 6,800,000 |
| Joris Michl | 2,500,000 |
Level 19:
80K/160K (160K BBA)Nguyen Loses to Edoc and Zhukov
By Christian Zetzsche
Thanh Cao Nguyen made it 325,000 to go from the button with the K ♣️ Q ♣️ and Lester Edoc called with the 10 ♣️ 9 ♥️ in the big blind. The A ♠️ A ♥️ 4 ♥️ flop was checked by Edoc, who then called a continuation bet of 160,000 only.
Edoc paired the 9 ♦️ turn and checked again, as did Nguyen. The 2 ♣️ came on the river and Edoc bet 650,000, Nguyen opted to fold.
Aleksei Zhukov made it 320,000 to go with the A ♣️ K ♠️ and Nguyen three-bet the A ♦️ J ♥️ to 700,000 in the cutoff. Zhukov then moved all-in and Nguyen was forced to surrender.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 13,000,000 |
| Aleksei Zhukov | 4,400,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 2,400,000 |
Level 19:
80K/160K (160K BBA)Superior Kicker for Nguyen
By Christian Zetzsche
Thanh Cao Nguyen
Lester Edoc raised to 325,000 with the Q ♣️ 10 ♣️ and Thanh Cao Nguyen in the big blind flat-called with the K ♣️ Q ♥️ . They checked to the Q ♦️ J ♥️ 7 ♣️ A ♣️ 3 ♦️ river on which Nguyen bet 160,000.
Edoc raised to 450,000 and Nguyen had to mull it over for a short while before he called to win the pot.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 12,000,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 3,600,000 |
Level 19:
80K/160K (160K BBA)All In and a Chop!
By Christian Zetzsche
Dmitrii Belikov and Lester Edoc
Dmitrii Belikov jammed for around 1.5 million with the A ♣️ 8 ♣️ and was isolated by Lester Edoc on the button with the A ♦️ 8 ♠️ .
The Q ♠️ 5 ♥️ 2 ♠️ 3 ♣️ 9 ♠️ runout provided the split pot.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 13,000,000 |
| Dmitrii Belikov | 1,700,000 |
Level 19:
80K/160K (160K BBA)Edoc Gets Away From Top Pair
By Christian Zetzsche
Lester Edoc
Marc Rivera opened to 325,000 from an early position with the A ♣️ K ♣️ and fellow big stack Lester Edoc defended K ♥️ Q ♦️ in the big blind for both to flop top pair on K ♠️ 7 ♣️ 2 ♦️ . Edoc check-called for 300,000 and checked the 2 ♣️ turn, Rivera bet 700,000 and Edoc got away from it to avoid further damage.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 13,000,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 11,000,000 |
Level 19:
80K/160K (160K BBA)Two in a Row for Matsuda
By Christian Zetzsche
John Matsuda
John Matsuda opened to 325,000 with the A ♦️ Q ♦️ to pick up calls from Dakota Anderson in the hijack with the 9 ♥️ 9 ♣️ and Thanh Cao Nguyen, who defended the 7 ♠️ 6 ♦️ in the big blind. The Q ♥️ 8 ♦️ 4 ♦️ flop was all Matsuda and he bet 230,000 when checked to.
Anderson folded and Nguyen then had other plans with a check-raise to 700,000. Matsuda called and further improved to trips on the Q ♣️ turn. They both checked to the 4 ♥️ river on which Nguyen eyeballed the stack of his opponent for a few seconds.
He fired a bet of 1,200,000 and kissed those chips goodbye shortly after when Mastsuda pushed all-in.
Lester Edoc then raised to 320,000 with the A ♣️ 3 ♣️ and Matsuda three-bet to 825,000 with the A ♠️ A ♦️ to win the next pot uncontested.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 13,000,000 |
| John Matsuda | 6,400,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 4,400,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 2,900,000 |
Level 19:
80K/160K (160K BBA)Belikov Doubles Through Rivera
By Christian Zetzsche
Dmitrii Belikov
Marc Rivera opened to 320,000 and then called the all-in of Dmitrii Belikov for only 690,000 total.
Dmitrii Belikov: A ♣️ 3 ♥️
Marc Rivera: K ♦️ 9 ♠️
The J ♣️ 10 ♦️ 5 ♦️ 2 ♣️ A ♦️ runout gave Belikov top pair and he held on for the double.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 11,000,000 |
| Dmitrii Belikov | 1,600,000 |
Level 19:
80K/160K (160K BBA)Top Pair for Nguyen
By Christian Zetzsche
Thanh Cao Nguyen
Early into the new blind level, Lester Edoc opened to 325,000 with the 10 ♥️ 10 ♣️ and was called by John Matsuda with the K ♦️ Q ♣️ and Thanh Cao Nguyen in the big blind, who had the A ♣️ 9 ♥️ .
They checked the A ♦️ J ♦️ 5 ♥️ flop to the 5 ♠️ turn. Nguyen bet his top pair for 275,000 and forced one fold whereas Matsuda stuck around. The 2 ♣️ river changed nothing and Nguyen bet 500,000 to force out Matsuda.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 14,000,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 5,300,000 |
| John Matsuda | 2,900,000 |
Level 18:
60K/120K (120K BBA)Michl Loses to Edoc and Rivera
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl made it 275,000 to go with the 6 ♥️ 6 ♣️ and Lester Edoc only called in the big blind with the A ♣️ Q ♣️ . The A ♠️ K ♣️ 9 ♣️ flop saw Edoc with top pair and the nut flush draw check, Michl bet the same 275,000 and Edoc called.
That led them to the 2 ♣️ turn on which Edoc now led for 275,000 and won the pot without resistance.
Michl then opened to 250,000 with the A ♣️ K ♥️ first to act. Marc Rivera was in the big blind with the A ♠️ 8 ♥️ and called. Both checked the 7 ♦️ 6 ♥️ 5 ♥️ flop to the 2 ♠️ turn. Rivera now bet 200,000 and Michl laid down his hand.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 14,000,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 12,000,000 |
| Joris Michl | 3,500,000 |
Level 18:
60K/120K (120K BBA)Flop Bet Win for Michl
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl
Marc Rivera made it 240,000 to go with the J ♦️ 10 ♣️ in the hijack and Joris Michl flat-called one seat over holding the K ♣️ Q ♠️ to spike top pair on the Q ♦️ 7 ♠️ 3 ♠️ flop. Rivera checked to Michl who bet 300,000 and took it down.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 13,000,000 |
| Marc Rivera | 12,000,000 |
| Joris Michl | 4,300,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 4,300,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 4,200,000 |
| John Matsuda | 3,800,000 |
| Aleksei Zhukov | 3,600,000 |
| Dmitrii Belikov | 610,000 |
Level 18:
60K/120K (120K BBA)More for Nguyen and Matsuda
By Christian Zetzsche
Thanh Cao Nguyen
Thanh Cao Nguyen pushed all-in for 1.3 million with the A ♦️ 8 ♦️ in the hijack and Dmitrii Belikov folded the 7 ♥️ 7 ♦️ in the cutoff.
Lester Edoc called on the button with the 6 ♠️ 6 ♥️ and Dakota Anderson in the big blind stared down at A ♥️ Q ♣️ , after which he called as well.
The stream went black and came back to Nguyen having tripled up.
John Matsuda then opened to 250,000 with the 10 ♠️ 10 ♦️ and Anderson called with the A ♦️ 10 ♣️ as did Joris Michl in the big blind with the 7 ♥️ 7 ♦️ to see a flop of Q ♠️ Q ♣️ 5 ♦️ . It was Anderson who bet 250,000 and picked up two callers to the J ♥️ turn.
This time, everyone checked and the 9 ♣️ fell on the river. Michl checked again and so did Matsuda. Anderson gave it some thought but checked behind for Matsuda to win the pot.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 13,000,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 4,900,000 |
| Joris Michl | 4,100,000 |
| John Matsuda | 3,800,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 3,700,000 |
| Dmitrii Belikov | 850,000 |
Level 18:
60K/120K (120K BBA)Down and Up for Edoc
By Christian Zetzsche
Lester Edoc
Lester Edoc opened to 240,000 with the 3 ♦️ 3 ♥️ and Marc Rivera flat-called in the hijack holding the superior pocket pair in 8 ♥️ 8 ♦️ while everyone else folded.
The 10 ♥️ 5 ♥️ 4 ♦️ flop saw Edoc check-fold to a bet of 300,000.
John Matsuda then opened the A ♠️ Q ♦️ from under the gun and Edoc defended his A ♥️ 3 ♥️ to flop best ton K ♥️ K ♦️ 3 ♠️ . Edoc check-called for 140,000 and added a flush draw on the 8 ♥️ turn to check again, Matsuda checked back.
The 9 ♦️ came on the river and both checked for Edoc to win the pot.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 13,000,000 |
| John Matsuda | 4,300,000 |
Level 18:
60K/120K (120K BBA)Joven Huerto Eliminated in 9th Place for PHP 648,300 ($10,419)
By Christian Zetzsche
Joven Huerto - 9th Place
John Matsuda opened to 250,000 and instantly called the shove by Joven Huerto for only 705,000 total.
Joven Huerto: A ♠️ 10 ♠️
John Matsuda: K ♠️ K ♦️
The suited ace for the far shortest stack found just an inferior pair on the Q ♠️ 4 ♦️ 2 ♣️ 8 ♦️ 10 ♣️ runout and that spelled the end for Huerto in ninth place. He takes home PHP 648,300 ($10,419) for his efforts.
| Player | Chip Count |
| John Matsuda | 4,700,000 |
| Joven Huerto | 0 |
Level 18:
60K/120K (120K BBA)Michl Doesn't Fire the River
By Christian Zetzsche
Dakota Anderson raised to 250,000 with the A ♦️ 2 ♣️ on the button for Joris Michl to come along in the big blind holding the Q ♣️ 8 ♥️ . Once they checked the 6 ♠️ 5 ♠️ 5 ♥️ flop to the 2 ♠️ turn, Michl bet 360,000 and Anderson stuck around after some consideration.
Michl gave up on the 10 ♣️ river and checked, Anderson checked behind to win the pot.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Dakota Anderson | 6,500,000 |
| Joris Michl | 5,100,000 |
Level 18:
60K/120K (120K BBA)Matsuda Four-Bets Anderson
By Christian Zetzsche
John Matsuda
John Matsuda opened to 250,000 with the A ♠️ Q ♠️ on the button and Dakota Anderson three-bet 700,000 out of the small blind holding the K ♦️ 10 ♥️ . Matsuda then four-bet to 2,500,000 with 265,000 behind and Anderson gave it some showtime in the camera spotlight before he folded.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Dakota Anderson | 5,700,000 |
| John Matsuda | 3,700,000 |
Level 18:
60K/120K (120K BBA)Soon after the restart, the blinds went up and Thanh Cao Nguyen got a shove through with A ♦️ K ♥️ as Matsuda laid down the 5 ♦️ 5 ♣️ .
Marc Rivera then raised to 275,000 with the A ♦️ 9 ♥️ and Dakota Anderson called with the 8 ♣️ 7 ♥️ in the big blind. Both missed the Q ♠️ 5 ♣️ 2 ♣️ flop and Rivera collected the pot with a continuation bet.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 11,000,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 6,400,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 1,600,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Final Table Chip Counts and Draw
By Christian Zetzsche
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GOP Main Event Final Table
There will be just over two minutes left at blinds of 50,000-100,000/100,000 when the action for the final nine players resumes before they go up right away to 60,000-120,000/120,000.
Below are the new seat assignments and updated counts of the final nine players.
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
| 1 | Dakota Anderson | United States | 6,370,000 | 64 |
| 2 | Marc Rivera | Philippines | 9,085,000 | 91 |
| 3 | Joris Michl | Netherlands | 5,790,000 | 58 |
| 4 | Joven Huerto | Philippines | 1,005,000 | 10 |
| 5 | Aleksei Zhukov | Russia | 3,430,000 | 34 |
| 6 | Thanh Cao Nguyen | Vietnam | 2,685,000 | 27 |
| 7 | Dmitrii Belikov | Russia | 1,830,000 | 18 |
| 8 | Lester Edoc | Philippines | 12,645,000 | 126 |
| 9 | John Matsuda | Japan | 3,065,000 | 31 |
As of the final table, each level will be playing 30 minutes until a winner has been crowned.
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Manoj Pentakota Eliminated in 10th Place for PHP 532,800
By Christian Zetzsche
Manoj Pentakota - 10th Place
Thanh Cao Nguyen raised to 250,000 from under the gun and Manoj Pentakota defended the big blind with only 530,000 behind.
On the A ♣️ Q ♠️ 6 ♣️ flop, Pentakota checked and Nguyen bet 150,000.
After a brief tank, Pentakota moved all-in and Nguyen called instantly.
Manoj Pentakota: Q ♥️ 9 ♥️
Thanh Cao Nguyen: A ♥️ 9 ♦️
Pentakota was in bad shape and needed a miracle queen to survive. The 5 ♣️ turn and 9 ♣️ river changed nothing as queens and nines ended up second best. Pentakota departed in 10th place for PHP 532,800.
The final nine players are now on an extended break of around 45 minutes.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 2,500,000 |
| Manoj Pentakota | 0 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Rivera Leaves Nguyen Shorter Again
By Christian Zetzsche
Thanh Cao Nguyen opened to 250,000 from the cutoff with the A ♣️ K ♥️ and Marc Rivera in the big blind came along holding the 6 ♥️ 5 ♦️ to the 4 ♦️ 4 ♠️ 2 ♠️ flop.
Rivera check-raised from 150,000 to 550,000 only for Nguyen to click it back to a smooth million. Rivera opted to call and improved on the 6 ♣️ turn. Nguyen checked back to the 2 ♥️ river and paid off a single big blind on the river to get shown the bad news.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 9,100,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 1,600,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Matsuda Has the Right Moves
By Christian Zetzsche
John Matsuda
John Matsuda raised to 200,000 from under the gun with the A ♥️ 9 ♠️ and Marc Rivera in the cutoff three-bet to 650,000 with A ♦️ 10 ♥️ . Thanh Cao Nguyen reluctantly folded the 8 ♠️ 8 ♦️ in the small blind whereas Matsuda mulled it over and then four-bet to 2,300,000 with 340,000 behind.
Rivera folded and Matsuda won the pot with the least strong hand involved.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 7,700,000 |
| John Matsuda | 3,200,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 3,000,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Anderson Gets Rivera to Fold
By Christian Zetzsche
Dakota Anderson
Dakota Anderson made it 200,000 to go from the button with the A ♦️ 6 ♦️ and was called by Marc Rivera in the big blind who had the J ♠️ 7 ♦️ . The latter checked the 10 ♦️ 9 ♦️ 3 ♣️ flop and Anderson bet 250,000 with his nut flush draw, Rivera called with the gutshot.
On the Q ♠️ turn, Rivera checked again and Anderson bet 500,000 this time. That was enough to force out Rivera.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 8,400,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 6,200,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Pentakota Triples His Short Stack
By Christian Zetzsche
Marc Rivera and Manoj Pentakota and Thanh Cao Nguyen
Marc Rivera raised to 250,000 from under the gun with the 10 ♥️ 2 ♥️ and Manoj Pentakota jammed the cutoff for 385,000 with the A ♥️ 9 ♦️ which Thanh Cao Nguyen called holding the K ♥️ Q ♦️ on the button. Rivera also called and they checked down the J ♣️ 7 ♦️ 6 ♣️ 9 ♠️ 7 ♠️ board for Pentakota to triple up.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 9,000,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 2,800,000 |
| Manoj Pentakota | 1,400,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Rivera Barrels Out Anderson
By Christian Zetzsche
Marc Rivera
Marc Rivera raised to 200,000 with the 9 ♥️ 3 ♣️ on the button and was called by Dakota Anderson in the big blind with the K ♦️ J ♥️ .
The Q ♣️ J ♠️ 9 ♠️ flop saw Anderson check-call for 200,000. He then checked the 7 ♣️ turn and Rivera bet 550,000 with his third pair.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 9,400,000 |
| Dakota Anderson | 5,700,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Nguyen Doubles Through Matsuda
By Christian Zetzsche
Thanh Cao Nguyen
The second all-in to run at the same time saw John Matsuda ahead with 8 ♥️ 8 ♦️ against the A ♥️ K ♠️ of Thanh Cao Nguyen.
The board ran out 6 ♣️ 4 ♦️ 3 ♣️ A ♦️ 2 ♣️ and Nguyen spiked the turn to double.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 3,100,000 |
| John Matsuda | 2,600,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Two Doubles on the Final Table Bubble
By Christian Zetzsche
Aleksei Zhukov
With both tables five-handed they went hand-for-hand on the final table bubble and the second hand produced one all-in and call on each of them.
The first to run was the open shove by Lester Edoc from the small blind and Aleksei Zhukov called in the big blind for 1,365,000.
Aleksei Zhukov: A ♣️ Q ♦️
Lester Edoc: 9 ♠️ 7 ♦️
The board ran out A ♠️ K ♣️ 6 ♦️ 2 ♠️ 10 ♣️ and Zhukov doubled.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 11,600,000 |
| Aleksei Zhukov | 2,830,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Pentakota Short After Nguyen Double
By Christian Zetzsche
Manoj Pentakota and Thanh Cao Nguyen
Thanh Cao Nguyen jammed for 750,000 from the cutoff and under the gun raiser Manoj Pentakota called.
Thanh Cao Nguyen: A ♥️ Q ♦️
Manoj Pentakota: A ♣️ 4 ♣️
The Q ♣️ 7 ♠️ 2 ♦️ 2 ♠️ A ♦️ runout provided the double for Nguyen and left Pentakota short.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 1,800,000 |
| Manoj Pentakota | 595,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Matsuda Bluffs Rivera
By Christian Zetzsche
Marc Rivera opened to 250,000 with the A ♦️ J ♣️ and John Matsuda defended the big blind with the Q ♥️ 7 ♦️ . The 9 ♥️ 9 ♦️ 2 ♥️ flop missed both players and Matsuda checked.
Rivera made it 200,000 to go and Matsuda check-raised to 530,000 with his queen-high. Undeterred, Rivera came along to see the 10 ♠️ on the turn. Matsuda fired a bet of 850,000 and got Rivera to fold the best hand.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 9,100,000 |
| John Matsuda | 4,200,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Mc Yeldarb Mantos Eliminated in 11th Place for PHP 532,800
By Christian Zetzsche
Mc Yeldarb Mantos - 11th Place
Mc Yeldarb Mantos pushed all-in from the small blind and Joris Michl looked him up from the big blind.
Mc Yeldarb Mantos: Q ♣️ 2 ♣️
Joris Michl: A ♦️ K ♥️
The board ran out A ♠️ Q ♥️ :8d. J ♦️ 10 ♥️ and one queen was not enough for Mantos, as Michl had the lead all the way to score the knockout with broadway.
Mantos takes home PHP 532,800 for his efforts.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Joris Michl | 6,100,000 |
| Mc Yeldarb Mantos | 0 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Matsuda Rivers Trips Against Rivera
By Christian Zetzsche
John Matsuda
In three-way limped action to the A ♣️ 10 ♦️ 6 ♣️ 4 ♠️ turn, John Matsuda on the button bet 150,000 with the Q ♥️ 10 ♥️ and Marc Rivera called in the big blind with the 7 ♣️ 2 ♣️ . The 10 ♠️ river missed Rivera's flush draw and he check-folded to a bet of 475,000
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 9,800,000 |
| John Matsuda | 2,900,000 |
| Manoj Pentakota | 1,400,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Small Pot for Rivera Against Matsuda
By Christian Zetzsche
Marc Rivera
John Matsuda limped in with the K ♥️ 2 ♥️ and called a raise to 300,000 by Marc Rivera with the A ♠️ 4 ♥️ in the big blind.
They checked down the Q ♠️ 10 ♣️ 6 ♥️ 4 ♣️ 6 ♠️ board and Rivera won the pot.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 10,100,000 |
| John Matsuda | 2,400,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Even More Chips for Edoc
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl defended his big blind and ended up check-calling three streets against Lester Edoc. The K ♦️ 6 ♠️ 3 ♠️ J ♠️ turn was for 450,000 and another 650,000 on the 5 ♥️ river.
Edoc tabled the K ♣️ 10 ♠️ and Michl mucked his cards. He flashed the K ♥️ and in doing so, it accidentally bounced off the dealer's arm and fell off the table.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 13,000,000 |
| Joris Michl | 5,100,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Nguyen Denied a Double Against Rivera
By Christian Zetzsche
Thanh Cao Nguyen
Marc Rivera raised to 200,000 with the A ♦️ 7 ♦️ from under the gun and then called the shove by Thanh Cao Nguyen for 11 blinds, who had the A ♠️ 6 ♦️ .
The 9 ♥️ 8 ♠️ 7 ♠️ 10 ♦️ J ♣️ runout gave a straight on the board for the chop.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 9,800,000 |
| Thanh Cao Nguyen | 1,200,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Edoc Takes From Michl
By Christian Zetzsche
Lester Edoc
On the outer table, Joris Michl raised to 200,000 in the hijack and Lester Edoc on the button three-bet to 575,000 for Michl to call.
They checked the Q ♦️ 8 ♣️ 6 ♠️ flop to the 5 ♥️ turn. Michl check-called for 300,000 and the Q ♠️ river was checked.
Michl tabled the A ♣️ 10 ♣️ and Edoc won the hand with the 7 ♥️ 7 ♣️ to further grow his lead.
GOD founder Lloyd Fontillas then announced that both tables would play round for round since the live stream table was five-handed and playing faster.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Lester Edoc | 11,400,000 |
| Joris Michl | 6,540,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Sangjin An Eliminated in 12th Place for PHP 433,200
By Christian Zetzsche
Sangjin An - 12th Place
Sangjin An had lost two precious big blinds without showdown and was then in the small blind next.
Marc Rivera raised the button to 250,000 and called An's shove of only 380,000.
Sangjin An: Q ♠️ 9 ♣️
Marc Rivera: K ♠️ 6 ♦️
The 7 ♦️ 7 ♣️ 2 ♦️ 10 ♥️ 5 ♦️ board missed both players and An became the first casualty of the day.
| Player | Chip Count |
| Marc Rivera | 10,000,000 |
| Sangjin An | 0 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Two Shoves and No Call
By Christian Zetzsche
Joris Michl started the day with an open raise to 350,000 from the small blind and Dmitrii Belikov forfeited his big blind.
One hand later, Mc Yeldarb Mantos pushed all-in for 925,000 and won the blinds.
Belikov then jammed the button and Aleksei Zhukov in the big blind inquired "how much, count please".
It was 1,980,000 total and Zhukov then folded, mucking the 3 ♦️ . Belikov returned the favor and showed the 3 ♠️ .
| Player | Chip Count |
| Dmitrii Belikov | 2,230,000 |
| Mc Yeldarb Mantos | 1,175,000 |
Level 17:
50K/100K (100K BBA)Shuffle Up and Deal for the Final Day
By Christian Zetzsche
All players are back in their seats and the action has kicked off on time with blinds of 50,000-100,000 and a big blind ante of 100,000. Keep in mind that all of these updates appear on a security delay of 30 minutes according to the live stream action on the Gods of Poker YouTube channel.
Champion to be Crowned in the 2026 GOP Manila Main Event
By Christian Zetzsche
At 12.30 p.m. local time, 12 players out of a field of 383 entries return to their seats inside of the Grand Ballroom at the City of Dreams Manila Luxury Hotel Resort & Casino in Metro Manila amid a downpour of rain in the capital of the Philippines. And it will be raining money today for the dozen finalists in the flagship event of The Arena of Champions in the fifth edition of the Gods of Poker live series.
The PHP 30 million guarantee was missed by a mere 17 entries to give all 54 players in the money additional value and the last 12 hopefuls have all locked up at least PHP 433,200 for their efforts. Reaching the nine-handed final table comes with a payday of PHP 648,300 and the winner takes home the beautiful golden gauntlet trophy and top prize of PHP 6,304,500. To give you an idea, that equals approximately $101,322.
Leading the way is none other than Lester Edoc who is one of the most well-known players here in the Philippines. He bagged up a monster stack of 10,885,000 yesterday and is followed by Marc Rivera (9,020,000) as well as Dutchman and local resident Joris Michl (7,140,000).
The trio atop is incredibly deep with more than 70 big blinds each with the blinds set to recommence in level 17 at 50,000-100,000/100,000. Several players are staring at the abyss with four of them at fewer than 14 big blinds.
Dakota Anderson (5,620,000) is the only player from abroad still in contention whereas Dmitrii Belikov (2,325,000) and Aleksei Zhukov (1,715,000) hail from Russia but likely reside in Asia as well.
Seat Assignments of the Final Day
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
| 111 | 1 | Dakota Anderson | United States | 5,620,000 | 56 |
| 111 | 2 | John Matsuda | Philippines | 3,280,000 | 33 |
| 111 | 4 | Marc Rivera | Philippines | 9,020,000 | 90 |
| 111 | 5 | Sangjin An | South Korea | 580,000 | 6 |
| 111 | 6 | Manoj Pentakota | India | 1,395,000 | 14 |
| 111 | 7 | Thanh Cao Nguyen | Vietnam | 1,350,000 | 14 |
| 19 | 1 | Mc Yeldarb Mantos | Philippines | 925,000 | 9 |
| 19 | 4 | Joris Michl | Netherlands | 7,140,000 | 71 |
| 19 | 5 | Dmitrii Belikov | Russia | 2,325,000 | 23 |
| 19 | 6 | Lester Edoc | Philippines | 10,885,000 | 109 |
| 19 | 7 | Aleksei Zhukov | Russia | 1,715,000 | 17 |
| 19 | 8 | Joven Huerto | Philippines | 2,105,000 | 21 |
*Table 111 is the stream table at the start
Whereas the action resumes at 12.30 p.m. local time with 60-minute levels throughout, the YouTube live stream with cards-up coverage and commentary in English and Japanese runs on a 30-minute delay. All updates on the GOP website for both tables will follow the same delay in order to not spoil any of the action.
Below are the payouts for the final table:
| Place | Winner | Prize (in PHP) | Prize (∼ in USD) |
| 1 | 6,304,500 | $101,322 | |
| 2 | 3,840,000 | $61,723 | |
| 3 | 2,600,100 | $41,798 | |
| 4 | 1,886,100 | $30,311 | |
| 5 | 1,436,700 | $23,089 | |
| 6 | 1,134,600 | $18,234 | |
| 7 | 921,900 | $14,815 | |
| 8 | 765,900 | $12,309 | |
| 9 | 648,300 | $10,419 |