Double Delight for Justin Ong: Cash Game Player Bags Two APPT Manila Titles

Justin Ong will not be probably a poker participant that you just’re too aware of. In keeping with the PokerStars LIVE Manila X account, Ong is a money sport grinder who occurred to purchase into two occasions throughout the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila pageant.

Ong took a break from the money sport tables and entered the PokerStars Purple Dragon match for ₱65,000 (approx. $1,164). A few days later, Ong emerged victorious, having captured the coveted shard trophy and ₱4,711,000 ($81,605).

Full of confidence and a padded bankroll, Ong set his sights on the APPT Manila Primary Occasion. A area of 1,246 ensured the ₱58,000,000 assure ($1 million) was obliterated, with the Primary Occasion awarding greater than ₱87,000,000 ($1.5 million) to these fortunate sufficient to navigate into the cash locations.

By the ultimate day, Ong discovered himself out in entrance, holding a chip lead over the ultimate 20 hopefuls.

Oliver Lirio knocked Ong from his lofty perch on the primary hand of the nine-handed closing desk after eliminating Someshekar Nahdeva. Lirio’s ace-king improved to quads on the river to beat his opponent’s pocket jacks that had turned a full home.

Lirio scored one other knockout when his pocket fives held in opposition to Katushito Kawai’s ace-ten. The latter paired his ace on the flop, however a two-outer on the river rescued Lirio and diminished the participant rely by one.

Chase Cokaliong outdrew Edgar Ashehan in seventh to set the official six-handed closing desk.

Ong pressed his foot firmly on the gasoline in the beginning of short-handed play, eliminating Sungmin Oh and Ryan Tan to retake the chip lead. Ong took a break from busting foes to permit Cokaliong to ship Kim Enriquez to the showers, successful a coinflip with pocket tens in opposition to ace-queen.

Cokaliong was the following participant heading for the exits regardless of successful Enriquez’s chips. He known as all-in on the river with a king-high flush solely to find Lirio held an ace-high flush.

That hand gave Lirio a greater than two-to-one chip benefit over Ong going into the heads-up battle. Nevertheless, Ong elevated his aggression and bulldozed his method again degree earlier than forging a lead for himself. The ultimate hand noticed Ong transfer all-in with pocket eights, Lirio name with jack-nine of diamonds, however Lirio could not join with the board, and Ong’s snowmen remained unmelted.

Ong had gained back-to-back tournaments, incomes greater than the equal of $335,000 and banking a ₱210,000 package deal to the APPT Championship later within the yr.

PokerStars APPT Manila Primary Occasion Closing Desk Outcomes

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the UK, and has labored within the poker business since 2008, and labored for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he turned the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from stay reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his function of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.