Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Asian Poker Tour Manila Classic 2025 at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria delivered a record-breaking festival for the Philippines: a 1,202-entry Main Event, a ₱62.31M prize pool for that headline tournament, and ₱350.12M in series payouts across 8,406 total entries. Russia’s Ivan Govorov won the Main Event for ₱11,069,680 (~USD 190K), defeating Austria’s Samuel Mullur heads-up. Germany’s Tobias Schwecht captured the ₱600K Super High Roller, and multiple side events added new names to APT’s growing Manila storyline. These results confirm sustained momentum for casino-based poker in Metro Manila and cement APT Manila as a must-play stop on the Asian calendar.
Below is a player-first recap: who won what, how they did it, what the numbers say about the ecosystem, and what players should do if they’re planning a Manila campaign later this year.
Festival at a Glance: Attendance, Payouts, and the Setting
- Dates & venue: February 7–16, 2025, Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, Metro Manila.
- Main Event: ₱60,000 buy-in, 1,202 entries, ₱62,311,680 prize pool (≈USD 1.07M). Champion’s share: ₱11,069,680 plus an APT Championship ticket (~USD 10.7K).
- Festival totals: 8,406 entries, ₱350,124,235 prize money; record tour numbers in the Philippines, with 13 country records broken across fields and prize pools.
APT’s “Classic” branding belies a thoroughly modern festival architecture: deep structures, high-roller ladders, mixed-game variety, and live reporting that kept fans and railbirds locked in all week.
Main Event: Ivan Govorov’s Breakthrough and a Stacked Final
Headline: Ivan Govorov (RUS) wins the largest APT Main Event ever staged in the Philippines. He topped a 1,202-strong field and closed out a televised final table after 183 hands, banking ₱11,069,680 (~USD 190K) and a ticket to the APT Championship in November. Samuel Mullur (AUT)—already a high-stakes headliner—finished runner-up for ~USD 113K, pushing his lifetime earnings near USD 5M at the time.
Key Main Event numbers and notes
- Prize pool: ₱62,311,680; 175 players paid. The final nine were guaranteed at least ₱94,000.
- Structure & coverage: APT’s reporting emphasized a tough “business end” from 48 down to final 9, with Hong Kong’s Jie Zhang topping Day-3 counts at 48 left—a sign of the event’s depth across Asia.
- Storyline: Govorov’s win over Mullur—who burst onto the global radar with a 2023 WSOP Paradise triumph—was a signature “new champion vs. established crusher” narrative that elevates Manila’s prestige.
Why it matters: A four-figure Main Event field in Manila with a seven-figure USD prize pool (series-wide) demonstrates that poker tourism to the Philippines is no longer an outlier. It’s a pattern. For players, that means softer travel math (more flights, hotels at multiple price tiers) and increasingly predictable festival calendars to target.
Super High Roller (₱600K): Tobias Schwecht’s Statement Title
Germany’s Tobias Schwecht took down the ₱600,000 Super High Roller, good for ₱12.14M (~USD 208.7K), defeating Ricky Huang heads-up. The SHR field hit 81 entries (reported elsewhere alongside festival totals), underscoring appetite at the top end and giving Manila serious high-stakes credibility.
SHR meta takeaways
- Deep-stack execution: Winners at this tier convert marginal edges across long blind levels; Schwecht’s “rollercoaster” final day suggests Manila’s SHR opponents will punish leaks quickly.
- Bankroll implications: Manila’s SHR now sits in a tier where regional and global regs can justify the trip on EV and content value alone.
High Roller Ladder: Names, Numbers, and What They Signal
APT Manila Classic ran multiple High Roller variants (freezeouts, turbo HRs, and Ultra Stack formats). Highlights include:
- Ultra Stack High Roller (₱120K) — Andrija Robovic (SRB) champion; Lester Edoc (PHI) runner-up. The cross-border podium is a great snapshot of Manila’s “local meets global” flavor.
- High Roller (final day) — Yohei Kitazato (JPN) won ₱5,360,600 (~USD 92K) as the festival closed, per SoMuchPoker’s recap series.
- Turbo HR (₱50K) — Marc Rivera (PHI) banked the title, a reminder that homegrown Filipino crushers continue to perform when the schedule compresses.
Interpretation: A laddered buy-in menu (₱50K → ₱600K) keeps ecosystems healthy: aspiring grinders get reachable shots; regional pros stack volume; global regs find EV across formats. That balance is a major reason APT Manila’s unique player counts stayed high while prize pools climbed.
Mixed Games and Side Events: Depth That Builds a Scene
- Big O (5-card PLO8), Triple Draw Mix, Women’s Event, National Cup flights, and nightly hypers/turbos ensured 24/7 momentum and diversified the rail. Results pages show steady participation across the schedule, not just at the Main and High Rollers.
Why you care: Mixed-game and specialty titles raise skill ceilings and help traveling players justify longer stays. Variety also drives sponsor value and makes Manila more than “a one-event festival.”
By the Numbers: What Made 2025 Different
- Largest APT Main Event field in PH history: 1,202 entries. Fourth-largest APT Main Event in 18 years, per the tour.
- Festival prize pool: ₱350,124,235, across 8,406 entries and 1,268 unique players (vs. 2024’s 8,102 total entries). Manila climbed on both volume and payouts.
- SHR health: 80+ entries for a ₱600K price point is a lightning-rod datapoint for future Manila stops.
Context: The Philippines was already surging in late 2024, when APT Manila at City of Dreams put up a ₱100M GTD Main Event and 1,081 entries. The 2025 Classic wasn’t a spike—it was compounding growth.
Player Stories You Missed on the Stream
1) Samuel Mullur’s runner-up and the “super-reg effect”
Mullur’s 2nd-place finish after his 2023 WSOP Paradise breakout shows APT Manila’s field quality and attraction to elite internationals. When “super-regs” travel, content and rail grow, and so does sponsor appetite.
2) Tobias Schwecht adds Manila to a stacked résumé
Schwecht’s SHR win—and the speed of his HU close—gives Manila highlight-reel material for high-roller marketing next season.
3) Home-soil momentum
From Marc Rivera in the Turbo HR to deep runs sprinkled across events, Filipino pros and semi-pros continue to thrive in their backyard—great for grassroots inspiration and club ecosystems.
For Players: How to Prep for the Next Asian Poker Tour Manila (A Practical Kit)
1) Bankroll & Schedule Architecture
- Primary stack: Main Event + 2–3 sides (choose one HR only if rolled).
- Satellite stack: Live supers are softer on average than flagship flights; use them as ROI engines.
- Expense fence: Hotel/food/transport is separate. Never re-entry from this pool.
2) Event Selection by Poker Player Type
- Value Hunter: Main + ₱10K–₱30K sides; avoid the urge to “chase” late HRs.
- Mixed-Game Fan: Big O, Triple Draw Mix—edges rise quickly with rule mastery.
- High-Stakes Aspirant: If you take a ₱200K–₱600K shot, plan conditioning days and a B-plan (non-poker breaks) to bring your best.
3) Manila Logistics
- Venue zone: Crowne Plaza is mall-adjacent with plentiful dining; expect intense AC—bring layers.
- Ride apps only; carry two payment options; keep IDs and registration slips organized.
- Recovery: Manila humidity is real; electrolytes + protein targets matter on long days.
4) Table-Edge Shortcuts
- Early levels: protect stack-to-blind ratio; exploit jet-lag errors at off-peak Day-1 flights.
- ICM phase: when payouts post, tighten up marginal bust-outs; ladder edges are meaningful at four-figure fields.
- Live reads: watch breathing cadence and chip handling shifts on big river nodes; combine with timing tells.
For Poker Brands and Venues: Turning Asian Poker Tour Manila Into Repeatable ROI
- On-felt utility: hydration stations, charging hubs, ride-share credits top banners every time.
- Content capture: day-in-the-life micro-docs (international winner + Filipino grinder + mixed-game champ) to humanize the field.
- Responsible-play presence: subtle, consistent signage earns community trust without killing the vibe.
For casinos/hotels: Ballroom flexibility, overflow tables for late regs, and F&B cadence synced to break windows are mission-critical. APT’s live reporting already supplies the story; venues should amplify it on property screens and socials.
Media & SEO Playbook (for Poker Blogs and Creators)
- Pillar page: “APT Manila 2025 Player Recap” (this one), interlink to event result pages and player profiles (Hendon Mob / GPI).
- Clusters: Main Event highlights; SHR and HR ladders; mixed-game champions; “How to plan your Manila festival.”
- Rich snippets: FAQs below with concise, schema-friendly answers.
- Citations: Use APT’s news posts/live reports and reputable recaps (SoMuchPoker, PokerNews) for authority.
- Shorts & reels: 20–40s clips of key hands (legal sources) + superimposed chip counts; alt text includes “APT Manila 2025,” “Crowne Plaza Galleria,” and player names.
What These Results Mean for Poker in the Philippines
- It’s a destination now. With four-figure Main Events and eight-figure peso prize pools, Manila stands beside Bangkok, Seoul, and Taipei in trip-worthy ROI.
- Calendars are your edge. APT’s predictable Manila slots let pros plan smarter and reduce variance by stacking correct formats.
- High-roller gravity. An 80+ entry SHR proves there’s enough talent and bankroll density to keep elite fields honest—and streams compelling.
The Road From 2024 to 2025: Compounding, Not a One-Off
APT Manila was already booming in late 2024 (City of Dreams Manila: ₱100M GTD Main Event; 1,081 entries). The 2025 Classic added scale, internationalization, and top-heavy headlines (Govorov, Mullur, Schwecht). Expect Manila to keep climbing as venues iterate and players treat the stop as core, not optional.
Call to Action (Players, Coaches, Venues, and Media)
- Players: Comment with your bankroll range, target events (Main/HR/mixed), and number of days you can stay. I’ll reply with a personalized Manila schedule (A/B/C versions), a satellite plan, and a daily recovery template.
- Coaches/Backers: Share a last-10 tournament line with buy-in, ROI, and leaks you want to patch; I’ll outline a 4-week block for exploit maps and ICM rehearsal.
- Venues/Brands: Send your capacity, F&B throughput, and sponsor goals; I’ll draft a one-page floor & comms plan that matches APT break rhythms.
- Media: Need an SEO storyboard for a Govorov vs Mullur final-table breakdown video? Tell me your runtime target; I’ll provide a shot list + thumbnail copy.
Final Word
The Amazing Asian Poker Tour Manila 2025 wasn’t just a big week—it was a signal. With record fields, global champions, and a maturing tournament ladder, Manila is where APAC’s poker stories will keep being written. If you’re going to take a shot this year, build your plan now—the felt is ready.
The APT Manila Classic 2025 at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria cemented Manila’s status as a prime APAC poker destination, delivering record numbers and headline performances that matter to both players and operators. The ₱60,000 Main Event drew 1,202 entries for a ₱62.31M prize pool—the largest APT Main Event ever held in the Philippines—won by Ivan Govorov (RUS) for ₱11.07M (~US$190K) after a compelling heads-up with Samuel Mullur (AUT).
Across ten days, the festival amassed 8,406 total entries and ₱350.12M in payouts, with 1,200+ unique entrants and strong international representation. The top end was equally healthy: Tobias Schwecht (GER) captured the ₱600K Super High Roller (~₱12.14M), while Yohei Kitazato (JPN) and Andrija Robovic (SRB) headlined High Roller victories alongside notable Filipino results such as Marc Rivera in a Turbo HR.
Why this matters: Manila is no longer a “one-off heater” but a repeatable EV stop—predictable calendar slots, integrated-resort venues, and a laddered buy-in menu (₱50K→₱600K) keep ecosystems deep: aspiring locals can satellite up; regional regs stack volume; global pros find content-worthy fields. Record SHR participation (~81 entries at ₱600K) signals genuine bankroll density, which sustains stronger streams, media interest, and sponsor value.
Festival architecture: APT blended deep structures with constant momentum—multi-flight Main Event, High Roller variants (Ultra Stack, Turbo, freezeouts), mixed games (Big O, Triple Draw Mix), and nightly hypers—ensuring that action, reporting, and rail content didn’t rely on a single tournament. This diversity builds longer stays, better storylines, and repeat visitation.
Takeaways for players planning Manila:
- Schedule & bankroll: Separate a primary stack (Main + 2–3 sides), a satellite stack (live supers are typically softer), and an expense fence (hotel/food/transport—do not re-entry from this pool).
- Event fit: Value hunters target Main + ₱10K–₱30K sides; mixed-game fans find fast edges in Big O/Mix; high-stakes aspirants should plan recovery days around ₱200K–₱600K shots.
- Logistics: Venue is mall-adjacent; bring a layer for ballroom AC; use ride apps; carry two payment methods; hydrate (humidity matters).
- Edges at the table: In early levels, prioritize SPR (stack-to-blind) and exploit jet-lagged errors; when payouts post, ICM discipline matters in a 1,200-runner field; combine timing and chip-handling reads on big river nodes.
For brands and venues: On-felt utility (hydration stations, charging hubs, ride credits) beats static banners. Sync F&B with break windows, plan overflow tables for late-reg spikes, and showcase APT live-reporting highlights on property screens. Responsible-play messaging earns trust and strengthens long-term community ties.
For media & SEO: Build a pillar page around “APT Manila 2025 Player Recap,” interlink to event result pages and player profiles (Hendon Mob/GPI), and spin topic clusters: Main Event breakdown, SHR/HR ladder, mixed-game champions, “Plan your Manila festival.” Use shorts (20–40s) from legal sources with chip counts, map overlays, and keyword-rich alt text (e.g., “APT Manila 2025,” “Crowne Plaza Galleria,” player names).
Bottom line: The 2025 edition confirms compounding growth from the 2024 surge (1,081-entry Main; ₱100M GTD). With four-figure fields, seven-figure-USD series totals, and elite champions, Manila is now a core APAC stop. If you’re taking a shot this year, lock dates early, build a satellite-led plan, protect recovery, and pick formats that match your edge—the felt in Manila is delivering both story and ROI.