hey, poker playas!
☔ Rainy Days & Poker Recaps
Stuck at home due to the rain? Let’s take a quick look back at what went down last week in the Philippine poker scene — and it was a wild one. 🃏
Here are things you might have missed
🔥 Metro Card Club – Walk to a Million
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A massive ₱5M Guaranteed event
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Over 1,200 entries smashed the pot, pushing the prize pool to ₱6M+
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173 players advanced to Day 2
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Rusty and Gian B., two of Cebu’s rising stars, made deep runs — showing the south means business.
💥 Masters Poker – Bluffmasters July 2025
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Rain didn’t stop the action in Malate
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A modest ₱1M GTD for ₱3,500 buy-in
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A slow start, but things ramped up on Day 1D and 1E
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Over 300 total entries, and Gian nearly took it down — finishing 2nd place in a dramatic heads-up.
🌊 Cebu Rising – The Chase Effect
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As Manila tournaments begin to overlap and saturate, Cebu is growing as a true poker force
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Chase Cokaliong continues to build and mentor Cebu talent, and it’s paying off
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His protégés are now making waves in the capital — competing, cashing, and gaining respect
📍 This Week
the ajpc was held this week
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The rain may be pouring, but the poker action isn’t slowing down
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AJPC is live at City of Dreams, while Prime Poker and 9D Poker Room are both fighting for weekend turnout despite the weather
Stay safe, stay dry, and stay tuned. The felt may be wet outside, but it’s on fire inside. 🔥♠️
Let me know if you want a graphic version or update this with player names/results as they come in.
AJPC
AJPC MAIN EVENT
JOHN COSTINIANO
2nd place
MAIN EVENT
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🏆 AJPC Concludes With International Champion, But Pinoy Pride Shines Bright
The AJPC Main Event wrapped up this week, featuring a massive ₱15 Million Guaranteed prize pool. After days of intense competition, a foreigner emerged as the champion, taking home the top prize in this prestigious tournament.
But all eyes were on John Costiniano, one of the Philippines’ brightest rising stars, who delivered an exceptional performance and finished 2nd place in the main event. 🇵🇭💪
Despite falling just short of the title, John’s deep run once again proves that Filipino talent continues to rise and compete at the highest level. Congratulations, champ — the journey is only beginning!
Stars shine while othershunt for the scraps
♠️ WEEK AHEAD: THREE TOURNAMENTS, ONE LEADER EMERGES EARLY
As we move forward into another packed week of poker in Manila, three tournaments are vying for attention — but early momentum is already taking shape.
🌟 Stars Poker Room takes an early lead thanks to its ₱1M GTD satellite campaign, drawing strong interest and consistent traffic even before the main flights begin.
Meanwhile, 📍9D Poker Room, which launched its tournament earlier on July 20, is steadily gaining numbers. With smart planning and a head start in promotions, 9D has responded well to the bad weather, extending its schedule with a newly added Day 1E flight on July 24 to accommodate more entries.
💡 In contrast, other rooms are still catching up, but with the rain affecting player mobility, adaptability will be the key to this week’s success.
🃏 Meanwhile at Prime Poker: ₱700K GTD Pushes Through
Despite minimal lead time in promotion, Prime Poker pushed forward with Day 1A of its ₱700,000 Guaranteed event over the weekend. The turnout pushed through despite challenging weather conditions, showing the resilience of both the room and its loyal player base.
⛈️ If the weather clears in the coming days, we’ll be making rounds across the active poker rooms to give you a clearer on-the-ground look at what’s happening during this busy tournament stretch.
the batte of manila beginds anew
🃏 The Battle for Manila Was Inevitable
You can’t expect poker rooms to peacefully coexist — they were built to compete, all targeting the same market: poker players.
While some have hoped for coordinated scheduling or intervention, even PAGCOR knows that competition is part of the game. By giving poker rooms the freedom to run their events, they’ve let the market decide.
But here’s the twist: for too long, poker rooms have leaned on guarantees as their only promotional weapon. Now, with guarantees overlapping and the market saturated, they’re being forced to evolve — to get creative, to build brand identity, and to promote their rooms in smarter, more strategic ways.
This isn’t just a turf war anymore. It’s an industry shake-up. The ones who adapt will rise. The rest? Just more noise in the shuffle
