Another season of the popular Manila Megastack series has come to a close with a new reigning Main Event champion basking in the limelight. The richest Main Event across the tour’s history recorded a staggering field of 917 entries, boosting the prize pool to a smashing PHP 36,034,345 (~USD 644,500). After five days of Main Event action across the felt, Norway’s Henrik Tollefsen clinched the win, taking with him the PHP 5,651,000 (~USD 101,020) top prize, PokerStars spade trophy, and an APPT Main Event package valued at PHP 120,000 (~USD 2,145).
“It feels very good to win it. Exactly one year ago, I lost a chip leader pot with 12 left and ended up in 9th place. Around five or six years ago I was big chip leader at the final table and finished 5th then, so ya, it feels good to be able to close it out.”
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Festival Results
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Player Guide
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Photos
Main Event Final Table Recap
The Final Day of the Manila Megastack 18 Main Event saw its final nine players return to the felt with Henrik Tollefsen stacking a commanding lead of 95 big blinds to start the day. With several short stacks in hand, the first hour saw the 9-player field drop down two runners – Chen Jingliang in 9th, followed by Landry Craig in 8th. South Korea’s sole representative Chang Jae Yi fell short next, after betting right into Jeremy Catalig’s full house and eventually losing a race th e following hand which led to his demise.
With six left in the game, Morikawa Yuta’s short stack failed to hold on any longer and crashed in a three way battle claimed by John Paul Flores. At this point, Tollefsen remained nowhere in danger and continuously put ICM pressure on his opponents. Aggressive runner Catalig finally stood his ground and shoved 29 big blinds in against Tollefsen’s raise, only to crash in 5th place vs the latter’s premium 
. This racked up more chips for Tollefsen, who held almost 70% of the chips in play with four left in the running.
Local runner Jose Cheung managed to double up twice and win a pot off of the chip leader to bounce back in the game. Alvin Jeff Sembrano was eliminated next by the hands of Flores, after missing to pair up his overcards. Down to three-handed play, Flores risked it all with 
and ended up flipping against Tollefsen’s 
. The board ran in favor of the Norwegian, claiming yet another boost to his already healthy stack.
Holding a 3:1 advantage against Cheung, the final two players agreed on an ICM deal where Tollefsen would collect a bigger share of PHP 5,651,000 (~USD 101,020), and the latter guaranteed PHP 4,369,000 (~USD 78,100) in winnings. Both the top two runners also takes with them an APPT Main Event package valued at PHP 120,000 (~USD 2,145) for their impressive performances.
“For sure he (Cheung) was the one beating me with all ins but if I could lock up 85% of the first place money, I was fine making the deal. I had 5:1 chip lead, I think I am going to win very often, but you never know. It’s still a game of cards and anything can happen. I was happy to take down the trophy and a good amount of money.”
Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Flag | Prize (PHP) |
| 1 | Tollefsen Henrik | Norway | ₱5,651,000* |
| 2 | Cheung Jose | Philippines | ₱4,369,000* |
| 3 | Flores John Paul | Philippines | ₱2,775,000 |
| 4 | Sembrano Alvin Jeff | Philippines | ₱2,135,000 |
| 5 | Catalig Jeremy | Philippines | ₱1,645,000 |
| 6 | Morikawa Yuta | Japan | ₱1,260,000 |
| 7 | Chang Jae Yi | Korea, South | ₱970,000 |
| 8 | Landry Craig | Australia | ₱750,000 |
| 9 | Chen Jingliang | China | ₱569,345 |
*Denotes deal was made
PS Manila Megastack 18 – Main Event Live Updates
Manila Megastack 18 Main Event Review
Date/s: February 21 – 25, 2024
Buy-in: PHP 45,000 (~USD 804)
Guarantee: PHP 20,000,000 (~USD 357,430)
Prize pool: PHP 36,034,345 (~USD 644,500)
Entries: 917
ITM: 139 players
Flight A: 176 entries, 27 qualified
Flight B: 231 entries, 35 qualified
Flight C: 372 entries, 56 qualified
Flight D (Turbo): 138 entries, 21 qualified
Check out the highlights here:
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