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Takao Shimizu leads APT Finale ME Day 2

The Asian Poker Tour (APT) Finale 2018 is happening at Resorts World Manila as we speak. The Main Event of the series saw 149 players return from the starting flights to Day 2.  Additionally, 43 signed up on Day 2 making a total of 307 entries. The registration was closed an hour after Day 2 started.

The guarantee of PHP 10 million was already crushed in Day 1B, with the official prize pool reaching a staggering PHP 14,889,500.

Only 56 players remained to see Day 3, which is to begin today, 1pm local time. With pay-outs going to 52 players. The bubble is expected to burst quickly today, and players will start getting paid.

Leading in chip counts is Japan’s Takao Shimizu with 308,500 chips. He was third entering the day but managed to take the lead. Shimizu’s recorded live tournament career began in 2017 at the Macau PokerStars Championship. He has played all over the world since then, Barcelona, Melbourne, Las Vegas and a bunch of cities in Asia. His biggest live win was finishing 2^nd at the WPT Vietnam Main Event in September of this year, bagging $73,210.

Shimizu is quite skilful at this game, with his live winnings estimated to be around $357,352. For a player who mostly plays in Asia, this is a big figure. With his chip lead, he will add more to his bankroll which will enable him to play in more tournaments in the future.

Korea’s Chang Jae Lee with 286,500 chips is 2^nd. He got lucky against Anton Del Rosario in a hand and dodged elimination. English player Sam Welbourne rounds up top 3 in chip lead with 273,000. Just one big blind under him is the APT Philippines Championships winner Lim Yohawn aka ‘Boxer’ with 270,500.

Day 2 became a challenge for many players. India’s Aditya Sushant was 22^nd in chip counts entering the day but unfortunately fell out of the race early. Other well-known names to bust were the APT Main Event defending champion Tetsuya Tsuchikawa, two-time APT Philippines Main Event winner Lester Edoc and APT Finale 2018 Super High Rollers winner Phachara Wongwichit and WSOP bracelet winner Mike Takayama. The day’s entering chip leader Ang Boon Seng also bit the dust, suffering a big loss after running good for a while.

The final 56 players will enter Day 3 today which begins at 1pm local time with blinds at 2K/4K/4K (big blind ante). Once the bubble bursts and the cash starts to flow, all the players will have their eyes fixed on grabbing one of the 8 seats at the Final Table and be one step away from reaching the 1^st place money of PHP 2,844,200 (~INR 37.85 Lakhs).

Top 10 Chip Counts –

1. Takao Shimizu – 308,500
2. Chang Jae Lee – 286,500
3. Sam Welbourne – 273,000
4. Lim Yo Hwan – 270,500
5. Koji Asaka – 254,000
6. Kah Boon The – 254,000
7. Jiego C. Erquiaga – 250,000
8. Jun Obara – 245,000
9. Junichi Nakagiri – 237,500
10. Mikiya Kudo – 223,000

Keep reading GutshotMagazine.com for more APT Finale updates, general poker news, and much more.

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