From Okada Kickoff to the Main Event: APPT Manila Reaches Its Defining Weekend
After nearly two weeks of tournament action, APPT Manila 2026 has reached its defining weekend.
The festival began on July 28 with the Okada Kickoff and has since crowned champions in several headline tournaments. Renato Villanueva Jr., Rafael Medel, Kim Giboum and Asaki Tanaka have already secured major titles, giving the festival an international list of early champions.
Villanueva Jr. won the opening Okada Kickoff for ₱820,184, while Medel took the APPT National for ₱2.525 million. Giboum’s Red Dragon victory paid ₱4.55 million, and Tanaka followed with ₱4.8 million in the APPT Open.
Now the attention belongs to the ₱60 million-guaranteed APPT Main Event.
As of August 8, the tournament is still in its starting-flight phase. Day 1C is running today, with Day 1D scheduled for tonight. The remaining players will return for Day 2 on August 9, followed by the final day on August 10.
That means the most important result of APPT Manila 2026 has yet to be written.
For the Philippines, the festival has once again demonstrated the country’s importance on the Asian live poker calendar. For international players, Okada Manila has provided another major stop on the APPT circuit.
And with the Main Event still unfolding, the biggest chapter of APPT Manila 2026 is only beginning.
