APPT Manila 2018: Chiraag Patel Wins Maiden International Title in NLH Turbo For ₱350,000 (₹4.54 Lakhs)

The Indian participation at the ongoing 2018 Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila has been unprecedented. Not only have our Indian challengers posted scores in almost all the concluded events, but have shown up in huge numbers for the Main Event – ₱20M GTD. With two final table finishes already and 22 Indians making the cut for Day 2 of the Main Event, it was only a matter of time before we bagged a title.

Fresh on the heels of Akshay Nasa’s runner-up finish for ₹36.38 Lakhs in the National event, Chiraag Patel (cover image) has turned his dreams into reality by taking down Event 16: ₱15,000 NLH Turbo for ₱350,000 (₹4.54 Lakhs). Patel’s victory not only brought him his maiden international title but also his career`s 3rd best score.

Indian Cashes at 2018 APPT Manila (Till Date)

Patel had already cashed in the ₱20,000 Megastack (38^th for ₹64,484) and had reached Day 2 of the Main Event with a healthy stack of 98,000, but instead of taking a day off to relax, he decided to jump into the NLH Turbo and as luck would have it, he went on to claim the title!

The event drew in 99 runners which built a prize pool of ₱1,296,405. With only the top 10 places assured payouts, Taiwan’s Tsai-Feng Liu became the unfortunate bubble boy, finishing 10^th for ₱38,805.

Patel was amongst the top five stacks in the early stages of the event and entered the nine-handed final table as the chip leader. He was up against the likes of Wei Hsun Lu, Zizheng Huang and Rebuy Charity Event winner Yazhou Chen.

Talking about his tournament journey, Patel told PokerGuru, “I had already bagged Day 1A of the Main Event, so I decided to enter the 15k Turbo NLH rather than take the next day off. Got off to a really good start and was top 5 in chips until 32 players where remaining.”

In a key hand on the final table, a player from under-the-gun opened, the next player to act called and Patel defended his big blind holding seven-five. The flop fell king-three-four. Under-the-gun bet again and the player to his left called. Patel check-raised and both players folded their hands, resulting in Patel winning a big pot.

Patel eventually faced China’s Yuanchao Li in the heads-up play and had a dominating 10:1 lead over his rival. On the final hand, Patel jammed with queen-four and Li called with jack-nine. Patel paired his queen on the river to take home his career-first APPT title and the top prize of ₱350,000 (₹4.54 Lakhs).

Discussing his win, the elated Patel said, “The best part of the entire tourney was team India railing me on the FT. Gave me a lot of energy!”

Final Table Results (PHP)

1. Chiraag Patel – ₱350,000

2. Yuanchao Li – ₱233,400

3. Wei Hsun Lu – ₱155,600

4. Kim Dong Tran – ₱129,600

5. Zizheng Huang – ₱103,800

6. Roh Teahyong – ₱90,800

7. Chong Foo Tan – ₱77,800

8. Yazhou Chen – ₱64,800

9. Ching Wei Chen – ₱51,800

Stay tuned to PokerGuru for more updates from APPT Manila 2018!

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1. APPT Manila 2018: Main Event Registers Record-Breaking 1,364 Entries; Sahil Agarwal & Zarvan Tumboli Lead 22 Indians on Day 2

2. APPT Manila 2018: Record-Breaking Main Event Attracts 604 Entries on Day 1A, Amanpreet Singh & Kavin Shah Lead 12 Indians Who Made Day 2

3. APPT Manila 2018: Tzai Wei Phua Wins Maiden APPT Title at the ₱20,000 Megastack For ₱2,440,000 (₹31.61 Lakhs)