APPT Manila: Japan’s Junya Kubo Emerges Victorious in APPT National; India’s Laksh Pal Singh (4th) & Deepak Bothra (8th) Post FT Scores 

The four-day-long Event 10: APPT National NLH of the 2022 Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila is now in the books. The ₱35,000 (~$627) buy-in tourney gathered 273 entries (205 unique players), crushing its ₱5,000,000 (~$89,629) guarantee to post a ₱12,435,885 (~$224,590) prize pool.

Japan’s Junya Kubo dominated the final day’s action in the APPT National to win his maiden PokerStars LIVE title and a hefty ₱2,465,000 (~$44,187). Kubo, a regular in Japan’s poker circuit, had shipped the ¥ 15,000 Mix – R.O.S.E. in July at the 2022 Japan Open Poker Tour in Tokyo.

Team India’s Run in the APPT National

After surviving the two starting flights, a group of nine Indians was part of the 90-player qualifying field, advancing to Day 2 of the APPT National. Only two of them, PokerGuru Ambassador Laksh Pal Singh and Deepak Bothra reached the final table.

Singh, who was chasing his career-first live title, entered the final table with the second-biggest stack of 1,985,000. He made a bold run towards clinching that elusive live title, eventually finishing fourth for ₱890,000 (~₹12.62 Lakhs). This is Singh’s second cash of the series, with his first coming in Event 2: APPT Kickoff NLH (80th for ₱31,500, ~₹44,941)

Bothra was among the chip leaders coming into Day 2 and started with the second-largest stack. However, he lost the advantage by the time the final table was formed, where he was seventh in chips (715,000) among the nine finalists. He made an early exit on the final table, busting eighth in the first level of play, banking ₱292,000 (~₹4.14 Lakhs).

Sameer Agarwal (12th for ₱169,500, ~₹2.40 Lakhs), Dhaval Mudgal (17th for ₱135,000, ~₹1.91 Lakhs), Young Gun Gaurav Sood (37th for ₱73,000, ~₹1.03 Lakhs), Dhanesh Chainani (42nd for ₱60,500, ~₹85,732) and PokerGuru Ambassador Ankit Wadhawan (55th for ₱60,500, ~₹85,732) were the other Indian players who finished in the money on Day 2.

The APPT National final table commenced with Israel’s Daniel Benor (2,315,000) holding the start-of-day chip lead.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Daniel Benor – 2,315,000
2. Laksh Pal Singh – 1,985,000
3. Junya Kubo – 1,935,000
4. Noel Regencia – 1,435,000
5. Edgar Asehan – 1,420,000
6. Mai Bien – 1,130,000
7. Deepak Bothra – 715,000
8. Shota Hayama – 675,000
9. Joseph Sia – 605,000

Final Table Recap

Vietnam’s Mai Bien was the first to fall from the nine-handed final table.

Deepak Bothra had started the final day with the third-shortest stack and failed to spin it up. He was eliminated in the day’s first level (Level 24). His elimination hand saw him moving all-in on the button with Queen-Jack (off-suit). Japan’s Junya Kubo from the big blind looked him up with Ace-Jack. The flop came Queen-high, but a Ten on the turn and King on the river, gave Kubo a Broadway straight and the chip lead, ending Bothra’s dream run in eighth place.

Shota Hayama was the next player to exit in seventh place.

Filipino Edgar Asehan fell out in sixth place when his were bested by Kubo’s on the runout .

Half an hour later, Joseph Sia, down to less than 12 big blinds, opened from the cutoff with . Kubo re-raised from the button with , forcing Sia to call all-in. Sia flopped top pair on the board , but Kubo hit a set. The turn and river blanked, spelling the end of Sia’s deep run in fifth place.

Four-handed play continued for nearly two hours before PokerGuru Ambassador Laksh Pal Singh lost his stack. The hand in question saw Daniel Benor open to 180,000 from the button, and Singh jammed from the big blind. Benor snap-called.

Laksh Pal Singh

Daniel Benor

The community cards brought , and Benor rivered a boat, ending Singh’s run in the APPT National.

Philippines’ Noel Regencia made a phenomenal comeback to storm into the chip lead once the field whittled down to three players. Sadly, he busted out soon in third place after losing a massive flip, where his was outdrawn by Kubo’s that flopped a set.

Regencia’s third-place elimination put Japan’s Junya Kubo firmly in the chip lead, heading into the heads-up battle against Israel’s Daniel Benor. The duel lasted over an hour, and Kubo rode his chip lead across the finish line.

On the final hand, Benor called for 180,000 from the small blind, and Kubo checked his big blind. The flop opened [h16], and Kubo fired a bet of 180,000. Benor called to see the turn card open . Kubo checked, and Benor led out for 425,000. Kubo re-raised it to 825,000. Benor called, and the river brought . Kubo shoved, and Benor was priced in for the call.

Daniel Benor

Junya Kubo

Benor’s turned two pair was no match for Kubo’s Queen-high flush, and just like that, Kubo bagged his career-first PokerStars LIVE title and a ₱2,465,000 payday!

Final Table Results (PHP)

1. Junya Kubo – ₱2,465,000
2. Daniel Benor – ₱1,520,000
3. Noel Regencia – ₱1,100,000
4. Laksh Pal Singh – ₱890,000
5. Joseph Sia – ₱704,000
6. Edgar Asehan – ₱542,000
7. Shota Hayama – ₱403,300
8. Deepak Bothra – ₱292,000
9. Mai Bien – ₱236,085

Content & Images Courtesy: PokerStars LIVE

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