Rivera wins side event of WPT Phl

MANILA, Philippines -  Euryd Rivera took charge for the host country in the ongoing World Poker Tour (WPT) National Philippines at the Solaire Resort and Casino, winning one of the side competitions that served as curtain-raiser to the much-awaited Main Event.

A 33-year-old pro from Cavite and former University of the East Red Warrior, Rivera bested a field of 114 to dominate the $200 No Limit Hold ‘Em (NLHE) Warm Up. Rivera defeated a compatriot, Asian Poker Tour (APT) tournament director Lloyd Fontillas, in a classic showdown that finished in the wee hours of the next morning.

“Lloyd (Fontillas) is tough opponent. He had a 3-1 chip lead over me in heads-up, but when I managed to draw almost even I won a big hand and he never was able to recover, “said Rivera, who scooped P263,000 for the victory.

“I hope another Filipino can also win a title. The fields are tough, but we’ve been coming close,” added Rivera, one of four brothers playing professionally.

Veteran international campaigner Jesus “Mang Jess” Campued showed he’s still sharp at 77, and contended for the championship in the $150 Retro 105.9 DCGFM Retro Event, a competition for 50-year old and above players. In the end, Campued, the oldest player in the competition, could not overcome British Colclough’s chip lead in their heads-up duel.

Fil-Norwegian, Kai Paulsen, also came close to a triumph and landed second in the first ever $700 Open Face Chinese (OFC) Pineapple event, losing to Norway’s Mikal Blomlie.

Denmark’s Michael Kim Falcon ruled the $150 Deep Stack Turbo event while Korea’s David Park ($500 NLHE Head Hunter), Han Hyung Ho ($500 Badugi) and Kim Tae Hyung ($1,000 Pot Limit Omaha) continued to lead the way for what is shaping up to be one of the rising powers in poker.

Meanwhile, Hieu Le of Vietnam booked a seat to the WPT National China by besting the competition in the Solaire Cares Charity Event. Le defeated WPT’s iconic commentator Mike Sexton in a one hour heads-up battle to reign supreme in the tough field that included poker pros Tony Dunst, Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, “Poker Barbie Lacey Jones, Team Japan skipper Kinichi Nakata, former Asian and national champion Vic de Guzman and local poker anchorman Noel Zarate. Comedian Gary Lising and his son model Bugsy Lising also took part in the event aimed to raise funds for Solaire Cares.

The $2,200 Main Event goes full swing with participants from all over the world taking a shot at history and millions of pesos.

Satellite winners who got seats to the Main Event for as little as P300 lock horns with a host of topnotch international campaigners vying for the WPT crown.

So far, almost 100 qualifiers have booked their seats to the Main Event; with the number of direct buy-ins expected to surpass that.

Sexton and pros Tony Dunst, Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, and “The Poker Barbie” Lacey Jones highlight the foreign cast coming from as far away as Norway and Canada and Asian neighbors Malaysia, Chinese Taipei and Vietnam.

Reigning Asian Poker Tour champion Mike Takayama, World Series of Poker (WSOP) veteran Jay Lubas, national team captain Wally “The Dream” Sombero and the storied Rivera brothers of Marc, Euryd, Ashby and Sardi, who won their slots via satellites, will carry the fight for Phl.

The prize pool for the Main Event is expected to be staggering as more than P4-million has already been awarded in the 11 events that have already transpired.

 “The WPT is expanding globally and we’re happy to finally expand to Manila,” Sexton said. “It’s only a matter of time before this region’s huge potential is recognized.”