Ivan Govorov

The record-breaking 2025 APT Manila Classic Main Event has its champion, and it’s a story for the ages. Russia’s Ivan Govorov pulled off one of the most remarkable final table performances in APT history, overcoming a mountain of adversity to claim the PHP 11,069,680 (~$190,201) top prize.

In a tournament that shattered records as the largest-ever APT Main Event in the Philippines, Govorov outlasted a field of 1,202 entries, navigating the landmines and elite competition to emerge victorious. Govorov’s final test came against Austria’s Samuel Mullur, and in a swift heads-up battle, he sealed the deal in style.

But what makes this victory truly special isn’t just the title—it’s how he got there. At one point, Govorov was down to just three big blinds at the final table, teetering on the brink of elimination. Yet, through a mix of unshakable patience, relentless determination, and the perfect touch of fortune, he clawed his way back, never losing sight of the ultimate prize.

2025 APT Manila Classic Main Event Final Table Results

*Also wins a TWD 350,000 APTC seat

Starting the final table in seventh place, he defied the odds, took down seasoned pros, and orchestrated a comeback for the history books. Yet, for Govorov, this is just the beginning. Despite this being the biggest win of his career, he believes his greatest victories are still ahead.

A self-proclaimed “citizen of the world”, the 32-year-old embraces the freedom of travel and sees poker as a gateway to even greater opportunities. Along with the title, he also locked up a TWD 350,000 (~USD 10,700) seat for the upcoming TWD 165 million (~USD 5 million) guaranteed APT Championship later this year—where he hopes to continue his winning journey on an even bigger stage.

More than just a personal triumph, Govorov expressed deep gratitude for the support he received throughout the tournament. He dedicated his win to his parents, his brother, and his girlfriend Angelina, thanking them for believing in him every step of the way. With his name now etched in APT history, Govorov’s poker journey is far from over—and if his words are anything to go by, this is just another step toward even greater things to come.

Final Table Action

With the final nine set, all eyes were on Dmitrii Belikov and Hiroya Iwamoto, the two biggest stacks entering the day. Both were expected to leverage their chips early, but for Iwamoto, things quickly took an unexpected turn.

After losing a few small pots, Iwamoto found himself in a costly clash against Mullur. Defending his big blind with queen-eight, Iwamoto connected on the turn with a pair of queens, but Mullur had already flopped a set of nines. Mullur capitalized with a sizable value bet, and Iwamoto paid it off, watching his stack take an early hit.

Despite still having a healthy stack, the real damage came moments later in a clash with Alexander Ugay. Iwamoto picked up ace-queen and found himself facing a three-bet from Ugay, who held pocket queens. Unwilling to back down, Iwamoto four-bet shoved, only to see Ugay snap-call. The board ran out clean, and just like that, the second-biggest stack entering the final table was the first to fall.

Hiroya Iwamoto

Adalsteinn Karlsson entered the final table as the shortest stack but managed an early double-up, securing a crucial pay jump after Iwamoto’s elimination. However, his stay didn’t last much longer. On the very next hand, Karlsson shoved king-queen from the small blind, only to run into Mullur’s ace-nine in the big blind.

Mullur flopped two pair, leaving Karlsson in dire straits, and by the turn, his fate was sealed. After a valiant effort, Karlsson's run ended in eighth, bringing the field down to seven.

A massive, tournament-defining pot unfolded between Mullur and Or Nezer, shifting the landscape of the final table. Nezer, looking to apply maximum pressure, five-bet shoved with ace-four suited, only to run headfirst into Mullur’s pocket rockets. With the stakes at their highest, the board ran out clean for Mullur, securing him the chip lead with nearly a third of the chips in play. Meanwhile, Nezer’s aggressive move backfired, sending him spiraling into the danger zone.

Jie Zhang

Jie Zhang had allowed his stack to dwindle to around six big blinds before he made his move with jack-nine from the small blind. Nezer was sat in the big blind and with a much-larger stack, he looked to thin down the field by calling with seven-six suited. That decision proved to be a good one as he flopped a flush, which left Zhang drawing dead on the flop and out in seventh.

Govorov then found himself at risk, but this time, he held pocket kings against Nezer’s ace-three. A clean board secured the crucial double-up for the eventual champion, but his momentum was short-lived. Despite surviving, Govorov struggled to build traction, and his stack quickly slipped back into dangerous territory.

Belikov, who started the final table as the chip leader, found himself blinded down and card-dead, barely playing a hand as his stack slowly dwindled. Eventually, he made his stand, three-bet shoving pocket eights over Mullur’s open with king-queen. Mullur called, and when a king landed on the flop, Belikov's fate was sealed. The former frontrunner's run ended in sixth place, marking a disappointing finish for the one-time favorite.

Dmitrii Belikov

Mullur continued to dominate the final five, amassing more than half of the chips in play as the remaining finalists remained cautious, navigating the ICM pressure. With the short stacks battling for survival, Govorov—down to just four big blinds—managed to score a crucial double-up when his pocket nines held against Nezer’s ace-four. However, despite the temporary lifeline, it felt like only a matter of time before Govorov's run would come to an end.

On the 100th hand of the final table, Dylan Foster, who had been quietly grinding, suddenly sprang into action. The action folded to Govorov in the small blind, who shoved into Foster’s shorter stack in the big blind. Foster called with queen-ten, only to see the bad news—Govorov held ace-ten, leaving him dominated.

However, with his roaring rail behind him, Foster found salvation on the flop, as a queen landed to keep his tournament run alive and severely cripple Govorov’s stack. The crowd erupted, as Foster’s comeback story gained another chapter, while Govorov was left clinging to life.

Alexander Ugay

Govorov found himself at risk once again shortly after, calling a shove with king-four in a blind-on-blind battle against Alexander Ugay’s ten-six. This time, the king-high held up, securing Govorov another crucial double-up and leaving Ugay on life support.

Ugay's survival was short-lived, as on the very next hand, he shoved with ace-jack, only to run straight into Nezer’s pocket kings. The board offered no help, and Ugay's tournament run came to an end in fifth.

The story of Foster and his electric rail took another dramatic turn as a huge flip unfolded between the Australian player and Mullur, resulting in one of the wildest runouts of the final table. Foster shoved from the small blind with Big Slick, and Mullur snap-called with pocket jacks in the big blind, setting up a crucial flip for both players.

The flop came all spades, giving Foster both a flush draw and a gutshot to a jack. The turn delivered the jack, completing Foster’s straight, but also improving Mullur to a set, keeping the hand in flux. With the spectators on the edge of their seats, Mullur needed the board to pair on the river, but it bricked out, securing the double for Foster. The poker room erupted in chaos, as Foster’s rail went absolutely wild, celebrating yet another unbelievable moment in his Cinderella run.

Or Nezer

Foster's red-hot momentum came to a screeching halt as Or Nezer delivered a brutal counterpunch in yet another high-stakes coinflip. This time, the chips went in preflop with Nezer’s pocket fours at risk against Foster’s ace-queen. The Australian’s rail was ready to explode, but the excitement quickly turned to stunned silence as the flop brought not one, but two fours, giving Nezer quads on the spot. Just like that, Nezer secured the double-up in the most emphatic way possible, momentarily muting Foster’s entourage and putting a stop to his unstoppable surge.

Govorov was then at his lowest point of the final table, clinging to just a fraction over three big blinds, but all he needed was a spark. His pocket eights held against Nezer’s seven-four, providing the tinder to ignite what would become a fiery comeback. With the flames catching, Govorov doubled up twice more in the next four hands—first with queen-eight against Mullur’s king-ten, and then again with ace-queen against Nezer’s jack-seven. In a matter of minutes, he went from the brink of elimination to battling for the chip lead, turning a dying ember into a blazing resurgence.

Nezer’s unpredictable style had been a thorn in the side of many players at the final table, applying relentless pressure and forcing tough decisions. However, Mullur showed exactly why he is one of the world’s best, making a brilliant hero call to finally bring Nezer’s deep run to an end in fourth place.

In a crucial hand, Nezer fired a massive river bluff, shoving with jack-five offsuit on an ace-high board, attempting to represent a strong hand. However, Mullur wasn’t convinced. After carefully analyzing the action, he trusted his instincts and found an incredible hero-call with seven-four—fourth pair! With that, Mullur scooped a pivotal pot, and Nezer’s rollercoaster run came to an end in fourth place, leaving just three players in contention for the title.

Dylan Foster

Govorov shifted into high gear with three players left, effortlessly accumulating chips until he held nearly two-thirds of the chips in play, putting himself firmly on the path to victory. Mullur came within one card of securing a podium finish, but in a dramatic twist, another rollercoaster runout kept him in contention—much to the frustration of Foster.

Mullur opened with pocket queens and quickly called Govorov’s shove with nine-six suited. The flop gave Govorov a pair and a straight draw, which he completed on the turn, seemingly sealing Mullur’s fate. But just when it looked like it was over, Mullur spiked a bigger straight on the river, keeping the three-handed battle alive.

Despite managing to triple up, Foster's run soon came to an end in third in unfortunate fashion. Govorov had moved all in from the small blind with ten-seven, and Foster put himself at risk with king-ten out of the big blind. With a dominating hand, Foster was on the verge of evening out the stacks of the final three players, but a flopped straight for Govorov ended the Australian's run in brutal fashion.

Samuel Mullur

Heading into heads-up play, Ivan Govorov held a commanding four-to-one chip lead over Samuel Mullur, but the battle was far from over. Mullur quickly found an early double-up, calling Govorov’s shove with king-six and holding strong with king-ten to narrow the gap.

However, just a few hands later, it was all over. Mullur limp-shoved with ace-four, only to run into Govorov’s ace-king. With no twists on the board, Mullur’s remarkable run ended in second as Govorov completed his stunning comeback to seize the APT Manila Classic Main Event title.

From the brink of elimination to lifting the trophy, Ivan Govorov’s story will go down as one of the most incredible comebacks in APT history.