PASAY CITY, Philippines – Moses “Mo Jiggy” Saquing lost the chip-lead for about three orbits and when he recovered, there was no looking back for the Nueva Vizcaya native in his quest to attain greatness for the second time this year as he adds the Main Event trophy of the Asian Poker Tour (APT) 2022 Philippines to his collection of hardware here at the Grand Wing Casino, Newport World Resorts.
Moses Saquing (PHI) finally “pairs” his APT Championships Event trophy with the Main Event trophy
Coming into the Final 8 as the chip-leader, Saquing wasted no time in turning his stack into a weapon as he waylaid three of his opponents in the finale, including eventual runner-up Christopher “Big Time” Mateo enroute to the title and the PhP4,915,000 (US$85,728) champion’s prize.
Christopher Mateo (L) being interviewed by APT Host Greg Liow
So dominating was Saquing’s performance that by the time third place finisher Jonald Garcia got eliminated by Mateo, the stack sizes were severely imbalanced that it would only take a matter of time before the inevitable would happen.
Heading into the Heads-Up duel for the crown, Saquing enjoyed a near 4-1 chip edge, 9,295,000 to 2,690,000. Mateo did double-up twice along the way, but Saquing just kept on recovering and never relinquished the lead.
The end came as Mateo opened for 300k and Saquing defended.
The Flop was 10♦ 9♦ 5♥. Both gentlemen checked.
The Turn produced a J♣ to which Saquing lead for 350K and without even flinching, Mateo called.
The River had the 4♥ and Saquing went all-in. Mateo opted to call and down he went as he tabled 6♥ 6♠ to the J♥ 10♥–two pair on the Turn for the title.
Mateo vs. Saquing in a battle of APT big guns
The triumph was the second major title for the year for the Daly City resident as he took down the Championships Event in the first installment here last May.
Mateo, who won the Main Event in the 2019 APT Philippines, received.
Here are the final payout of the Main Event:
1. Moses Saquing (PHI) – PhP4,915,000 (US$85,728) 2. Christopher Mateo (PHI) – PhP3,276,900 (US$57,159) 3. Jonald Garcia (PHI) – PhP2,278,100 (US$39,738) 4. Kim Hyo Gyum (KOR) – PhP1,645,400 (US$28,695) 5. Kyung Sim Jae (KOR) – PhP1,230,500 (US$21,460) 6. Moon Kyoungin (KOR) – PhP949,700 (US$16,651) 7. Jeremy Giam (SGP) – PhP754,100 (US$13,150) 8. Jerson Quiras (PHI) – PhP614,400 (US$10,705)
The Final 8 of the APT 2022 Philippines Main Event