Last Metro Champion of 2025 To Be Crowned; Jonas Rothmund Leads MCS Final 17 Players

From a field of 592 entries, the Metro Christmas Special is down to the final 17 players! At yesterday’s Day 2, 85 hopefuls returned with a single wish on their list: survive to the final day and have a shot at the last Metro Card Club title of the year which comes complete with a sweet ₱1,019,700 top prize, just in time for the holidays.

The action moved in fast pace, trimming the field to the final two tables in under six hours. Leading the charge was Germany’s Jonas Rothmund (pictured above), who dominated the day and tucked away a commanding 2,455,000 stack, equivalent to 122 big blinds. A rare sight on the live tournament scene, Rothmund has locked up his first-ever Metro live tournament cash, and with such a bloated stack in tow, he may well be wrapping up a trophy well before Christmas morning.

Finishing the day in second rank was Algyn Baylon with 1,835,000 (92 big blinds), and rounding out the top three was the day’s entering chip leader, Christoper Pasion, with 1,575,000 (78 big blinds).

Going further down the rung is Marlon Laxamana (pictured above) in 7th rank with a healthy 1,195,000 (60 big blinds). As of December 12, Laxamana leads the Metro VIP / Player Of The Series race and with this deep run, he is in great shape to maintain position. Also in the list is Jenard Ivan Clado who is in the top 10 of the POY race. Clado will have his work cut out as he enters with 270,000 (13 big blinds) in chips.

Final 17 Players

The race to the MCS title kicks off at 2PM today, December 15. Blinds open at 10,000-20,000 ante 20,000. Average stack is 870,588 (43 bg blinds). Fans can watch the final table action as it unfolds via the Metro YouTube channel. There will be 30-minute delay.

At this stage, everyone is guaranteed a min-cash of ₱50,000 plus a ticket to the PPT Main Event worth ₱6,000 each.

Remaining Payouts

1st ₱1,019,700
2nd ₱600,000
3rd ₱300,000
4th ₱270,000
5th ₱210,000
6th ₱170,000
7th ₱140,000
8th ₱110,000
9th ₱90,000
10th-11th ₱70,000
12th-14th ₱60,000
15th-17th ₱50,000

2025 MCS Structure and Info

• Buy-in: ₱11,000
• Guarantee: ₱5,000,000
• Entries: 592
• Prize pool: ₱5,920,000
• ITM: 85 players

Flight Results and Update

• Day 1A: 109 entries / 16 advanced to ITM
  Blinds: 3000-6000 ante 6000
• Day 1B: 50 entries / 7 advanced to ITM
  Blinds: 2000-5000 ante 5000
• Day 1C: 89 entries / 13 advanced to ITM
  Blinds: 3000-6000 ante 6000
• Day 1D: 174 entries / 25 advanced to ITM
• Blinds: 4000-8000 ante 8000
• Day 1E: 170 entries / 24 advanced to ITM
  Blinds: 5000-10,000 ante 10,000
• Day 2: 85 players return
  Blinds: 2500-5000 ante 5000
• Final Day: 17 players return
  Blinds: 10,000-20,000 ante 20,000

The Metro Christmas Special got underway on December 10 and is set to wrap up on December 15. For point-chasers, today is also the last chance to earn points with one side event remaining, The Closer 300K GTD which kicks off at 3pm. Buy-in is ₱4,000.

Last night, June Brix Nuestro (pictured below) claimed one of the last MCS side event trophies for his victory at the Survivor Knockout 200K GTD. The event drew a roaring 186 entries to send the prize pool north for a total of ₱511,500. The top 22 players reached ITM. Nuestro pocketed a cool ₱59,310 which included three bounty chips worth ₱6,000 each.

METRO VIP AND POY TITLE STANDINGS

2025 MCS – Schedule