Strong Start for 2026 MSE Main Event, Hanchul Choi Tops Day 1A; Bea Garcia, Justin Geronimo Victorious

The summer heat isn’t just rising outside, it’s blazing across the felt as well as the 2026 Metro Summer Event –  Main Event officially got underway at the Metro Card Club.

As one of the club’s beloved annual festivals, the ₱6 Million Guaranteed headliner opened strong with 175 entries. Throughout Day 1A, the field was stacked with some of the most recognizable local players such as Metro Team Pros, seasoned regulars, and past champions.

Photo: Hanchul Choi

While several thrived, by bagging time, it was Korean player Hanchul Choi (pictured above), a newcomer to the Metro tournament scene who topped the counts. Choi bagged up 500,000 (83 bb), setting the bar high for the next entry flight.

MSE Main Event Day 1A Survivors – 25 players

[Day 1A bagging time: 3K-6K ante 6K]

The survivors now have a three-day break before returning on April 19 for Day 2, where the money is locked in and the chase for the title intensifies. They will be joined by qualifiers from the remaining four flights still to come.

Main Event Structure

For those yet to secure a seat in the money round, Day 1B is up next, taking place on April 16, 2026. Buy-in is ₱11,000. Starting stack is a very deep 25,000, which is 250 times the opening blinds of 100-100. All the info is just below.

Bea Garcia Proves Unbreakable At Survivor Knockout

Photo: Bea Garcia

Bea Garcia, one of the fastest rising female talents on the local scene, added another trophy to her growing collection. Since breaking through with her first Metro win late last year, Garcia has stayed red hot, following it up with a win in February and now a third side event title at the MSE Survivor Knockout 200K.

With 116 entries at ₱3,000 each, the event continued the trend of smashing guarantees, building a prize pool of ₱294,408. A total of 14 players reached the money with Garcia claiming the top prize of ₱35,408, along with five bounties worth ₱6,000 each, bringing her total haul to ₱65,408.

Justin Jerome Geronimo Rages Through NLH Turbo

Photo: Justin Jerome Geronimo

The evening’s NLH Turbo attracted 57 runners, many of them were players looking to redeem themselves from busting out of Day 1A. At ₱3,500 each, players vied for a piece of the ₱171,456 prize pool.

Among them was  Justin Jerome Geronimo who went on to win his first-ever Metro festival side event trophy after a three-way ICM deal with Vivencio Nachor Jr. (2nd – ₱37,063) and Joyce Ann Magpantay (3rd – ₱27,297). For his victory, Geronimo pocketed ₱47,196.

Up Next: LADIES SHOWDOWN 50K GTD

Among the numerous side events, only one is exclusive for the women in poker. Ladies, it’s your time to shine at the Ladies Showdown happening on Thursday, April 16 with registration totally FREE!  And on top of that, the event guarantees ₱50,000.

In the event that you bust while registration is still open, you don’t have to get up from your seat. Just rebuy for ₱1,000 and voila! A fresh stack instantly. If you need to cool off from a bad beat, you can re-enter at anytime before the start of Level 11 for ₱1,100. Once reg closes, there is also an Add-On option for ₱1,000.

UPCOMING SIDE EVENTS

Other side events to look forward to are listed below:

• Power Button – April 16 @8PM
• NLH After Dark Turbo – April 17 @9PM
• Deep Stack 200K GTD – April 19 @5PM
• The Closer 300K GTD – April 20 @3PM

MINI HIGH ROLLER 500K GTD

Over the years, Metro has become a hub for players to develop into some of the most competitive in Asia. For the heavyweights, there’s one event that truly puts skills to the test, the Mini High Roller, featuring a ₱500,000 guarantee.

With a ₱16,500 buy-in, players start with 100,000 in chips, equivalent to a deep 200 big blinds at the opening level. For those that max late reg, you enter with a decent 20 bb.

2026 METRO TOURNAMENT LEADERBOARD

Once again, the race for Metro Player of the Year takes center stage. Last season, Marlon Laxamana topped the leaderboard to claim the Metro Tourney Most Valuable Player title, earning himself a one-year contract as a Metro Team Pro.

This year’s Metro MVP race kicked off on March 25 and runs through December 20, 2026. Players can continue to earn points at the MSE 2026 festival.

2026 Metro Summer Event – Schedule