16 Aug Jason Kyle Magbanua Claims Batang Metro Day 1B Top Spot; Joven Huerto, Alexis Lim Win Side Events
The 2024 Batang Metro Poker Challenge concluded another starting heat at the Metro Card Club. Day 1B found 67 interested runners that included some of the country’s most decorated players. Among them were Marc Rivera and Moses Saquing, both players back from missing the mark at Day 1A. This time around, it was a success for both, bagging up chips when the bubble burst.
Navigating to the top of the charts was Jason Kyle Magbanua, the 2022 champion of the Metro Walk To A Million. Magbanua topped the 10 survivors with a stack of 430,000. This put him third rank in the cumulative Day 2 list. The player to still catch up to is Day 1A leader Anthony Castro with 472,000 in chips.
Batang Metro – Main Event
The 2024 Batang Metro Poker Challenge Main Event is one of the Metro Card Club’s most popular annual events. This year, a new record is being targeted with the guarantee raised to ₱8 Million, just shy of the ₱8,032,570 (~USD 142,840) prize pool set last year.
Dates: August 14 to 19, 2024
Buy in: ₱15,000 (~$260)
Guarantee: ₱8,000,000 (~$140,000)
Day 1A: 109 entries / 16 advanced to ITM round
Day 1B: 67 entries / 10 advanced to ITM round
End of Day 1B – Results
| Rank | Player | Stack |
| 1 | Jason Kyle Magbanua | 430,000 |
| 2 | Jesse Solidum | 233,000 |
| 3 | Moses Saquing | 176,000 |
| 4 | Marc Rivera | 168,000 |
| 5 | Joseph Talamayan | 161,000 |
| 6 | Allan Oriola | 155,000 |
| 7 | Euryd Rivera | 144,000 |
| 8 | Jae Yi Chang | 99,000 |
| 9 | Rommel Angeles | 72,000 |
| 10 | John Niko Costiniano | 39,000 |
The Day 1B survivors now join with Day 1A as they await the results of the next flights. 26 players are now guaranteed a piece of the ₱8 Million prize pool.
Batang Metro – Main Event Structure
Up next is Day 1C which takes place on Friday, August 16 starting at 2pm. Players start with 25,000 which is 250 times the opening blinds. For all Day 1 heats (except the Day 1E turbo flight), blinds increase every 30 minutes. Registration closes at the start of Level 11. This is Big Blind Ante – ante first – format until the final table where the Regular Ante will be in effect. All Day 1 flights play down to ITM of 14% of the field. From Day 2 onwards, blinds increase every 40 minutes.
For the players that have already qualified into the money round, take advantage of the Metro cash games which runs alongside the series. A variety of stakes is available.
For those that have not yet qualified or are just hearing of this event, the BMPC was established in 2019, in search of the next generation of poker talent. While the first two seasons were won by decorated pros John Francis King and Lester Edoc, in 2023, local poker enthusiast Marvin Cerbit0 shipped it to lift his first ever Metro major title. In addition, the win included a career high payout of of ₱1,438,589 (~$25,580), giving Cerbito a healthy bankroll for future tournaments.
The next champion could be you!
Joven Huerto And Alexis Lim Win Side Events
Batang Metro – Schedule
Metro Tourney Most Valuable Player Leaderboard
At the start of the year the Metro Card Club introduced the Metro Most Valuable Player Leaderboard. Players can accumulate points via Metro Daily Tournaments and Metro Festivals such as the Batang Metro Poker Challenge. At the end of the year, the player with the most points accrued will be crowned the top Metro tournament player of 2024 and will win huge prizes – ₱100,000, 4D/3N at The District Boracay, and a 1 year contract as a Metro Team Pro. Read up on the mechanics below.
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