Hoyong Jeong Tops MWAM Main Event Day 1B; Raquel Mendoza Wins Side Event

Another day at the races has come and gone at the Metro Walk To A Million – MWAM Main Event as Day 1B wrapped up with another batch of players advancing to the ITM round. The second of five flights drew in 154 runners to the Metro Card Club, bringing the cumulative tally to 310 entries. As the field trimmed to just seven tables, it was a tight race for the top spot. In the end, Hoyong Jeong (pictured below) bagged 377,000, the most out of the 22 survivors.

Once again, no past MWAM champions were spotted however they still have time to join the action and secure their spot with three flights yet to complete. Among the players that missed the mark was Raquel Mendoza who immediately found redemption by taking down the Power Button side event later that evening. We’ve got those results further down the page.

MWAM Main Event Update And Chip Counts

The 2025 MWAM Main Event is now on its fifth run with a guaranteed prize pool of ₱5 Million (~USD 88,600). Currently leading the race is Day 1A chip leader Jhun Aballa. He is the player to measure up to.

Ongoing at the time of publication was Day 1C which started at 1pm and will be followed by Day 1D (Turbo) starting at 7pm. Buy-in is ₱5,500 (~USD 100).

Last year, this event absolutely crushed its guarantee, rising to nearly ₱6.7 Million.  Jamie Zaragoza shipped it, turning his lowly buy-in into a huge ₱1,230,000 (~$20,970) payday and becoming the first millionaire in this event’s history. We will be on the lookout for his return. Other past champions also awaited are Mark Amparo, Jason Kyle Magbanua, and Oliver John Tapel.

The next champion could be you!

Day 1B Survivors

Day 1A Survivors

MWAM Main Event Structure

Raquel Mendoza Wins Power Button

That may look like a short stack, but don’t be deceived! After missing the mark at the Main Event, Raquel Mendoza entered the Power Button side event and proceeded to shake down the 92 entry field. Mendoza defeated Claude Henoud at heads up to claim the title and a payout of ₱54,504.

Buy-in: ₱2,500
Entries: 92
Prize pool: ₱211,600
ITM: 13 places

Payouts

1st Raquel Mendoza – ₱54,504
2nd Claude Henoud – ₱36,800
3rd Badrudin Ampatuan – ₱25,900
4th Lloyd Fontillas – ₱18,900
5th Emmanuel Segismundo – ₱14,900
6th Jun Amsic – ₱10,900
7th Karl Isidro – ₱9,000
8th David Sumaoi – ₱7,000
9th Robert Cheng – ₱6,000
10th Glenn Marvin Lee – ₱5,000
11th Joshua Di Giuseppe – ₱4,000
12th Reigin Leongson – ₱3,000
13th Jester Intia – ₱3,000

A Bolder Metro

Opened back in 2007, the Metro’s has set the gold standard for poker in the Philippines, regarded as the country’s most popular card room.  This year, the Metro has taken things to an entirely new level. It kicked off the season with a major tie-up with the Asian Poker Tour for APT Manila Classic.

This August, the excitement reaches new heights as the Metro plays host and co–creator of the Philippine Poker Millions, the first ever nationwide unification of poker rooms across the country. The event features a bold ₱50 Million guarantee with buy-ins at ₱27,500 and ₱55,000.

At the ongoing MWAM, seats to the PPM have already been awarded to numerous players with more to be given out before the festival wraps up. So make sure to join the action to secure your spot.

2025 MWAM Schedule