The Asian Poker Tour (APT) has been quite busy as of late, finishing up tournament events and signing new contract deals. The APT Philippines II 2019 Championships Event has finished up with Xixiang Luo of China earning the first-place win. The win marked the first time Lou even earned a major APT title. At the same time, the APT also signed a new two-year deal with Resorts World Manila, securing events at the property beginning in 2020.

Championships Event:

The APT poker event took place from September 18th until the 22nd at Resorts World Manila. Over the five day time frame, 265 players competed to build a prize pool of PHP 19,278,700, equal to $370,000. In the end, Luo took on Graeme Siow in the heads-up round, which would only last 15 hands.

According to the Asian Poker Tour…

On the final hand, Siow was all-in with J-4 of diamonds with the flop falling 2-7-7. Luo would call with A-5 off-suit. The turn and river showed 2-6 with no hits for either player, giving Luo the win due to the high card. The win secured the first ever major Asian Poker Tour title for Luo.

The New Resorts World Manila Deal:

The Resorts World Manila is a popular spot among players of the APT. Thanks to the new deal signed with the property, the resort casino will now play host to a minimum of two major APT events each year through 2021.

This year is the 10th that the APT and Resorts World Manila have worked together in the Philippines, featuring 24 international poker series and festivals over the years. The two have set many records together in the poker field, including the Main Event of the recent APT Philippines 2019. During this tournament, the event saw a new record high of 515 players competing.

For 2020, the venue will host APT events in April, May and September.