Gursimran Brar Steamrolls to Victory in the 2026 SPT Manila Main Event

What started as a very deep-stacked affair on the final day of the 2026 SiGMA Poker Tour Manila Main Event came to a conclusion in just under five and a half hours in the Grand Ballroom of the luxurious City of Dreams Manila hotel and entertainment complex. Out of a field of 362 entries in the PHP 40,000 (≈$650) SPT Main Event, nine players returned to battle for the largest slice of the PHP 15 million (≈$242,755) guarantee and Gursimran Brar defeated Hyunsik Nam in heads-up play after a dominant display throughout the last few days.

It may perhaps not be much of a surprise that this specific duo was left to compete for the trophy, as Brar was the chip leader of the very first starting day during which he accumulated nearly 25 starting stacks. Nam topped the final turbo heat and was second in chips for Day 2 before both returned in the middle of the pack. However, once the very vocal Brar claimed the top spot he never surrendered it anymore and turned a free entry thanks to taking part in the SiGMA conference here in Manila into the top prize worth PHP 3,041,700 ($49,306).

Prior to the restart, Brar walked in with his packed suitcase as he has a flight to catch later this evening and promised to try and make quick work of the proceedings – a prediction that would certainly come true. However, there is hopefully enough time to grab a nice dinner at Nobu before heading to the airport.

The final table also featured the 2014 Irish Open Main Event winner Patrick Clarke who was knocked out by Brar in sixth place, a showdown that vaulted him further ahead of the pack and commenced a period of sheer domination.

Final Table Result 2026 SPT Manila Main Event

The festival was held in cooperation with the Soul Poker Club inside of the City of Dreams, which hosted five days of tournament action and a combined PHP 20 million (≈$323,675) in guarantees. Besides the poker action which had Side Events sponsored by Cubeia and ATFX, the SiGMA Asia 2026 Summit was running at the nearby SMX Convention Center. Brar was there for meetings and received a free entry to the Main Event from one of the exhibitors.

Among the nine finalists were also three local players to try and keep the trophy on home soil. However, Alexis Lim was the first player to bust when he got it in with pocket nines on a queen-high flop. Brar was involved in the three-bet pot with queen-jack suited and notched up his first knockout for the day. That hand secured a ladder-up for China’s Qi Xia who was down to a mere two big blinds and bowed out shortly thereafter.

Start-of-the-day chip leader Tsun Yin Wong played very few hands and lost most of his stack to Seung Hyun Han before Brar finished the job with jack-ten suited versus ace-queen. Clarke then came up short with an overpair and straight draw because Brar’s suited ace rivered a flush.

Ivan Dela Cruz was the second-last hope of the Filipino rail but his king-queen couldn’t hold against Nam’s king-jack suited. And the very same South Korean then also knocked out Ronn Mesina to bring the field down to the final three. The two South Koreans clashed in a larger pot when Nam bluffed with broadway on a four-card flush board but was called by worse and they were down to the final two hopefuls with 72 big blinds average.

What may have turned into a gruelling hour-long affair lasted all but half an hour. Brar and Nam had been chatting back and forth the entire final table and embraced the friendly atmosphere. And the hot run of Brar never really stopped perhaps best showcased by flopping top set with pocket kings in a four-bet pot. When they each had a suited ace soon thereafter, the chips went in preflop and Brar had some extra weight to fit into his luggage.

Castro Takes Down The Hendon Mob Championship Manila

The final day of the series in Manila contained four different tournaments and included the conclusion of the very first The Hendon Mob Championship on Asian soil. With a buy-in of PHP 12,000 (≈$194), the event turned out to be quite popular and attracted a field of 237 entries for the PHP 3 million (≈$48,551) guarantee with the top 30 finishers earning a cash prize.

Seven of the nine players on the final table were representing the Philippines and Nico Kuivila from Finland was the first casualty. The only other contender to try and avoid a home victory was Stefan Van Huyssteen from South Africa, who reached his second final table of the series. He ultimately had to settle for fifth place but will be joined on home turf later this year as the winner of the tournament also receives a package for the South Africa Million later in 2026.

That happened to be Anthony Castro who defeated Errol Nicodemus in a short-lived heads-up duel amid a very lively local rail. Castro earned the top prize of PHP 679,600 ($11,016) and will be heading on an international trip in November.

Final Table Result The Hendon Mob Championship Manila