In the aftermath of the intense Pacquiao-Cotto boxing match that shook the whole country with tumultuous cries of victory, nine poker players sat down for the final table in the Asia Pacific Poker Tour in Cebu, Philippines. But, just as it is in boxing, only one player would emerge victorious. And this time, it was Dong-Bin Han who earned the title and became the first ever Korean to win an APPT event.
An Exciting Interlude
Day 4 of the APPT Cebu coincided with one of the most important and most awaited for events in the Philippine’s sporting history. It was the day when Manny Pacquiao, World Champion in various weight divisions in the sport of boxing and also the country’s favorite athlete, would fight with Miguel Cotto, holder of the WBO Welter Weight Title. It was a big fight as Pacquiao, who had gone on to claim titles in six other weight divisions, would be vying for his seventh title and would possibly be breaking new ground in the history of boxing. So it was that poker took a backseat as everyone in the Shangri-La Mactan, and also in the whole Philippines, stood still and watched the fight. The poker players, as well as the audience, were treated to a large screen projection of the match and, of course, of Pacquiao’s subsequent victory. Cotto took a beating so severe and so thorough that no room was left for argument. It was, perhaps, this fight which Han drew inspiration from as he went on to grab the APPT title with as much ruthlessness and speed as the new Welter Weight champion.
A Thorough Victory
After watching the match, the nine players sat down on the final table to fight their own battles. Eliminations started early, and the crowd saw Alexandr Tikholiz, Philip Willcocks, and Nick Pronk leave the table in defeat. Mark Pagsuyuin, the only Filipino who made it to the final table, was treated to much cheering from the crowd but ultimately had to leave early too when his AD9C clashed with Han’s AS10H. Terry Fan, Kevin Clark, and Sim Somyung went next, leaving Hilton and Han for the heads-up match. Hilton started out strong, pitting his full house with a trio from Han and leaving the latter with a 3 to 1 disadvantage. Han was aggressive though, and left Hilton little room for maneuvering. Pretty soon, Han was hammering away at Hilton’s chip stack, and not once putting his own in any mortal danger. Finally, Hilton’s QCJS rammed into Han’s QSQD. The turn was revealed and so was the river, with neither one giving Hilton a break. It was at that moment, with victory safely in his grasp, that Han earned the APPT Title and the grand prize of $148,200.
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