The Asian Poker Tour (APT) Manila Classic 2025 edition is in full swing at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, and India is making a strong statement at the ongoing series. Just 3 days into the series and Indians have already secured three victories. Kicking off things for India was Raju Jaruplavath, who won the very first event of the ongoing APT series. Following him were Natural8 India ambassador Kunal Patni and Birangat Singh Gambhir. Patni shipped Mystery Bounty Hunter, while Gambhir took down Hyper Turbo. Here is a quick recap of Indian victories.
Raju Jaruplavath Wins Philippines National Cup for PHP 797K ($13.7K)
Raju Jaruplavath , a doctor by profession and APT regular, kicked off India’s campaign in style, winning the very first event of the series. He topped a massive field of 398 entries in Event #1: PHP 12K Philippines National Cup, banking PHP 797,785 ($13.7K) for his victory and taking his live earnings to over$150k.
Total Entries: 398-strong (240 unique)
Prize Pool: PHP 4,034,765 ($69,326) prize pool
Places Paid: 58 Players
Min -Cash: PHP 18,000 ($309)
A total of 58 survivors who returned for the final day, Jaruplavath started among the top ten stacks with 311,000 chips. He gained momentum when he eliminated South Korea’s Haewon Jung (25th), pushing his stack over a million. Entering the final table with the second-largest stack, he maintained his momentum, eliminating over four players en route to heads-up against Singapore’s Zhi Xiang Png.
The heads-up match did not last long, with Png shoving ace-three offsuit, Jaruplavath calling with ace-jack. A clean board sealed the win for the Indian pro, earning him his first APT title and his third-biggest live score.
Apart from Raju, there were several other Indians who cashed the event, including Shiva Shankar Shenbagaraj (16th for PHP 42,000, Bharath Jayaram (21st for PHP 34,000), Natural8 India Executive Director and Ambassador Kunal Patni (29th place for PHP 26,000), Vineet Kumar (32nd for PHP 22,000), and Rajiv Sachdeva 37th (PHP PHP 22,000)
Philippines National Cup Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Payout in PHP | In USD |
| 1 | Raju Jaruplavath | 797,785 | 13,707 |
| 2 | Zhi Xiang Png | 503,000 | 8,643 |
| 3 | Jansen Tiu | 381,000 | 6,203 |
| 4 | Sarawoot Ratanatbtim | 287,000 | 4,931 |
| 5 | Mingchen Zhang | 225,000 | 3,866 |
| 6 | Chayathon Wongpipatchai | 176,000 | 3,024 |
| 7 | David Erquiaga | 132,000 | 2,268 |
| 8 | Atsushi Takeuchi | 94,000 | 1,615 |
| 9 | Suprachaicharoen Prachaya | 75,000 | 1,289 |
Natural8 India Ambassador Kunal Patni Wins Mystery Bounty For His Fifth APT Title
Team India continued its momentum into Day 3 of the ongoing APT Manila Classic. Shining on the third day of the series for India was none other than Natural8 India Executive Director and Ambassador Kunal Patni, who has been on a massive heater over the last 7-8 months.
Total Entries: 377
Prize pool: PHP 4,180,176 ($71,824) prize pool
Places Paid: 55
Min-Cash: PHP 20,000 ($344)
Continuing his hot streak from 2024, Patni claimed his career-fifth title by winning Event #9: PHP 20K Mystery Bounty Hunter – Sponsored by Natural8. Patni bested a 377-strong (154 unique) field to claim the lion’s share of the PHP 4,180,176 ($71,824) prize pool. The event also had PHP 22,62,000 in the bounty prize pool. Patni defeated start-of-day chip leader Yuki Miyakura heads-up to win the Silver Lion Silhouette Trophy and the PHP 815,176 ($14,000) and another PHP 300,000 ($5,155) in bounties, collecting over $19k, the biggest score of the series so far by an Indian.
Patni eliminated seven players on his way to victory and started the heads-up with a slight lead of over 7M in chips to Miyakura’s 5M. The latter could not go all the way, finishing runner-up for PHP 514,000 ($8830) – which happens to be his largest live tournament score.
Another Indian to cash in this event was Rajiv Sachdeva, who exited in 47th place, earning PHP 20,000 ($344) for his deep finish in the event.
Mystery Bounty Hunter Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Prize (PHP) | Prize (USD) |
| 1 | Kunal Patni | 815,176 | 14000 |
| 2 | Yuki Miyakura | 514000 | 8830 |
| 3 | Sung Jin Yun | 372000 | 6390 |
| 4 | William Teoh | 301000 | 5170 |
| 5 | Wutikrai Phraikhieo | 238000 | 4090 |
| 6 | Jaejoong Kim | 183000 | 3145 |
| 7 | Takuma Endo | 136000 | 2340 |
| 8 | Xianhe Alecz Chan | 99000 | 1700 |
| 9 | Gun Jegal | 80000 | 1375 |
Gambhir Secures His First-Ever APT Title in Event #27: Hyper Turbo
Team India’s success continued as Birangat Singh Gambhir claimed the third trophy for the country yesterday. He overcame a strong field of 85-entries (77 unique runners) in Event #27: Hyper Turbo of the ongoing series, claiming his maiden APT title and PHP 236,696 ($ 4,024) top prize.
Total Entries: 85
Total Prizepool: PHP 861,996
Places Paid: 11 Players
Min Cash: PHP 22,000
Gambhir defeated Byambasuren Danzanbaljir from Mongolia in heads-up. The latter pocketed PHP 168,000 ($2,856) for his runner-up finish, while Japan’s Shinya Kanamaru placed third for PHP 110,000 ($1,870).
Hyper Turbo Final Table Payouts (USD)
| 1 | Birangat Singh Gambhir | PHP 236,696 ($ 4,023) |
| 2 | Byambasuren Danzanbaljir | PHP 168,000 ($ 2,856) |
| 3 | Shinya Kanamaru | PHP 110,000 ($1,870) |
| 4 | Apisit Anan | PHP 85,000 ($1,445) |
| 5 | Paul Hoa Han Ho | PHP 67,000 ($1,139) |
| 6 | Martin Gerico Belsa | PHP 53,000 ($ 901) |
| 7 | Shingo Horikoshi | PHP 41,000 ($697) |
| 8 | Yiu Yeung Leung | PHP 32,000 ($ 544) |
| 9 | Victor Velarde Bartulaba | PHP 25,000 ($425) |
The APT Manila Classic, which began on February 6, runs until February 15, featuring a marquee PHP 60,000,000 (~$1,000,000) guaranteed Main Event. The opening flight of the main event is completed and Day 1B is currently underway. Two more flights are still to go – Day 1C and Day 1D.
With three trophies in three days, Team India has made a statement at APT Manila Classic. Will they add more titles to their tally? Stay tuned in to PokerProNews for more updates from the ongoing APT Manila Classic 2025.
Source: Asian Poker Tour
Image Credit: Asian Poker Tour
