Live updates from day 3, level 21 (blinds 10,000-20,000, ante 2000) of the PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu, Philippines. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

8.15pm: Final table decided

The final table for the 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event has been decided. Beng Hong Ker of Singapore was confirmed in 11th after shoving with [jh] [js] from the cut-off, but David Hilton was waiting in the big blind with [as] [ad]. The board ran out [6s] [7d] [ac] [10h] [9c] and the PokerStars Qualifier was out.

Just minutes later, Oleg Poluzhnikov committed his stack with [8d] [8h] and found himself up against the [10d] [10h] of Mark Pagsuyuin. Everyone in The Marquee packed around the table to follow the fortunes of the final Filipino player, and the cheers went up after the board came [qh] [as] [7h] [ks] [10s]. There were seven minutes left on the clock in level 21.

7.30pm: Nam Le out in 12th

Nam Le's hopes of a second APPT title have ended in 12th position. Mark Pagsuyuin called Le's all-in with [ah] [8h], and narrowed the gap on Le's [ac] [jc] when the flop came [ad] [5h] [9h]. The Filipino made his flush on the turn [10h], the river bricked [3c] and the 2006 WPT Shooting Stars champion was on his way to the door.

7.15pm: Bansuan unlucky 13th

The top 12 players in the APPT Cebu Main Event have been decided after the elimination of Allih "Yoyong" Bansuan in 13th. The second last Filipino player in the field pushed all-in with [qh] [9h] on a flop of [4c] [9c] [qc] with Korean Sim Somyung making the call. He showed [kc] [6c] for the second nuts, with the turn [6d] and river [ah] bringing no joy for Yoyong. Players have just returned from the third break of the day, with the 12 spread across two tables.

Live updates from day 3, level 20 (blinds 8000-16000, ante 2000) of the PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu, Philippines. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

7pm: Two birds with one stone

Two eliminations on the same hand have left Rody Kaka in 15th and Wei Sha 14th. Kaka, the cousin of last year's APPT Manila winner Van Marcus, was crippled when he ran pocket sevens into the pocket aces of Korea's Sim Somyung and bit the dust when pocket aces of his own - [ah] [ac] - and the [ad] [kh] of Wei Ska were overtaken after Dong-bin Han's [ac] [jc] improved to a straight on a board of [10d] [6d] [qd] [2s] [kc].

6.45pm: Kers cursed by Ker

Now they're coming thick and fast ... Yow Hui (Jack) Ng is our 17th-place finisher after Alexandr Tikholiz's [ad] [qh] took the biscuits against the father of PokerStars.net Team Asia Pro Bryan Huang. Ng showed [as] [10h] and there was no love from a board of [6s] [js] [7h] [9c] [jc].

Pontus Kers completed another impressive APPT performance with a 16th here to go with his fifth in Macau. The end came for the Swedish PokerStars Qualifier when Beng Hong Ker's pocket kings found a friend on the flop against Kers' pocket aces.

6.30pm: From penthouse to poor house

David Hilton's chip lead has been slashed after a tough level 20. The US PokerStars Qualifier is down to 335,000 from a tournament-high of 960,000. The latest hit came when he called the all-in of Oleg Poluzhnikov with [kc] [qc]. The Russian showed [ah] [10c] but fell behind when the flop came [qd] [8h] [10h]. However, the turn [10d] gave Poluzhnikov trips and he took down a pot worth 215,000 when the river fell [js].

6.15pm: Bumpas bumped

Brian Bumpas has been eliminated from the APPT Cebu Main Event in 18th position, good for PHP 230,000. The American shoved all-in with [6c] [6h] but found Mark Pagsuyuin waiting with [kh] [ks]. The Filipino called and watched in delight as the board fell [10h] [qh] [jd] [9c] [3s], sending his stack north of 450,000.

6pm: Tech, Sato sent to the rail

Two eliminations in quick succession have reduced the APPT Cebu Main Event field to 18. John Tech's short stack didn't last long, with his [qs] [10d] well behind the [ah] [ad] of Wei Sha. The aces held firm on a board of [3h] [3s] [2h] [4s] [8h], and having Tech covered by just 5000, Sha scooped up the modest pot of 170,000.

Kiwi Phillip Willcocks had been tumbling down the chip count until he halted the fall with black kings against the pocket eights of chip leader David Hilton. At an adjacent table, Kazuhiro Sato put his tournament life on the line with [ac] [6c] with Pontus Kers making the call, and showing [kh] [js]. The [kd] on the turn pout the Swede ahead and ended Sato's hopes of emulating his 2007 APPT Manila final table appearance.

Live updates from day 3, level 19 (blinds 6000-12,000, ante 100) of the PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu, Philippines. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

5.45pm: No laughing matter for Joe Ker

Finally Beng Hong "Joe" Ker takes the shackles off a tight and tense level 19, and gets smacked around for his trouble! Ker took virtually all of John Tech's chips when his red kings found a set on the flop against Tech's flopped pair of kings, but shipped most of those chips when his K-10 found a 10 on the flop, only to walk straight into the pocket aces of Pontus Kers. Win some, lose some ...

5.30pm: Yoyong on the rise

The only hand worth mention in the past 30 minutes featured Allih "Yoyong" Bansuan of the Philippines and Alexandr Tikholiz, the PokerStars Qualifier from Russia. Not surprisingly it was big hand versus big hand - the [kd] [kc] of Yoyong against [ad] [kh] for Tikholiz.

Jojo Tech started the action with a raise to 37,000, Bansuan called, Tikholiz pushed it to 100,000, Tech agonised before folding, Bansuan pushed all-in for 230,000 and Tikholiz instantly called. The board fell [qd] [qc] [5s] [7c] [4s], propelling Bansuan to 735,000 while Tikholiz is down to 390,000.

5.15pm: Magellan makes his mark

While things are a bit quiet, thought it worth telling the story of one of the great explorers whose name is indelibly linked with Mactan Island, venue for the APPT Cebu Main Event.

Back in the 16th century, Ferdinand Magellan was tasked by the Spanish government with finding a route to the lucrative Spice islands of south-east Asia (now known as Indonesia) as part of the first attempt to circumnavigate the globe.

As part of this journey, Magellan and his crew became the first Europeans to enter the Pacific from the Strait of Magellan, which he discovered. He landed in the Philippines in early 1521, where he famously planted a cross. It was here that the first Filipino Christians were baptised.

The Augustinian priests built a shrine for the cross between the years 1525 and 1740. The locals started taking off chips from the cross superstitiously believing that it possessed miraculous powers. So, a raised structure was built to protect the cross, which is situated in a chapel next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. This is one of the famous Catholic shrines in the Philippines.

Magellan, who was greatly enthused by his success in converting most Cebuanos to Christianity decided to extend his efforts to Mactan Island. He crossed the channel to the island but was killed by the island chieftain Lapulapu and his men even before he could reach the shore.

Unfortunately, Magellan's body could never be recovered in spite of offers of jewellery and spices in exchange for the dead body. The Magellan Marker was erected in 1866 to mark the spot where the great explorer died.

5pm: Slow, slow's the go

We've hit a wall since the last break with no eliminations and not much significant action as the lure of a final table berth starts to impact the players' willingness to make a move without a big hand. The short stacks feeling the pinch belong to John "Jojo" Tech (135,000), Oleg Poluzhnikov (120,000) and Wei Sha (60,000).

4.45pm: Hilton leads, Tikholiz closing

Players are taking their second break of the day, with David dhilton12 Hilton looking down on the rest of the field from his lofty perch of 960,000 in chips. The big mover in the last session was another PokerStars Qualifier, the impressively named Alexandr Petrovich Tikholiz of Russia. He's up to 710,000, most of which were acquired from former chip leader Phillip Willcocks from New Zealand.

The 20 players still in the APPT Cebu Main Event are spread across three tables, with the feature table in use for the first time. This will be the venue for the final table, but will be packed to capacity well before the action starts as The Marquee will be screening the WBO Welterweight world title fight between champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico and Manny "The Pacman" Pacquiao, arguably the most popular Filipino on the face of the planet.

Live updates from day 3, level 18 (blinds 5000-10,000, ante 1000) of the PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu, Philippines. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

4.15pm: Mongolian charge halted

Just 20 players remain in the hunt for the 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event title midway through the fourth level on day three. The title aspirations of Dustin Dorrance-Bowman, a PokerStars Player from the USA, have ended after the pocket kings of Dong-bin Han held up against the A-K of Dorrance-Bowman on a board that flowed [3s] [7d] [7h] [qh] [3h].

Shortly after, we farewelled the last of the 10 Mongolian players who made such a impact on this event. The last of Batsuren Tserendorj's chips were committed with [ks] [9c] and he needed help against the [10s] [10c] of Filipino Mark Pagsuyuin. However, the flop of [as] [10h] [2c] left Tserendorj on thin ice, and his tournament life was snuffed out with the turn [ad] and river [2h]. Suspect it won't be the last we see of the Mongolian contingent on the APPT.

4pm: Elimination, with interest

Korea's Seong Kim "James" Ho has been KOed in 23rd position after pushing in the last of his chips with [ks] [5s], holding middle-pair on a flop of [4c] [5c] [7d]. Alexandr Tikholiz, a PokerStars Qualifier from Russia came along for the ride and showed [8d] [8s]. The board ran out [ac] [7h], and the Russian earned no brownie points from his tablemates when he told the Korean to "go home" (or "domoi" in Russian) after winning the hand.

David Hilton continues to lead the tournament on 770,000 ahead of Phillip Willcocks (540,000), Dong-bin Han (410,000), Rody Kaka (360,000) and Joe Ker (340,000). At the other end of the chip count, there've just been timely double-ups for short stacks Wei Sha and Jack Ng while Mongolian poker pioneer Batsuren Tserendorj is the outright short stack on 65,000.

3.45pm: The APPT's very own Abbott and Costello

One of the highlights of our time at Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa has been the nightly visit to the players' buffet. PokerStars.net Team Australia Pros Tony Hcahem and Eric Assadourian took some time out to review the offerings:

Watch APPT Cebu 09: Dinner in Style on PokerStars.tv

Live updates from day 3, level 17 (blinds 4000-8000, ante 500) of the PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu, Philippines. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

3.30pm: Kaka climbs back into contention

After being among the chip leaders for much of the first two days, the hopes of Cambodian-based German PokerStars Player Mike Gaertner have ended in 24th place. The end came for Gaertner when he walked [8d] [8c] into the [kh] [kd] of the final Aussie in the field, Rody Kaka.

The board ran out [ah] [qs] [10c] [3s] [js], propelling Kaka to more than 470,000. After struggling for chips in the early going, Kaka has climbed to among the chip leaders and remains on target to emulate the feat of his cousin Van Marcus, who won this event last year when it was played in Manila.

3.15pm: PokerStars.tv previews day three of the APPT Cebu Main Event

Watch APPT Cebu 09: Day 3 Introduction on PokerStars.tv

3pm: Tasty return for satellite winner

Swede Martin Lundegren won his seat to the APPT Cebu Main Event here and carried that form all the way to 26th place, worth PHP 175,000. The short-stacked Lundegren made his last stand with [jd] [5d] only to find New Zealand PokerStars Qualifier Phillip Willcocks well ahead with [ad] [10c]. The board of [3d] [qd] [6d] [2d] [8c] gave both players a flush, but Willcocks held the nuts and scooped up the last of the Swede's chips.

Jerry Delisle's solid run has also come to an end after the American PokerStars Qualifier chased a straight draw with [7h] [8h] against the pocket queens of Allih "Yoyong" Bansuan of the Philippines, but missed his outs on a board of [6h] [2s] [9d] [4c] [3s]. Yoyong is now up to more than 400,000 with the remaining 24 players now condensed into just three tables.

2.45pm: Hilton upgraded, Harness evicted

Players have just returned from their first break of the day, where all the talk was the massive hand that sent US PokerStars Qualifier David Hilton into the chip lead and Raleigh Harness, another PokerStars Qualifier from the US, to the rail.

In three-way action, it was the [ac] [as] of US PokerStars Player Dustin Dorrance-Bowman against the [kc] [kh] of Hilton and [qs] [qd] for Harness. The room erupted when Hilton found a king on the flop of [10s] [9d] [kd] then, unbelievably, he made quads on the turn [ks]. The board ran out [jh], Bowman was down to 130,000, Harness was out and Hilton was off to the penthouse with 600,000.

Live updates from day 3, level 16 (blinds 3000-6000, ante 500) of the PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu, Philippines. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

2.15pm: Mixed fortunes for Le brothers

WPT champion Nam Le has moved ominously into the top five chip counts after the first two hours of play on day three of the PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event.

The 2008 APPT Macau High Roller winner is on 340,000 and within sight of chip leader Phillip Willcocks (540,000), Dong-bin Han (410,000), Terry Fan (370,000) and Beng Hong "Joe" Ker on 340,000.

However, Le's brother Tommy has departed in 28th after his [qd] [10d] started and stayed behind the [ad] [jc] of Mongolia's Batsuren Tserendorj as the board came [7d] [6d] [as] [5h] [4c].

2pm: Inage put to the sword

It was Japan v Japan when Kazuhiro Sato sent his [ac] [qd] to war against the [as] [kh] of Fuyuki Inage. Sato called for a queen on the flop, and that's just he found, sending his countryman to the payout desk to collect his PHP 175,000.

The steady stream of eliminations continued just minutes later when chip leader Dong-bin Han called the all-in of Russia's Konstantin Tolokno. It was Han's K-J against the A-J of Tolokno, and he was looking good until a king landed on the turn. Tolokno is our 29th-place finisher.

1.45pm: Sim on Song against Tsang

Swedish PokerStars Qualifier Lars Pettersson is free to enjoy the delights of Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa after busting out in 32nd. Shortly after Korea's Danny Sangwook Byun bowed out in 33rd, Pettersson shoved all-in on a board of [4s] [jc] [2c] [10h] [7h], and was horrified to see that day two chip leader Dong-bin Han had made a pair of sevens with his [7s] [6s] against the Scandi's pocket sixes.

Popular Asian poker identity Elton Tsang was next to go when he found his [ac] [8h] dominated against the [as] [js] of Korea's Sim Somyung. The board ran out [jc] [qd] [5h] [4d] [9c], eliminating Tsang in 31st for PHP 175,000.

Live updates from day 3, level 15 (blinds 2500-5000, ante 500) of the PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu, Philippines. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

1.15pm: Three more down, Willcocks leads

We're down to 34 players after three quick eliminations. Filipino Christian Demers busted in 36th when his [ad] [8d] failed to improve against the [as] [kh] of Swedish PokerStars Qualifier Lars Pettersson with the board flowing [jc] [6d] [4d] [5h] [6h].

Next out was PokerStars Player Danny Steigler when Russia's Alexandr Tikholiz hit the flop hard, his A-K improving to two-pair against the pocket eights of the German. He was followed by the affable American Johnny Hanes, who ran A-J into the A-Q of Phillip Willcocks. Neither hand improved, and the PokerStars Qualifier was off to collect his PHP 150,000 for 34th.

1pm: Blue times for Blumenthal, Kim KOed

Ira Blumenthal's hopes of another APPT final table in the Philippines have been dashed. After some big pre-flop action against Singapore's Beng Hong "Joe" Ker and Seong Kim Ho, it came down to Blumenthal's [jh] [jd] and the [ah] [kd] of Ho (Ker had folded pocket 10s). The flop of [9s] [ad] [3h] hit Ho and had Blumenthal gathering his personals. It ran out [3c] [6c] to confirm Blumenthal's exit in 38th.

We've become accustomed to watching Mike Kim nurse a short stack through a big field, and you'd think he'd be happy to see pocket aces to provide some breathing space. Wrong - Kim put his aces to work against the pocket eights of Wei Sha, with an eight on the turn crippling the popular Asian poker figure. He was out on the next hand when his [6c] [7c] failed to connect against the [ac] js] of Ker.

12.45pm: Take the money and run

Let the mayhem begin ... outright short stack Robert Chow didn't last long after his pocket deuces (and the pocket 10s of John Tech) were overtaken by the [jh] [9h] of Ira Blumenthal on a board of [7d] [8c] [5s] [6s] [ad], giving him a straight.

Anna Cu Unjieng's day also didn't last long after she found her [2d] [3s] up against the [ah] [qs] of US PokerStars Qualifier Raleigh Harness. The board fell [6d] [9d] [ac] [jc] [ad] and the Filipino was out in 39th.

12.30pm: Family affair

Cards are in the air on day three of the PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event. APPT tournament director Danny McDonagh has announced that an extra 10 minutes have been added to the opening level to compensate for hand-for-hand play late yesterday.

Two other players of note in action today include the sole remaining Aussie Rody Kaka, the cousin of last year's APPT Manila winner Van Marcus. Kaka is making his first major tournament appearance and has already secured an in-the-money finish. And we're also keeping an eye on Yow Hui "Jack" Ng, who is the father of PokerStars.net Team Asia Pro Bryan Huang.

Yep, sunny and warm again here today in the countdown to day three of the PokerStars.net APPT Cebu Main Event at Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa in the southern Philippines.

There are more than a few sore heads this morning after last night's Metro Card Club APPT Cebu Party at the Voodoo Lounge in downtown Cebu, but it's back to business in The Marquee today for the remaining 40 players, who are all assured a minimum payout of PHP 150,000.

However, all eyes are on the first prize of PHP 7,410,000 (approximately USD $158,000), which is the lion's share of the PHP 29,086,420 (approximately USD $622,000) prize pool.

The current chip leader is Dong-bin Han from Korea with 478,500, followed by PokerStars Qualifier Phillip Willcocks from New Zealand with 435,000. In third place is PokerStars Online Qualifier Beng Hong Ker from Singapore with 408,000.

Other notables still in the hunt for the title include 2008 APPT Macau High Roller champion Nam Le and his brother Tommy, 2009 APPT Macau Main Event runner-up Mike Kim and fifth-place finisher Pontus Kers and a pair of players who final-tabled the first APPT Manila Main Event - Thailand's Ira Blumenthal and Kazuhiro Sato.

Five of the 40 players that remain are representing the host nation while 13 PokerStars Online Qualifiers and three PokerStars Cebu Satellite winners will also be in action today. Filipino Anna Cu Unjieng is assured the title of the highest placed female, while we'll also be keeping a close eye on the last of the 10 Mongolian players in the field, Batsuren Tserendorj.

Top 10 chip count at the start of day 3

Dong-bin Han (Korea) 478,500
Phillip Willcocks (New Zealand) PokerStars Qualifier 435,000
Beng Hong Ker (Singapore) PokerStars Qualifier 408,000
Terry Fan (Taipei) PokerStars Player 303,500
Allih (Yoyong) Bansuan (Philippines) 299,500
Kevin Clark (New Zealand) PokerStars Qualifier 263,000
Dustin Dorrance-Bowman (USA) PokerStars Player 260,000
Mike Gaertner (Cambodia) PokerStars Player 257,000
Jerry Delisle (USA) PokerStars Qualifier 248,000
Brian Bumpas (USA) 224,500

Players have started arriving for the opening hand, which will be dealt in about 45 minutes. The structure available for today's play:

Level 15: 2500/5000 (ante 500)
Level 16: 3000/6000 (ante 500)
Level 17: 4000/8000 (ante 500)
Level 18: 5000/10,000 (ante 1000)
Level 19: 6000/12,000 (ante 1000)
Level 20: 8000/16,000 (ante 2000)
Level 21: 10,000/20,000 (ante 2000)
Level 22: 12,000/24,000 (ante 3000)
Level 23: 15,000/30,000 (ante 3000)
Level 24: 20,000/40,000 (ante 4000)
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 (ante 5000)
Level 26: 30,000/60,000 (ante 5000)
Level 27: 40,000/80,000 (ante 5000)
Level 28: 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)
Level 29: 60,000/120,000 (ante 10,000)
Level 30: 80,000/160,000 (ante 20,000)