APPT returns to Manila for Season 2

The first event in the inaugural season of the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour last year was the stop in Manila. The success of the event made it a no-brainer that the APPT would return to the Philippines again this season.

Although it's not the first stop for the second season of the tour, the APPT will kick off its main event in Manila on Thursday. It will mark the bringing together of the APPT with the Filipino Poker Tour.

Since the APPT hit Manila last year, the Philippines has matured into the strongest poker market on the continent, according to PokerStars. In the last year, PokerStars also helped launch the Filipino Poker Tour, which has given poker players in the nation opportunities to hone their skills.

That tour will come to a head at the APPT Manila event, and the Philippines best from the Filipino Poker Tour will take to the tables along with top players from around the region and from around the world.

One of the players set to take a seat in the event will be Brett Parise. He was the first player to be crowned an APPT champion at Manila last year.

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Parise, from the United States, won his seat to the tournament via a freeroll on PokerStars. He turned that free seat into an $180,000 win.

Who knows who else will show up to play? There will be plenty of online qualifiers in attendance and perhaps some of the PokerStars Pro team, like Daniel Negreanu or Joe Hachem, will be there as well.

There have been three other events on the APPT so far this season. The first event saw players gather in Macau for big money. Edward Sabat picked up a $453,851 win after besting a field of 538 players.

In Macau, the APPT also hosted a high-roller event with Nam Le earning $474,358 for the win.

The tour then rolled on to Seoul for some Korean action. With 165 entrants, the money was pretty sweet for Yoshihiro Tasaka when he bested them all for the win.

When the tour moved on to Auckland, it saw a boost in players again. More than 300 players signed on for the main event, resulting in a $511,329 prize pool. Daniel Craker was the big winner in New Zealand when he took down the event for a $153,393 win.

Stay tuned to find out how many players will be willing to take on the APPT in Manila this week. PokerListings will be on the scene to fill in all the details with live updates, photos, interviews, reports and more. Check it out in the Live Tournaments section.

The tour will have one more stop during its second season when it touches down in Sydney, Australia in December for its Grand Final.

Players who would still like a shot at playing in the APPT this season can head to PokerStars, where online qualifiers are still being hosted.