UP-AND-COMING Filipino star Andrew Gaw bowed out of the final table but still emerged as the top-performing local player with P1.38 million in winnings last night in the World Poker Tour National Philippines at the grand ballroom of Solaire Resort and Casino.
Four players remained at the final table with Malaysian Kevin Ang the chip leader with P3.23 million as of 6:30 p.m.
Compatriot Chow Mun Fei (P730,000), Japanese Tetsuya Tsuchikawa (P2.6 million) and Yuichi Sumida (P1.2 million) rounded out the final cast for the P6.9-million top prize.
The 35-year-old Gaw, a late bloomer in the sport who campaigns mostly in the United States, moved all-in under intense standoff with an A-5 as Sumida called on A-K on a 9-4-3 flop.
Sumida won the pot with two pairs, aces and threes and a king kicker to end the run of Gaw, who bowed out to the applause of the big crowd rooting for him.
“That’s how it goes,” said a disappointed Gaw, in shorts, hoodies and flip-flops.
Gaw said he will use winnings to compete in a Macau series starting next week with buy-ins reaching HK$100,000 (about P560,000).
Douglas Olsson of Sweden was the second man to leave the final table with P1.725 million in winnings.
But it was Gaw’s run that stirred the gallery in the hotel’s swanky ballroom.
“He (Gaw) did a fantastic job,” said Mike Kim, who runs the Solaire poker room. “We needed a Filipino win to provide a boom for local poker, but it’s a very competitive sport. We were just lucky to see Andrew go this far.”
Gaw placed 10th in the prestigious Asian Championship Poker in Macau in 2012.
The international event is the first of a projected five-year partnership between WPT and Solaire which both hope to put the Philippines on the poker world map.