SiGMA Asia delegate Gursimran Brar seizes victory at SPT Manila 2026 Main Event
Despite three locals flying the flag for the Philippines, it was India that eventually took the crown. Five hours into the last day of the SPT Manila Main Event and Gursimran Brar emerged from the fray to knock out Korean challenger Hyunsik Nam and take the largest slice of a PHP 15 million guarantee. The final nine were whittled down from a field of 362 entries.
Sitting in the fourth seat, Brar, an Indian national with 20 years of poker experience (with a penchant for Texas Hold’em) under his belt, earned his place in the tournament through an expo booth package at SiGMA Asia – smoothly freerolling his way to the trophy. A strong start, which saw him become chip leader on Day 1A where he accumulated almost 25 starting stacks, carried through, with Brar remaining among the top stacks throughout the event.
His biggest live cash is $30,000, while his biggest online cash is $27,000. His biggest poker highlight to date was shipping a 2,000-player online tournament. After some time away from regular play, winning this title will be a major confidence boost.
And with a packed suitcase by his side, and a flight to catch tonight, the pressure was on. As expected, he showed no signs of wavering, keeping a consistent pace throughout the three days.
The final nine – who had a seat at the table?
The final nine – who had a seat on the table?
Seat 6: Hyunsik Nam
Country: South Korea
Chips: 2,205,000
Age: 34
Hyunsik Nam entered second in chips and was well positioned to challenge Gursimran Brar for the title. Away from the tables, he is an investor and has been playing poker for ten years, mainly focusing on Texas Hold’em.
His biggest live cash is $5,000, while his biggest online cash is significantly larger at $52,000. Nam has also been a GG Poker champion, giving him valuable online experience that could prove important under final-table pressure. He takes home PHP 2,130,000.
Seat 8: Seung Hyun Han
Country: South Korea
Chips: 1,180,000
Age: 41
Seung Hyun Han is one of the newer poker players at the final table, having played for only three years. He focuses exclusively on Texas Hold’em and has already built some solid results in a short period of time.
His biggest live cash is $15,000, and he has previously won an Okada Mega Stack event. Despite being relatively new to the game compared to others at the table, Han has already shown he can compete under pressure. He takes third place with PHP 1,369,300.
Seat 7: Ronn Ryan Mesina
Country: Philippines
Chips: 1,715,000
Age: 35
Ronn Ryan Mesina is a professional poker player from the Philippines with 10 years of experience. He focuses exclusively on Texas Hold’em and brings one of the stronger competitive profiles to this final table.
With 1,715,000 chips, Mesina started third in chips and was in a strong position to push for the trophy in front of a home-country crowd. Unfortunately home turf advantage couldn’t quite see him into the top three, leaving him to take fourth place with a still respectable PHP 899,800.
Seat 9: Ivan Dela Cruz
Country: Philippines
Chips: 1,245,000
Age: 37
Ivan Dela Cruz works as a support analyst and has been playing poker as a hobby for ten years. He prefers Texas Hold’em and entered the final table with a playable stack.
His biggest live cash is PHP 900,000, while his biggest online win is PHP 100,000. A victory here would marked a huge breakthrough and could have become the biggest poker achievement of his career. He takes home PHP 692,600.
Seat 2: Patrick Clarke
Country: Ireland
Chips: 1,410,000
Age: 38
Patrick Clarke is clearly one of the most experienced players at the final table. A professional poker player for 15 years, Clarke prefers Texas Hold’em and has recorded a biggest live cash of €200,000, along with a biggest online cash of €25,000.
His poker résumé includes winning the Irish Open in 2014, making two EPT final tables in EPT Barcelona 2018 and EPT Ireland 2016, and also capturing a WSOP title. This is his first SPT appearance. Sixth place delivers PHP 573,000.
Seat 3: Tsun Yin Wong
Country: Hong Kong
Chips: 2,695,000
Tsun Yin Wong entered the final table as the chip leader with 2,695,000. He works as a legal officer and started playing poker while at university. Wong prefers Texas Hold’em and lists his biggest live cash at £15,000, with no major online cashes.
His biggest poker highlight so far is this very event, SPT Manila. He won his seat through a satellite earlier this week, making his run even more impressive. Wong, also known as a cigar entrepreneur, had been waiting for an SPT event close to his region to finally participate, and he has certainly made the most of the opportunity. He secured PHP 480,200 in prize money.
Seat 1: Qi Xia
Country: China
Chips: 825,000
Age: 44
Qi Xia entered the final table as the short stack, but with strong regional experience and a proven record. He has been playing poker for eight years and prefers Texas Hold’em. His biggest previous live cash was PHP 1.8 million. Xia bought directly into the event and is playing his first-ever SPT, making this final table a major debut moment on the tour. He takes home PHP 392,600.
Seat 5: Alexis Lim
Country: Philippines
Chips: 1,260,000
Age: 49
Alexis Lim is one of the most accomplished Filipino players at the final table. He has been playing poker for 20 years and is best known for playing Pot-Limit Omaha, although he also plays Texas Hold’em.
Lim’s biggest live cash is around $42,000, and he has several previous titles, including results from APT and PokerStars Megastack events. As the ninth he takes the smallest slice of the pie with PHP 304,200.
Next stop: Mexico
The SiGMA Poker Tour took place at the City of Dreams in Manila with a five-day event that saw a number of thrilling moments as players competed for a whopping combined PHP 20 million in guarantees. Catch the next stop in the tour when the SPT debuts in Mexico this September.
