As if the tropical weather wasn’t hot enough in Manila, things are heating up even more this weekend as the Philippine capital gears up for the first-ever Efraim C. Genuino International Poker Tournament (also known as the Chairman’s Cup), which will be held from 20 – 25 March.

The tournament is being co-sponsored by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), and the organisers have put up a US$1 million guarantee as the prize pool looks set to be one of the biggest in Philippine poker history. The buy-in has been set at US$2,500 + $200, and the four day event will be held in the Coral Ballroom at the Pavilion Hotel, while the final table will be held at the SMX Convention Centre, coinciding with the 5th Asian Gaming and Entertainment Expo.

The Chairman’s Cup will feature a host of Asia’s top stars, including Taipei’s Raymond Wu, who enters the event fresh off the back of a resounding win at the Macau Poker Cup early this month. His fellow Team PokerStars Pros, Singapore’s Bryan Huang, Korea’s Tae Joon Noh and Australia’s Celina Lin are also expected to be in attendance, along with Korean Full Tilt pro Somyung Sim and local favourite Neil Arce, who will enjoy home field advantage as he is certain to be cheered on by a legion of adoring Pilipino fans.

You can follow the action right here on ballermagazine.com, and as usual, we will have a special report on the tournament in the next edition of Baller Magazine!