MANILA (Philippines) – A 22-year-old university student from Indiana won the first round of the inaugural Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) in Manila. The game was played over three days at high stakes.

Brett Parise won $180,000 in prize money and a place in December's grand final in Sydney.

Peiris is a student of politics and economics at the University of California, the youngest of the 9 finalists. 200 players from 30 countries started the three-day tournament.

Favorites Joe Hachem, the 2005 World Series of Poker champion, and Vanessa Rousso were eliminated on the first day.

Peiris, who has been playing poker since he was 18, earned his place in the APPT through a free online competition.

His mother, Jane, said she didn't know her son had won a trip to Manila until he told her. He will already go to Sydney with his father.

All nine finalists shared the $500,000 prize pool.

Peiris admitted that gaming is a good way to make money, but that he is unlikely to devote himself entirely to the game. First he will get his diploma, and then he will think about what to do next.

The next APPT event will take place in Seoul in September, with two other meetings in Asia (possibly Japan and China) due to take place before the finals are held in Sydney.