Francis Villamar

Francis Villamar is a Filipino poker player who has competed in major Asian poker tours including the World Poker Tour (WPT) and Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT). His most notable cash came in 2014 at the WPT National Philippines, where he finished 10th for $11,428. He also balances poker with a career in finance, serving as a Regional Treasury Manager at Lazada.

WPT National Philippines (2014)

Villamar's largest recorded cash came at the WPT National Philippines held at Solaire Resort and Casino from October 23-27, 2014. He finished 10th out of 190 entrants, earning $11,428. During the event, he survived a critical three-way all-in with pocket jacks against Ben Abrahams' Ace-King and another player's Ace-Jack, tripling up to 101,000 chips.

APPT Manila 2025 Step 1 Qualifier

On July 27, 2025, Villamar won a Step 1 Main Event MEGA Qualifier at APPT Manila 2025. He placed first out of 77 players, earning $375 (buy-in: 2,300 PHP). This is his most recent recorded cash.

Other Appearances

Villamar has also played in the APPT Manila Warm Up 2024 Main Event (no cash) and a Mystery Bounty Qualifier at Okada Manila Millions 2025 (no cash).

During the 2014 WPT National Philippines, Villamar was involved in a pivotal hand at Level 16 (blinds 2,000-4,000). He moved all-in preflop from the cutoff for 31,000, was called by the hijack (all-in for 62,000), and Ben Abrahams called from the big blind. Villamar held J♦J♠, Abrahams held A♣K♦, and the hijack held A♦J♥. The board ran Q♦10♥8♠2♣6♣, giving Villamar the main pot to triple up, while Abrahams won the side pot. This hand allowed Villamar to stay alive and eventually finish in the top 10.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Francis Villamar works as a Regional Treasury Manager at Lazada, managing cash liquidity for Singapore and the Philippines. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Accountancy from the University of the East, Caloocan, and is a Certified Public Accountant. His career in finance spans over 14 years, demonstrating a disciplined and analytical mindset that likely complements his poker game.

While not a household name, Villamar represents the growing Filipino poker community, with a mix of live tournament experience and a professional career outside poker. His WPT cash remains one of the notable results from the Philippine poker scene in the mid-2010s.