APT INCHEON SCHEDULE | OFFICIAL RESULTS | IMAGES | WINNERS | PLAYER LISTS
INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA, August 31, 2023 – It's official, the APT Incheon, South Korea 2023 Main Event is the largest and richest tournament the tour has hosted in South Korea in its 15-year history.
Playing out at the tournament tables of the luxurious Paradise City Casino, the tournament easily surpassed the KRW 1.3 billion (~USD $1 million) guarantee, breaking the tour's country record and generating a KRW 1,867,347,000 (~USD $1,411,975) prize pool – the largest ever for a South Korean APT Main Event.
For APT Incheon, South Korea Main Event Prize Pool & Payouts please CLICK HERE
A further 171 online qualifers and 50 Day 2 entries joined the 709 entries from the four starting flights, bringing the total number of entries up to 930 (562 unique).
Just 134 players remain in contention for the KRW 346,647,000 (~USD $262,090) top prize with Day 2 concluding after seven and a half 60-minute levels.
It is Australia's Aaron Lim who leads this record field, bagging up a stack of 1,083,000 after bringing the day's action to a close with the elimination of the unfortunate Gary Moon to burst the money bubble.
South Korea's Gary Moon departed in the most unenviable position in poker to guarantee the 134 remaining Main Event players a KRW 3.7M (~USD $2,800) payday
The South Korean player fell victim to a rampant Lim, calling for his tournament life with ace-queen and losing to the Aussie's nine-seven after the latter spiked a pair of nines on the turn to guarantee the remaining field a payday of at least KRW 3,700,000 (~USD $2,800).
The only silver lining for Moon was the fact he drew a Micro Main Event ticket as a consolation prize after his brutal exit.
Lim was the only player to break the seven-figure chip mark, with Hong Kong's Cheuk Him Tsang (919,000), and compatriot Hon Cheong Lee (882,000) rounding out the top three stacks.
MAIN EVENT DAY 2 TOP TEN STACKS
- Aaron Lim (Australia) – 1,083,000
- Cheuk Him Tsang (Hong Kong) – 919,000
- Hon Cheong Lee (Hong Kong) – 882,000
- Zhanhui Zheng (China) – 871,000*
- Dongying Ling (Singapore) – 816,000
- Anthony An (United States) – 682,000
- Chao Ting Cheng (Taiwan) – 675,000
- Lester Edoc (Philippines) – 658,000
- Darko Svesko (Serbia) – 634,000
- Milos Petakovic (Serbia) – 609,000
*Natural8 online Day 3 qualifier
Other notables in contention include several former APT Main Event champions, with two-time former champion Lestor Edoc in a great position to make history by claiming a record third APT Main Event title after bagging up a stack of 658,000.
However, first, the Filipino player must contend with 2019 APT Incheon Main Event champions Dicky Tsang (258,000), bracelet winner Alex Lindop (217,000), and reigning APT Taipei champion Punnat Punsri (216,000) – all of whom bagged playable stacks of over 200K apiece.
The 110 survivors from the four starting flights will be joined by a further 24 Natural8 online qualifiers for Day 3 after Masaki Nakamura brought two stacks into the money after qualifying both online and live.
The Japanese player's shortest stack (101,000) will be removed from play, with Nakamura earning a min-cash of KRW 3,700,000 (~$2,800) and bringing his largest stack of 197,000 through to Day 3.
The Day 3 action gets underway at 12pm local time, with the action playing out over ten 60-minute levels or down to the final table – whichever comes first.
For Main Event Day 3 Draw please CLICK HERE
You can follow all the Main Event Day 2 action as it played out via the APT Blog.
You can also view all the action as it happened via the APT Incheon, South Korea 2023 Live Stream which can be viewed on the following social media platforms:
The UK's Wai Kin Suen Claims Maiden Title in Event #52: Single Day High Roller - 8 Max
The UK's Wai Kin Suen triumphed over a tough field to claim his maiden APT title in Event #52 Single Day High Roller 8 Max
All the high-end tournament action was not exclusive to the Main Event, with the seventh of the Series scheduled high roller events – the KRW 4,000,000 Event #52: Single Day High Roller - 8 Max – drawing 90 entries (81 unique).
The action got underway at 4pm local time, with the tournament playing out over thirty 20-minute levels as some of the Asia-Pacific's best battled for a KRW 314,280,000 (~USD $237,217) prize pool.
Notables in the running included Natural8 ambassadors Adrian Attenborough, Phachara Wongwichit, high stakes specialists Joseph Cheong, and Jeff Gross, and bracelet winners Yan Shing "Anson" Tsang, and Renji Mao.
Several APT champions were also in contention, with Superstar Champion Joshua Mccully, double Series champion Hong Ru Zhang, and former Main Event champion Dicky Tsang just some of the talent on display.
However, it was the UK's Wai Kin Suen who earned the accolades, defeating the USA's Todd Hansen heads-up to claim his maiden APT title and the KRW 82,490,000 (~USD $62,230) top prize.
Hansen took KRW 57,830,000 (~USD $43,620) for his runner-up finish, with Malaysia's Kar Wee Chee taking bronze and KRW 38,190,000 (~USD $28,800) for third.
A total of 13 players made the money, with the final table paying out as follows:
SINGLE DAY HIGH ROLLER RESULTS
- 1st: Wai Kin Suen (United Kingdom) – KRW 82,490,000
- 2nd: Todd Hansen (United States) – KRW 57,830,000
- 3rd: Kar Wee Chee (Malaysia) – KRW 38,190,000
- 4th: Hideyoshi Tanaka (Japan) – KRW 30,010,000
- 5th: Daniel Lee (United States) – KRW 24,200,000
- 6th: Wai Kiat Lee (Malaysia) – KRW 18,860,000
- 7th: Yasuyuki Tsuji (Japan) – KRW 14,930,000
- 8th: Hong Ru Zhang (China) – KRW 11,630,000
- 9th: Adam Martinsson (Sweden) – KRW 8,800,000
Of the notables mentioned above, only Gross was able to make the money, coming in 13th for KRW 6,440,000.
For Event #52: Single Day High Roller - 8 Max Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
Event #53: Zodiac Classic - Single Re-Entry - Sponsored by Natural8 - KRW 200,000,000 GTD
Japan's Hiroshi Nishiyama leads the two-day Event #53 Zodiac Classic
The sixth of the nine Series marquee events – the two-day KRW 1,500,000 Event #53: Zodiac Classic - Single Re-Entry - Sponsored by Natural8 - KRW 200,000,000 GTD – saw a field of 189 entries comprised of 154 unique players enter the tournament arena, all looking to reach for the stars and claim their share of them KRW 247,495,500 (~USD $186,713) prize pool.
With the eventual winner walking away with a KRW 54,865,500 (~USD $41,400) top prize, the Day 1 action played out over the course of fourteen 30-minute levels, with a total of 54 players making the Day 2 cut.
For Zodiac Classic Prize Pool & Payouts please CLICK HERE
It was Japan's Hiroshi Nishiyama who fought his way to the top of the chip counts, bagging up a stack of 444,000 with which to make his play for the title.
Compatriot Hattori Masato concluded play with the second largest stack, and will be returning with 369,000 in chips.
Thailand's Suparerk Totsaponvisad was the only other player to bag a stack of over 300K, rounding out the top three with a stack of 352,000 with the top ten stacks as follows:
ZODIAC CLASSIC DAY 1 TOP TEN STACKS
- Hiroshi Nishiyama (Japan) – 444,000
- Hattori Masato (Japan) – 369,000
- Suparerk Totsaponvisad (Thailand) – 352,000
- Yang Zhang (China) – 264,000
- Yanfeng Wang (China) – 256,000
- Zinan Xu (China) – 242,500
- Yuta Morikawa (Japan) – 241,500
- Ikeda Fumitaka (Japan) – 241,000
- Joon Woo Park (Canada) – 233,500
- Zheng Wei (France) – 199,000
Other notables to make it through include New Zealand's Tae Hoon Han (169,500), China's Chunsan Fan (134,500), the UK's Tommy Zhang (122,000), the Philippines #1 ranked tournament player Marc Rivera (108,000), Sunday Super Stack champion Bastien Joly (92,000), and former APT Cebu 2015 Main Event champion John Tech (50,500).
For Event #53: Zodiac Classic - Single Re-Entry - Sponsored by Natural8 Results please CLICK HERE
The final day gets underway at 12.15pm local time, with the tournament playing down to a champion.
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
SIDE EVENT ACTION
Japan's Keita Yamashiro Wins Event #49: NL 2-7 Single Draw - Turbo
Japan's Keita Yamashiro won his maiden tournament title on Event #49 NL Single Draw Turbo
Playing out in the wee hours of Thursday, the KRW 300,000 Event #49: NL 2-7 Single Draw - Turbo saw 52 draw poker enthusiasts (44 unique) duke it out for a KRW 13,618,800 (~USD $10,310) prize pool.
The action played out over thirty fast-paced 30-minute levels, with Japan's Keita Yamashiro the man to draw his way to victory, defeating Hong Kong's Cheuk Him Tsang heads-up to claim the KRW 4,288,800 (~USD $3,240) top prize and his maiden APT title.
Tsang collected KRW 3,100,000 (~USD $2,340) for his runner-up finish, with Japan's Wataru Oishi rounding out the winners rostrum and taking KRW 1,970,000 (~USD $1,490) for third place.
A total of seven players made the money, with the tournament paying out as follows:
NL 2-7 SINGLE DRAW TURBO RESULTS
- 1st: Keita Yamashiro (Japan) – KRW 4,288,800
- 2nd: Cheuk Him Tsang (Hong Kong) – KRW 3,100,000
- 3rd: Wataru Oishi (Japan) – KRW 1,970,000
- 4th: Maromu Awaya (Japan) – KRW 1,500,000
- 5th: Wing Po Liu (Hong Kong) – KRW 1,160,000
- 6th: Chao Ting Cheng (Taiwan) – KRW 890,000
- 7th: Shintaro Mae (Japan) – KRW 710,000
For Event #49: NL 2-7 Single Draw - Turbo Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
China's Mingzhi Ma Singled Out for Glory in Event #50: Double Board, Single Winner - Hyper Turbo
China's Mingzhi Ma took down his maiden tournament title in Event #50 Double Board, Single Winner Hyper Turbo
Another of the late-night turbo events playing out in the early hours, the KRW 300,000 Event #50: Double Board, Single Winner - Hyper Turbo concluded in the early hours of Thursday morning with 45 players (41 unique) competing for a KRW 11,785,500 (~USD $8,920) prize pool.
The action played out over twenty turbo-charged 10-minute levels with China's Mingzhi Ma the sole survivor, taking the KRW 4,005,500 (~USD $3,025) top prize after besting Japan's Masao Nishioka heads-up to claim his maiden tournament title.
Nishioka received KRW 2,770,000 (~USD $2,090) for his runner-up finish, with compatriot Toshio Kataoka taking KRW 1,770,000 (~USD $1,340) for third place.
A total of six players made the money, with the tournament paying out as follows:
DOUBLE BOARD SINGLE WINNER HYPER TURBO RESULTS
- 1st: Mingzhi Ma (China) – KRW 4,005,500
- 2nd: Masao Nishioka (Japan) – KRW 2,770,000
- 3rd: Toshio Kataoka (Japan) – KRW 1,770,000
- 4th: Tianhang Zhang (China) – KRW 1,360,000
- 5th: Albert Boada Abad (Spain) – KRW 1,060,000
- 6th: Yusuke Katoh (Japan) – KRW 820,000
For Event #50: Double Board, Single Winner - Hyper Turbo Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
Singapore's Jun Yi Ong Ticks All the Right Boxes in Event #51: Midnight Tick Tock
Singapore's Jun Yi Ong won his maiden live tournament title in Event #51 Midnight Tick Tock
The late night Midnight Tick Tock events are growing in popularity as the Series progresses, with the KRW 300,000 Event #51: Midnight Tick Tock (Levels decrease every hour 20/15/10/5) drawing the largest field so far.
Playing out in the early hours of Thursday morning, a total of 111 entries (86 unique) competed over twenty-nine levels, all looking to earn a piece of the KRW 29,070,900 (~USD $21,961) prize pool – with level length decreasing every hour until it reached the 5-minute threshold.
It was Jun Yi Ong whose tournament ticked all the right boxes, with the Singaporean defeating Japan's Shoichiro Tamaki heads-up to claim the KRW 7,420,900 (~USD $5,600) top prize and his maiden live title.
Tamaki took KRW 5,120,000 (~USD $3,865) for his runner-up finish, with APT host Greg "Greg Goes All-in" Liow rounding out the winner's podium and collecting a KRW 3,360,000 (~USD $2,535) payout for his first APT final table appearence – congratulations Greg!
A total of 15 players made the money, with the final table paying out as follows:
MIDNIGHT TICK TOCK FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- 1st: Jun Yi Ong (Singapore) – KRW 7,420,900
- 2nd: Shoichiro Tamaki (Japan) – KRW 5,120,000
- 3rd: Gregory Liow (Canada) – KRW 3,360,000
- 4th: Yuichiro Saruki (Japan) – KRW 2,720,000
- 5th: Kyosuke Nakagawa (Japan) – KRW 2,190,000
- 6th: Yurika Emi (Japan) – KRW 1,720,000
- 7th: Miyaka Miyoshi (Japan) – KRW 1,350,000
- 8th: Tatsuyuki Yanagiya (Japan) – KRW 1,030,000
- 9th: Pin He (Taiwan) – KRW 760,000
For Event #51: Midnight Tick Tock Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
Hong Kong's Sparrow Cheung Wins Second Series Title in Event #54: Rivers (Individual River Card Face Down) - Hyper Turbo
Hong Kong's Sparrow Cheung claimed his second Series title in as many days in Event #54 River Hyper Turbo
The KRW 300,000 Event #54: Rivers (Individual River Card Face Down) - Hyper Turbo drew a 39-strong field (33 unique), who waded through eighteen turbo-charged 10-minute levels to earn their slice of the KRW 10,214,100 (~USD $7,713) prize pool.
Less than 24-hours after claiming his first New Era trophy in the Event #45: Single Day High Roller - 8 Max Hong Kong's Sparrow Cheung was back on the winner's podium.
Cheung defeated China's Youkan Li to claim the KRW 3,784,100 (~USD $2,855) top prize and his seventh APT title.
Li locked up KRW 2,600,000 (~USD $1,960) for his runner-up finish, with Japan's Jin Kanto taking third for KRW 1,660,000 (~USD $1,250).
A total of five players made the money, with the tournament paying out as follows:
RIVERS HYPER TURBO RESULTS
- 1st: Sparrow Cheung (Hong Kong) – KRW 3,784,100
- 2nd: Youkan Li (China) – KRW 2,600,000
- 3rd: Jin Kanto (Japan) – KRW 1,660,000
- 4th: Makoto Watanabe (Japan) – KRW 1,200,000
- 5th: Kayo Matsumoto (Japan) – KRW 970,000
For Event #54: Rivers (Individual River Card Face Down) - Hyper Turbo Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.