APT TAIPEI 2023 SCHEDULE | ULTIMATE GUIDE | OFFICIAL RESULTS | IMAGES | WINNERS
TAIPEI, TAIWAN, May 2, 2023 – It's official, the APT Taipei 2023 Main Event is the largest in APT history, leaving the TWD $30M (~USD $1M) guarantee in the dust midway through the second starting Flight B.
Playing out at the tournament tables of the brand new CTP Asia Poker Arena – Asia's largest permanent poker room – the second Main Event starting flight drew a total of 317 entries (243 unique).
Combined with the 437 Flight A entries – and a further 194 online qualifiers from Natural8 – the field currently stands at 948 entries, with Flights C & D still left to play out.
That makes the APT Taipei 2023 Main Event the largest in APT history, beating the previous record of 722 set during the APT Ho Chi Minh Vietnam 2022.
It was Japan's Hiroyuki Noda who finished at the top of the chip counts after the ten 45-minute levels played out, bagging up a stack of 230,000 to put him in the top ten returning Day 2 stacks, although this may change once the two remaining starting flights have played out.
Hong Kong's Vincent Li was the only other player to bag over 200K, concluding play with a stack of 201,000, with Li's fellow countryman Wai Sum Ng (196,500) rounding out the top three Flight B stacks, with the top ten as follows:
MAIN EVENT FLIGHT B TOP TEN STACKS
- Hiroyuki Noda (Japan) – 230,000
- Vincent Li (Hong Kong) – 201,000
- Wai Sum Ng (Hong Kong) – 196,500
- Sebastian Guimaraes (Brazil) – 190,800
- Chi Hung Lam (Hong Kong) – 184,200
- Chun-Kang Shih (Taiwan) – 169,800
- Yi-Sheng Wang (China) – 166,300
- Jue Cheng Ming (Macau) – 165,600
- Guolun Huang (Singapore) – 164,100
- Yen-Yung Lee (Taiwan) – 162,300
Other notables successful in their quest for a Day 2 seat included Mystery Bounter Hunter champion Kiwanont Sukhum (135,600), Japan's Yukina Oza (116,500), Hong Kong's Andy Chan (90,200), India's Jasven Saigal (87,800), and Superstar Challenge champion and former Main Event champion John Tech (77,000).
Another Main Event champion who did not fair as well was the UK's Jacque Ramsden, who ran ace-king into kings late into the day.
Other notables who will have to try and win their way through on the final two starting flights included high roller specialist Hon Cheong Lee, India's Deepak Bothra, and Canada's Ian Modder.
With two more starting flights left to play out, there are still opportunities for those who were unsuccessful in their endeavors to win their way through.
The final two starting Flights C & D both boast 30-minute levels and will get underway on Wednesday, May 3 at 12pm and 6pm respectively.
A total of 144 players made the Day 2 cut and will join the 187 survivors Flight A Survivors for Day 2 on Thursday, May 4.
You can follow all the tournament action as it happened via the APT Blog.
For Main Event Flight B Survivors please CLICK HERE
Natural8 Ambassador Phachara Wongwichit Claims Fourth APT High Roller Title Winning TWD $1,860,410 (USD $60,400)
Natural8 Ambassador Phachara Wongwichit claimed his fourth APT high roller title and fifth APT title in the Single Day High Roller – 8 Max
While the Main Event was breaking records, the TWD $70,000 Event #24 Single Day High Roller - 8 Max also played out concurrently, drawing a 121-strong field (93 unique) and generating a mouth-watering TWD $7,394,310 (~USD $240,000) prize pool.
It took a grindy thirty-one 30-minute levels to find a champion; Natural8 Ambassador Phachara Wongwichit claiming the TWD $1,860,410 (~USD $60,400) top prize after a lengthy two-hour four level long heads-up battle against Hong Kong's Dicky Tsang.
This win gives Wongwichit an impressive fourth APT High Roller title – including two Super High Roller titles – bringing his total number of APT titles up to five.
Wongwichit and Superstar Challenge champion John Tech are currently the only two players in APT history to hold the old APT high roller trophy and the new era golden lion silhouette high roller trophy, making them members of an exclusive club of two.
Former APT Incheon 2019 Main Event champion Tsang, who was on the hunt for his fourth APT title, had to settle for the TWD $1,257,000 (~USD $40,800) on offer for second place.
South Korea's Jongwook Kim rounded out the winner's podium, taking TWD $ 817,100 (~USD $26,520) for third, with Taiwan's Chen An Lin also making a final table appearance, cashing in seventh for a TWD $329,000 (~USD $10,680) pay day.
Reigning APT Incheon Main Event champion Farhad Aghayev also made the final table, coming in ninth place for TWD $184,900 (~USD $6,000).
SINGLE DAY HIGH ROLLER FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- Phachara Wongwichit (Thailand) – TWD $1,860,410
- Dicky Tsang (Hong Kong) – TWD $1,257,000
- Jongwook Kim (South Korea) – TWD $817,100
- Koangho Lee (South Korea) – TWD $676,600
- Julian Cheung (Canada) – TWD $545,700
- Kazuhiro Shirasawa (Japan) – TWD $430,300
- Chen An Lin (Taiwan) – TWD $329,000
- Daniel Rezaei (Austria) – TWD $247,700
- Farhad Aghayev (Azerbaijian) – TWD $184,900
A total of 17 players made the money, with notables to cash but come up short of the final table including Main Event Flight A frontrunner Namhyung Kim (10th for TWD $151,600), South Korea'a Yohwan Lim (12th for TWD $133,100), and the UK's Jack Sinclair (15th for TWD $122,000).
All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.
You can follow all the tournament action as it happened via the APT Blog.
Charles Wong Takes Gold in Event #19 NL Hold'em Single Re-Entry for TWD $382,410 (~USD $12.4K)
Hong Kong's Charles Wong claimed the golden baby lion new era APT trophy and his maiden APT title in Event #19 NL – Hold'em – Single Re-Entry
Just 31 players out of a 207-strong field returned for the second and final day of the TWD $10,000 Event #19 NL - Hold'em - Single Re-Entry, all of whom were guaranteed a share of the TWD $1,807,110 (~USD $58,750) prize pool.
It took fifteen 25-minute levels for the tournament to play down to a champion, with Hong Kong's Charles Wong taking the TWD $382,410 (~USD $12,430) top prize.
Wong defeated compatriot Burton Lam heads-up after a grueling two-hour battle to win his maiden APT title and the stylish golden baby lion side event trophy, with Lam taking TWD $257,300 (USD ~$8,365) for his runner-up finish.
Singapore's Gerald Foo took bronze and TWD $181,400 (~USD $5,890) for third place, with the final table paying out as follows:
NL HOLD'EM SINGLE RE-ENTRY FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- Charles Wong (Hong Kong) – TWD $382,410
- Burton Lam (Hong Kong) – TWD $257,300
- Gerald Foo (Singapore) – TWD $181,400
- Kouta Nishimura (Japan) – TWD $147,100
- Yiu Yeung Leung (Hong Kong) – TWD $116,400
- Steven Vogt (Australia) – TWD $88,400
- Wing Ki Cheng (Hong Kong) – TWD $64,500
- Hirotoshi Terashima (Japan) – TWD $47,200
- Man Tsun Ho (Hong Kong) – TWD $39,000
Taiwan's Sheng Hung Lo (10th for TWD $33,100) narrowly missed out on making the final table, with other notables to cash but come up short of the final nine including Taiwan's Maggie Chien-Chih Weng (20th for TWD $21,300), and Ping Jui Lai (26th for TWD $17,700), and Hong Kong's Chun Kit Lee (28th for TWD $15,900).
All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.
Ben Loo Joins Exclusive Winner's Club With Event #25 Freezeout Victory Worth TWD $786,675 (~USD $25.5K)
Malaysia's Ben Loo is one of only six players to win both an old school APT trophy and one of the stunning new era APT trophies
While Freezeouts seem to be falling out of fashion in the modern era they are clearly still popular, with the TWD $25,000 Event #25 Freezeout drawing a 155-strong field, generating a TWD $3,382,875 (~USD $109,800) prize pool.
Running concurrently with the Main Event, the action kicked off at 1pm local time and played out over twenty-nine 20-minute levels.
It was Malaysia's Ben Loo the man to claim the TWD $786,675 (~USD $25,530) top prize after besting Australia's Yang Lei heads-up to make a career-best score and earn his second APT title.
Loo joins an exclusive club of six that includes newly crowned Single Day High Roller champion Phachara Wongwichit, Superstar Challenge champion John Tech, Omaholic champion Yah Loon Lim, Mystery Bounty champion Kiwanont Sukhum, and Event #21 champion Lok Ming Chan – all of whom have now won both an old school APT trophy and one of the stunning new era APT trophies.
Lei, who was on the hunt for his maiden title, had to settle for the TWD $532,800 (~USD $17,300) on offer for second, with Taiwan's Chih-Hsien Lin taking TWD $355,200 (~USD $11,530) for third place.
A total of 23 players made the money, with the final table paying out as follows:
FREEZEOUT FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- Ben Loo (Malaysia) – TWD $786,675
- Yang Lei (Australia) – TWD $532,800
- Chih-Hsien Lin (Taiwan) – TWD $355,200
- Jaesung Park (South Korea) – TWD $290,900
- Kota Nakano (Japan) – TWD $233,400
- Hsu Hsiang Lin (Taiwan) – TWD $181,000
- Marie Kabaki (Japan) – TWD $134,000
- Paul Kiem (United States) – TWD $98,400
- Ken Suen (Hong Kong) – TWD $78,500
All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.
SIDE EVENT ACTION
Hong Kong's Lok Ming Chan Claims Sixth APT Title in Event #21 NLH / PLO - Turbo - 8 Max for TWD $113,830 (USD $3.7K)
Hong Kong's Lok Ming Chan claimed his sixth APT title in Event #21 NLH/PLO Turbo – 8 Max
The TWD $5,000 Event #21 NLH / PLO - Turbo - 8 Max played out in the early hours of Tuesday morning**, attracting a 102-strong field (76 unique), and generating a TWD $445,230 (~USD $14,450) prize pool**.
It was Hong Kong's Lok Ming Chan the man to take it down, defeating South Korea's Wooram Cho heads-up to claim the TWD $113,830 (USD $3,700) top prize.
Chan, who boasts over USD $500K in live tournament winnings, added a sixth APT title to his poker resume and now has one of the brand new golden baby lion side event trophies to add to his amply-stocked tophy cabinet.
Cho took TWD $78,400 (~USD $2,550) for his runner-up finish, with Japan's Hiroki Ito rounding out the winner's podium and collecting TWD $51,400 (~USD $1,670) for third.
A total of 15 players made the money, with the final table paying out as follows:
NLH/PLO TURBO FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- Lok Ming Chan (Hong Kong) – TWD $113,830
- Wooram Cho (South Korea) – TWD $78,400
- Hiroki Ito (Japan) – TWD $51,400
- Wei-Hsiao Lee (Taiwan) – TWD $41,600
- Hsu Chi Shan (Taiwan) – TWD $33,600
- Yang Lin (Taiwan) – TWD $26,300
- Pitipong Posri (Thailand) – TWD $20,700
- Li-Min Kao (Taiwan) – TWD $15,800
- Richard Alleson (Canada) – TWD $11,600
All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.
South Korea's Hyun Do Jung Wins Maiden APT Title in Event #22 Turbo - 8 Max for TWD $341,590 (~USD $11K)
South Korea's Hyun Do Jung claimed his maiden APT title in Event #22 Turbo – 8 Max
Another side event playing out in the early hours of Tuesday morning was the TWD $15,000 Event #22 Turbo - 8 Max, which saw 102 players in action, all battling for a share of the TWD $1,335,690 (~USD $43,330) prize pool.
It was South Korea's Hyun Do Jung who emerged victorious, defeating Hong Kong's Fuk On Wong heads-up to claim his maiden APT title and the TWD $341,590 (~USD $11,080) top prize.
Wong, making his second final table appearance of the Series after finishing runner-up in Event #11 Single Day High Roller – 8 Max, was once again denied his maiden APT title, having to settle for the TWD $235,100 (~USD $7,630) on offer for second place.
Switzerland's Martin Schamaun completed the winner's triumvirate, collecting TWD $154,300 (~USD $5,000) for third.
A total of 15 players made the money, with the final table paying out as follows:
TURBO 8 MAX FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- Hyun Do Jung (South Korea) – TWD $341,590
- Fuk On Wong (Hong Kong) – TWD $235,100
- Martin Schamaun (Switzerland) – TWD $154,300
- Phongsatorn Panchakabut (Thailand) – TWD $124,900
- Sean Tan (Singapore) – TWD $100,800
- Lok Yin Law (Hong Kong) – TWD $78,800
- Shao Tang Lu (Taiwan) – TWD $62,100
- Dylan Foster (Australia) – TWD $47,400
- Kai Hei Wong (Hong Kong) – TWD $34,700
Thailand's Puttiphat Ngamek-Aue (10th for TWD $28,000) narrowly missed out on making the final table, with Hong Kong's Jeffrey Lo (12th for TWD $26,000) also making the money.
All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.