The APT Taipei 2023 represents a new chapter in Asian Poker Tour history, with the tour entering a new era – and a new era means brand new tournament trophies!
When deciding on the direction of the new trophies, we felt that it was important to pay homage to the heritage of the APT – which spans more than a decade – while at the same time modernising the aesthetic of our trophies in line with our “New Era” theme.
With those goals in mind, we set out to design a trophy that remains distinctly “APT” but with a modern twist. The previous APT trophies featured mythical Foo Lions – also known as Chinese guardian lions.
As a tribute to the old trophy, we decided to retain the lion as the main element, however they are no longer based on Foo Lions, but the traditional “King of The Jungle” instead.
In addition to being a part of the old APT’s legacy, the lion is the perfect animal to represent the APT and the game of poker. Lions are a symbol of family as they live in groups known as prides.
The APT has always prided itself on our friendly and “family” like atmosphere where everyone knows each other. This is a part of the “APT essence” that we will strive to retain as we usher in the start of a new chapter in Asian Poker Tour history.
From a poker player’s point of view, the lion is a great spirit animal to have. Bravery, courage, and strength are all key traits in becoming a successful poker player.
Lions are also apex predators situated at the top of the food chain; Similarly, in a poker tournament, the goal of all players is to rise to the top and become a champion, second to none.
There are a total of three stunning new bespoke trophy designs from renowned Malaysian pewter smiths Royal Selangor – whose spectacular trophies have been awarded at some of the world's biggest sporting events including the F1, and Shanghai Masters ATP tennis tournament.
The trophies themselves are made of three different precious metals, gold, pewter and bronze. These precious metals represent wealth and prosperity – signifying the size of our prize pools and the opportunity for players to win life changing money!
Of course, the biggest prize pools come in the biggest events, and they don't come much bigger than our three flagship marquee events – the Main Event, the APT Super High Roller, and the APT High Roller.
In addition to winning a life-changing sum of money, the eventual winner of the APT Taipei 2023 Main Event will take home a magnificent 24k gold plated lion – weighing in at a hefty 5kg and standing tall at just over 15 inches (400mm) high, this is the centrepiece of any poker aficionado's trophy cabinet.
The first of these magnificent beasts has already been awarded, with the UK's Sam Lam claiming the pewter lion after winning the largest Super High Roller in the APT's fifteen-year history for a sizable TWD $3,997,400 (~USD $129,880) pay day – which you can read all about HERE.
Then there are the stylish lion silhouette trophies, which come in two different metals – pewter and gold – with the golden trophies awarded in the Single Day High Roller events, and the pewter ones awarded for APT marquee events with a guarantee, such as the APT Kickoff, and the Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8.
Last, but by no means least are our snazzy golden baby lion side event trophies, consisting of another key design element that pays tribute to the old APT – the red orb, which represents the world and was the main element of the old APT logo.
The old Foo Lion trophies often incorporated an APT logo globe into its design. Our hope is that the APT brand will become recognized worldwide with players coming from across the globe to participate in our events.
The only way to get your hands on these stunning new trophies is to play in an APT event – so what are you waiting for? APT Taipei 2023 is running from April 28-May 7 and with three new exciting Series scheduled for May-September there’s no excuse for missing out!