Long queues kicked off APT Taipei 2024 with players drawn by the NTD 15 Million (~USD 474K) guaranteed APT National Cup. Taking place at the Asia Poker Arena, the opening flight pulled in 488 entries, concluding with 29 players through to the next round. Running simultaneously at the Chinese Mahjong League, players battled for the first APT trophies. Hong Kong snatched up the most with notables Anson Yan Shing Tsang, Dicky Siu Hang Tsang, and Edward Chun Ho Yam among the winners. Check out the highlights below.
APT National Cup – Flight A
The APT National Cup was off to a blazing start as 488 entrants filled the room to capacity. The locals dominated in numbers, closing the heat with 26 out of 29 carrying the Taiwan flag. Among them was the highly decorated Chia Yun Wu who championed this same event last year. At the helm were flight leaders Chi Hang Chang and Shi Tang Chen, both just one big blind apart and both seeking their first international title.
Action continues on February 29 with Flight B up on the plate. This is the second of four scheduled flights. Buy in is NTD 10,000 (~USD 315).
For those just making their way to the festival, the APT National Cup offers the largest guarantee of any opener in the region. It is a deepstack tournament with a starting stack of 30,000 (300 times the opening blinds), and blinds increasing at a gradual 30 minute pace. The top 14% of each flight will lock up a piece of the pot with 5% advancing to Day 2.
Hong Kong hat trick victory at the High Roller events
Triple WSOP bracelet winner Anson Yan Shing Tsang wasted no time getting on the board. The Hong Kong ace outlasted 59 heavyweights at the NTD 100K Single Day High Roller Freezeout to claim his career second APT trophy and the largest payout of the day worth NTD 1,526,000 (~USD 48,300). APT newcomer Krishna Madhariwar finished 2nd, just missing a first title, settling instead for a career high NTD 1,100,000 (~USD 34,800).
Buy in: NTD 100,000 (~USD 3,155)
Players: 60
Prize pool: NTD 5,238,000 (~USD 165,800)
ITM: 9 places
Hong Kong’s Edward Chun Ho Yam made his presence felt at the Turbo High Roller, rising above the 38 entry field that included WSOP bracelet winner Mike Takayama and Ivan Hon Cheong Lee. Yam claimed the lion’s cut of the NTD 829,350 (~USD 26,180) prize pool, pocketing NTD 307,350 (~USD 9,700).
Buy in: NTD 25,000 (~USD 790)
Entries: 38
Prize pool: NTD 829,350 (~USD 26,180)
ITM: 5 places
Hong Kong’s Dicky Siu Hang Tsang continued his 2023 hot run where he landed 21 final tables and five wins. He captured his first victory of the new year at the Hyper Turbo High Roller event, besting the 14 entry field to collect the NTD 117,440 (~USD 3,707) top prize and his career fifth APT title. Fellow Hong Kong player Sparrow Cheung also fared well. Cheung jumped into this event after placing 7th at the SDHR Freezeout and finished in 2nd place. Cheung earned a combined NTD 338,000 (~USD 10,670).
Buy in: NTD 20,000 (~USD
Entries: 14
Prize pool: NTD 244,440 (~USD 7,715)
ITM 3 places
APT Taipei 2024 – Main Event
The Asian Poker Tour (APT) Taipei 2024 runs from February 28 to March 10 in Taipei City, Taiwan. The festival boasts a massive NTD 150 Million (~USD 4.8 Million) guarantee.
Out of the packed lineup of 105 trophy events, the APT Main Event will be the most sought after title with a substantial payout expected due to its NTD 65,000,000 (~USD 2,000,000) guarantee. This is the largest prize pool ever offered in Asia. The event runs March 3 to 9, 2024 with buy in set at NTD 70,000 (~USD 2,200).
The APT prides itself in its Main Event tournament structure and has been praised as one of the best in the region. Players start with a deep 40,000 stack (400 times the opening blind). Flight A blinds increase every 60 minutes, Flight B blinds increase every 45 minutes, and Flight C will see blinds increase every 30 minutes then 40 minutes at the start of Level 7. All entry flights play a total of 10 levels.
In 2023, Thailand pro Punnat Punsri clinched the APT Main Event for NTD 11,210,400 (~USD 364,300). He is on site and will be looking to defend his title.
Asian Poker Tour Taipei sets the bar high with over TWD 150 Million (~USD 4.8M) in guarantees
Tricia David
Tricia David has long experience as a recreational poker player and has been covering poker events since 2010 for numerous outfits in Asia. She spent one year working part time with Poker Portal Asia then became editor and lead writer for all event coverage of the Philippine Poker Tour (PPT). Under the PPT, she overlooked content for their website, and produced live updates on all their events. In addition, she served as the live and online events website content writer for the Asian Poker Tour. Currently, she does live events reporting in Asia for online news site Somuchpoker and is also one of their news contributors.
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