Kai Cocklin | Head of Live Poker at SoMuchPoker
Kai Cocklin is Head of Live Poker at SoMuchPoker, overseeing live tournament coverage, reporting teams and festival partnerships across the Asia Pacific region and beyond. Before joining SoMuchPoker he worked with PokerNews at major festivals including the World Series of Poker and the European Poker Tour, where he managed live reporting teams and helped develop new writers.
Leading Live Poker Coverage
I oversee SoMuchPoker’s live tournament coverage, from WSOP bracelet events in Las Vegas to festivals across Asia Pacific such as the Asian Poker Tour (APT), TMT in Taipei, Poker Dream, RDPT and TLPT. That means coordinating reporting teams on the ground, working directly with tournament organizers, and making sure results and recaps get to readers quickly and accurately.
Background in Live Reporting
Before joining SoMuchPoker I worked with PokerNews at major festivals including the World Series of Poker and the European Poker Tour. There I managed live reporting teams and helped train new writers, experience that now shapes how I build and run SoMuchPoker’s own coverage across the region.
Content Philosophy
Live reporting runs on deadlines, but accuracy still comes first. I focus on building a team and a process that can deliver consistent, high quality coverage under pressure, whether that is a WSOP final table or a regional festival in Asia Pacific.
Areas of Expertise
- Live Tournament Reporting & Coverage
- Asia Pacific Poker Festivals
- WSOP Bracelet Event Coverage
- Reporting Team Management & Training
- Tournament Organizer Partnerships
Connect
Is There Really Poker in China? Inside the Country’s Growing Tournament Scene
Is there really poker in China? Discover how CPG uses online qualification and organised competition to grow the country’s tournament scene.
14,059 Entries as Lee and Liao Close APT Incheon
APT Incheon 2026 ends with 14,059 entries and KRW 15.96 billion awarded as Chang Hwan Lee, Po Hao Liao and six more champions win titles.
Chang Hwan Lee Flies High With KRW 200M APT Incheon High Roller Victory
Chang Hwan "Jack" Lee turns the Day 1 chip lead into a KRW 199.87 million APT Incheon High Roller victory after defeating Jun Li heads-up.
Stephen Pang and Punnat Punsri Capture Special Lions at APT Incheon
Stephen Pang wins the APT Incheon Main Event for KRW 411 million as Punnat Punsri takes the Superstar Challenge and KRW 360 million.
Stephen Pang Wins Record APT Incheon Main Event for KRW 411M
Stephen Pang survives a wild heads-up battle to win the record 1,393-entry APT Incheon Main Event and KRW 411.18 million after an ICM deal.
Stephen Pang Leads Final 9 as Masatoshi Minowa Wins Zodiac Classic
Stephen Pang leads the APT Incheon 2026 Main Event final nine as Masatoshi Minowa wins the record-breaking Zodiac Classic for KRW 155m.
Shinichiro Kano Leads Final 47 as APT Incheon Records Continue to Fall
Shinichiro Kano leads the final 47 in the record APT Incheon Main Event, while the Zodiac Classic draws 403 entries and Yingjie Chen wins.
Deng Leads Record APT Incheon Main Event Into the Money; Lin Tops High Roller
The APT Incheon Main Event record falls as 1,393 entries build a KRW 3 billion prize pool, with 207 players advancing into the money.
Kunlei Xie Wins APT Incheon High Roller Ultra Stack as Main Event Tops 1K
Kunlei Xie wins the APT Incheon High Roller Ultra Stack for KRW 179.6 million as the Main Event grows to 1,177 entries.
Bao Qiang Ho Wins KPC Final Coronation for USD 608K; Punsri Claims Single Day High Roller Title
Bao Qiang Ho wins the KPC Final Coronation for USD 608,600, while Punnat Punsri closes the Jeju festival with a USD 262,640 High Roller victory.
Mike Takayama Wins Biggest APPT Manila Main Event Ever for PHP 15.5M
Mike Takayama defeated Florencio Campomanes to win the record 1,413-entry APPT Manila Main Event and PHP 15.53 million at Okada Manila.
Shawn Lee Leads Main Event as Jeremy Chan Breaks Curse on APT Incheon Day 4
APT Incheon 2026 Day 4 saw Shawn Lee take the Main Event lead, Jeremy Chan win KRW 236 million and Daniel Smiljkovic top the Ultra Stack
Heads-Up Curse Broken as Jeremy Chan Wins KRW 236M at APT Incheon
Jeremy Chan ended five consecutive heads-up defeats by beating Michel Molenaar to win the APT Incheon Super High Roller and KRW 236 million.
Thailand’s Pakorn Duangtrakan Solves Mystery as Main Event Kicks Off at APT Incheon
APT Incheon 2026 Day 3 sees Pakorn Duangtrakan win the Mystery Bounty, Akamatsu lead Flight A and Reoma Ogawa top the Super High Roller.
Ye Wang Completes Heads-Up Comeback to Win King’s Main Event for USD 587K
Ye Wang completes a heads-up comeback to win the 180-entry King’s Main Event in Jeju for USD 587,200 from a USD 2.527 million prize pool.
Ye Wang Leads King’s Main Event Final 9; Ren Lin Wins NLH/PLO Mix
Ye Wang leads the King’s Main Event final nine chasing USD 587,200, while Tony Ren Lin wins the USD 10,000 NLH/PLO Mix for USD 134,540.
Tomoya Tsubouchi Wins KRW 78M as APT Incheon Records Keep Falling
APT Incheon 2026 Day 2 sees Tomoya Tsubouchi win KRW 78 million, Alex Ip lead an 868-entry Mystery Bounty and two players claim second titles.
Tien Loon Ling and Ryan Plant Claim Major King Poker Cup Titles
Tien Loon Ling wins the KPC Royal Ascent for USD 273,380, while Ryan Plant claims the Crown Hunt title and USD 160,000 in Jeju.
APT Incheon 2026 Opens With Record Korea National Cup
APT Incheon 2026 begins with a record 709-entry Korea National Cup as Ivan Govorov leads and eight champions collect opening-day trophies.
12 Days Until CPG Championship Finals 2026 Begins
The CPG Championship Finals 2026 begins in Sanya on August 19, combining ten days of poker with special offers on outdoor activities.
Everything Players Need to Know About WPT Australia 2026
Plan your WPT Australia 2026 trip with details on all 36 events, satellites, festival awards, hotel rates and tournament entry rules in Sydney.
