APL MAIN EVENT (26,000 TWD)

Three down, three to go, today's APL Taipei Main Event Day 1C flight is in the books with another 33 survivors joining the Day 2 order. A smashing turnout was seen at the CTP Asia Poker Arena this afternoon with a total of 223 entries racked up, ringing its biggest showing yet. South Korean runners have been faring well across the qualifiers, taking half of today’s top ten spots.

Leading the charge is Jungjun Lee, who carries a mighty 649,000 (81 BB) chip count onto the next round, stacking just below initial chip leaders Seok Young Lee and Chao Hao Ting. Lee’s late-day boost came courtesy of a massive 128 big blind pot, where his pocket aces held strong against Andrew Ma’s pocket queens. On his tail is local favorite Yoda Lin with 591,000 (74 BB), followed by China's Xiangyu Yu 581,000 (73 BB) one big blind behind.

Other notables advancing through include The Naing 280,000 (35 BB), Wu Chiayun 251,000 (31 BB), Hsuan Yu Lai 212,000 (27 BB), and Soo Jo Kim 155,000 (19 BB).

/As the headliner heads toward its final stretch, only two more flights stand between players and a shot at the NT$ 21,000,000 (~US$ 700,800) prize pool. Tomorrow marks the last day to qualify, so don't miss the chance to stake your claim and walk away a winner!

APL Taipei Main Event

Date/s: June 11-16, 2025

Buy-in: NT$ 26,000 (~US$ 865)

Guarantee: NT$ 21,000,000 (~US$ 700,800)

Day 1A: 132 entries, 20 qualified

Day 1B: 78 entries, 12 qualified

Day 1C: 223 entries, 33 qualified

Day 1D: June 12, 2025

Day 1E: June 13, 2025

Day 1F: June 13, 2025

Day 2: June 14, 2025

Day 3: June 15, 2025

Final Table: June 16, 2025

Bubble time lasted fairly quick with only one deal running across the tables to arrive at the final elimination.

Sanggyu Lee kicked off the action with a 21,000 utg open and tank called Minsung Jun's all-in for 184,000, putting the latter at risk.

A coinflip situation, the flop 7♣ 6♣ 4♥ immediately gave Jun the advantage, but was swiftly taken away as the runout T♣ 3♣ landed two more clubs to fill up Lee's flush. Jun walked away as the stone cold bubble, sending the 33 remaining players to bagging time.

Bubble time has arrived, with the tournament now shifting into hand-for-hand play. Only 33 players will advance to the next stage, meaning just one more elimination separates the field from securing a spot in Day 2 of the Main Event.

Ng Jiunn Yang pushed his remaining 23,000 on the cutoff and was called by both Xiangyu Yu and Andrew Ong Hoon Haw on the blinds.

Action on flop 8♥ K♥ J♦ was checked to turn Q♥ , where Yu led 25,000. Ong opted out, leaving the two to showdown.

Yu revealed a made flush 4♥ 2♥ , rendering no chances for Ng's A♦ 6♦ to catch up. River 3♦ came as a formality, sending Ng to the rail just as the Day 1C field entered bubble time.

A blind vs blind confrontation led Hong Yun Yao to commit his last 27,000 with Q♥ 3♥ on the big blind, up against Yool Kim's 9♥ 7♥ .

Slightly behind, Kim managed to catch up on flop 3♣ 7♣ 9♣ , but was instantly crushed as the turn 3♦ rolled back Hong the favor. River A♥ sealed Kim's loss, earning Hong the much needed double.

A preflop battle, two shoves were seen on Table 26, beginning with Hong Yun Yao for 68,000, followed by Jong Wook Lee for a lesser 56,000. All else folded, leaving the two to run the tense coin flip close to bubble time.

Board 3♣ 9♥ J♦ 3♠ 4♣ steered clear of Hong's overcards, crippling him down to two big blinds in the process.

Yang Qian Rui raised 105,000 against an early open, leaving himself with 10,000 behind. Changrok Han apprarently woke up with a good hand on the big blind and cold called, pushing the initial raiser out of the pot.

On flop K♠ A♣ 4♥ , Yang called for the rest and found his Q♦ Q♣ in rough shape against Han's two pair A♥ K♥ . No help for Yang arrived on runout 5♠ T♠ , earning Han the boost while he headed out the door.

Running thin, Junya Yamaguchi decided to go with K♠ T♣ for his last 62,000 and unfortunately, ran smack into Avneesh Munjal's nutted A♥ A♣ .

Hailing for a miracle, Yamaguchi found one on board T♦ 3♦ 7♦ T♠ Q♦ , sparing him from elimination.

Action was picked up already on the river of board 3♣ 7♥ K♥ 5♣ T♥ , with a tower of chips roughly 107,000 on the side. Lee Yun Xiang on the big blind, had already checked his option and was awaiting Andrew Ong Hoon Haw to make his move on the button.

Ong decided to pull the trigger, putting Lee in a tough spot. Lee eventually decided to hero call for his last 62,000 with a pair of nines 9♣ 7♣ , but was utterly no good against Ong's turned set 5♦ 5♠ .

The money bubble is looming with only ten more eliminations to go before today's Day 1C flight comes to a close. Only 33 players out of the 223-entry field are geared to advance to Day 2, all in for a share of the NT$ 21,000,000 (~US$ 700,800) guaranteed prize pool.

Chih Feng Li kicked off the action with a 10,000 open on the hijack and saw both players on the blinds come along to flop J♥ 6♦ 9♣ . Chih continued for 12,000, looked up by only Soo Jo Kim on the big blind.

Down one, turn K♥ was checked to river 3♥ , where Kim led 25,000. Chih paused for a minute and eventually tossed in the fold, saving his 15 BB behind.

Taehwan Kim opened from utg and called Yoda Lin's 35,000 raise right beside. All else folded, and Kim completed.

On board J♣ 6♥ 5♠ A♣ , Lin double barreled - 30,000, followed by an all-in for Kim's 121,000 behind on turn A♣ . Kim called down both streets with top pair A♥ Q♥ , and was crushed to see Lin table a better hand A♠ J♠ .

River 4♣ sealed the win for Lin, eliminating Kim from the Day 1C games.

Jungjun Lee opened the action utg to 10,000, followed by a 25,000 three bet from Andrew Ma two seats over. Action folded back to Lee, pushing him to pad the pot further to 50,000. Ma completed, setting up a thrilling 100K pot straight away.

The flop came 4♥ 4♣ 8♣ . Lee checked his option, and Ma bet 45,000. Lee responded by going over the top for his remaining 201,000, immediately called by Lee for an interesting showdown.

Lee A♥ A♣

Ma Q♥ Q♣

Ma in rough shape, arrived at a loss as runout 3♣ 4♠ made no difference, leaving his ladies in pieces against Lee's rockets.

Hsiao Chung Wu set the pace to 10,000 on the hijack and shelled out 15,000 more following a raise from Eric Chen two seats away.

Chen continued with a chunky 45,000 bet on flop A♦ 3♦ 9♣ , and snap called for his remaining 14,000 after Hsiao decided to check jam.

Chen A♠ Q♣

Hsiao A♣ 5♣

Both with top pair, Chen's queen kicker held through turn 9♠ and river J♥ , slicing Hsiao's stack down by two-thirds.

With action folded down to the small blind, Jungjun Lee open raised all-in and was snapped by Suya Lee for his last 44,000 right beside.

Board K♦ 7♥ 7♠ 5♦ 4♣ offered no surprises, quickly pushing the pot over to Lee with top pair.

Xiangyu Yu defended his big blind against Hoseung Jung's 8,000 cutoff open, and faced a 10,000 cbet from his opponent on flop J♦ 5♦ 7♠ . Yu responded with a check raise to 24,000, followed by another 33,000 on turn A♦ . Jung completed the initial street but laid it down as Yu gunned for more.

With 57 players left and only 33 advancing to Day 2, we may be heading into the final break of the day. Leading the pack is Yoon In Jun, who’s just crossed the 500K mark, with Yoda Lin close behind, both sitting comfortably with over a hundred big blinds.

Top Chip Counts

Action was picked up on the turn 4♠ 6♦ A♠ A♦ with 20,000 already in the middle. From the big blind, Chung Lee checked to Yu Yung Lin, who fired for 8,000. Lee responded with a raise to 24,000, then piled on the pressure with a river shove after the river 3♥ landed. Yu gave it some thought but ultimately laid it down, conceding the pot to Lee.

A button vs blind confrontation led Wei Jen Wang to risk his remaining 76,000 against Sam Kee Kian Sim on the big blind.

Unfortunately for Wang, Kee woke up at the top of his range, quickly claiming the win on board 8♦ 7♥ 5♠ 9♠ Q♠ .

After two days of intense play, the Super High Roller final table is officially set, with Leong Iat Man leading the way. All nine contenders have locked up at least NT$ 230,400, but it’s the NT$ 2,224,400 top prize that remains to be everyone's ultimate goal. With an average stack of 30 big blinds, there's still plenty of play left as the chase for the title comes down to the wire.

Final Table Chip Counts

Seat 1: Victor Chen - 3,350,000 (41 BB)

Seat 2: Tae Hoon Han - 4,000,000 (50 BB)

Seat 3: Lee Ji Min - 2,000,000 (25 BB)

Seat 4: Lee Jong Kwan - 1,900,000 (23 BB)

Seat 5: Siyang Phua - 2,400,000 (30 BB)

Seat 6: Kang Wonkyu - 1,600,000 (20 BB)

Seat 7: Leong Iat Man - 4,200,000 (52 BB)

Seat 8: Myunghwan Han - 1,300,000 (16 BB)

Seat 9: Kang Kiseok - 4,000,000 (50 BB)

Level 21: 40,000/ 80,000 ante 80,000

Average stack: 2,527,777 (31 BB)

Super High Roller Review

Date/s: June 11-12, 2025

Buy-in: NT$ 100,000 (~US$ 3,400)

Guarantee: NT$ 8,000,000 (~US$ 272,220)

Entries: 91

Prize pool: NT$ 7,944,300 (~US$ 270,330)

ITM: 13 places

Remaining Payouts

1st - NT$ 2,224,400

2nd - NT$ 1,628,600

3rd - NT$ 1,008,900

4th - NT$ 699,100

5th - NT$ 452,800

6th - NT$ 341,600

7th - NT$ 278,100

8th - NT$ 238,300

9th - NT$ 230,400

A hefty pot was building up at Table 30 with Yoda Lin and Fung Tsun Ming getting in the thick of it.

With 215,000 in the middle and a completed board T♠ 2♦ 3♥ J♦ 5♦ spread out on the felt, Lin wasted no time pushing his last 147,000 in. Fung went deep in the tank and was ultimately, forced to a decision as another player called time.

Fung made the crying call with a pair of tens A♥ T♥ , but couldn't get past Lin's backdoor flush Q♦ T♦ , leaving him with just seven big blinds.

Action was picked up on the river of a completed board 5♣ Q♠ T♠ 8♦ A♠ with a pot of 40,000 spread out in the middle.

Alan King Lun Lau had already checked his option, leaving Yang Qian Rui to make his move. Yang decided to go for a final bet of 35,000.

Lau mulled over his options but ultimately flicked in the call, only to muck as Yang revealed flush 7♠ 6♠ .

The third flight of the APL Taipei Main Event has officially locked in 223 entries, marking the largest turnout yet. /As the field plays down to 15%, only 33 players will advance to Day 2, each guaranteed a piece of the NT$ 21,000,000 (~US$ 700,800) prize pool. With momentum building fast, the race for a deep Main Event run is definitely heating up!

Meanwhile, Day 1D is still in progress, offering latecomers another shot at advancing. /As with today's Day 1C, late registration remains open until just before Level 12, keeping the door open for more entries to pour in.

Cheng Yen Lo threw in a raise utg and stepped up to the plate after Jeong In Jae moved all-in for 29,400 from the big blind.

Running good, Cheng confidently scooped up the pot as board rolled 3♠ 5♣ Q♠ J♠ A♥ .

Wei Zhong Yang pulled a 10,000 button three bet against a hijack open, and shelled out 18,300 more after the initial raiser came back with an all-in.

Board Q♣ 6♣ 2♠ 8♠ 8♥ ran dry for both, leaving Wei's higher ace-high good for the bust.

Making their presence felt at APL Taipei, the team behind Yajasu Poker isn’t just here to play cards - they’re building something bigger. With a name that evokes images of palm trees and peace, Yajasu Poker has quickly grown from a single room in Korea to a rising network of poker rooms and satellite events.

We caught up with Yajasu Poker COO, Jungduk Suh to learn more about the story behind the name, their expansion plans, and what sets them apart in Korea’s booming poker scene.

SMP: How did Yajasu Poker come together, and what does 'Yajasu' actually mean?

Suh: 'Yajasu' is a Korean word. It means "palm tree." We chose it because it gives an image of peace and pleasure — like a person relaxing under a palm tree. That was the kind of feeling we wanted our brand to convey.

SMP: How did Yajasu Poker originally get started?

Suh: We have two founders: Sun Joon Choi and Hyung Jung Kim. They were running a single operation in Korea and decided to expand by opening more branches and forming a broader structure. We also run satellite tournaments — for example, for big events like the APL Main Event or TMT Main Event.

SMP: Is this your first time bringing players outside Korea for an international event?

Suh: No, we’ve done it several times around five or six. We’ve participated in events in Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam. We’ve been active internationally for less than a year now, since around August last year. Usually around 25 to 30 players participate under our group.

SMP: What are your future plans for Yajasu Poker?

Suh: We’re on the edge of launching our franchise model. We already have four directly owned branches in Korea, and we plan to open up to 100 branches within the next year. Starting next month, we aim to open at least ten more.

SMP: Are all these new branches planned within Korea?

Suh: Yes, for now, all within Korea — mostly in Seoul and soon expanding outside the city.

SMP: Any plans for overseas expansion?

Suh: Not yet. At the moment, we’re focusing on Korea. But we do participate in international events.

SMP: Are you planning to partner with international poker brands that want to host events in Korea?

Suh: Yes, we are open to partnerships, but due to Korean law, we need to ensure everything is fully legal. It’s something we are currently exploring.

SMP: Is Yajasu more of a team or a community?

Suh: It’s more of a community. Players represent Yajasu after winning through our satellites, but they are not officially part of a competitive team. However, we are very close-knit, like a family — we play together and have strong relationships.

SMP: Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?

Suh: Just keep an eye on us — we’re growing fast. Our goal is to become the number one poker franchise in Korea. Partnerships are important to us, and we’re always looking to collaborate with others in the industry.

Minsung Jun opened on the cutoff and called Sungwoo Son's 30,400 all-in from the small blind.

An ace-high battle, Jun kept ahead all the way through, with his kicker running in play on board A♥ 4♣ J♠ 2♥ J♥ for the win.

Wei Jen Wang opened to 3,000 from the hijack and picked up calls from Seungwoo Lim on the button and the big blind.

The flop came 2♦ 3♦ J♣ , where Wang continued for 3,000. Only Lim made the call to see turn 4♣ . Wang checked this time, and Lim took the opportunity to bet 6,000. Wang called again and faced a final barrel of 18,000 on river 3♥ .

After paying it off, Wang tabled A♦ K♦ for ace-high, good enough against Lim’s missed flush draw with 9♦ 6♦ .

Preflop action between utg raiser Yoon In Jun and player on the big blind brewed a pot of 23,000 in the middle. On flop J♣ 9♣ 3♣ , Yoon continued the aggression with a 12,000 bet and quickly called his opponent's check jam for 23,500 more.

Big Blind Q♥ T♥

Yoon A♠ A♣

Up against an open ender, Yoon was glad to see the runout J♦ 2♦ fade his opponent's outs, earning him the boost.

Lee Yun Xiang kicked off the action with a 2,600 open, called by Changjun Kim on the button along with the big blind.

On flop A♥ 5♥ J♦ , Lee continued for 3,300 and saw both stick around to turn T♠ . Action this time, was checked to Kim, ushering him to fire 11,500. Player on the blinds check jammed for 13,000 more, pushing Lee out of the pot while Kim shelled out the rest.

Big blind A♦ 4♥

Kim A♠ Q♠

Both with trip aces, Kim's queen kicker ran in play, successfully eliminating his opponent from the Day 1B race.

Fresh from elimination, Shen Hao is back in the Main Event arena and wasted no time getting his newly bought 40,000 starting stack in the middle. Changwon Lee right beside, put in the call and found himself in dire need of help against Hao's better pair.

Lucky for Lee, the board ran Q♣ 6♦ 8♦ T♥ 9♥ , giving him top set and sparing him from the loss.

Shen Hao open ripped his 19 big blind stack on the hijack and was looked up by Pan Ming Lee on the button.

Hao well ahead, easily locked in the win on board Q♥ 6♠ 5♥ K♠ 6♥ , bouncing right back up to a starting stack.

The most unfortunate cooler in Hold'em hit the felt with two stacks landing in the middle after a series of preflop back and forth. Seung Yong Yi at risk for his 57,600 stack against Daeho Lim however, had no problems scooping up the pot, having instantly landed top set on board A♥ 9♥ J♠ Q♦ 3♣ to seal the win.

With a pot of 31,500 situated in the middle, turn action on 7♣ K♣ J♦ Q♥ was caught on big blind Seung Youn Baek with a bet of 11,500. Po Yung Hui on the button, demanded for the rest, pressuring Seung to give up the fight entirely.