Shaoshuai LiShaoshuai Li has won the APPT National at APPT Korea 2026, defeating Xueying Zhao heads-up at Paradise City Incheon to claim the top prize of KRW 64,100,000 (~USD 47,242), the APPT Shard trophy, and an APPT Manila Championship package.
The Chinese player outlasted a 332-entry field across three days of play, adding another landmark result to a resume that already includes more than $300,000 in recorded live tournament earnings.
| Place | Player | Prize (KRW) | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SL Shaoshuai Li ![China [CHN]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/cn.svg "China [CHN]"){kind=small} China | 64,100,000 | $47,242 |
| 2 | XZ Xueying Zhao China | 41,500,000 | $30,586 |
| 3 | KK Kento Kinoshita ![Japan [JPN]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/jp.svg "Japan [JPN]"){kind=small} Japan | 28,470,000 | $20,982 |
| 4 | KC Ka Chun Yuan ![Hong Kong [HKG]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/hk.svg "Hong Kong [HKG]"){kind=small} Hong Kong | 22,190,000 | $16,354 |
| 5 | CY Chun Yu Ma Hong Kong | 17,510,000 | $12,905 |
| 6 | CT Chao Ting Cheng ![Taiwan [TWN]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/tw.svg "Taiwan [TWN]"){kind=small} Taiwan | 13,470,000 | $9,927 |
| 7 | RE Ryoya Enomoto Japan | 10,790,000 | $7,952 |
| 8 | ML Maxim Lykov ![Russia [RUS]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/ru.svg "Russia [RUS]"){kind=small} Russia | 9,000,000 | $6,633 |
| 9 | SH Saki Hayashi Japan | 7,497,000 | $5,525 |
Standing L-R: Chun Yu Ma, Ka Chun Yuan, Xueying Zhao, Shaoshuai Li, Kento Kinoshito | Seated L-R: Ryoya Enomoto, Chao Ting Cheng, Saki Hayashi, Maxim LykovSpeaking through a translator after his victory, Li said he was feeling happy and proud to have won.
When asked about the pivotal moment when he seized the chip lead from Zhao, who had dominated for much of Day 2 and the early stages of the final day, Li said he knew he would win from that point.
He explained that having played with Zhao over the previous days, he had developed a clear understanding of her playing style and felt confident in his ability to outmanoeuvre her when it mattered.
Regarding for his presence at APPT Korea in the first place, Li said it was a last-minute change of plan; he had been set to travel to Cyprus, but his friends persuaded him to come to Incheon instead. It proved to be the right call.
Li and his railZhao had entered the final day as the chip leader with 3,425,000 and immediately picked up where she left off.
Chao Ting Cheng was the first to fall, departing in sixth when he called off with a flush on a paired board, only to find Zhao had flopped a full house to leaving him drawing virtually dead from the flop.
Chun Yu Ma followed in fifth, his king-five no match for Li's pocket fours, which flopped a set and improved to a full house on the turn.
Ka Chun YuanZhao then eliminated Ka Chun Yuan in fourth, applying relentless pressure and tabling queen-nine for two pair on the river after three streets of value, and at that point she held around two-thirds of the chips in play with Li, Kento Kinoshita, and Chun Yu Ma all short behind her.
The key hand of the tournament came three-handed: Zhao opened the button, Li three-bet, and Zhao four-bet jammed, only to be snap-called by Li, who woke up with pocket aces against her ace-eight.
The aces held on the runout, swinging the chip lead to Li and completing halting Zhao's momentum. Kinoshita fell shortly after in third, open-jamming ace-seven into Zhao's pocket deuces, which held on a bricked board.
Shaoshuai Li (L) and Xueying Zhao (R)Heads-up, Li extended his advantage immediately when he flopped a flush on a heart-heavy board and checked the turn before extracting around a million from Zhao on the river.
The Final HandThe final hand followed soon after. Zhao led three streets holding king-jack for top two pair, only to be moved all-in on the river by Li, who had flopped the nut flush with ace-four of diamonds.
Zhao called and was awarded the runner-up position for KRW 41,500,000 (~USD 30,586) plus an APPT Korea Main Event seat worth KRW 1,800,000 (~USD 1,328).
Shaoshuai LiShaoshuai Li has topped a field of 332 entries in the APPT National event, ultimately defeating Xueying Zhao heads-up to claim the top prize of KRW 64,100,000 (~USD 47,000), the APPT Shard trophy, plus an APPT Manila Championship package for use next month.
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Li returned to the final table today with an average stack, biding his time before snatching the chip lead from Zhao at a pivotal moment, and never looked back.
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A full recap will be posted soon.
| Place | Player | Prize (KRW) | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SL Shaoshuai Li China | 64,100,000 | $47,242 |
Xueying ZhaoAfter losing a substantial amount a few hands prior and trading some small pots, heads-up play reached the decisive hand a short while ago.
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Button Xueying Zhao raised to 120,000 and Shaoshuai Li called.
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Li check-called Zhao's 175,000 bet following the K♦ 6♦ 2♦ flop.
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The 4♣ turn saw Li check once more, before calling Zhao's 500,000 bet.
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The J♣ landed on the river and Li jammed his covering stack, sending Zhao into the tank. After a short while she eventually put in the call, turning over K♦ J♣ for two pair.
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It was no good, though, as Zhao was bested by Li's flopped flush, holding A♦ 4♦, and she was awarded the runner-up position in the APPT National event, taking home KRW 41,500,000 (~USD 30,586) plus an APPT Korea Main Event seat worth KRW 1,800,000 (~USD 1,328).
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
SL Shaoshuai Li China | 9,960,000(166 BB) | 2,160,000 |
XZ Xueying Zhao China | busted |
| Place | Player | Prize (KRW) | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | XZ Xueying Zhao China | 41,500,000 | $30,586 |
The first hand of note saw Shaoshuai Li extend his lead over Xueying Zhao, after Li flopped a flush on a board showing 2♥ Q♥ 8♥ A♣ 4♣ before checking the turn, and getting ~1,000,000 worth of value from Zhao on the river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
SL Shaoshuai Li China | 7,800,000(130 BB) | 1,560,000 |
XZ Xueying Zhao China | 2,200,000(37 BB) | -1,520,000 |
Just two players remain from a field of 332 entries in the APPT National. Shaoshuai Li and Xueying Zhao have outlasted a stacked field to reach heads-up, and now prepare to battle it out for the title, KRW 64,100,000 (~USD 47,242), the iconic APPT Shard trophy, and an APPT Manila Championship package.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
SL Shaoshuai Li China | 6,240,000(104 BB) | -160,000 |
XZ Xueying Zhao China | 3,720,000(62 BB) | -380,000 |
Kento KinoshitaButton Kento Kinoshita open-jammed his remaining 705,000 chips, and big blind Xueying Zhao shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly before calling:
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Kento Kinoshita: A♦ 7♣
Xueying Zhao: 2♣ 2♠
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Zhao had just lost a massive bulk of her chips in the hand prior, but her deuces held on the 4♠ 8♦ J♠ T♦ 4♣ runout to score the knockout on Kinoshita and claim back some crucial chips, setting heads-up play with Shaoshuai Li.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
XZ Xueying Zhao China | 4,100,000(68 BB) | 700,000 |
KK Kento Kinoshita Japan | busted |
| Place | Player | Prize (KRW) | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | KK Kento Kinoshita Japan | 28,470,000 | $20,982 |
Xueying Zhao has been, naturally, steamrolling the table since play started an hour ago. Scoring two out of the three eliminations so far, she was holding around two-thirds of the chips in play three-handed. Up until this hand.
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Zhao opened from the button to 125,000, before big blind Shaoshuai Li three-bet to 350,000. Zhao then quickly four-bet jammed and Li snapped it off.
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Shaoshuai Li: A♦ A♥
Xueying Zhao: A♣ 8♥
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Zhao has been running good, but she found no miracle to beat the best hand in poker on the 4♣ 6♥ K♠ 6♣ J♣ runout, awarding Li a massive double and the chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
SL Shaoshuai Li China | 6,400,000(107 BB) | 4,000,000 |
XZ Xueying Zhao China | 3,400,000(57 BB) | -3,600,000 |
Ka Chun YuanXueying Zhao raised to 130,000 from the small blind and Ka Chun Yuan called from the big.
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Zhao led on the T♦ Q♦ 6♠ flop for around half-pot, and Yuan stuck around with a call.
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On the 9♣ turn, Zhao led again, this time for 275,000. Yuan called once more.
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Zhao, putting her big stack to work, put Yuan all-in on the 3♥ river, and after less than 30 seconds, Yuan stuck in the call, turning over K♥ T♠. Zhao continued her run of good form, turning over Q♥ 9♦ for two pair and scoring yet another knockout. Yuan hits the rail in fourth place for KRW 22,190,000 (~USD 16,350).
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
XZ Xueying Zhao China | 7,000,000(117 BB) | 2,000,000 |
KC Ka Chun Yuan Hong Kong | busted | -1,930,000 |
| Place | Player | Prize (KRW) | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | KC Ka Chun Yuan Hong Kong | 22,190,000 | $16,354 |
Chun Yu MaChun Yu Ma opened to 100,000 from under the gun, leaving 150,000 behind in his stack. He immediately called when next-to-act Shaoshuai Li three-bet to 250,000 after the other players got out of the way:
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Chun Yu Ma: K♣ 5♥
Shaoshuai Li: 4♣ 4♥
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Ma's fate was all-but settled on the 8♥ 3♥ 4♠ flop, with the 4♠ window card drawing some gasps from the players. Li improved from a set to a full house on the 6♥ 6♦ turn and river, and Ma hit the rail in 5th place after a very respectable run.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
SL Shaoshuai Li China | 2,400,000(48 BB) | 745,000 |
CY Chun Yu Ma Hong Kong | busted | -320,000 |
| Place | Player | Prize (KRW) | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | CY Chun Yu Ma Hong Kong | 17,510,000 | $12,905 |
Chao Ting ChengAfter check-calling steadily through three streets of a 9♦ 6♠ 6♦ 4♦ Q♣ board, small blind Xueying Zhao checked once more on the river, with a pot of around 700,000 in the middle.
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Big blind Chao Ting Cheng bet 475,000, which was a considerable portion of his ~1,000,000 remaining chips.
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Zhao then raised all-in, and Cheng, rather reluctantly, put in the call, turning over A♦ 7♦ for a flush. In a sick cooler, Zhao had flopped a full house holding 9♠ 6♥, leaving Cheng drawing dead virtually the whole way.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
XZ Xueying Zhao China | 5,000,000(100 BB) | 1,575,000 |
CT Chao Ting Cheng Taiwan | busted | -1,525,000 |
| Place | Player | Prize (KRW) | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | CT Chao Ting Cheng Taiwan | 13,470,000 | $9,927 |
Six players return to Paradise City Incheon at 11:00 AM local time today for the final day of the APPT National, playing down to a champion from a 332-entry field.
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Play resumes at Level 26 with blinds of 25,000/50,000/50,000 and levels continuing a 20-hands-per-level format.
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Xueying Zhao enters the day as the clear chip leader with 3,425,000 after a commanding Day 2 performance that saw her accumulate chips steadily through a series of key pots.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
XZ Xueying Zhao China | 3,425,000 |
KC Ka Chun Yuan Hong Kong | 1,930,000 |
SL Shaoshuai Li China | 1,655,000 |
CT Chao Ting Cheng Taiwan | 1,525,000 |
KK Kento Kinoshita Japan | 1,205,000 |
CY Chun Yu Ma Hong Kong | 320,000 |
Ka Chun YuanZhao arrives at today's final six on the back of a runner-up finish just 24 hours earlier, having fallen one spot short of the KRW 700,000 NLH Shot Clock title yesterday for KRW 5,990,000 (~USD 4,453). She will be looking to go one better today.
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Ka Chun Yuan sits second with 1,930,000, having been active throughout Day 2 including a river flush to eliminate Chien Chih Weng early in the day and pocket queens to send Maxim Lykov out in eighth.
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Yuan then closed the day by improving to a full house on the river to eliminate Ryoya Enomoto in seventh. Shaoshuai Li (who led Flight A) returns third with 1,655,000, while Chao Ting Cheng (1,525,000) and Kento Kinoshita (1,205,000) are also well placed. Chun Yu Ma returns as the short stack with 320,000.
Chun Yu MaEveryone remaining is guaranteed at least KRW 13,470,000 (~USD 9,927), with the title and KRW 64,100,000 (~USD 47,242) awaiting the winner.
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The champion will also receive an APPT Manila Championship package including a Main Event buy-in plus accommodation, while the second and third-place finishers will each receive an APPT Korea Main Event seat worth KRW 1,800,000.
| Place | Payout (KRW) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 64,100,000 | $47,242 |
| 2 | 41,500,000 | $30,586 |
| 3 | 28,470,000 | $20,982 |
| 4 | 22,190,000 | $16,354 |
| 5 | 17,510,000 | $12,905 |
| 6 | 13,470,000 | $9,927 |
Somuchpoker is on the floor with live updates throughout the final day!
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
XZ Xueying Zhao China | 3,425,000 |
KC Ka Chun Yuan ![United Kingdom [GBR]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/gb.svg "United Kingdom [GBR]"){kind=small} United Kingdom | 1,930,000 |
SL Shaoshuai Li China | 1,655,000 |
CT Chao Ting Cheng Taiwan | 1,525,000 |
KK Kento Kinoshita Japan | 1,205,000 |
CY Chun Yu Ma Hong Kong | 320,000 |
| Place | Payout (KRW) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 64,100,000 | $47,242 |
| 2 | 41,500,000 | $30,586 |
| 3 | 28,470,000 | $20,982 |
| 4 | 22,190,000 | $16,354 |
| 5 | 17,510,000 | $12,905 |
| 6 | 13,470,000 | $9,927 |
![South Korea [KOR]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/kr.svg "South Korea [KOR]"){kind=small}
South Korea, Incheon
