Natural8 Cup Championship Freezeout (93,000 TWD)

Day 2 of the Natural8 Cup Championship Freezeout delivered a full spectrum of tournament highlights at Red Space in Taipei City, from chip lead swings to marathon bubble play, including a one-chip survivor as the 71 remaining players inched closer to the coveted title.

Sponsored by Natural8, the event attracted 490 players to absolutely crush the TWD 31,000,000 guarantee and push the prize pool to TWD 39,372,480 (~USD 1,270,080). With the bubble now in the past, the remaining players are all secured a minimum payout of TWD 148,400 (~USD 4,790) while awaiting the champion is a top prize of TWD 7,538,480 (~USD 243,180) and an APT Main Event seat worth TWD 311,000 (~USD 10,000).

When all the excitement finally dissipated, it was deja vu for India's Akshay Nasa who once again finished on top of the leaderboard. Just days ago, Nasa bagged the chip lead at Day 1 of the 7-Max Championship before ultimately finishing in 20th place. This time, he stood alone as the only player to amass in the seven-digit range.

While most of the day’s dramatic moments came during the bubble round, several major stories unfolded beforehand. Adrian State dominated early, claiming the chip lead after running into the perfect cooler against Matthew Wakeman - turning his hidden hooks into a set to crush Wakeman’s cowboys.

Shiina Okamoto also made waves, knocking out Gerald Karlic to vault into one of the biggest stacks.

Other notables making the cut were Natural8 Ambassadors Kitty Kuo and Sparrow Cheung, APT Main Event title-holders Abraham Ceesvin, Mike Takayama, and Huu Dung Nguyen.

There were countless showdowns during the two-hour hand-for-hand grind. Among the game-changers was Ireland’s Toby Joyce’s crucial showdown against long-time Day 2 leader Adrian State. The victory propelled him to second rank by day’s end with a stack of 916,000.

Another memorable moment saw Nasa push with rags, only to get caught red-handed by Teng Kuei Hsu. The crowd erupted in laughter when Nasa sheepishly revealed his cards.

While Nasa earned plenty of praise for his performance, it was the short-stacked Seungyeol Kim who stole the show. Not only did he survive a forced all-in, but he also navigated another orbit to finish the day with just a single 1,000-chip denomination — a classic chip-and-a-chair moment.

When play resumes on Friday, November 21 at 11:15am, it will be another grueling race as they play down to the final table of nine players where the action will be live-streamed until the champion is crowned.

For the Full Natural8 Cup Championship Freezeout Survivor List: Click here.

For the Payouts of the Natural8 Cup Championship Freezeout: Click here.

Be sure to tune back in for all the action throughout Day 3.

The remaining 71 players have now bagged for day 3. They will resume action tomorrow at 11.15am.

The full day recap will be posted shortly.

Wun Long Liu was down to crumbs when he went all-in from under the gun and while everyone passed it up, big blind Teng Kuei Hsu called, barely causing a dent to his stack.

Liu had K♣ T♥ and was flipping against Hsu's 9♠ 9♥ .

It was nearly all over for Liu at the flop 8♥ 3♦ 9♦ with Hsu improving to a set. The turn card A♥ sealed the elimination as the river completed the board with a 2♥.

Everyone is now in the money. 71 players remain and they are bagging up for the night.

Following a min-raise from the early position player Po Lam Lun, cutoff player Robertus Hollink pushed all of his chips out front for a total of 58,000. With action folding around and back to Lun, he called and told Hollink, "I don't have good cards. You are ahead"

When he finally showed, Hollink was indeed ahead with A♣ K♦ against Lun's 8♦ 9♦.

An ace at the flop A♥ T♣ 2♥ widened Hollink's lead but with an 8♥ on the turn, he wasn't out of the woods yet until

the river J♥ for his pair of aces to hold, keeping him alive.

Zhan Xi Guo made a pre-flop all-in shove for 240,000 and was called by Andrei Spataru.

There were two other tables with all-in situations as hand-for-hand play was being done to determine the bubble.

By the time the tournament director reached their table, there was already news that the bubble had burst, and the only thing needed to determine is if anyone would be part of the bubble.

Zhang Xi Guo: Q♣ Q♥

Andrei Spataru: A♦ J♣

Board ran T♠ Q♦ 8♦ 6♥ T♣

Guo ended up with a full-house for a resolute double-up.

However, that wasn't the show-stopper.

Seungyeol Kim literally had a single 1,000 chip and was celebrating for surviving the bubble and making the money with just a solitary chip, giving testament to the saying "a chip and a chair."

"Final table here we go!" Kim shouted.

Also proudly celebrating on the same table, but not as loudly was Wai Kit Lo, who had only 4,000 left to close the night.

It was the stone money bubble and Suengyeol Kim was down to his last 5,000 and forced all-in in the big blind. Kim hadn't looked at his hand, and a crowd was drawing around the table.

The action slowly folded around, with hope of a walk getting stronger and stronger.

Kim was vocal and was stood at the table, talking to each player when the action went around to them. "We are family"... he cried, to the table.

His hopes of a walk faded when Andrei Spataru limped on the button for 8,000. Lillis Frank came along for the ride from the small blind and the players went three-ways to the flop.

The T♦ 9♦ T♣ flop was checked to see the K♥ turn.

Murmers spread around the table from the rail, but with neither non-all player giving anything away, Kim was still in the dark.

A K♦ river double paired the board, and it was time for showdown. Kim was fishing for an idea of how strong his opponents were, "Good, no good?". There was action on another table and Kim yelled "Someone else all-in?" he continued with "It's almost a champion feeling". Spataru replied "Enjoy it bro."

It was time for showdown and the floor asked the players to turn over their hands in order.

Andrei Spataru: 2♥ 3♦

Spataru was playing the board, and it was time to sweat the next hand.

Lillis Frank: 8♣ 7♦

Frank had no better, and Kim's excitement showed. Kim peeled the seven, five offsuit over slowly, but it ended in a chop.

Suengyeol Kim: 7♥ 5♣

There were celebrations all around, with all three players up from their seats. Once the adrenaline wore off, Kim sat back with his original 5,000 stack and was forced to immediately surrender 4,000 for the small blind. Kim folded and claimed another lifeline and one more orbit.

Akshay Nasa had been bullying the table with his million-big monster stack. In one of his all-in shoves, Vincent Salaun snap-called and risked his last 225,000.

When the cards were shown...

Akshay Nasa: K♥ 9♦

Vincent Salaun: J♦ J♣

Board ran J♥ A♠ 5♣ J♠ K♠

Salaun made quads on the turn and, of course, proceeded to makea. significant double-up.

The bubble round continues with yet another double up for 72 players still on the hunt for a piece of the pot.

The latest to keep his fire burning was Toby Joyce who defended on the small blind after Dohang Na raised 16,000 from cutoff that was called by Adrian State on the button.

At the flop 7♣ 8♠ 2♠, Na continued for 45,000, State called, then Joyce check-raised to 150,000. This was enough to push out Na while State made the call.

The battle intensified when the turn came T♦ with Joyce announcing all in foer 273,000. State counted out the chips and after spending a time-bank, State called, putting Joyce in danger of elimination.

Toby Joyce: 7♦ 8♦

Adrian State: Q♠ J♠

Joyce was ahead with a flopped two pair but needed to dodge a bunch outs. He did just that when an A♥ showed up on the river.

There was around 160,000 in the pot and a complete board that showed 8♥ 2♣ 2♥ J♠ Q♥

Joel Singam fired 200,000, covering the stack of Kuo Wei Kao. Kao made the call, risking his last 180,000.

Singam jokingly begged, "Please, no pictures." as they waited for the tournament director to announce the hand.

When asked to show the cards, Singam sheepishly peeled over 9♣ 7♥ for the bluff while Kao showed J♦ J♥ for a monster full house.

Hsuan-Yu Lai went amost all-in for 47,000 leaving 1,000 behind, Andrei Spataru made the call on his big blind.

The flop arrived A♦ 5♠ K♣

Spataru threw in the 1,000 and Lai risked his last.

Spataru opened T♣ 8♣ and was way behind the A♣ K♥ of Lai.

The runout of 8♥ 9♥ favored Lai and gave him a critical double up.

Seunghyuk Jung shoved his last 36,000 all-in and was matched by Mike Takayama.

Jung peeled open J♦ J♥ and ran into the A♥ A♦ of Takayama.

The runout of 9♣ K♥ K♠ 7♣ 6♥ ended Jung's run in the championship.

Action was heavy on Table 83, as having secured a near triple up during hand for hand, Jeffrey Lo found himself in another pot.

Lo opened from middle position for 16,000 and Vamerdino Magsakay called from the big blind. Magsakay was one of the shortest stacks on his table and started the hand with 81,000.

The K♠ Q♣ 5♣ flop saw Magsakay check, Lo bet 11,000 and Magsakay call.

A 8♣ was turned, and Magsakay went into the tank after Lo moved a 100,000 stack of blue chips across the line. Magsakay picked up his five time bank cards and fanned them in front of him.

The dealer was slowly removing them one by one, and eventually, with just one time bank left, he moved in his remaining 54,000 to call.

Vamerdino Magsakay: Q♦ J♦

Jeffrey Lo: 10h 10c

Magsakay was sitting with a pair of queens, but there were some chances for Lo to steal, with the club flush draw.

The 5♦ river didn't bring it in and Magsakay saw the needed double, saving him from being eliminated as the bubble drew closer.

Just 73 players remain, hand for hand is still in progress.

With the bubble round at hand, Akshay Nasa tried to bully with his gargantuan stack, asking for the all-in triangle while sitting at under the gun+1. To his immediate left, Teng Kuei Hsu only had 53,000 behind and went for it.

With a big crowd around, everyone burst into laughter when Nasa flipped over 2♦ 3♦. Even Hsu who turned over J♣ J♠.

Players were calling out cards for a sweat, but the board had other plans, giving everything to Hsu as it ran out 9♠ T♣ 5♠ 8♠ 7♠.

Sam Fung was all in and at risk from the cutoff for his remaining 62,000. Jeffrey Lo re-jammed from the button for 104,000 and action went to Vamerdino Magsakay.

Magsakay was very vocal during his tank, letting out a number of "F**k"'s and "OMG"'s. He counted out the 104,000 from his stack and saw he would be left with just 90,000 behind.

After using two of his time bank cards, he exclaimed "Call!", and due to hand for hand, the cards were held face down for a while.

The floor announced "showdown", all three players flipped their hands.

Sam Fung: T♦ T♠

Jeffrey Lo: A♦ A♠

Vamerdino Magsakay: J♠ J♥

Lo was ahead, and it was looking likely that one player would bust. With 74 remaining, there was a gathering of other players around the table, calling for the covering stack Magsakay to hit.

The Q♠ 6♦ 3♦ 9♣ 9♥ runout kept Lo ahead and Fung was eliminated in 74th place.

Soobum Kim moved all-in for his last 21,000 from the cut-off and big blind Akshay Nasa with a monster stack made the call.

Kim looked unfazed while waiting for the tournament director to come around to their table. There was nothing more to do since the chips were all-in.

When the director asked for the cards to be revealed.

Soobum Kim peeled A♥ 8♠ versus the 7♥ 7♦ of Nasa.

The board ran 5♠ A♠ Q♦ 6♥ 4♠

Kim paired his ace on the flop and held on to earn a life-saving double-up.

So close to the money and players with 74 players remaining. Nopparat Kongjai was heard roaring across the room having doubled up through Michael Allen.

Catching the moment as the dealer was counting out his chips, Kongjai had Q♠ Q♦, Allen with K♦ T♦, the board was A♥ 4♠ Q♥ J♠ 4♥ .

With hand-for-hand in effect until the bubble bursts, short stacks have been much more active. Here were a a few hands that saw showdowns.

At Table 80, Wun Long Liu was all in from middle position for his last 31,000 and big blind Huu Dung Nguyen called. Liu was flipping for his tournament life with overcards needing to pair up.

Wun Long Liu: K♣ Q♥

Huu Dung Nguyen: 8♣ 8♠

The board quickly granted Liu his needs as it completed A♦ Q♣ T♣ Q♦ 9♠ to double through.

At Table 76, Wai Kit Lo was fortunate as well. From the big blind, he three-bet to 25,000 leaving just 4,000 behind and initial raiser Frank Lillis from under the gun put him all-in. Lo committed the rest.

Wai Kit Lo: K♦ Q♥

Frank Lillis: K♠ J♣

Lo;s kicker was one point higher and it held when the board came down 2♣ 4♦ 7♦ 4♥ 9♦ to survive the race.

At Table 71, Yita Choong min-raised from under the gun and massive-stacked Akshay Nasa defended on the big blind. When the flop ran 5♠ 8♣ Q♥, Choong continued for 20,000 and Nasa check-called.

The turn 7♥ drew another check from Nasa. Choong unloaded it all and to his surprise, Nasa snap-called and turned over 9♣ 6♦ straight. Choong had Q♦ T♦ top pair and was drawing dead to the river J♠.

Kazuhiro Shirasawa opened for 12,000 from the cut-off and Sriharsha Doddapaneni defended the big blind.

Flop arrived J♠ 9♥ 8♣

Doddapaneni check-called the 10,000 bet of Shirasawa to open a 5♠ turn.

Doddapaneni checked and Shirasawa continued for 18,000.

Doddapaneni paused and declared all-in. Shirasawa snap-called even before any chips were counted or the all-in triangle was put in place.

Doddapaneni flipped open J♦ 9♦ for two-pair while Shirasawa showed T♠ 7♣ for a flopped straight.

The river A♦ bricked for Doddapaneni, ending his run just before the money.

Chang Seog Chae opened for 12,000 from under the gun and Christopher Mateo three-bet to 35,000 on the cut-off. Chae made the call.

Both checked the flop 8♥ 7♠ 4♣

Turn came Q♣

Chae check-called the 40,000 bet of Mateo to see a 9♣ river.

Chae checked and Mateo fired 105,000.

Chae tanked, wondered if giants had dinosaurs as pets a million years ago and made the call.

Mateo turned over A♥ Q♥ And Chae mucked.

Akshay Nasa is a highly respected poker pro with a strong track record on the Asian Poker Tour (APT). Among his tournament highlights, he won the APT Vietnam Main Event in 2019, claiming the APT lion trophy and making a name for himself on the Asian live circuit.

Akshay Nasa 7-Max Championship Here in the APT 2025 Championship in Taipei, Nasa has already dominated early in the 7-Max Championship — he began Day 1 as the chip leader and carried that momentum into the final day. Ultimately, he finished in 20th place, earning TWD 230,300 (~ USD 7,375).

Nasa entered the day on just 44,000, but now sits with a 860,000 stack, which looks to be the current chip lead as players head towards the bubble.

The pot had built up to around 125,000 by the turn, the board was 3♥ 3♦ K♦ 6♦.

From the small blind, big stacked John Peter Rounce-Sue, bet 20,000 into the pot and big blind Dohang Na matched him.

The dealer completed the board with a Q♣ on the river and again Rounce-Sue took the lead, however this time, he pushed all-in, putting Na on the ropes. After burning through a couple of time-banks, Na risked it.

Since it was an all-in situation, Rounce-Sue had to show, and revealed 8♦ 5♠ for a bluff.

Na won the pot with K♣ 8♣ for two pair.

It was a brawl between Hyeonsik Yun on the small blind and Sriharsha Doddapaneni on the big blind.

There was a board of K♣ K♦ J♥ 6♥ and a pot of 45,000 near it.

Both checked the turn to open a 9♣ on the river.

Yun fired out 80,000 and Doddapaneni waved the white flag.

Seunghyuk Jung and Johan Pedersen had a flop of 6♥ 7♣ 2♦ and a pot of 35,000 beside it.

Jung fired out 21,000 and was raised by Pedersen to 45,000.

Jung took one last look at his cards before finally letting it go.

The floor has announced that hand for hand will commence as "too many players were tanking".

The clock is paused and 3-minutes will be taken off for each hand played.

Seunghyun Michael Nam moved all-in on the cut-off for his last 237,000 and was looked up by Jun Ho in the small blind.

Seunghyun Michael Nam: K♣ J♠

Jun Ho: A♥ K♦

Board ran K♥ 6♠ T♣ 3♣ 4♣

Both hit their king on the flop, but Ho's big slick kicker made the difference, sending Nam out just a few spots away from the bubble.

Junjie He and Yeo Kian Howe were down to the river on a board of J♦ 8♠ 7♠ 6♥ 4♠ with 65,000 in the pot. He fired 60,000 into it which sent Howe deep in contemplation.

Howe eventually convinced himself to hero-call and it was the correct move with He flipping over A♠ Q♣ bluff. Howe had K♣ J♠ for top pair and took down the pot.

In the final hand before the break, Kitty Kuo found herself all in from the big blind for her remaining 119,000. Jaeho Lee was on the button and had Kuo covered.

Kitty Kuo: A♣ 2♣

Jaeho Lee: K♦ Q♣

Kuo was looking to stay ahead, and she paired up on the T♥ A♦ 3♦ flop. But Lee was also now looking at a gutshot straight draw.

The turn and river bricked with the dealer placing the 6♠ 7♦ completers, and Kuo sat back with a more comfortable stack when she returned from the break.

This is the last 15-minute break of the day and then two more levels to go. The bubble has yet to burst.

Hsuan-Yu Lai opened for 10,000 from early position. Hogyun Kang three-bet to 25,000.

When it folded back to Lai, he four-bet to 45,000. Kang then five-bet all-in and Lai made the insta-fold.

Dumitru-Adrian Pora and Christopher Mateo squared off in a preflop firefight that kicked off with Mateo raising to 11,000 from under the gun+1. At lojack, Pora fired back with a three-bet to 33,000 only for Mateo to shove his big stack right back at him. Pora snap-called, his tournament life hanging in the balance.

Dumitru-Adrian Pora: A♥ K♦

Christopher Mateo: A♣ Q♠

When the cards were revealed, Pora was in prime position to scoop a full double and looked safe on the 7♦ 5♣ 9♦ flop. But disaster struck on the turn with the Q♥ pairing up Mateo and leaving Pora with only thin outs to survive.

That sliver found the river when the K♣ hit the felt and Pora exploded. He leapt from his seat and fist-pumped like a rockstar, celebrating a miracle that kept his run alive

The event is down to 78 players with 7 more eliminations until the bubble bursts and the remaining 71 players make it in the money.

John Peter Rounce-Sue is steadily closing the gap on Adrian State in the race for the chip lead, and with both seated at the same table, the pressure is building. Though they haven’t tangled yet, Rounce-Sue added a healthy pot to creep even closer.

The hand played out against Ren Han Yong on a board of J♣ 5♥ J♠ J♦ with 86,000 already in the middle. From the hijack, Rounce-Sue led for 18,000, and Yong check-called.

The river brought the T♦, and Rounce-Sue reached for some greens and unloaded a hefty 175,000 bet which more than covered Yong. Yong thought it over but ultimately preserved his remaining chips for a better spot.

A pot of around 90,000 rested beside a completed board of J♠ 9♦ 6♣ Q♥ 2♠

In the hand were Anthony Xu on the small blind Johan Pedersen on the big blind and Jun Ho in hijack.

Xu fired out 36,000. Pedersen let the clock run before flicking his cards forward.

Ho peeked at his cards several times before deciding it wouldn't improve and did a quiet muck.

Lester Edoc was left reeling after losing a large portion of his stack to Kim Fernandez.

The hand opened with a raise from under the gun+1 Kok Wei Teoh that Kim Fernandez at cutoff called. From the small blind, Edoc squeezed for 38,000 which didn't scare away Teoh until Fernandez and Edoc both shoved.

Kim Fernandez: Q♣ Q♠

Lester Edoc: A♥ A♠

Upon revealing, Fernandez was in dire straits needing plenty of luck to stay in the game. The poker gods answered as it sent down a board K♦ 6♠ T♠ 5♥ Q♦.

The rise of Adrian State has him positioned among the top contenders. State bagged 159,400 on Day 1, and retook his seat at the felt this morning.

His momentum continued into Day 2 as a hand during Level 12 saw him eliminate Abelard Ma in a flush-over-flush cooler, with State holding the queen of diamonds and Ma holding the jack of diamonds.

A few levels later, State found himself in one of the biggest pots of the day, a hand that rocketed him into the lead. His surge came after cracking Mathew Wiseman's pocket kings with his pocket jacks after turning the set, pushing his stack to 700,000.

The most recent hand saw him take on Chun Yu Ma. The cards were already on their backs, and Ma's A♣ J♥ couldn't find any help on the Q♣ 9♥ 3♣ 5♠ 7♦ runout, while State’s pocket tens T♠ T♦ held strong. After the hand, he was sitting on a monster 970,000 stack, the clear current chip leader.

State has been seen in the live poker circuit since 2015, but this is his first presence at an Asia stop. He is one to watch this series as he recently won the € 1,100 No Limit Hold'em - PokerStars Open Main Event in earlier this year, taking home a cool € 363,000 (~USD 395,515). This made up a significant portion of his USD 2,182,222 recorded live earnings.

State has put himself in a great position to reach Day 3, but with three levels still remaining in the day, anything can happen.

Stay with the APT blog as we follow all the ups and down, rises and falls of this Natural8 Cup event.

The pot had around 50,000 in the middle beside a board that showed 4♥ K♣ Q♣.

Both Kazuhiro Shirasawa and Sumit Sapra checked to open a A♦ turn.

Sapra, then bet 31,000 and Shirasawa moved almost all-in for 111,000, leaving a 1,000 denomination chip behind.

Sapra tanked and let go of his hand.

Before the action reached Anthony Spinella, Benjamin LeBlond kicked things off with an 8,000 open from the cutoff. Next to act, Keiri Hanai burned a time-bank before he opted to three-bet to 20,000.

On the button, Spinella used a time-bank of his own then slid out a four-bet to 75,000. That was enough to end the hand, as the table quickly folded and the pot was pushed his way.

Dumitru-Adrian Pora opened for 8,000 from the cut-off and Tao Qin raised all-in for 150,000 on the big blind.

Pora tanked before making the call.

Dumitru-Adrian Pora: A♦ Q♦

Tao Qin: 9♠ 9♣

Board completed 3♣ 8♥ 7♣ 6♣ A♣

Pora spiked an ace on the river, but it was the wrong suit. The club gave Qin a flush and successfully doubled up while leaving Pora short-stacked.

Akshay Nasa opened the action with a raise from under the gun+1 and both blinds defended - Soobum Kim on the small blind and Dinesh Alt on the big blind.

When the dealer laid out the flop 2♠ T♥ 5♠ it was checked to the aggressor Nasa who continued for 8,000 to swing it back to Kim.

After a several seconds, Kim raised to 17,000 to turn the tide. Alt passed it up and Nasa on the defense with a call.

Kim barreled again after the turn landed 4♠ and Nasa stuck with him, calling the 16,000 bet. The river was then felted with the Q♣ showing up. Kim drilled another bet, making it 28,000 to continue.

Nasa could not resist and called then mucked to the T♣ 2♣ flopped two pair. Kim is now dethroned Nasa at his table.

Seungyeol Kim was all smiles, even breaking into a little dance, and he had every reason to celebrate after surviving from behind.

On a board of Q♣ 7♦ 6♣ K♦ 9♦, Kim spiked the winning pair on the turn with K♣ J♦ to overcome Curtis Lim’s A♠ Q♠ and score a double up.

Fung Sam Lam risked his last 39,000 from early position and Kuo Wei Kao isolated with a raise to 80,000 on the button.

Fung Sam Lam: A♠ T♣

Kuo Wei Kao: A♦ K♦

Board ran 6♣ 5♣ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣

Lam had one foot out the door, but a miracle river seven from heaven gave him a better straight to gain a life-saving double up.

Meet the Natural8 Ambassadors who remain in the Natrual8 Cup Event

A number of ambassadors jumped into the notorious event, but only two remain, Kitty Kuo and Sparrow Cheung.

A Natural8 Team Hot ambassador, Kitty maintained an average stack throughout the first few levels of the day but rocketed up and returns from the break with over 300,000. She entered Day 2 with 126,500 and has successfully chipped away at her table, and now sits high in the counts.

She has recently made a strong showing in a number of major live events. Her impressive record includes winning the 2021 APT Taipei Main Event and she came close, and had her eyes on the 2025 APT Taipei Main Event, where she bagged a Day 3 lead. Over her career, she has earned ~USD 3.5 million from playing live tournaments, and sits 4th on the Taiwan all time money list. She frequents both the Asia poker circuit and American tours. She is also a strong role model and advocate for women in poker.

Her fellow Team Hot ambassador Sparrow Cheung is also still in the tournament. A cornerstone of Natural8’s Team Hot, Sparrow claimed his 15th APT cash of the year and took down the "No Limit Hold'em - Hyper Turbo - High Roller - Win the Button" event at APT Taipei in April. He has been playing professionally since 2009, and focused on his tournament game from 2013. Some of his biggest accolades include being the 2019 APPT Incheon Main Event champion, claiming USD 174,040. Cheung also successfully shipped the APT Incheon Single Day High Roller 8 Max (KRW 5M) in 2023, earning himself USD 64,810.

Beyond his impressive poker results, he also founded the Hong Kong Poker Players Association (HKPPA) and holds a Guinness World Record for the most in-the-money finishes (62) in a single year (2017), underlining his consistency and dedication.

The pair return from the break with everything still to play for. Kuo has span up her stack from this morning and now sits on 327,000 with Cheung is looking down at 125,000, which is just under average.

Players are now on a 60-minute dinner break. The field has been trimmed to 103 players out of the 490 that entered. Once they return, the chase for the payouts continues with the money set to begin at 71st place.

Fabian Rolli raised to 6,000 from hijack then defended it when cutoff player Bawoo Hyun Sik Yun three-bet to 18,000.

Yu continued for 10,000 at the flop Q♦ K♠ 6♠ and after Rolli matched it up, they both tapped felt on the turn 9♣.

This led to free river card of 4♥ that Rolli liked to lead out for 32,000. Yun reassessed the board then after using up one time extension, he gave up his stake in the pot.

Wai Ting Cheung kicked off the hand with a 7,000 raise from lojack and was unfazed by Wing Po Liu's button shove for 38,500. The reason why came when they flipped over their hole cards.

Wing Po Liu: A♦ T♦

Wai Ting Cheung: A♥ K♣

A clean board followed 5♦ 9♠ 2♥ 3♣ A♣ to eliminate Liu with the lower spread.

Catching the action as Jun Yi Ho was being awarded the pot and Daniel Ao doing the walk of shame. Ao risked his tournament life on ace-king but with the board running 3♣ 3♦ 8♣ 4♥ 9♦ he could not get past Jun Yi Ho's pocket fours to end his day.

Thee biggest pot of the day so far unfolded as two big stacks went head to head, sending one player soaring and the other plummeting.

Action began with Matthew Wakeman raising under the gun, Justin Tsui calling on the button, and Adrian State squeezing to 30,000 from the small blind. Wakeman took a moment before four-betting to 72,000, and State kept the pressure on with a call.

After the heavy preflop action, the 4♥ 6♥ 5♣ flop brought a calmer mood. Wakeman continued for 40,000, and State just check-called.

The turn J♠ reignited the fireworks. Wakeman fired 60,000, and State moved into the tank before jamming. Wakeman snap-called.

Matthew Wakeman: K♣ K♥

Adrian State: J♣ J♥

The river 7♣ sealed it, eliminating Wakeman as State rocketed to the top of the leaderboard.

Benjamin Leblond sat on the button and Abraham Ceesvin was in middle position.

Both players were staring at a completed board of 2♣ 8♠ J♣ 6♠ 7♦

The delicious pot had around 120,000 in the middle.

Ceesvin checked his option to Leblond, who fired off 72,000.

Ceesvin did a quick chip assessment and pushed in a stack to call.

Leblond flipped over K♠ K♦ and Ceesvin mucked.

A♠ Leblond was stacking his chips, there was chatter about the hand and Ceesvin admitted to holding A♠ J♠

He was telling the truth. He raised his hand high to his face enough for the reporter behind him to see.

Jeffrey Lo opened for 6,000 and start-of-day chip leader Jason Li jammed his last 45,000 all-in.

Lo made the call and flipped over A♣ J♣ versus the J♦ J♠ of Li.

The flop arrived 6♣ 3♠ 5♣ , which kept Li ahead, but gave Lo a flush draw.

The 8♠ turn still kept Li ahead, but the 9♣ on the river gave Lo the overtake to eliminate Li.

Kilian Kramer opened for 6,000 from the hijack, Chrisopher Mateo called from the cutoff. Nguyen Huu Dung then raised to 27,000 on the button. Jeffrey Lo, defending from the big blind jammed all-in for 115,000. Kramer and Mateo snap-folded. Dung took about 10 seconds more before letting go.

Keiri Hanai initiated the action with a 5,000 raise at hijack that found a caller in cutoff Anthony Spinella and big blind King Lun Alan Lau.

After the flop ran 7♥ 5♥ 9♣, action was checked to Spinella who sent out a 4,500 bet. Only Lau stuck around to see the turn come down :10c: and that's when the action erupted.

Spinella continued for 32,000. Lau answered with a check-raise all in, Spinella snap-called. Lau saw the bad news.

Anthony Spinella: 5♣ 5♠

Alan Lau: T♥ 9♥

The board completed with a river card Q♦ which was no help to Lau to lose a large portion of his stack.

A pot of 30,000 rested beside a flop that showed 7♣ 9♥ 2♦

Napat Chokenjindachai check-raised the 12,500 bet of Kyung Min Lee to 35,000.

Lee gave that quizzical look and asked, "How much do you have left?" and Chokejindachai gave him full view of his stack.

Lee then counted the chips and placed the call.

The dealer showed a K♣ on the turn.

Chokejindachai checked and before the clock ran out, Lee announced "All in."

Chokejindachai mucked and was left with 95,000.

In the next hand, Chokejindachai raised for 5,000 from under the gun and Hsuan-Yu Lai defended his big blind.

We didn't catch the action because we were covering another hand at a nearby table, but in a few moments the dealer announced "Seat Open" and Chokejindachai was up from his seat and the chips were being shipped Lai's way.

A massive pot of 87,500 had already been built by the time the turn came down 5♣ 2♥ 2♠ 9♦. From the big blind, Gerald Karlic checked to Shiina Okamoto on the button, who fired a bet of 50,000.

Karlic went into the tank, and his indecision eventually cost him a time bank before he finally called. The 9♥ completed the board, and the tension only escalated.

Karlic checked again, and Okamoto shoved all-in for 151,500. Karlic pushed his remaining time-banks forward and counted out his 111,000 stack. After nearly two minutes went by, he made the call.

To Karlic's dismay, Okamoto held the goods with T♠ 9♠ trips, to dust his 6♦ 6♥ and send him to the exit.

Isaiah Wong and Sumit Sapra were staring at a board of 6♦ 6♠ T♣ A♣ beside a juicy pot worth 70,000.

Supra was the first to act and checked his option over to Wong. Wong took a look at the shorter stack of Supra and fired 60,000 - covering his remaining stack, Supra then called.

Both players tabled ace-king offsuit, thus the 8♥ river was of no consequence as the players pulled back their bets and waited for the dealer to split the pot in the middle.

Matas Cimbolas was in a world of hurt when he was all-in and at risk against Ran Ilani on a board of 5♣ 6♥ 5♠ 9♥.

Matas Cimbolas: K♠ K♥

Ran Ilani: A♣ A♠

His tournament life rested on just one final card, but it wasn't to be as the river revealed 2♥. Cimbolas got up and left the scene as Ilani happily collected his winnings.

Chung Ching Cheung opened from early position and lojack Xiang Jun Thomas Po wanted to tango, but hijack Kim Fernandez wasn't up for a party, and three-bet all of his chips amounting to 50,000. This was enough to induce a fold from Cheung while Po quickly made the call.

Kim Fernandez: A♥ K♦

Xiang Jun Thomas Po: Q♦ Q♥

A classic flip was to determine Fernandez's fate as he watched the cards roll off the deck 2♣ 8♠ 7♦ 6♥ A♦ to spike the saving gr(ace) on the river.

Toby Joyce and Andrei Spataru had built a pot of 75,000 on a board that showed 9♠ Q♠ 8♣ 7♠

Both players checked and were shown a 5♣ on the river.

Again, both players checked.

Spataru turned over K♥ J♥ and Joyce turned over J♦ J♣ for a pair of jacks which was good enough to win the pot.

While Joyce was stacking his chips, Spataru commented, "If the ten came out, you will be writing me a big check."

With the field narrowing, there are a number of big stacks running away from the pack.

The current chip lead, with 325,000, is Kok Wei Teoh. Teoh is a regular in the Asian poker circuit and has a number of recent successful cashed despite taking a break from the scene between 2019-2024. He's made a strong comeback and recently final tabled the No Limit Hold'em - APT High Roller - 8 Max Event in Taipei, locking up TWD 1,274,500 (~ USD 41,214) after finishing in 7th place. He saw another big score in the Single Day High Roller at APT Taipei 2024 where he came 3rd TWD 944,000 (USD ~29,935).

Hot on his tail is Andrei Spataru, who has nearly doubled his stack in these first levels of Day 2. Spataru started the day in the middle of the pack, un-bagging 154,000 chips, but now sits on 309,000.

There's very little separation between him and Taiwain's Hao Che Cheng, who has 305,000. Cheng will be looking to repeat and beat his recent success after cashing second in the No Limit Hold'em - Mystery Bounty Championship event a few days ago here in the Red Space events centre here in Taipei. He took home TWS 1,400,700 (~ USD 45,659), narrowly missing out on a prestigious lion trophy. No doubt he will have his eye on sustaining his podium position and bagging at the end of today, with the hope of a similar success.

Other big stacks include Steven Chew (268,000), Robertson Yap (260,000) and Abraham Ceesvin (253,000).

156 players remain and will go on a quick 15-minute break.

Some of those who won't be back from the break include Abby Merk, Jason Chau, Jason Lau, Quang Thai Ha, Hyosung Kim, Yoda Lin, Michael Foo and Dominik Nitsche.

Adrian State made it 4,000 from the hijack and got called by both the button Abelard Ma and big blind Ren Han Yong.

After the dealer spread a flop of 6♠ 6♦ 8♦ , action was checked to Ma who took a stab for a light 4,000. Only State was interested in continuing to head to fourth street.

Unlike the previous betting round, the K♦ on the turn generated heavier action starting with an 11,000 bet from Ma that State check-raised all-in. Ma only had 30,000 behind and was more than covered.

After using up two time-banks, Ma risked it and flipped open J♦ 7♦ flush.

To his disappointment, State also had the flush, albeit a higher one, with Q♦ 9♦ which meant Ma was drawing dead. The river was meaningless A♠ .

Guan Lun Chen and Dinesh Alt were staring at a pot of 48,000 chips beside a board that showed 7♦ K♦ 5♦. Chen bet 4,500 and Alt raised it to 15,000. Chen called.

The turn showed a Q♦ and Chen check-called the 6,500 bet of Alt.

The river showed a 3♠ and both players checked.

Chen showed K♣ Q♠ for two pair and while the table waited for Alt to show a diamond. Instead, he threw his cards to the muck.

A handsome pot worth 56,000 sat beside a board of 5♥ 2♦ 7♦ 9♦

The all-in button was in front of Gyeongbyeong Lee with 48,000 in chips in front.

A few seats down, Abraham Ceesvin was tanking while getting a massage with the massage not looking like it was relieving any stress from the problem at hand.

But perhaps the message gave some positive thoughts with Ceesvin folding while showing an A♦ before tapping out.

Alfie Poetra kicked off the hand with a raise of 5,000 from early position and found one customer in Nopparat Kongjai at the cutoff. Two doors down, small blind Michael Foo took a peek then moved it all in for a total of 42,000.

Poetra let the time run down a bit before announcing a shove with his big stack. Kongjai wasn't happy when he tossed his hand to the dealer for a heads up showdown.

Michael Foo: 8♣ 8♠

Alfie Poetra: J♥ J♠

Foo was in dire straits and needed a miracle which immediately arrived on a flop of 8♥ 3♥ A♠ . With everyone at the table shocked, the turn 5♥ drew some "ooohs". And with the 6♥ river it was "wows" all around except for Foo who packed up and left.

With Day 1 drawing 408 entries and 82 players hopping into Day 2 before late registration closed, the total prize pool absolutely smashed the TWD 31,000,000 guarantee and ended up totalling TWD 39,372,480 (~USD 1,270,080). This event narrowly missed out on the title of having the biggest prize pool so far of the series, only beaten by the Ultra Stack Tournament - which draw a huge TWD 40,327,000 prize pool.

With just 71 players making the money, the current 172 have a little while to go to reach the money bubble. Once in the money, players are guaranteed at least TWD 168,000 (~USD 5,420). With the top prize taking home TWD 7,538,480 (~USD243,180) and securing an APT Main Event Seat worth TWD 311,000 (~USD 10,000).

A pot of 16,000 was built by Daniel Neilson on the small blind and Cheung Chung Ching on the big blind.

The flop arrived 5♠ A♥ 4♠

Neilson check-called the 5,000 bet of Ching and both were shown a 7♥ on the turn.

Neilson checked again and Ching fired 12,000. Neilson took a moment before raising all-in for 78,000.

Ching said, "Are you sure?" and began mumbling stuff like "Seven-Three, Six-Eight, Sevens, Fours, Spades, I hit a pair with a good kicker."

After the conversation with himself, he finally put a stack forward to call.

Daniel Neilson: Q♠ 3♠

Cheung Chung Ching: A♠ 4♦

Neilson was on a draw against the two pair of Ching. The river bricked a 5♦ and Neilson's run was ended with his chipjs headed Ching's way.

Action-packed at the get-go started off with a raise from Qin Tao at hijack then a few spots over, small blind Neel Joshi called. The option moved to the big blind Minh Truong Thanh who moved all-in for 24,600 which Tao answered with a jam as well to successfully isolate Thanh.

Qin Tao: J♦ J♣

Minh Truong Thanh A♣ K♦

When the cards were flipped over, Tao needed to dodge the overcards to send Thanh packing and was on his way with a clean flop of 2♠ 3♥ T♣ . However, when the turn A♦ showed, Thanh jumped ahead and scooped up a double and more after the river felted an 8♣ .

Day 2 of the Natural8 Cup Championship brought back one of the strongest fields of the festival to date. Among the most prominent names in early action were a number of players currently positioned near the top of the Player Of The Series (POTS) standings.

Akira Takasugi Japan’s Akira Takasugi is sitting at the top of the leader board with 1580.64 points. Takasugi jumped into Day 2 at the last minute, just before late registration closed, and will be looking to this event to secure another title and continue their momentum after they took down the APT Taipei main event back in May this year. He also claimed the Player of the Series title, only adding to his accolades this year. Time will tell if he can maintain his position and secure another POTS title.

APT Taipei Main Event 2025 Runner-up of that event was Iat Man Leong (Macau), who also started the day with just over average starting stack having registered yesterday. He remains in contention for a trophy, having narrowly missed out just a few months ago. Leong sits in 5th play in the POTS leader board, around 400 points shy of Takasugi.

Jae Wook Shin, who placed 3rd in the 2024 Taipei Poker classics main event for TWD 5,488,000 (~ USD 171,000) fell early in the day after just 30-minutes of play. Fellow final tablist and 2nd place finisher of the same Main Event, Abraham Ceesvin, is a promenant face to the felt today. He will be on the hunt for another title after getting a taste of success in the most recent ATP Jeju Main Event. Ceesvin returned to play this morning after successfully building his stack in one of the final hands of the evening, late last night.

Junjie He Former APT Incheon 2025 Main Event winner Junjie He, and APT Ho Chi Minh 2019 Main Event winner Akshay Nasa round off some of the notables in the remaining field. Nasa went into the recent 7-Max championship final day at the chip lead but couldn't hold his position.

Stick with the APT blog to follow who will survive the day and bag for Day 3 as we follow the key action throughout the next few days, right down until a winner is crowned.

Anthony Xu three-bet jammed his very short stack against the open of Justin Tsui.

Tsui had a monster stack, considered a bit and eventually called.

Anthony Xu: 4♥ 4♠

Justin Tsui: K♠ Q♣

Board ran 7♣ A♠ 8♣ 9♠ 2♦

The sailboats of Xu weathered the storm and gave him a crucial double-up to take him out of life support.

Following a raise from lojack Ting-Yi Eric Tsai that was called by Caroline Abigail Merek on the button, Eunjung Sim defended her big blind for thee-handed to the flop.

No action when the board ran 7♥ K♠ 3♠ , and as well on the turn T♦ , then with the river 4♥ , Sim switched up with a bet of 6,500. Tsai opted out while Merek wanted to see.

Sim had 4♠ 5♥ and it was good as Merek quickly mucked.

Facing a raise from Akshay Nasa at middle position, Xiaowen Zhao moved it all in from the button and after Nasa topped up, Zhao was flipping for his tournament life.

Xiaowen Zhao: 8♣ 8♠

Akshay Nasa: K♦ Q♦

The board favored Nasa throwing paint on the window, and as it completed K♣ T♠ A♠ 5♣ T♥ , he shipped it while ending one's run in the process.

A very delicious pot of around 115,000 was spread out in the middle of the table like a Viking buffet.

Beside it was a board that showed J♦ 7♦ 5♥ 4♦ Q♥

Competing for the pot was Seunghyuk Jung and Mingchen Zhang.

Seunghyuk Jung slammed the gas and shoved all-in for his last 76,000, covering Zhang by just a little.

Zhang tanked, peeked at his cards, stared at a board that wouldn't change, threw in his last time bank token, wondered if horses really had wings at one time in history, then finally let go of his hand before the time expired.