APT Main Event (2,500,000 KRW)

With the last starting flight now underway, Flight C of the 2025 APT Incheon Main Event has officially closed its gate inside Paradise City Casino.

The penultimate opening flight drew 316 entries (263 unique), exceeding the initial two flights and once again demonstrating the event’s strong appeal.

With registration remaining open for more waves of poker fans, the overall turnout has reached 802 at the moment and is expected to rise further, potentially breaking the 1,000-entry mark.

Leading the pack is Japan’s Shuzo Sekine with a commanding stack of 307,000. The Japanese player has recorded five APT cashes in recent months and is poised for another deep run as he chases his first APT title.

In the runner-up position is APT first-timer Keigo Kotani from Japan, who bagged 242,000 chips after grinding through ten levels. Rounding out the top three is another first-timer, Poseidon Ho from Taiwan, who finished the day with 228,100 in chips.

Other heavy names outside of the leaderboard include two APT titlists: Charlie Chiu (137,400), who just snapped up the Single Day High Roller title a few days ago, and Murly Manokharan (110,500).

Also in the mix are Kaifan Wang (100,300), Michael Foo (99,800) — who recently won the APT Super High Roller 8-Max, and multiple APT title holder Kyosuke Nagami (42,200).

APT regular Toan Chan Truong also bagged up 72,900 at the end of the day. Even though luck didn’t seem to be on his side — getting chipped away by Yi Qin and Manabu Akiyama — he still managed to build a respectable stack heading into Day 2.

With such a star-studded lineup, the felt is sure to be buzzing on Day 2 as more formidable players will join from Flight D.

5-Aug Day 1/ Flight D 6:00 p.m. Level 1-6 (30 min)/Level 7-10 (45 min)

6-Aug Day 2 11:00 a.m. 60 minutes

7-Aug Day 3 11:15 a.m. 60 minutes

8-Aug Day 4 11:15 a.m. 60 minutes

9-Aug Day 5 11:15 a.m. 60 minutes

Stay tuned as we bring you all the action for the remainder of the 2025 APT Taipei Main Event.

Day 1 Flight C of the Main Event has come to an end, with 148 players surviving and now bagging up their chips.

For the fallen pros and enthusiasts, Flight D will follow, giving players another chance at the glory title.

Keigo Kotani raised to 3,000 from early position and Kanwen Du called in the cutoff.

On the flop of Q♠ J♥ 8♥, Kotani check-called a bet of 6,500 from Du.

Both players checked through the 2♠ turn

When the K♦ hit on the river, Kotani fired 4,000 and was enough to take down the pot as Du laid it down.

Selim Oulmekki waas all in from middle position for 11,400 and was put at risk by Byambajav Bandi in the big blind.

Byambajav Bandi: Q♥ J♠

Selim Oulmekki K♠ T♣

Oulmekki looked poised to score a double-up as his king held on the flop of 9♦ 6♥ 4♠.

The 7♠ hit on the turn, and Bandi was still looking to spike a jack or queen in next street.

The deck decided to fulfill Bandi's wish as it sent a lady Q♠ to the river, seeing Oulmekki out of the field during last level of the day.

Ronald Haverkamp limped in from the small blind and Katsuhiro Inaba checked over in the big blind.

Haverkamp checked on the 7♣ 3♠ J♣ flop and Katsuhiro led out for 1,400. Haverkamp stuck around.

Both players checked through the board-pairing 2♥ turn to see the K♥ river. It went check-check again.

"Deuce," said Haverkamp when he showed Inaba 2♠, but he immediately mucked his hand after Inaba tabled 7♠ 8♣ for a flopped pair of sevens.

Lingjun Chen was all in for 16,500 from the hijack and Kenta Nakamura called from the big blind to put his opponent at risk.

Lingjun Chen: A♦ 5♦

Kenta Nakamura: A♣ K♦

Nakamura was ahead with his kicker king and maintained the dominance on the 2♥ Q♥ Q♣ flop.

However, the deck had other plans and sent help to Chen with a 5♣ turn.

The 3♦ filled out the river and locked up a double-up for Chen.

Chzhen Evgenii was all in for 17,600 on the button and Kwok Chun Yip called from the small blind. Kevin Choi then jammed for around 110,000. Yip stepped aside immediately.

Chzhen Evgenii: K♥ 4♥

Kevin Choi: 9♣ 9♥

Evgenii was on the edge of elimination as Choi maintained the lead on the flop of 2♦ J♣ 6♥.

The dealer then delivered good news to Evgenii as a K♦ came on the turn, turning his tournament life around.

The river showed an A♥, locking up a double-up for Evgenii.

Ilia Drobin raised to 2,500 from early position and Sing Wen Chen called on the button.

Both players checked it through on the 2♠ K♠ K♦ flop to the K♣ turn, where it went check-check again.

When the 6♠ filled out the baord, Drobin checked to Chen, who bet 2,500. Drobin called after thinking for a while.

Drobin revealed A♦ J♣, and Chen tabled A♠ J♦, making it a chop hand.

Matthew Chan made it 2,500 to go from middle position and Kosei Oguri defended his big blind.

On the K♠ 6♠ K♦ flop, Oguri checked to Chan, who continued for 2,500. Oguri then check-raised to 7,500. Chan called.

Oguri sent another bet of 5,000 on the 9♠ turn and Chan stuck around.

When the A♥ hit on the river, Oguri kept his pace with a barrel of 5,000 again, sending Chan into the tank. After mulling it over, Chan eventually tossed his cards into the muck.

Pichet Permsubhirunya raised to 2,000 from early position and was called by Tomooya Hasegawa from the hijack and Toan Chan Truong on the button.

On the flop of T♠ 6♦ T♣, three players checked through to see a Q♠ hit on the turn, where Permsubhirunya checked over. Hasegawa then sent a bet of 4,000, which only Permsubhirunya dropped in the call.

The river delivered a 9♦ and it went check-check.

Permsubhirunya then tabled A♦ J♠ for ace-high and it was enough to take down the pot as Hasegawa folded.

Toan Chan Truong opened to 2,000 from early position and Toan Chan Truong defended his big blind.

The two checked through the T♦ 7♥ 3♦ flop to see a Q♥ fall on the turn, where Truong check-called a bet of 2,500 from Akiyama.

After the river revealed a 4♣, Truong checked to Akiyama again, who then sent another hefty bet of 6,200. Truong responded with a fold after a long deliberation.

Kenta Nakamura made it 2,000 to go from under the gun and Katsuhiro Inaba called in the cutoff, as did Zijie Lu from the big blind.

Three players saw a flop of 5♠ T♥ 2♣ and checked it through to see the 4♣ hit on the turn, where Lu sent a bet of 6,000. Only Inaba stuck around.

When the river carried out a 5♠, Lu sent another barrel of 8,000, which took down the pot successfully as Inaba laid it down.

Players are now on their final 15-minute break of the day.

After the break, action resumes at Level 8 (500/1,000 with a 1,000 big blind ante).

Three more 45-minute levels remain before the players bag up their chips for Flight C.

Ya Xiong Xu made it 1,600 to go from under the gun and received a string of calls on the felt, includng Murly Manokharan from early position, Samuel Yu in the cutoff, Shoichiro Tamaki on the button, and Yun Chao Yu & Miyamoto Kunihisa from the blinds.

Six players checked through a board of J♦ 5♠ Q♦ 7♥ A♦ and take it to a free showdown.

Only Xu revealed his winner holding A♠ T♥ for a rivered top pair and collected the small pot.

One three-way all-in pot just played out, culminating in one double knockout

Tatsuki Ozawa limped in from early positin, only to be shoved by Jieming Xu in the cutoff for 8,100 and Naoki Hase also moved all in for around 40,500 from the small blind. Ozawa then committed his all chiops for 32,200.

Jieming Xu: K♥ 3♠

Tatsuki Ozawa: A♣ J♣

Naoki Hase: A♦ K♠

The dealer swiftly delivered a board of 3♦ K♣ 9♠ T♦ T♣, sending Ozawa and Xu out of the field and shipping the pot Hase's way.

The action was picked up on the turn with the board reading Q♣ 3♥ 4♠ 9♣, and there were around 9,000 chips in the pot.

Masashi Yahiro checked from under the gun and Cheng Hong Lee bet 3,400 on the button. Yahiro check-called.

The K♦ filled out the board and Yahiro fired out 11,000, prompting a fold from Lee and dragging in the pot.

A board ran out 6♦ 3♥ 2♦ 3♦ with around 19,000 chips in the middle. Kenichi Yamashita checked from the small blind to Vladimir Munits, sitting in middle position, who also knuckled it back.

When the J♥ hit on the river, it went check-check again.

Yamashita tabled T♦ 8♦ for a flush to overcom Munits' 4♦ 4♥ and collected the pot.

Ken Vern Lee opened the button to 1,600 and Masahiro Adachi called from the small blind. Sarrasak Siangsanan then three-bet to 3,200 in the big blind, which both of his opponents stuck around.

Three players read a A♥ 6♦ 6♠ flop and checked through to see the K♠ turn, where Adachi checked to Siangsanan, who fired 3,000. Lee and Adachi made the call.

When the 2♦ landed on the river, and Adachi checked. Siangsanan then shoved all in for aournd 43,000, prompting the folds from his two opponents.

Yi Qin made it 1,600 to go from early position and Toan Chan Truong defended his big blind.

On the flop of J♠ A♦ Q♦ , Truong checked to Qin, who continued with a bet of 1,200. Truong called.

Truong check-called again on the 4♦ turn to a bet of 2,900 from Qin.

When a 6♥ hit on the river, Truong checked over, only to be jammed by Qin for 15,000. After tanking it for around 1 minute, Truong responded with a fold.

Yaxiong Xu opened to 1,100 from early position and got himself two callers from the blinds: Samuel Yu and Shoichiro Tamaki.

Three players checked through afte seeing the 9♠ 7♥ 5♠ flrop. The turn then carried out a K♦, where Yu fired 2,500 and only Xu stuck around.

When the A♣ hit on the river, it went check-check. Yu revealed K♣ 9♥ for the flopped pair of nines and Xu laid it down.

Hanyu Shao raised to 1,200 from middle position and Dennis Chung called from the hijack, as did the player on the button Maxim Sorokin.

On the flop of Q♣ 3♣ 4♣, Sorokin checked to Shao, who continued for 1,500. Chung then cranked it up to 3,500, which only Soroking made the call.

Sorokin checked over the Q♥ turn and Chung fired out a chunky barrel of 7,000. Sorokin was forced to fold.

Tomoyuki Kano opened the cutoff to 1,100, only to be three-bet to 3,500 by Masanori Yanagimot on the button. Kano dropped in the call.

On the flop of T♦ Q♥ 6♣, Kano check-called a bet of 2,500 from Yanagimoto to see the 2♠ turn, where it went check-check.

Whent the river showed an A♠, both players checked to a free showdown.

Kano flipped over A♥ 6♥ for two pair, and it was good against the top pair from Yanagimoto's A♦ K♥.

Players are now on their first 15-minute break.

Action will resume at Level 5 (200/500 with a 500 big blind ante) after the break.

Tominaga Misaki opened the hijack to 800 and Andrei Golikov colled from the cutoff, as did Katsuhiro Inaba on the buttoon. Lingjun Chen then three-bet to 4,000 from the small blind. Only Inaba stuck around.

On the 5♠ 7♠ 8♦ flop, Chen checked and Inaba led out for 2,000. Chen called to see the A♠ turn, where it went check-check.

When the 6♠ hit on the river, both players checked to a free showdown.

Chen tabled A♥ K♣ for the top pair of aces, leaving Inaba no choice but to muck.

Andrei Golikov opened the button to 800 and Lingjun Chen defended his big blind.

On the flop of 5♥ J♠ 5♦, both players checked through to see the an 8♥ fall on the turn, where it went check-check again.

Whent the river showed a 4♥, Chen bet 1,200 and Golikov called to take it to a showdown.

Chen tabled A♦ T♦ for ace-high, while Golikov turned 8♣ 6♥ for a turned pair of eights to collect the pot.

Sylvester Wu raised the hijack to 700 and Shota Koyo called on the button. Kei Okuda three-bet to 2,200, whic only Koyo stuck around.

On the flop of 9♣ T♥ 2♥, Okuda continued with a bet of 1,900 and Koyo called.

Okuda checked over the 4♥ to Koyo, who fired out a chunky bet of 3,500. It was hefty enough to take down the pot as Okuda laid it down.

Sylvester Wu opened the cutoff to 600 and got himself two callers from the blinds: Shota Koyo and Kei Okuda.

The blinds checked over the T♦ K♥ 7♠ flop to Wu, who made a continuation-bet to 800. Only Koyo stuck around.

Koyo check-called a bet of 2,000 from Wu on the 9♣ turn. When the river revealed a 6♠, Koyo checked and Wu bet 5,000, prompting a fold from his opponent.

Kitty Kuo opened to 400 from under the gun and Ilia Drobin defended in the big blind.

Both players checked through when they saw the 5♦ 6♥ 5♥ flop. The T♦ hit on the turn, and it was another check round.

Drobin bet 3,000 on the 5♣ river and Kuo snap-called. Drobin flipped over J♠ T♦ for a full house to take down the pot.

Aleksey Li made it 400 to go from middle position and Godae Kim called on the button, as did Naoto Saito from the big blind.

Three players checked through the 3♦ 4♥ 8♣ flop to see a 7♥ fall on the turn, where Saito checked to Li, who bet 600. Only Saito stuck around.

Saito then fired out 1,800 after the 2♣ hit on the river, and it was good for the pot as Li laid it down.

Jinggun Wang limped in from the cutoff and Murly Manokharan raised to 300 from the big blind. Wang stuck around.

Manokharan continued for 300 on the 7♥ 9♠ T♥ flop and Wang came along for the ride.

When the turn revealed a 6♦, Manokharan bet 1,500 and Wang called.

Manokharan changed his pace on the 8♥ river with a check, and Wang bet 3,500, which was good for the pot as Manokhara folded.

Ando Taro raised to 200 from under the guan and got himself two callers in the blinds: Yuki Murayama and Koichiro Shimasaki.

Three players checked through the flop of A♦ 4♠ T♠ flop to the board-pairing T♦ turn, where Murayama and Shimasaki checked over. Taro then bet 600. Only Murayama called.

When the river showed a 9♠, Murayama checked to Taro, who fired again 400. It was good for the pot as Murayama laid it down.

Satoshi Yamada made it 300 to go from the hijack and Aleksey Li called from the cutoff, as did Masayuki Suzuki in the small blind.

It checked to Li on the flop of 2♣ 4♠ J♥ , and he led out for 500. Only Suzuki stuck around.

Both players checked through the T♠ turn to see a 5♥ fall on the river, where it went check-check again.

Suzuki tabled 4♦ 3♦ for a flopped pair of fours while Li revealed 7♥ 7♣ to drag in the pot.

"Shuffle up and deal" has been announced, and the chis are fying on the felt for Flight C of Main Event.

Welcome back to Paradise City Casino today as the gates open for Flight C of the 2025 APT Main Event, boasting a KRW 1,500,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. Action kicks off at 11 a.m. local time, welcoming the next wave of players.

Across the first two flights, a total of 486 entries have been recorded (250 in Flight A & 236 in Flight B). With such a strong turnout, the felts are expected to be buzzing throughout the venue as players grind for glory with unwavering resolve.

The chip leader from Flight A, Chi Hsiang Chiu, has amassed a commanding stack of 540,000, standing firm and well ahead at the top of the leaderboard. He's set to take a strong position heading into Day 2.

Chasing behind is Takumi Nakayama with 306,000, while Ryohei Shibuya rounded out the top three with 282,600. Both players also came from the first opening flight. Their top-three stacks remain to be challenged as more poker elites enter the field.

1. Chi Hsiang Chiu Taiwan 540,000
2. Takumi Nakayama Japan 306,700
3. Ryohei Shibuya Japan 282,600
4. Dixon Pang Seng Jun Singapore 225,100
5. Junjie He China 217,300
6. Gleb Ershov Russia 216,600
7. Yu-Chien Kung Taiwan 214,600
8. Quan Cui Vietnam 212,900
9. Leung Yik Ching Hong Kong 212,800
10. Tattana Pengduen Thailand 208,800

More heavy names outside the leaderboard include former APT Super High Roller Champion Nguyen Trung Quan (172,500), multiple APT champion Abraham Ceesvin (157,700), Jeremy Chan (154,500), 2024 APT Phu Quoc High Roller winner Jason Lau (151,300), Dylan Foster (141,800), Chia-Wen Hsu (133,800), 2024 APT Taipei Last Chance High Roller champion Hon Cheong Lee (101,200), and people's favorite Gregory "Greg" Liow (63,300).

5-Aug Day 1/ Flight C 11:00 am Level 1-6 (30min) / Level 7-10 (45min)

5-Aug Day 1/ Flight D 6:00 pm Level 1-6 (30min) / Level 7-10 (45min)

6-Aug Day 2 11:00 am 60 minutes

7-Aug Day 3 11:15 am 60 minutes

8-Aug Day 4 11:15 am 60 minutes

9-Aug Day 5 11:15 am 60 minutes

This tournament spans 7 days, taking up half of the 10-day event. Registration remains open until the start of Day 2, August 6, giving plenty of time for hopefuls to participate in the prestigious event.

Much like the previous two opening flights, blinds begin at 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante. Contenders will play through six 30-minute levels, followed by four 45-minute levels. A 15-minute break is scheduled after Level 4 and Level 7.

Right after Flight C, the final starting flight of the Main Event — Flight D — will take place at 6 p.m. local time for more poker enthusiasts and those fallen pros looking for redemption after earlier exits.

Stay tuned here for live coverage throughout the day as the live reporting team will bring you more pivotal moments, thrilling showdowns, and chip updates of the 2025 APT Incheon Main Event.