South Korea, LES A CasinoEVENT #20

2025.09.28 - 2025.10.04Add to Calendar

Asian Poker Tour

Blind level

Level 10: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

Entries

144/397

LIVE UPDATES BY APT

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 4:44:43 PM

Maxim Sorokin Bags As Flight A Chip Leader

Level 10: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

APT Jeju 2025 kicked off on September 26 in the Landing Casino at Jeju Shiwaworld Resort, Jeju, South Korea, and will continue to run for 10-days until its conclusion on October 5.

Two days of poker have already pushed the series into new heights with 5 varied records already broken so far. If that is any indication of the festival's trend, the crown jewel APT Jeju 2025 Main Event also looks poised to also add some of its own record-breaking achievements.

Coming in with a very generous KRW 2.2 billion (~USD 1.5 million) guaranteed prize pool, today's Flight A of the Main Event already attracted 397 entries, crushing the attendance record of 285 during last year's APT Jeju 2024 Main Event Flight A and also crushing the Main Event Flight A of APT Incheon earlier this year, which logged 285 runners.

Of course, it is still only the first flight with three more Day 1 flights scheduled in the next few days. In the end, what will matter most will be the big number at the end of all starting flights and the prize pool that will generate.

So far, today's field was trimmed down to 147 runners, who were able to complete ten 60-minute levels and still bag a stack to continue their journey into Day 2 this coming Wednesday, October 1.

Ending the day, sitting at the chip leader throne of Flight A was Maxim Sorokin of Russia with a very healthy 369,300 chip stack. Sorokin is an old school APT regular, having cashed during the early era of the APT, back in 2011 during APT Cebu.

Maxim Sorokin

Sorokin cashed twice during APT Incheon 2025 last month, but his most significant accomplishment was a 2015 Wynn Classic victory, in the USD 2,000 NLH event, where he pocketed a career best USD 101,619.

Just a breathe away was China's Zu You Wang who managed to bag 328,900 along with compatriot Xiang Yu Yu who rounded up the top three with 325,700.

Only the top three broke the 300K chip count mark.

Here are the top ten chip counts:

Player	Chips
MS Maxim SorokinRussia	369,300(264 BB)
ZW Zuyou WangChina	328,900(235 BB)
XY Xiangyu Yu China	325,700(233 BB)
MS Martin SedlakGermany	277,700(198 BB)
AV Andres VasquezColombia	268,300(192 BB)
ZH ZhenYi HuangChina	250,500(179 BB)
XC Xingwei ChenChina	244,100(174 BB)
VQ Van Quoc VoViet Nam	240,000(171 BB)
KD Kanwen DuChina	232,700(166 BB)
YL Yun Lam Kevin ChoiHong Kong	228,500(163 BB)

Monica Agnieska Hrabec

Some of the notables who also made it through Flight A outside of the top ten were the likes of Fabian Gumz (192,600), Dylan Foster (179,200), Thanisorn Saelor (167,000), John Matsuda (127,200), Punnat Punsri (121,500), Natural8 Ambassador Hua Wei Lin (120,000) and Monika Agnieszka Hrabec (90,600)

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 2:27:58 PM

Flight A Is Done!

Level 10: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

147 players of 397 Flight A entries have reached the end of Level 10 and are now bagging their chips to carry on to Day 2.

Stay tuned for a short recap of the day's highlights.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 2:03:59 PM

Wu Takes from Patni

Level 10: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

Kunal Patni

Bin Wu was all in and at risk for his remaining 37,500 from early position. He was called and covered by Kunal Patni from the small blind.

Bin Wu: A♣ 2♣

Kunal Patni: Q♥ Q♠

Patni was looking strong and wanted to evade seeing an Ace or clubs, but Wu went from strength to strength as the 7♥ A♠ 6♣ A♦ 4♣ runout secured him the late double up - just before bagging for Day 2.

Player	Chips	Progress
BW Bin WuChina	78,000(56 BB)	40,300
KP Kunal PatniIndia	73,500(53 BB)	-37,500

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 1:52:52 PM

Huang Takes Yin's Last Chip

Level 10: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

Wenyuan Yin had all his chips almost all-in save for one solitary 500 chip. Making the call against his almost all-in was ZhenYi Huang.

ZhenYi Huang: A♣ K♥

Wenyuan Yin: 4♦ 3♦

Board 9♦ 5♣ 7♠ 9♠ 8♥

When the chips were being shipped Huang's way, Huang asked for the remaining 500 chip as well. But Yin seemed reluctant like it may still make a miracle.

In lost-in-translation language - the bottom line that I understood was that it was explained to him that the tournament director had announced "Last 4 hands for the night."

And it seemed like he didn't want to bag that one chip, so he gave it to Huang anyway and walked away to maybe re-enter at another opening flight.

Player	Chips
ZH ZhenYi HuangChina	265,000(189 BB)
WY Wenyuan YinChina	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 1:45:41 PM

Zhang Over Takes Xiang on the River

Level 10: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

Xiang Yu

Yidum Zhang was all in for his remaining 21,500 and already stood from the table. He had been called off by Xiang Yu who had around ten times his stack.

Yidum Zhang: A♥ J♥

Xiang Yu: A♣ Q♣

Yu was ahead, but Zhang picked up some flush draw outs on the 9♥ 7♥ K♦ flop.

The 6♠ was turned and Zhang awaited the river.

When the 5♥ was peeled, Zhang celebrated with a subdued fist clench, as he was saved by the flush.

Player	Chips	Progress
XY Xiangyu Yu China	239,100(171 BB)	-21,500
YZ Yidum ZhangChina	46,000(33 BB)	25,000

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 1:42:14 PM

Evgenii Doubles To Breathe

Level 10: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

A handsome pot of 25,000 had formed in the middle care of small blind Hugues Girard, big blind Chzhen Evgenii, hi-jack Michael Liang and button Lee Wee Liew.

All players checked the flop of 4♦ 6♣ 9♣ to see a 3♠ on the turn.

Girard led out for 9,000. Evegenii shvoed all-in and only Girard stayed around.

Chzhen Evgenii: T♣ 4♣

Hugues Girard: Q♣ 8♣

Evgenii was ahead with third pair and both were on a flush draw. Evgenii begged the dealer "no more clubs."

The dealer obliged with a 6♠ , giving Evgenii a very crucial double up.

Player	Chips	Progress
HG Hugues GirardFrance	80,000(57 BB)	-14,900
CE Chzhen EvgeniiRussia	38,000(27 BB)	28,100

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 1:38:37 PM

Li Doubles Through Sorokin

Level 10: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

Maxim Sorokin

Maxim Sorokin opened to 3,000 from the cutoff and Bizhen Li three-bet to 12,000 from the small blind.

Sorokin four-bet to 25,000 and Li called, taking the players to the board.

The flop came 7♥ 3♥ 5♠ and Li bet-called a jam from Bizhen, with Li at risk of elimination.

Li's remaining stack stood at 63,800, whereas Bizhen was sitting with almost triple that.

Bizhen Li: T♣ T♠

Maxim Sorokin: A♦ 7♣

Sorokin had flopped top pair, but Li was ahead with pocket tens.

The 3♠ turn and 3♦ river didn't change anything, and Li secured his double up.

Player	Chips	Progress
BL Bizhen LiChina	182,400(130 BB)	91,200
MS Maxim SorokinRussia	138,500(99 BB)	-88,800

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 1:26:36 PM

Lin Pressures Vo

Level 10: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

Hua Wei Lin

A sizable pot of 30,000 was spread out beside a board that showed 7♠ J♥ Q♥ T♣

Van Quoc Vo checked his option from middle position to cut-off Hua Wei Lin, who also checked behind.

The dealer then gave a 9♥ on the river. Vo tapped over to Lin, who fired 25,000 this time. Vo mucked almost immediately.

A♠ soon as the hand ended, the floor director came with a bunch of trays requesting everyone to stack up and prepare for a collapsing table.

I was doing a quick chip count from the action and Kunal "Retired Fish" Patni was knid enough to shout out "134!" referring to the stack of Ms. Lin.

Amazingly, he wasn't that far behind. It sat on 135,500

Player	Chips	Progress
HW Hua Wei LinTaiwan	135,500(97 BB)	16,750
VQ Van Quoc VoViet Nam	105,000(75 BB)	-13,250

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 1:14:03 PM

Sedlak Cracks Huang's Aces on the River

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

Martin_Sedlak

Action was caught after the cards were dealt. Chen Huang was already stood up at the table after being eliminated from the tournament in a brutal knockout.

A player recalled how they got all the chips in pre-flop with a number of back and forth raising before Huang's stack was all in, and he was at risk for around 76,000 on the button. His opponent was Martin Sedlak had him just covered from an early position.

Chen Huang: A♠ A♦

Martin Sedlak: K♠ K♥

Sedlak needed some luck, but things only got worse for Sedlak on the 9♦ 8♦ 6♦ flop, which brought in the nut flush draw for Huang.

The K♦ turn saw Sedlak hit the set, but it also improved Huang further, bringing in his diamond flush.

The only card good for Sedlak now was an eight. The table saw the 8♠ fall on the river, stripping Huang of his stack and securing Sedlak the pot.

The table were in awe of the runout and Sedlak remarked "I have never take a picture of the run out in my life before, but I have to."

Van Quoc Vo

Sedlak sat back with a sizeable stack after the hand but Van Quoc Vo was also at the same table and has a monster stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
VQ Van Quoc VoViet Nam	254,000(212 BB)
MS Martin SedlakGermany	183,500(153 BB)	79,000
CH Chen Huang (3)China	busted	-76,000

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 1:09:06 PM

Huang's Better Straight Takes Out Ariake

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

Hi-jack ZhenYi Huang and button Takato Ariake had a pot of 24,000 in front of them with a board that showed 5♦ J♣ 8♦ 9♣

Huang fired 13,000 and Ariake made the call.

The dealer peeled a T♣ on the river.

Huang shoved all-in Ariake called immediately and was excited to turn over Q♥ J♥ for a straight.

However, Huang showed K♥ Q♦ for an straight that went up to the king, sending Ariake out of his seat.

Player	Chips	Progress
ZH ZhenYi HuangChina	84,000(70 BB)	26,500
AT Ariake TakatoJapan	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 12:58:50 PM

Teoh Inches Up

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

William Teoh

Small blind William Teoh (on bullet 2) and cut-off Niklas Warlich were looking at a three-betted pre-flop pot of 9,500 when the flop arrived J♥ Q♦ 3♣

Teoh continued for 4,000 and was called by Warlich and a T♣ appeared on the turn.

Both check-checked to show a 3♦ on the river.

Teoh fired 10,000 and Warlich took a moment to stare at the board, noticed nothing changed, and then mucked his hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
NW Niklas WarlichGermany	60,000(50 BB)	-7,550
WT William TeohMalaysia	55,000(46 BB)	9,950

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 12:45:09 PM

Zhang's Big Slick Doubles From Li

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

Jun Li

Jun Li opened for the minimum and called the all-in of big blind Tao Zhang for around 14,000.

Jun Li: A♠ 4♠

Tao Zhang: A♥ K♠

Board: 7♠ J♥ K♦ 8♠ 6♥

Zhang was ahead pre-flop, pulled even further after flopping top pair, but the turn sweated him out a bit with Li getting some flush outs.

However, Zhang could breathe a sigh of relief on the river to successfully double up and stay away from criticial condition.

Player	Chips	Progress
JL Jun LiUnited Kingdom	86,000(72 BB)	-14,000
TZ Tao ZhangChina	34,000(28 BB)	15,800

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 12:36:19 PM

Dong Can't Shake Off Lu

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

Shangjing Lu

Shangjing Lu raised the small blind to 3,000 and Ming Dong defended the big blind.

The K♦ A♣ 7♣ flop saw Lu continue for 1,600 and Dong made another call.

A K♣ turn saw Lu bet 3,500 and Dong raise to 9,000.

Lu re-raised to 24,000 and Dong took a moment to consider before mucking his hand, passing the pot to Lu.

Player	Chips	Progress
SL Shangjing LuChina	73,500(61 BB)	14,800
MD Ming DongChina	62,500(52 BB)	-13,600

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 12:20:25 PM

Third Pair Good for Lin

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

With 15,000 in the pot and the flop of 4♥ 8♦ K♠ spread across the board Yizhi Lin checked from under the gun to Mengqing Lou on the button who bet out for 4,000.

Lin made the call and the dealer peeled off the 6♦ for the turn card. Both players checked to see the J♥ come om the river. It went check-check again and Lin reluctantly tabled 5♣ 6♣ which was good and he was shipped the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
YL Yizhi LinChina	68,000(57 BB)	13,000
ML Mengqing LouChina	43,500(36 BB)	-10,000

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 12:16:58 PM

Wu Finds a King to Double

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

Meng Wu was already all in and at risk of busting out of the tournament with their cards face up. Wu was in the cutoff and all if for his last 7,000 and up against Yeow Chong in the hijack, who had him well covered.

Meng Wu: K♣ 5♣

Yeow Chong: 8♠ 8♦

Wu needed to hit to stay alive, and the A♠ 6♥ A♦ flop didn't bring him in much hope.

This all changed when he saw the K♠ turn, and he secured the double on the 10d river.

Player	Chips	Progress
YC Yeow Chung ChongSingapore	95,700(80 BB)	-7,000
WM Wu MengChina	17,000(14 BB)	10,000

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 12:02:16 PM

Cards Back in the Air

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

Cards are back in the air after the players have returned from their dinner break.

There will be two more levels of play for the day and then the remaining players will bag up for the night.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 10:58:27 AM

Some Kinda Big

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

I did a quick scan and found some random big stacks . These are not official top chip counts though.

Player	Chips
NC Nan ChenUnited States of America	280,000(280 BB)
WH Wei Hang ChenChina	240,000(240 BB)
XZ Xuanzhi ZhaoChina	237,000(237 BB)
ZW Zuyou WangChina	220,000(220 BB)
VQ Van Quoc VoViet Nam	220,000(220 BB)

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 10:53:08 AM

Players are on 75-Minute Dinner Break

Level 9: 600 / 1,200 ante: 1,200

The remaining 180 players are on a 75-minute dinner break. They are expected to return at 21:00 p.m. and will play two more levels before bagging for Day 2.

Late registration is open until the end of play today.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 10:52:19 AM

Zhao Sends Seok Out

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

The chips were in the middle and the cards were out.

Jaemoon Seok was at risk for some change, showing A♥ K♦

versus the T♠ T♣ of table chip leader XuanZhi Zhao.

Board ran: T♦ 2♣ 4♠ 8♥ 9♠

Zhao flopped a set and had Seok up and leaving his seat even before the river was dealt.

Player	Chips
XZ Xuanzhi ZhaoChina	235,000(235 BB)
JS Jaemoon SeokSouth Korea	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 10:50:14 AM

Yang Doubles Back; He is Eliminted

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

Junjie He opened the hijack to 2,000 and Zhihua Yang jammed for 11,500 from the small blind.

He snap called, and the players flipped their cards.

Junjie He: Q♥ J♦

Zhihua Yang: A♥ J♥

Yang flopped well as he picked up top pair on the A♠ 5♣ 6♥ board.

The K♣ was turned, which brought in more outs with the gutshot straight draw, but He missed on the 4♠ river and went down to 8,000 chips.

A few hands later, He was seen walking away from the tournament area after getting in his final four big blinds.

Player	Chips	Progress
ZY Zhihua YangChina	25,000(25 BB)	13,500
JH Junjie HeChina	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 10:48:56 AM

Wei Sends Lee to the Rail

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

Liang Wei raised from middle position to 2,000 and found calls from Ting Chen on the button and Ziwei Huang in the small blind.

Daniel Lee sat in the big blind then announced all in for his last 9,300 and was called by all three players.

The flop came 9♣ 8♦ 8♣ and the blinds checked to Wei who fired out a 10,000 continuation bet. The blinds both folded and Wei flipped over his K♣ K♠ which was way ahead against Lee's 5♣ 5♠.

The turn brought the 7♣ and Huang let out a moan as he announced that he had mucked pocket sevens and would have hit his set. No five on for Lee on the A♠ river and he was sent to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
ZH Ziwei HuangChina	132,000(132 BB)	-9,300
GL Guo Liang WeiChina	64,000(64 BB)	28,900
WT Wei Ting ChenTaiwan	37,000(37 BB)	-9,300
DH Daniel Hyongin LeeUnited States of America	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 10:47:23 AM

Nice Turn for Naoki

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

With the board reading 5♥ A♦ K♦ 5♠ and approx 4,000 in the pot Yashiro Naoki bet out for 3,000 from the big blind and was called by Trung Hieu in the cut-off.

The river saw the T♣ peel off and now Naoki bet out for 8,500 and again Hieu made the call but instantly mucked his cards on seeing Naoki table Q♦ 5♦ for turned trips and Naoki was shipped the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
YN Yashiro NaokiJapan	43,000(43 BB)	14,250
TH Tran HieuViet Nam	26,500(27 BB)	-12,750

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 10:42:45 AM

Yang Takes a Tumble

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

Zhihua Yang opened to 2,400 and Qing Liu three-jammed for 10,900 from middle position. Yang asked for a count before he called and the players went to showdown.

Qing Liu: K♣ J♣

Zhihua Yang: K♠ Q♠

Yang was looking strong, but Liu flopped a flush as on the: 4♣ 9♣ 8♣ board.

There was no improving Yang and Liu secured the double up after the 6♦ turn and 7♣ river was placed.

Yang took a tumble after doubling up Liu.

Player	Chips	Progress
QL Qing Liu 2United States of America	24,300(24 BB)	13,400
ZY Zhihua YangChina	12,500(13 BB)	-10,900

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 10:29:03 AM

Erquiaga Finishes Off Tang

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

David Erquiaga opened to 2,000 from the cut-off. Button Yixi Tang then jammed for his last 9,500.. Erquiaga made the call.

David Erquiaga: Ax 9x

Yixi Tang: 7x 7x

Erquiaga paired his ace on the flop and improved it to trips on the turn, holding on to send Tang to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
DE David ErquiagaPhilippines	91,000(91 BB)	12,000
YT Yixi TangChina	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 10:22:41 AM

Fours Good for Lin

Level 8: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

Dmitrii Urban

On a flop of 6♦ 5♣ 6♣ and the pot standing at approximately 3,500 Dimitri Urban checked it over to Yizhi Lin who bet out for 2,500. Urban made the call and the dealer rolled off the 3♥ for the turn card.

Urban checked again and now Lin bet out for 5,000. Urban called and the river brought the 8♠.

The action went check-check and Urban flipped over his K♠ J♣ hoping he might be good but no such luck as Lin tabled 4♥ 4♠ for third pair which was good and he was pushed the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
DU Dmitrii UrbanRussia	63,000(63 BB)	-6,250
YL Yizhi LinChina	34,000(34 BB)	7,250

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 10:10:29 AM

Chen Falls Chasing the Spades

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

Players were already heads up on a 9♠ Q♠ 6♦ 7♥ turn, and Jinnan Zhao had moved all in for his remaining short stack from the big blind, putting himself at risk for his tournament life.

The action went to Wei Hang Chen in an early position, who made a quick call.

Jinnan Zhao: A♥ 4♥

Wei Hang Chen: Q♣ 9♣

Zhao was hoping to see a spade on the river but missed as the 3 was dealt.

Chen had flopped two pair, and wasn't going anywhere, and he stacked up his chips after busting his opponent.

Player	Chips
JZ Jinnan ZhaoChina	126,200(158 BB)
WH Wei Hang ChenChina	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 10:01:51 AM

Matsuda Goes On Hot Streak

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

John Matsuda and Tom Verbruggen

I - the alleged good luck charm of John Matsuda - arrived to see a board of 2♠ J♣ 3♦ A♦ and a pot beside it worth around 25,000.

Action was on big blind Meng Wu who check-called the 8,000 bet of button John Matsuda to open a 5♦ on the river.

Both players checked.

Wu tabled A♠ 6♥ for top pair and a so-so kicker while Matsuda showed a proper A♥ Q♣ to earn the handsome pot.

In the following hand Quan Cui opened for 1,600 and then called the three-bet of Matsuda on the cut-off for 4,500.

Both players were given a flop of 4♠ 5♦ K♠

Cui check-called the 5,000 bet of Matsuda to see a 4♦ turn.

Cui again check-called - this time for 14,500 to open a 7♣ on the river.

Cui checked and called for all is remaining chips when Matsuda moved all-in.

Cui showed K♥ Q♥ for top pair king while Matsuda peeled open A♦ A♥ for a better pair of aces, sending Cui out of his seat.

A♠ Cui left and Matsuda started stacking, Tom Verbruggen said - "I saw the writer (referring to me) and that's why you won."

I asked both of them, "Should I just stay here?"

Verbruggen replied, "NO! Go for dinner for about 2 hours!"

Player	Chips	Progress
JM John MatsudaJapan	125,000(156 BB)	47,100
WM Wu MengChina	43,000(54 BB)	-19,900
CQ Cui QuanChina	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 9:48:25 AM

Quads for Erquiaga

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

Just the Quads for David Erquiaga

Shengbo Yue raised from under the gun to 1,600 and found a call from You Wang in middle position. David Erquiaga in late position then three-bet to 7,500.

Yue countered with a four-bet to 24,000 which almost covered Erquiaga. Wang got out of the way and Erquiaga threw in the rest of his chips and was all-in.

David Erquiaga: A♥ A♠

Shengbo Yue: 9♣ 9♦

Just the flop Erquiaga wanted of Q♦ 5♣ A♣ and the turn of A♦ made thigs even rosier making Erquiaga quad aces. The irrelevant 2♦ came on the turn and Erquiaga was shipped the pot for a full double up and more.

Player	Chips	Progress
ZY Zu You WangChina	114,000(143 BB)	-1,600
SY Shengbo YueChina	89,000(111 BB)	-24,000
DE David ErquiagaPhilippines	58,000(73 BB)	27,600

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 9:33:25 AM

Sun Still in Contention for her Fourth APT Title

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

Yue Sun

Peng Deng opened to 1,600 from under the gun and Yue Sun three-bet to 4,200 from early position.

The 5♥ J♣ K♠ flop was Deng check. Sun bet 3,700 and Deng folded.

Sun has been slowly climbing in chips throughout the day and will be looking to claim her fourth trophy after recently securing her third title last month in APT Incheon In the Hyper Turbo - Women's Event.

Player	Chips	Progress
YS Yue SunChina	107,500(134 BB)	6,200
PD Peng DengChina	81,500(102 BB)	-4,200

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 9:28:58 AM

Matsuda Runner-Runners A Boat To Bust Xu

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

John Matsuda

Small blind John Matsuda and button Erdun Xu had built a pre-flop pot of 26,000.

The excitement was palpable when the dealer flopped 9♥ Q♠ J♣

Matsuda led out for 5,500 and Xu shoved all-in for what seemed like 20,000. The dealer didn't even count because Matsuda shoved a stack to snap-call.

The counting would be later. Business first.

Matsuda showed J♦ J♠ for a set of jacks and was surprisingly behind the K♠ T♠ of Xu which flopped a straight.

The dealer then threw a T♣ on the turn and a T♥ on the river to give Matsuda a full house while a frustrated Xu could do nothing but secretly mutter bad words to the poker gods as he vacated his seat.

I turn to Matsuda and say, "Wow!"

Matsuda - who is a good friend - said in our native Filipino "Dumating ka kasi." which translates to "Because you arrived."

Tom Verbruggen, seated next to Matsuda - heard the explanation from Matsuda himself - "Every time he arrives, I get lucky. If he hadn't stopped here, that would've gone brick-brick."

Player	Chips	Progress
JM John MatsudaJapan	75,000(94 BB)	46,000
EX Erdun XuChina	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 9:17:27 AM

Pan Braves The Call

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

Hi-jack Hongbo Pan and button Ludong Wang had a pot of 24,000 in front of them with a board that read J♦ 2♣ J♣ 7♦

Pan tapped his option over to Wang, who fired 5,500. Pan paused for a moment before counting off a replica of chips to call.

The dealer showed a T♠ on the river.

Pan checked and Wang decided to check behind.

Pan acted first to show A♣ K♦ , playing the pair of jacks with an ace-king kicker while Wang shook his head and mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
HP Hongbo PanChina	88,000(110 BB)	18,500
LW Ludong WangChina	27,000(34 BB)	-16,500

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 9:13:52 AM

Chan Calls Down Qiu

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

Chih Cheng Chan opened the action by raising to 2,000 from middle position. Shuang Qiu three-bet to 5,500 from the cutoff and Chan called.

The 3♣ 3♠ 9♦ flop was checked by Chan and Qiu bet 3,500. Chan snap called and the players went to the turn.

A 7♣ was turned and Chan checked. Qiu bet 7,200 and Chan made another quick call.

The 3♥ river created a set on the board and both opted to check to showdown. Chan turned over A♠ 9♣ for a full house, which caused Qiu to muck his hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
CC Chih Cheng ChangTaiwan	151,000(189 BB)	18,200
SQ Shuang QiuChina	23,000(29 BB)	-16,200

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 9:05:20 AM

Qi Cracks Yang's Aces

Level 7: 400 / 800 ante: 800

There was around 12,000 in the pot with a board that showed: 4♥ Q♦ Q♠ 7♠.

Jie Qi had pushed in 8,500 and Zhihua Yang shoved enough to ask for the rest of Qi's chips. Qi snap-called and pushed in a total of 19,500.

Qi: A♦ Q♥

Yang: A♠ A♣

Yang's disappointment was compounded when the dealer dropped the 8♣ on the river to complete Qi's double-up.

Player	Chips	Progress
ZY Zhihua YangChina	75,000(94 BB)	-29,500
QJ Qi JieChina	52,000(65 BB)	31,500

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 8:54:11 AM

Players Take a Short Break

Level 6: 300 / 600 ante: 600

The remaining 207 players take a short 15-minute break. Play will resume at 17:45 p.m.

The next break will be the dinner break after Level 8 has been completed.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 8:40:19 AM

Girard Jams on Lin

Level 6: 300 / 600 ante: 600

Hua Wei Lin

Players were already heads up on the turn with the board reading 6♥ K♦ 4♦ 9♥. The pot stood at around 8,000.

Action was on Hugues Girard from early position, who bet 4,100 and Natural8 Ambassador Hua Wei Lin raised to 10,000 from middle position. Girard took some time before making the call.

The 2♥ completed the board and Girard moved all in, well covering Lin's 30,000 remaining stack.

Lin flicked her hand into the muck and passed the pot to Girard, who after the hand, had built up a healthy stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
HG Hugues GirardFrance	136,500(228 BB)	18,000
HW Hua Wei LinTaiwan	30,100(50 BB)	-16,500

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 8:35:56 AM

Lun's Set Earns Some

Level 6: 300 / 600 ante: 600

The pot had around 20,000 chips roughly stacked beside a complete board that displayed: 9♥ Q♣ 8♦ 5♦ 6♠.

Po Lam Lun led out for 8,500 and Qingen Zhang counted off the chips to call.

Lum flipped over: 9♠ 9♣ for a set of nines while Zhang surrendered and unopened to the dealer.

Player	Chips	Progress
PL Po Lam LunHong Kong	84,000(140 BB)	19,250
QZ Qingen ZhangChina	57,000(95 BB)	-17,750

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 8:32:03 AM

Xia Makes Improvements

Level 6: 300 / 600 ante: 600

Big blind Zhongmin Xia and UTG+1 Xiao Liu were looking at a board of 5♠ J♥ 7♦ 5♥ beside a pot of a little over 10,000.

Xia led out for 5,000 and Liu called immediately.

The dealer showed a T♣ on the river.

Xia slow-checked and Liu also tapped, egging Xia to show first.

Xia peeled open A♣ J♣ for a pair of jacks while Liu mucked his hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
ZX Zhongmin XiaChina	54,000(90 BB)	10,450
XL Xiao LiuChina	34,000(57 BB)	-9,550

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 8:24:51 AM

Cai Fires On Han

Level 6: 300 / 600 ante: 600

The flop showed T♣ T♠ 2♠ with around 10,000 chips beside it.

Action fell on cut-off Tae Hoon Han who checked his option to button Jiabao Cai.

Cai didn't shy and threw in 4,500 with Han making the call to show a 5♥ on the turn.

Han tapped again and Cai threw in 20,000. Han tanked and wondered what dinner options would be if he busted early and eventually folded his hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
JC Jiabao CaiChina	140,000(233 BB)	14,500
TH Tae Hoon HanNew Zealand	75,000(125 BB)	-13,000

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 8:21:45 AM

Hu Hits the Flop and Survives

Level 6: 300 / 600 ante: 600

Kailun Hu was all in and at risk in the big blind on a 9♦ 5♣ K♠ flop. Action was on the only other player in the hand, Jiahao Chen who was sitting under the gun.

Chen called, and the players flipped their hands.

Kailun Hu: K♣ Q♣

Jiahao Chen: Q♥ Q♦

Hu was looking at a top pair and was sitting even more comfortably after seeing the K♥ turn, giving him trip kings.

Chen couldn't improve on the river, and Hu collected the pot after the dealer placed the A♠.

Player	Chips
KH Kailun HuChina	74,300(124 BB)
CJ Chen JiahaoChina	60,700(101 BB)

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 8:04:12 AM

Zhuo Takes from Girard

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

Hugues Girard

Hugues Girard opened to 1,000 from middle position and Guodong Zhuo defended the big blind.

Players were taken to the: K♥ 9♣ 8♣ flop and Zhuo opted to check. Girard bet 1,700 and Zhuo called.

The 5♣ was turned and Zhuo check-raised to 7,000 after facing a 2,000 bet from Girard.

Girard mucked his hand and Zhuo added some chips back onto his stack after previously taking a tumble.

Player	Chips	Progress
HG Hugues GirardFrance	58,800(118 BB)	-4,700
GZ Guodong ZhuoChina	34,800(70 BB)	5,400

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 7:50:32 AM

Wang Busts Wen

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

Michael Wang

Michael Wang was seen stacking up his newly build stack after eliminating his opponent, Jiahan Wen.

The action wasn't seen, but Wang was sitting behind his pocket-Aces, which were just being collected in by the dealer, having just sent Wen to the rail.

Wang has already had a successful summer in Las Vegas at the World Series of Poker having collected a WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship and just two weeks before, that he won the $1,600 No Limit Hold'em Wynn Summer Classic Event.

Player	Chips
MW Michael WangUnited States of America	55,700(111 BB)
JW Jiahan WenChina	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 7:44:54 AM

Xun's Boat Destroys Han's Nut Flush

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

There was a pot of around 16,000 in the middle and a complete board that showed T♥ T♣ 9♥ Q♥ 7♥

Yun Xun led out for 8,500 and button Juncai Han shoved all-in for his last 23,600. Xun snap called and immediately opened Q♦ Q♠ for a full house.

Han peeled open his A♥ thinking he still won and he had to read the board again to see the full house, finally accepting that he had to leave his chair.

Player	Chips	Progress
XY Xun YunChina	72,000(144 BB)	39,600
JH Juncai HanChina	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 7:40:33 AM

Wu Turns the Tables on Zhou

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

Guodong Zhuo opened to 1,100 from under the gun and Yanlin Wu defended the big blind.

The players saw a 2♠ 5♥ T♦ flop and Wu checked. Zhuo bet 1,000 and Wu stuck around.

Both checked the 3♦ turn to see the 2♣ river. Wu bet out 4,200 which saw Zhou muck his hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
YW Yanlin WuTaiwan	55,200(110 BB)	2,800
GZ Guodong ZhuoChina	30,500(61 BB)	-2,100

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 7:32:14 AM

Wu Muscles Off Li

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

The flop showed 7♣ K♣ 6♣ and there was a pot of 6,000 beside it.

Big blind Yanlin Wu led out for 3,400 and button Xian Li re-raised to 10,000.

Wu made a brief dramatic pause and then stacked all his chips and put it out in front of him. The dealer counted off 22,300 in total.

Li took a look at his cards and the board and made a decisive fold.

Player	Chips	Progress
YW Yanlin WuTaiwan	40,000(80 BB)	13,350
XL Xian LiChina	18,000(36 BB)	-12,650

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 7:28:13 AM

Lee Doubles From Ye

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

The board was complete and it read 2♦ K♣ 6♠ Q♦ 4♥ . Around 22,000 worth of chips were scattered around it.

Daniel Lee shoved his last 11,000 in the middle and was called by Na Ye.

Lee turned over K♦ T♦ for a pair of kings while Ye showed Q♥ T♥ for the losing pair of queens.

Player	Chips	Progress
DH Daniel Hyongin LeeUnited States of America	45,000(90 BB)	22,600
NY Na YeChina	24,000(48 BB)	-21,400

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 7:26:33 AM

Smotrov Slips Down

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

Vladislav Smotrov

Yang Yang limped from middle position and Vladislav Smotrov raised to 1,500 from the cutoff. Yang called, and the players looked to the board.

The dealer placed the 2♣ 6♣ 3♣ and Yang check-raised to 7,000 after Smotrov bet 3,000.

Smotrov paused before folding, leaving him among the short stacks halfway through Flight A of the main event.

Player	Chips	Progress
YY Yang YangChina	50,400(101 BB)	5,700
VS Vladislav SmotrovRussia	10,100(20 BB)	-4,500

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 7:23:09 AM

Saelor Out, Saelor In

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

Thanisorn Saelor

I didn't catch the hand, but I heard "Seat Open!" and saw Thailand's Thanisorn Saelor in a hurry to exit his seat.

A few moments later I see him with a ticket headed to the table just beside.

Another bullet fired.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 6:37:06 AM

Liu Called a Dong Bet to Bust

Level 5: 200 / 500 ante: 500

Yuan_Liu

Ming Dong opened to 1,100 from middle position and Yuan Liu called from the hijack. Wenbao Zeng also called from the cutoff and Haoxiang Zhao defended the big blind.

The Q♣ Q♦ 5♣ flop saw Dong bet 1,700 and Liu raised to 3,500. Dong was the only caller, taking the players heads up to the 6♥ turn.

Dong checked, Liu bet 7,000 and Dong called.

Dong bet out 35,000 on the 7♣ river, which put Liu in for his remaining stack.

Liu moved in his stack to call with little hesitation.

Yuan Liu: A♣ 2♣

Ming Dong: 7♠ 7♦

Liu flipped his Ace-High flush, but Dong had picked up a boat on the river, sending Liu to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
MD Ming DongChina	89,700(179 BB)	49,500
YL Yuan Liu (2)China	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 6:23:09 AM

Players Take a Short Break

Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400

The 193 players in Flight A of the main event take their second break of the day.

Play will resume at 15:30 p.m. local time (KST).

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 6:20:34 AM

Choong Flushes For A Double

Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400

There was 9,000 in the pot beside a flop that showed: A♥ T♣ 9♦.

Small blind, Yita Choong, and UTG, Dave "Spade" Erquiaga, checked to see a 3♥ turn.

Choong check-called the 2,000 bet of Erquiaga to reveal a J♥ river.

Choong checked again as Erquiaga fired 4,500. Choong then raised it all-in for 33,000.

The other players on the table had left their seats and taken the break while Choong and Erquiaga still stayed on. Erquiaga tanked and eventually pushed a chip to call.

Erquiaga showed A♠ Q♣ for a pair of aces while Choong showed: K♥ T♥ for the nut flush.

Kunal "Retired Fish" Patni was walking by and said, "Wow, big double up!"

Choong then said, "Lucky river. I'm not skilled. I'm lucky."

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 6:18:02 AM

Cao Chips at He

Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400

Tingjia Cao

Tingjia Cao was in the hijack and heads up against Bin He in the big blind on a A♣ 6♥ 5♣ flop. The pot stood at around 2,400 and action was on He.

He bet 1,000 and Cao called.

The 5♦ was checked by both to get to the 4♦ river.

He bet 3,200, Cao raised to 12,000 and He made a swift call.

Cao quickly flipped over his hand and showed 8♦ 7♣ for the straight, and He nodded, then threw his hand into the muck.

Player	Chips	Progress
TC Tingjia CaoChina	65,000(163 BB)	14,700
BH Bin HeChina	56,300(141 BB)	-13,700

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 6:05:50 AM

Warlich Looks to Rebuild

Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400

Niklas Warlich

Jian Ping Cai opened to 1,000 from middle position and Niklas Warlich three-bet to 3,000. Cai called taking them heads up.

The Q♦ 3♦ T♦ flop was check-called by Cai after Warlich bet a small bet.

Another queen came on the turn, Cai checked after seeing the Q♥ and Warlich bet 8,000.

Cai used a time card before finding a fold, and Warlich started to rebuild.

Player	Chips	Progress
JC Jianping CaiChina	95,000(238 BB)	-3,400
NW Niklas WarlichGermany	33,800(85 BB)	4,400

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 5:55:22 AM

Peng's Kings Sends Hao Home

Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400

Sishu Peng opened for 1,000 in early position and Yang Yang made the call on the lo-jack.

Zhang Hao then three-bet to 5,000 on the cut-off. Action fell back to Peng who four-bet to 10,000.

Yang stepped out of the way and Hao moved all-in for his last 24,600. Peng threw in a chip immediately.

Sishu Peng: K♦ K♥

Zhang Hao: J♠ J♥

Board: Q♣ 5♥ 6♠ 9♠ A♠

Peng's kings held and Hao was sent out to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
SP Sishu PengChina	88,000(220 BB)	25,600
ZH Zhang HaoChina	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 5:51:05 AM

Zhao Knocks Out with Kings

Level 4: 200 / 400 ante: 400

Haoxiang Zhao

Yuan Liu opened from middle position and Tom Verbruggen three-bet to 2,200 from the hijack. Haoxiang Zhao four-bet to 6,000 on the button, and only Verbruggen made the call.

The J♦ 6♠ 4♠ saw Verbruggen move all in for his remaining 14,300. Zhao used a single 30-second time card before moving in a stack to call.

Tom Verbruggen flipped over his A♠ Q♠, sitting with two over cards and a nut-flush draw.

Haoxiang Zhao took a little time before peeling his pocket kings K♣ K♥

Verbruggen saw no help on the 4♥ turn or T♥ river and was eliminated early in Level 4.

Tom Verbruggen

Player	Chips	Progress
HZ Haoxiang ZhaoChina	74,000(185 BB)	21,300
TV Tom VerbruggenNetherlands	busted	-20,300

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 5:40:43 AM

Hrabec Barrels Through to Recover

Level 3: 200 / 300 ante: 300

Monika Hrabec

Juncai Han had opened for 800. Monica Hrabec three bet to 2,500. Han called.

Flop arrived 2♣ 3♣ 3♠

Han check-called the 2,000 bet of Hrabec and both were shown a 6♠ on the turn.

Once again, Han check-called, but this time for 5,300.

The river brought out a K♥

Han checked and Hrabec fired a third barrel for 15,000.

Han threw in a time bank, stared at a board that was going to change, peeked at his cards, wondered if dragons really flew the Earth at one point in history, then pushed his cards towards the muck.

Player	Chips	Progress
MA Monika Agnieszka HrabecPoland	43,000(143 BB)	10,600
JH Juncai HanChina	32,000(107 BB)	-9,800

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 5:33:39 AM

Gumz Ladies Turn A Profit

Level 3: 200 / 300 ante: 300

The pot had ballooned to over 24,000 beside a board that showed: K♣ 7♦ 7♣ 2♥.

Yi Ding fired off 8,000 and Fabian Gumz made the call almost instantly.

The dealer peeled off an 8♠ on the river and Ding slowed with a check, Gumz cautiously checking behind as well, showing Q♠ Q♣

Ding mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
FG Fabian GumzGermany	62,000(207 BB)	20,400
YD Yi DingChina	18,500(62 BB)	-19,600

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 5:29:04 AM

Geng Gives Up

Level 3: 200 / 300 ante: 300

Shuofei Geng opened to 700 from early position, and Yue Sun called from the hijack. San Hon Pang also defended the small blind, taking the players three-ways to the flop.

The flop came: 5♣ 7♦ 7♥, and Pang checked. Geng bet 700 and Sun called.

A 9♠ was turned and Geng checked. Sun bet 3,100 forcing Geng to muck his hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
YS Yue SunChina	43,400(145 BB)	2,700
SG Shuofei GengUnited States of America	40,500(135 BB)	-1,400
SP San PangHong Kong	38,700(129 BB)	-700

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 5:21:27 AM

Li Catches Hu

Level 3: 200 / 300 ante: 300

The board showed 7♦ 7♣ Q♥ 5♣ beside a pot of 6,000.

Action was on Kailun Hu, who fired 2,200. Yan Li made the call from the cut-off.

and a Q♦ showed on the river.

Hu fired another 5,000 and Li threw in a chip immediately.

Hu threw his hand in the muck in surrender and Li didn't even bother showing anything as she stacked her chips.

That's what you call "win at showdown without showdown", or in some cases - "you got caught bluffing."

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 5:12:36 AM

Huang Hooks Deng

Level 3: 200 / 300 ante: 300

There was nearly 10,000 chips in the middle beside a board that showed 6♥ 7♥ 6♠ 2♦ 7♣

Peng Deng fired a bet of 6,000 and Ziwei Huang snap called by throwing in a chip.

Almost immediately, Deng threw his cards in the muck while Huang flipped over J♠ J♥ to make it official.

Player	Chips	Progress
PD Peng DengChina	82,000(273 BB)	-10,600
ZH Ziwei HuangChina	34,000(113 BB)	11,400

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 5:06:16 AM

He Doubles From Cao

Level 3: 200 / 300 ante: 300

Tingjia Cao

There was a pot of around 13,000 beside a complete board of 3♦ 8♠ K♣ J♣ 3♥

Tingjia Cao had pushed a stack in the middle and declared "All-In", covering the remaining stack of Bin He.

He tanked, but eventually shoved a chip forward to brave the call or his tournament life.

Cao flipped over Q♦ T♦ for a busted straight draw while He showed A♥ K♥ for top pair, which was enough to win the pot.

Player	Chips
BH Bin HeChina	68,000(227 BB)
TC Tingjia CaoChina	46,000(153 BB)

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 5:03:19 AM

Plekavicius Pressures the Table; Lyu Towers in Chips

Level 3: 200 / 300 ante: 300

Eimantas Plekavicius opened from early position to 700 and saw Junqiang Lyu call from middle position.

Jie Zhang three-bet from the cutoff to 2,100 and Dajia Chen four-bet to 6,000 from the small blind.

Plekavicius used a time bank card, before five-betting to 11,700. The action folded around the table allowing Plekavicius to pick up without seeing a flop.

Junqiang Lyu

Lyu, who was sitting to his direct left, towered over the table after building his chips to over three-times starting stack.

Player	Chips
JL Junqiang LyuChina	124,200(414 BB)
EP Eimantas PlekaviciusLithuania	47,500(158 BB)
JZ Jie ZhangHong Kong	38,000(127 BB)
DC Dajia ChenChina	29,100(97 BB)

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 4:31:36 AM

Vo Keeps Climbing; Sedlak Jumps In

Level 3: 200 / 300 ante: 300

Tingjia Cao opened the hijack to 600 and saw two calls from Martin Sedlak in the small blind and Van Quoc Vo in the big blind.

The J♥ T♦ J♠ flop was checked by Sedlak, and Vo bet 2,500.

Cao checked his hand, before throwing his hand into the muck. Sedlack wasn't far behind and also mucked his card, leaving Vo to tower over the table.

Vo is no stranger to the APT circuit and shipped the High Roller Turbo event, as well as the Poker Classic event in Taipei last year (Feb 2024).

Player	Chips	Progress
VQ Van Quoc VoViet Nam	150,500(502 BB)	1,500
TC Tingjia CaoChina	37,000(123 BB)	-600
MS Martin SedlakGermany	32,000(107 BB)	-600

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 4:17:48 AM

Van Quoc Vo Holds Chip Lead

Level 3: 200 / 300 ante: 300

Van Quoc Vo

During the break, we took a quick scan around the room and took a random look at some stacks.

Apart from the massive stack of Van Quoc Vo, these are by no means the top chip counts of the flight.

Player	Chips
VQ Van Quoc VoViet Nam	144,500(482 BB)
JL Junqiang LyuChina	106,000(353 BB)
KH Kailun HuChina	80,000(267 BB)
ZH Ziwei HuangChina	73,000(243 BB)
MM Murly ManokharanMalaysia	58,000(193 BB)

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 4:15:29 AM

First Break of the Day

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

The remaining 117 players are on their first 15-minute break of the day. Play will resume at 1:15 p.m. local time (KST).

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 4:12:54 AM

Nakanishi Eliminated by Hu

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

Players were heads up and already on a: 5♦ 4♣ 4♦ flop. Tomoya Nakanishi had moved all in for around 30,000 and action went to Kailun Hu, who was sat directly to the left of Nakanishi. Hu called and covered his opponent.

Tomoya Nakanishi: K♦ 5♣

Kailun Hu: T♥ T♦

Nakanishi had flopped two pair, but Hu turned over his pocket tens for a better two pair.

The brick 7♠ turn and 2♠ river couldn't save Nakanishi, and he was eliminated just before the first break of the day.

Player	Chips
KH Kailun HuChina	75,100(376 BB)
TN Tomoya NakanishiJapan	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 4:09:42 AM

Huang Rides the Boat Down the River

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

There was plenty of action for early position, after they opened to 500, and saw four players call behind, going five-ways to the: 5♣ 4♣ 8♥ flop.

The small blind checked, and Ziwei Huang bet 1,200 from the big blind. Jishui Hao called from middle position and Sishu Peng called from the hijack.

The three remaining players saw the 5♠ turn and Huang bet 4,000. Hao called and Peng raised to 10,000. Both players called behind.

A 7♦ fell on the river and action checked around to showdown.

Huang showed his hand first: 5♦ 4♦, sitting comfortably with a boat.

Hao had a closer look at Huang's hand and the board before mucking his cards, as Huang said "Full house".

Hao and Peng mucked their cards, leaving Huang to chip up early in level 2.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 3:42:53 AM

Sorokin Takes A Seat

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

Maxim Sorokin of Russia has been seen at the opening flight of the Main Event. Sorokin is old school APT regular, having cashed during the early era of the APT back in 2011 during APT Cebu.

Sorokin cashed twice during APT Incheon last month, but his most significant accomplishment was a 2015 Wynn Classic victory in the USD 2,000 NLH event where he pocketed a career best USD 101,619.

Sorokin has over USD 680,000 in total live earnings.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 3:33:25 AM

Von Reden Catches Yang

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

A very juicy pot of 12,000 sat beside a flop that showed A♠ T♠ Q♠

Action was on cut-off Zhihua Yang, who fired 3,000. Button Rene Alexander Von Reden made the call, looking suspiciously and cautiously at Yang.

The dealer peeled open a 4♦ on the turn that went check-check.

Check-check was also the trend after a 2♥ fell on the river.

Yang showed 8♣ 6♣ which drew quizzical looks from the table while Von Reden showed A♥ J♥ for a pair of aces that would scoop a lucrative payout.

Player	Chips	Progress
RA Rene Alexander Von RedenGermany	47,500(238 BB)	9,250
ZY Zhihua YangChina	29,300(147 BB)	-8,750

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 3:32:09 AM

Chen Decimates Hu

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

Jiahao Chen opened that action from under the gun by betting 500 and saw two calls from Yujia Di on the button and Kailun Hu in the big blind.

The 5♦ 2♥ Q♦ flop was checked around to the 3♠ turn.

Hu bet out 1,200 and saw both players call behind.

The 3♣ fell on the river, and Hu bet 3,000. Chen called and Di folded.

Hu turned over T♣ 9♣ for a pair of nines, but Chen showed Q♠ 5♣ for two pair and scooped up the pot.

Hu was left with less than half starting stack after the hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
CJ Chen JiahaoChina	47,500(238 BB)	6,700
YD Yujia DiChina	37,600(188 BB)	-1,700
KH Kailun HuChina	16,500(83 BB)	-4,700

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 3:28:33 AM

Wong Triple Barrels

Level 2: 100 / 200 ante: 200

Alex Wong

There were four players when the flop arrived J♥ 4♦ T♦ , but only small blind Tianan Liu remained when button Alex Wong fired out a bet.

The pot sat at over 3,000 when the dealer threw in the 6♠ on the turn.

Liu check-called the 1,700 bet of Wong and both were shown a 8♥ river.

Liu checked, but surrendered after Wong fired a third barrel for 5,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
TL Tianan LiuChina	64,000(320 BB)	-3
AW Alex WongMalaysia	37,000(185 BB)	3,400

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 3:06:09 AM

Konichiwa, Shirazawa!

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Japan's Kasuhiro Shirazawa has been a regular APT face having been attending APT stops all over the region dating back to 2016 where he recorded his first ever APT cash with a 3rd place finish in the NTD 30,000 NLH - High Roller Turbo during APT Taipei.

Shirazawa also has an APT title under his belt, winning the PHP 25,000 NLH - Hyper Turbo High Roller during APT Manila 2024.

Shirazawa is looking for a deep money run to improve his total live earnings, which sits at over USD 430,000.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 3:01:08 AM

Manokharan Is In The Building

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Murly Manokharan

Malaysia's Murly Manokharan - an APT regular - has also joined the Main Event opening flight.

Manokharan has had four APT cashes with his most significant one being a 5th place finish during the APT High Roller in APT Incheon 2025 a few months ago. He cashed out just shy of USD 50,000 in that event.

Manokharan is still searching for his first APT title.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 3:00:01 AM

Liu Takes from Liang

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Michael Liang

Michael Liang has just lost a big pot against Tianan Liu after getting to the river on the Q♣ J♥ 3♠ 7♦ 5♦.

Liang bet big on the river and Liu called, showing his J♦ J♣ for a set of Jacks.

Liang reluctantly turned over his pocket kings K♥ K♦ and got knocked down in chips.

Liang recouped some a few hands later when he went to battle with Ludong Wang.

Wang opened on the button and Liang three-bet to 2,500 from the big blind. Wang made the call.

The 5♣ 3♥ 3♦ flop was bet by Liang to 5,500 and Wang folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
TL Tianan LiuChina	68,000(680 BB)
LW Ludong WangChina	37,300(373 BB)	-2,500
ML Michael LiangUnited States of America	20,500(205 BB)	2,700

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 2:53:53 AM

Hua Wei Lin Sighting

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Hua Wei Lin

Natural8 Ambassador Hua Wei Lin has taken to the felt here at Flight A of the APT Jeju 2025 Main Event.

Lin has over USD 600,000 in total live winnings and four APT titles. She has won the NTD 16,500 NLH - Monster Stack during APT Taipei in 2021, the NTD 7,000 NLH MegaStack during the APT x CTP High Roller Series, the NTD 27,000 High Rollers during APT Taipei 2022 and the KRW 300,000 NLH Women's Event during APT Incheon 2023.

Lin also has multiple APT cashes to go along with her titles.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 2:47:10 AM

Vasylenko Chips Up From Vo

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Anzhela Vasylenko

The pot had around 2,600 chips in the middle beside a flop that showed A♣ T♥ 6♣

Van Quoc Vo tapped his option to Anzhela Vasylenko, who fired 1,100 from the cut-off.

Vo made the snap call and the dealer peeled open a 3♣ on the turn.

Both checked to see a 3♥ on the river.

Once again, check-check for a card-reveal moment.

Vo turned over 4♣ 4♥ but lost out to Vasylenko's A♥ J♥

Player	Chips	Progress
VQ Van Quoc VoViet Nam	83,000(830 BB)	-2,200
AV Anzhela VasylenkoUkraine	45,000(450 BB)	2,500

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 2:36:19 AM

Vo Calls Zhao's Bluff; Early Elimination

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Xuan Zhi Zhao & Van Quoc Vo

Action was caught when the players flipped their cards with the board already dealt. Players were heads up on the river with K♠ Q♥ 2♣ A♦ K♣ showing.

XuanZhi Zhao had jammed from the small blind and had around 30,000 behind. Van Quoc Vo covered and had made the call and the players flipped their hands.

XuanZhi Zhao: T♠ 4♠

Van Quoc Vo: 10c 10d

Zhao was eliminated after Vo's pocket tens were enough to secure him the pot.

Players at the table discussed the action over the next two hands, with one player at the table saying "Good call". They continued with "Oh my god, crazy game, just crazy".

One player asked, "You knew him?".

Vo responded with, "No, It just didn't make sense."

Player	Chips
VQ Van Quoc VoViet Nam	88,000(880 BB)
XZ Xuanzhi ZhaoChina	busted

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 2:26:33 AM

Fabian Gumz In The Field

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

Fabian Gumz during the Superstar Challenge

Germany's Fabian Gumz has taken a seat in the opening flight of the APT Jeju 2025 Main Event.

Gumz had already made a splash in the first days of the series, cashing out in the Superstar Challenge - which has the richest buy-in of the series at USD 25,000. Gumz has over USD 3.5 milllion in total live winnings.

Gumz is one of 33 entries that came in early for this flight. Registration remains open until 11:00 PM local time, so we can expect more entries as the day progresses. Blind levels increase every hour.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 2:18:42 AM

Early Chip Up for Liang

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

In the first hand of the day, Tianan Liu started the action by opening the cutoff to 200 and both Alexander Lyan and Michael Liang defended the small and big blind respectively.

The T♣ 2♦ Q♦ flop was checked by Lyan and Liang, with Liu betting 300. Lyan folded and Liang called, taking the player's heads up to the turn.

A Q♣ turn saw both players check to get to the 4♥ river.

Liang bet out 500 which was enough for Liu to muck his hand, giving Liang an early chip up.

Player	Chips	Progress
ML Michael LiangUnited States of America	40,700(407 BB)	600
LA Lyan AlexanderRussia	39,800(398 BB)	-200
TL Tianan LiuChina	39,500(395 BB)	-500

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 2:03:41 AM

Shuffle Up & Deal

Level 1: 100 / 100 ante: 100

This is it!

The beginning of a life-changing journey where the promise of a KRW 2.2 billion (~USD 1.5 million) prize pool can alter the life of the APT Jeju 2025 Main Event champion.

The tournament director has announced the magic words of "Shuffle up and deal!, signaling the start of the first of four opening Day 1 flights.

Sunglasses - check. Hoodie - check. Luck card protector - check. Poker face - Grrrrr.

Karlo De SottoKarlo De Sotto

9/28/2025, 1:24:39 AM

Main Event Day 1A Kicks Off at 11 a.m.

APT Jeju 2025 Trophy

Welcome to Day 1A of the APT Main Event in Jeju, South Korea.

The 2025 APT Jeju Main Event gets underway today, featuring a KRW 2,600,000 (~$1,860 USD) buy-in and a guaranteed prize pool of KRW 2,200,000,000 (~$1,550,000 USD). Today marks the start of the tournament with Flight A commencing at 11 a.m. local time (KST), but there will be plenty of time for action as there are four total flights all leading into Day 2 on Wednesday Oct 1st 2025.

This year’s top three finishers won’t just walk away with impressive payouts—they’ll also earn a seat into the APT Championship Main Event in Taipei this November (worth $10,000), putting them back in contention for another APT Main Event title.

Flight A kicks off at 11:00 AM local time, with players starting on 40,000 chips and playing through ten 60-minute levels. There is a scheduled 75-minunte dinner break due after the completion of Level 8 at approximately 7.20 p.m. local time (KST), with late registration due to close at 11 p.m. for this first flight.

Last year’s APT Jeju Main Event set a high bar with 1,089 total entries, including 285 players in Flight A alone. Will 2025 break the record books? We’re about to find out.

Stay tuned for live coverage and updates as Flight A of the APT Jeju Main Event gets underway.

Player	Chips
SS Somasekhar SanampuriIndia	40,000(50 BB)
XC Xiongfeng ChenChina	40,000(50 BB)
YH Yu Han SuTaiwan	40,000(50 BB)
MS Martin SedlakGermany	40,000(50 BB)
AS Abhijeet ShettyIndia	40,000(50 BB)
VA Viet An NguyenViet Nam	40,000(50 BB)
RH Ryo HasegawaJapan	40,000(50 BB)

LIVE UPDATES BY APT

Maxim Sorokin Bags As Flight A Chip Leader

Flight A Is Done!

Wu Takes from Patni

Huang Takes Yin's Last Chip

Zhang Over Takes Xiang on the River

Evgenii Doubles To Breathe

Li Doubles Through Sorokin

Lin Pressures Vo

Sedlak Cracks Huang's Aces on the River

Huang's Better Straight Takes Out Ariake

Teoh Inches Up

Zhang's Big Slick Doubles From Li

Dong Can't Shake Off Lu

Third Pair Good for Lin

Wu Finds a King to Double

Cards Back in the Air

Some Kinda Big

Players are on 75-Minute Dinner Break

Zhao Sends Seok Out

Yang Doubles Back; He is Eliminted

Wei Sends Lee to the Rail

Nice Turn for Naoki

Yang Takes a Tumble

Erquiaga Finishes Off Tang

Fours Good for Lin

Chen Falls Chasing the Spades

Matsuda Goes On Hot Streak

Quads for Erquiaga

Sun Still in Contention for her Fourth APT Title

Matsuda Runner-Runners A Boat To Bust Xu

Pan Braves The Call

Chan Calls Down Qiu

Qi Cracks Yang's Aces

Recent Entries During the Break

Players Take a Short Break

Girard Jams on Lin

Lun's Set Earns Some

Xia Makes Improvements

Cai Fires On Han

Hu Hits the Flop and Survives

Zhuo Takes from Girard

Wang Busts Wen

Xun's Boat Destroys Han's Nut Flush

Wu Turns the Tables on Zhou

Wu Muscles Off Li

Lee Doubles From Ye

Smotrov Slips Down

Saelor Out, Saelor In

Liu Called a Dong Bet to Bust

Players Take a Short Break

Choong Flushes For A Double

Cao Chips at He

Warlich Looks to Rebuild

Peng's Kings Sends Hao Home

Zhao Knocks Out with Kings

Hrabec Barrels Through to Recover

Gumz Ladies Turn A Profit

Geng Gives Up

Li Catches Hu

Huang Hooks Deng

He Doubles From Cao

Plekavicius Pressures the Table; Lyu Towers in Chips

Vo Keeps Climbing; Sedlak Jumps In

Van Quoc Vo Holds Chip Lead

First Break of the Day

Nakanishi Eliminated by Hu

Huang Rides the Boat Down the River

Sorokin Takes A Seat

Von Reden Catches Yang

Chen Decimates Hu

Wong Triple Barrels

Konichiwa, Shirazawa!

Manokharan Is In The Building

Liu Takes from Liang

Hua Wei Lin Sighting

Vasylenko Chips Up From Vo

Vo Calls Zhao's Bluff; Early Elimination

Fabian Gumz In The Field

Early Chip Up for Liang