APT Main Event (55,000 TWD)

The air crackled with anticipation at the APT Taipei 2025 series as the penultimate day of the record-breaking APT Main Event unfolded. From a field of 48 battle-hardened players, only nine emerged from seven hours of heart-pounding poker, each now tantalizingly close to etching their name into poker history.

The stage is set for the final table of the largest and richest Main Event in the APT’s 19-year legacy, with a staggering TWD 121,033,440 (~$3.7 million) prize pool up for grabs.

Leading the charge into the final day is Hong Kong’s Wayne Lam, who commands a towering stack of 17,925,000. A relative unknown with just $37,000 in career cashes and no prior APT cash, Lam has defied the odds, already doubling his lifetime earnings. Now, he stands on the brink of poker immortality, with the life-changing TWD 19,009,440 (~$586,710) top prize within reach. The weight of the moment hangs heavy, but Lam’s steely focus and fearless play have made him the man to beat.

Hot on the heels of Lam is Japan’s Rintaro Kagawa with 17,825,000, less than a small blind behind. Kagawa, no stranger to APT final tables, faces his biggest challenge yet, with a stage far grander than any he’s seen before. Rounding out the top three is Malaysia’s Owen Chong with 15,375,000. Chong closed today with momentum, eliminating Daehyung Lee in twelfth place and winning a crucial blind-on-blind battle against Nishant Kumar.

Representing Thailand is APT regular Kiwanont Sukhum, who enters the final table in eighth place. A master of short-stack play, Sukhum spent much of today near the bottom but navigated his way to the final nine. Sukham won three APT titles in six months, and has nearly $250,000 in career earnings, so he has the experience and resilience to make him a formidable contender.

Anchoring the chip counts is Vietnam’s Dang Thi Hue, with around 16 big blinds. Hue, a former APT Phu Quoc Main Event champion with a career-best $53,346 score, knows what it takes to conquer a high-pressure final table. Her opponents would be foolish to underestimate he, as she’s proven she can go all the way.

Day 4 Action

The APT Taipei Main Event saw 48 players return to the felt on Day 4, each vying for a spot at the biggest final table in APT history. The action was relentless from the first shuffle, with eliminations coming fast and fortunes shifting dramatically.

It took just a few hands for the first casualty of the day. Guolun Huang ran his pocket jacks into Yu Cheng Hsu’s pocket kings, sending Huang to the rail in 48th place. Huang was soon joined at the payout desk by John Panish (46th), Robert Nemeskeri-Kiss (42nd), Peter Kiem (41st), Sho Katsura (39th), and Tomoya Kuratani (35th).

Hong Kong’s Nicholas Go, fresh off a runner-up finish in the APT Superstar Challenge, entered today with an above-average stack and brought his signature charisma to the tables. However, his Main Event dream ended in 32nd place at the hands of Wobeng Lee. Go held the dominating hand preflop, but a brutal runout spelled the end of his remarkable run.

One of the standout stories of the day was Natural8 ambassador Kitty Kuo, who began Day 4 as the chip leader. Kuo’s day took a turn early in the second level when she doubled up Sukhum. The Thai pro’s top pair and flush draw held against Kuo’s pocket kings, marking the start of a downward spiral.

Kuo then lost a chunk of her stack to Marcus Law’s pocket aces and dropped more chips in a race against Kumar’s ace-king with her pocket sixes. The most devastating blow came against fellow Main Event winner Hue, who was all-in with ace-queen of clubs against Kuo’s pocket aces. A backdoor flush saved Hue, leaving Kuo reeling in the middle of the pack.

This Kitty didn't have nine lives though, as Kuo's hopes of winning a second Main Event were extinguished when her ace-six finished second best to Kagawa’s jack-five. Two jacks on the flop sealed her fate, and Kuo was sent to the cashier’s desk to collect her 21st place payout.

When the day progressed, the field thinned rapidly. After the dinner break, only 14 players remained. Powel Fang’s pocket kings were no match for Kumar's flopped nut flush, leaving Fang with a tenth of a big blind, a point of which he couldn’t recover. Law (13th), Lee (12th), and APT Taipei Poker Classic 2024 Main Event runner-up Abraham Ceesvin (11th) followed in quick succession, setting up the final table bubble.

The final hand of the day arrived when Anusorn Asiralertsiri of Japan became the last player eliminated on Day 4. Asiralertsiri’s pocket fours were in a race against Lam’s ace-queen, and while the flop favored the Sailboats, a queen on the turn ended his run in 10th place. With that, the final table of the largest APT Main Event in history was set, promising an electrifying final day as the remaining players battle for the coveted title and life-changing prize.

Play resumes at 11:15 AM on Saturday, May 3, where the final nine players will battle until one is crowned APT Main Event champion. There’s forty-nine minutes remaining in Level 34, and with the average stack at 38 big blinds, every decision will be magnified as the blinds continue to rise.

*includes APTC Main Event seat valued at TWD 350,000

The final table will be streamed with a 30-minute delay, ensuring fans can follow the action without spoilers. Live updates will remain in sync with the broadcast to provide a seamless experience.

With the final table of the largest APT Main Event in history set, the final day promises an electrifying battle for the coveted title and life-changing prize, here inside the Red Space venue in Taipei, Taiwan.

Powen Fang called for his last 25,000 under the gun. Leong Iat Man shoved from the small blind with just Dang Thi Hue to get through in the big blind. Hue looked at her cards and then called for her last 2,000,000.

Powen Fang: 4♣ 2♣

Dang Thi Hue: A♦ 7♣

Leong Iat Man: K♦ 5♣

If Man won this pot the Main Event would be down to twelve players.

The board came down 4♦ 9♦ 2♥ T♣ 7♥ , which meant Fang stayed alive with two pair, and Hue doubled up with a pair of sevens.

Owen Chong opened to 500,000 from under the gun with Leong Iat Man calling from the hijack, and Daehyung Lee defending his big blind.

The dealer spread out a flop of 4♥ A♣ T♥ causing Lee and Chong to check. Man bet 300,000, which got a fold from Lee, but a check-raise from Chong to 1,300,000. Man made the call.

The 8♥ hit the turn and Chong checked. Man bet 700,000 and Chong called.

The 3♠ landed on the river. Two checks followed, and Chong took down the pot with A♦ T♣ for two pair.

Ryan Kim raised to 1,300,000 from the hijack with just 150,000 behind. Leong Iat Man three-bet to 3,000,000 from the button, and after the blinds folded, Kim tossed in his last 150,000.

Ryan Kim: K♥ J♦

Leong Iat Man: A♦ T♥

Kim was one of the shortest stacks left in the event and needed something from the dealer to stay alive.

However, the board came Q♠ 9♠ A♣ 6♥ 2♣ to give Man the winning hand with top pair. Kim goes out in fifteenth for TWD 994,000 (~$30,680).

The remaining 15 players are off to get some grub and will be back in an hour.

Meanwhile here are some top chip counts:

We didn't catch the live action, but we did see Lat Man Leong with an all-in arrow beside his A♥ K♠ and the chips being shipped his way from Andrew Ong.

We asked Ong what he had and he said "Queens"

While the dealer was quickly wrapping the board, we did see an Ace on the turn, which gave Leong the win.

For sure there was an open, a three-bet... maybe even a four-bet.

We caught the action with cut-off Lat Man Leong with a bet 875,000 in front of him and big blind Abraham Ceesvin with the all-in arrow sit alongside his 2,390,000 stack.

Leong tanked and used a bit of time bank cards and wondered who discovered that pixie dust could make you fly before folding his hand.

Ceesvin let out a resounding "YES!" as he took down the pot.

When we got to the table, the floor director was counting the chips to ship Lat Man Leong's way.

In front of Leong was the winning hand of K♦ K♠ with a board that showed Q♠ 2♣ T♦ 5♠ 6♥

According to Leong, Shiang Mu Huang had 9 8 off-suit.

The floor counted 3,495,000.