The Asian Poker Tour Championship (APTC) 2026 continued at Red Space, Taipei, where Flight C of the TWD 16,000 National Cup Championship, carrying a TWD 20 million guarantee, set a new APTC record for the largest starting flight. A total of 740 entries (569 unique) surpassed the previous high of 725, recorded in Flight B of last year’s Mini Main Championship.

That brought the combined tally from Flights A–C to 1,560 entries, with the totals from Flights D and E still to be added. Last year’s National Cup Championship attracted 2,398 entries, and this record-breaking turnout gave the tournament another healthy push toward that benchmark. By the time the bags came out, 104 players had secured a place in Day 2 and a share of the prize pool.

Canada’s Mehmet Siginc finished on top with 1,100,000 chips, making him the only player in the flight to reach seven figures. Hong Kong’s Hung Wai Sze came closest with 983,000, helped by the final knockout of the night, while South Korea’s Sung Sik Eum rounded out the top three with 955,000.

Siginc’s stack puts him behind Troy Mclean (1,261,000), Konosuke Nakajima (1,234,000), and Jun Wei Yan (1,126,000) among the survivors from the first three flights.

National Cup Championship Flight C Top Ten Chip Counts

Siginc was already making himself comfortable in the early levels, sitting on 109,000 by Level 3 from a starting stack of 40,000. Even after surrendering a pot to Tsz Ching Lau, he remained comfortably ahead of everyone at his table, and his final count showed that the early progress had been put to good use.

Eum’s stack was also heading in the right direction as the field thinned. He had around 500,000 in Level 17 and had grown that to 800,000 by Level 19, before finishing just short of a million.

Another top-ten finisher, Carlos Chang, picked up a sizeable pot when his ace-king won a preflop raising war against Paul Wee’s pocket tens. An ace on the flop put Chang ahead, and he stayed there through the turn and river to eliminate Wee. Chang eventually bagged 668,000.

Craig Gets the Knives Out

Daniel Craig gave the reporting team plenty to work with, both in chips and film references, after a huge clash with Tzu An Feng in Level 9.

Feng had flopped a set of sevens, but Craig’s pocket jacks caught a higher set on the turn. By the time the river action was over, Craig was collecting a mountain of chips while Feng was left with only a couple of blinds. Shaken, presumably, and unlikely to be ordering anything stirred.

That pot took Craig to around 240,000, and he went on to finish fourth in the flight with 911,000. There may be no licence to kill at the poker table, but it was a useful licence to accumulate.

Elsewhere, Hon Cheong “Ivan” Lee found an even bigger hand. Holding jack-eight, Lee made quad jacks and received a river call from Yen Wen Chang, whose flush was a distant second best. Lee carried 216,000 into Day 2.

Chang Returns as His Mini Main Record Falls

Natural8 Ambassador Yu Chung “Nevan” Chang was among those to advance, bagging 285,000 in a flight that broke a record connected to his own title run. Last year’s Mini Main Championship, which Chang went on to win, drew 725 entries in Flight B. That stood as the APTC benchmark until Flight C’s 740 entries raised the bar.

Chang also supplied a little late drama against Tony Tso. After Tso shoved from the button with ace-four, Chang called from the big blind with ace-queen and looked well placed to score the knockout on a king-high flop.

A four on the turn put Tso ahead, but it also gave Chang a flush draw. A queen on the river completed Chang’s nut flush, sending Tso to the rail and helping Chang toward a place in Day 2.

Bubble Time

Several short stacks survived late scares before the bubble finally burst. Hao Shan Huang was down to his last 16,000 when his ace-king ran into Arvydas Vilcinskas’ pocket eights. An ace on the river kept Huang alive, and he eventually squeezed through with 42,000.

Hoi Wun Au also escaped with a dominated ace, pairing her three to beat Hao Chih Yang’s ace-queen. Takuya Sano was less fortunate on another table, losing with pocket fours when Andrei Kaigorodtsev’sfive-three rivered two pair to leave the field on the stone bubble.

The final hand brought Sze and Berkeley Yuan together again. Sze had earlier shown Yuan a bluff with king-six after forcing a river fold, but this time he had the goods.

Yuan three-bet with ace-jack and called when Sze moved all in with a covering stack. Sze turned over ace-king, and a queen-high board provided no help for Yuan, ending his run and sending the remaining 104 players into the money.

Other survivors included 2024 APT Taipei Poker Classic Main Event champion Rene von Reden (632,000), Daniel Smiljkovic (415,000), Michael Lech (380,000), Jennifer Cassell (365,000), Yii Fei Si (313,000), and Tolga Karakaya (308,000).

There was also a happier ending for Takahiko Kondo, who had been one of the two players eliminated on yesterday’s Flight A bubble when his ace-four lost to Ci Hong Ho’s nine-eight. This time, Kondo made it safely through with 511,000. Along the way, his pocket kings improved to a flush to eliminate Po Chun Shen’s ace-jack, helping him turn yesterday’s disappointment into a Day 2 appearance and a guaranteed cash.

Day 2 gets underway on Sunday, November 15, at 11:15 AM, when the survivors return to play down to a champion.

Be sure to check back regularly for all the updates from the championship events here at APTC.

Following the elimination of Yuan Berkeley, Flight C of the National Cup Championship has now concluded.

Stay tuned for a recap of the action.

Level 21: Blinds 8K / 16K - Ante 16K

Hung Wai Sze raised to 32,000 from late position before Berkeley Yuan three-bet to 85,000 from the next seat.

Sze then four-bet jammed with a covering stack, and after a little while, Yuan made the call for his not-so-small stack of around 350,000, putting his tournament life on the line on the stone bubble.

The crowd gathered as the two tabled their hands.

Berkeley Yuan: A♠J♦

Hung Wai Sze: A♣K♦

Yuan was in a world of trouble, needing one of the three remaining jacks to stay alive.

The 4♦4♥Q♣ flop was of little help to Yuan, and nor was the 2♥ turn.

No jack came on the 9♥ river, and Yuan was eliminated in 106th place, sending the remaining field into the money and through to the Final Day.

Level 20: Blinds 6K / 12K - Ante 12K

In the first hand back from break, there were two all-in-and-calls across two tables.

Hoi Wun Au had her stack of around 50,000 in from the big blind and was at risk against Hao Chih Yang.

Hoi Wun Au: A♦3♠

Hao Chih Yang: A♥Q♥

Au was behind, but found a three on the 2♦K♣3♥4♦8♥ board to stay alive.

On the other table. Takuya Sano shoved 35,000 under the gun and was called by Russian Andrei Kaigorodtsev in the big blind.

Takuya Sano: 4♠4♣

Andrei Kaigorodtsev: 5♠3♣

Sano was in great shape, but had to dodge a few more outs on the 9♥A♠3♦ flop as Kaigorodtsev paired his three. A 9♠ on the turn added more outs for Kaigorodtsev as any ace would do the trick, but Sano was still ahead.

However, the 5♥ on the river gave Kaigorodtsev two pair, which ended Sano's run two away from the money.

One hand of hand-for-hand play has been completed, and the 106 remaining players are now on a 15-minute break. Hand-for-hand will resume after the break and continue until the money is reached.

Level 20: Blinds 6K / 12K - Ante 12K

Vilcinskas Arvydas opened from middle position and Hao Shan Huang stuck in his last 16,000 from the big blind on the soft bubble.

Hao Shan Huang: A♦K♦

Vilcinskas Arvydas: 8♠8♣

Arvydas was ahead with his eights, and he remained in the lead through the T♠5♥5♠ flop, leaving Huang with one foot out of the door.

A 6♥ on the turn left Huang with one shot at six outs, but one shot was all he needed as the A♣ hit the river, giving him top pair and keeping him in the hunt.

Level 20: Blinds 6K / 12K - Ante 12K

Hung Wai Sze raised to 25,000 from the hijack, and Berkeley Yuan made the sole call from the next seat.

The dealer fanned the A♥8♣6♣ flop, and Sze check-called Yuan's bet of 25,000.

Both players checked the 4♣ turn, and on the 9♣ river, Sze led out for a hefty 100,000. Yuan tanked for a little while, sizing up Sze and giving him a couple of smirking looks, before ultimately folding.

Sze peeled his cards for Yuan before the dealer revealed them for everybody: K♥6♥, with no club to be seen.

Level 19: Blinds 5K / 10K - Ante 10K

Rene von Reden was just put in a tough spot by Poland's Oliwer Sankiewicz.

The pot already had around 80,000 in it with Sankiewicz in the small blind and Von Reden in the big blind. The flop read 4♦9♠7♠ and after Sankiewicz checked, Von Reden fired 35,000.

Sankiewicz then shoved for 191,000, and Von Reden let out a huge sigh before asking for a count.

After confirming the count, Von Reden burned through a time bank before eventually tapping the table and letting his cards go.

Level 19: Blinds 5K / 10K - Ante 10K

Recent APT Jeju High Roller - Ultra Stack champion Tom Verbruggen has hit the rail as the field approaches the bubble in Level 19.

Hyunho Choi and Nattawon Chunhaphan, who both held big stacks earlier, are also out.

Level 19: Blinds 5K / 10K - Ante 10K

Button Tony Tso open-jammed his remaining 85,000, and Nevan Chang quickly called from the big blind.

Tony Tso: A♥4♠

Nevan Chang: A♦Q♥

Chang looked good for the knockout as the K♥7♦2♦ flop hit the felt, leaving Tso needing a four or running cards.

The 4♦ on the turn put Tso ahead, although Chang could now hit either a queen or a diamond.

The Q♦ river was the best of both worlds, giving Chang the nut flush and the better pair to eliminate Tso from the tournament.

Level 18: Blinds 4K / 8K - Ante 8K

Shinkichi Takano was down to his last 13,000, around one and a half big blinds, and got it in from the cutoff. Button Nhat Sinh Truong flat-called, and everyone else folded.

Shinkichi Takano: J♥9♣

Nhat Sinh Truong: A♥6♠

Takano was behind but not dead, holding two live cards. The 3♠4♠5♣ flop only improved the Vietnamese player, however, adding an open-ended straight draw into the mix.

The 3♦ paired the board on the turn, and with no jack or nine on the A♠ river, the Japanese player hit the rail.

Level 18: Blinds 4K / 8K - Ante 8K

Under the gun player Hsien Ching Feng open-jammed for 81,000, and after using a time bank, Tolga Karakaya flatted directly to his left. No one else got involved, and the two players tabled their cards.

Hsien Ching Feng: A♠K♦

Tolga Karakaya: 8♣8♦

Feng could only laugh as the dealer fanned the 8♥2♥5♠ flop, leaving him needing running cards to stay alive.

The K♥ hit the turn, but it was too little, too late, leaving Feng drawing dead to the J♦ river.

Level 17: Blinds 3K / 6K - Ante 6K

Po Chun Shen was just eliminated and he ran into the kings of Takahiko Kondo.

The chips went flying in preflop, with Shen in middle position committing around 50,000. Kondo was in the small blind.

Po Chun Shen: A♣J♠

Takahiko Kondo: K♥K♦

Shen needed an ace, but the flop of 9♦J♦Q♦ made it difficult for him to win as Kondo picked up a straight flush draw. The 7♦ ended things as Kondo completed his flush, leaving Shen to watch the 3♥ to hit the river before he shuffled through the crowds at Red Space to the exit.

Looking around the tables, Sung Sik Eum has a monster stack of around 500,000 as the money bubble starts to come into sight.

Level 17: Blinds 3K / 6K - Ante 6K

APT Taipei 2026 Main Event champion Chun Shing "Walter" Lau was all in and at risk for his last 33,000, and in bad shape against Oliwer Sankiewicz.

Chun Shing Lau: 5♣5♠

Oliwer Sankiewicz: T♦T♥

No miracle five came on the 2♥J♥7♦Q♣K♥ runout, and Lau hit the rail.

Around 180 players remain, with fewer than 80 eliminations needed until the money bubble.

Level 17: Blinds 3K / 6K - Ante 6K

Yii Fei Si leads the way at a stacked Table 15 with 435,000, while Pao Hsuan Hsu has built up nicely to sit on 355,000.

Level 16: Blinds 3K / 5K - Ante 5K

Juntae Park picked up Big Slick and put it to good use to thin down the field.

Park had his stack of 69,000 in the middle from late position and was up against Liang Ko Cheng, who put his 65,000 in from the small blind.

Liang Ko Cheng: A♠Q♠

Juntae Park: A♦K♣

Cheng was way behind, but found some chop outs on the 4♠5♣4♥ flop as any five would give both players two pair with an ace-kicker. More outs arrived in the form of a flush draw on the 9♠ turn for Cheng, but the 3♥ river bricked out, sending him to the rail.

Level 16: Blinds 3K / 5K - Ante 5K

Ben Ybarsabal opened to 10,000 from middle position before Paul Wee three-bet to 30,000 from the hijack. Small blind Carlos Chang then four-bet to 100,000, and once it folded back to Wee, he five-bet jammed. Chang snap-called to put Wee at risk.

Paul Wee: T♦T♠

Carlos Chang: A♥K♠

Wee let out some noises of frustration as the 2♣5♠A♦ flop was dealt, vaulting Chang into the lead.

No help came on the 5♥ turn or the 3♣ river, and Wee hit the rail as Chang chipped up to around 400,000.

Level 16: Blinds 3K / 5K - Ante 5K

Dick Son Lool, who is among the chip leaders in the field, raised to 10,000 from the hijack, and big blind Hendrick Uibo defended.

Both players checked the T♥J♦3♣ flop through to the 9♣ turn, where Uibo led for 28,000. Lool called.

The 5♠ landed on the river, and Uibo fired a hefty 60,000. Lool thought it over before sending his hand to the muck.

Entries: 215/740 Remaining

The National Cup Championship Flight C field is now on a 15-minute break.

Level 15: Blinds 2K / 4K - Ante 4K

David Wintersberger raised to 4,000 from the hijack and was joined by cutoff Hao Wang, button Selim Oulmekki and big blind Chih Han Hsu.

The action checked to Oulmekki on the Q♠Q♦4♥ flop, and he bet 11,000. Only Hsu stuck around.

The A♥ landed on the turn, and Hsu check-called once more, this time for 16,500.

The J♥ completed the board, and Hsu checked a third time. Oulmekki peeked at his cards and checked behind, only to muck as Hsu turned over Q♥J♦ for a rivered full house.

Level 15: Blinds 2K / 4K - Ante 4K

Hon Cheong "Ivan" Lee just hit quads to boost his stack to around 220,000!

On a board of J♣5♥J♥T♥J♠, Yen Wen Chang checked the big blind and Lee put out a bet of 50,000 on the button. Chang called.

Lee then flipped over J♦8♥ for quads, and that was good against the 7♥3♥ of Chang, who had a flush.

Level 15: Blinds 2K / 4K - Ante 4K

Frederick Yu open-jammed for his last 25,500 from the hijack, and Kwai Fun Ying shoved behind from the cutoff for around 60,000. No one else got involved, and the two tabled their cards.

Frederick Yu: A♣4♣

Kwai Fun Ying: A♦9♣

Yu found no help on the 7♠6♣K♠ flop, and the 9♦ turn sealed his elimination as the Q♠ completed the board.

Level 14: Blinds 1.5K / 3K - Ante 3K

Selim Oulmekki has built a monster stack of 410,000, putting him among the leaders as the field continues to thin out. Hyunho Choi isn't too far behind on 303,500. Rene von Reden is around double the 113,000 average with 225,000.

Donghyun Cho raised to 10,000 from the button, then called off his entire 39,500 stack when big blind Shing Kwan Chang shoved.

Donghyun Cho: Q♠Q♥

Shing Kwan Chang: A♣K♥

Cho's ladies were on the right side of the T♣J♥5♦ flop, but the K♠ turn gave Chang the better pair. Cho was now open-ended, however, looking for a nine or an ace to stay in the game.

Luck was on Cho's side as the 9♣ river completed his straight and gave him a life-saving double.

Level 14: Blinds 1.5K / 3K - Ante 3K

The floor have announced that there are 104 spots available in the money for Day 2. Currently, there are 290 players remaining, which means the field needs to be trimmed by around two-thirds because play can end.

Elsewhere, Flight D has kicked off and is approaching the 200-entry mark at the end of the second level of play.

Level 13: Blinds 1.5K / 2.5K - Ante 2.5K

Tables continue to be broken as the field shrinks further in Level 13. Among those to hit the rail are Toby Joyce, Joris Michl and Deborah Espe.

Level 13: Blinds 1.5K / 2.5K - Ante 3K

As the players continue to drop like flies, some stacks are starting to be built.

Michael Lech has around 200,000 in front of him, and Tom Verbruggen is not far behind with 140,000.

Sean Ragozzini is motoring along well with 130,000, with both Toby Joyce and Ken Demlakian hovering around the 35,000-chip mark.

Level 13: Blinds 1,5K / 2.5K - Ante 2.5K

Hand 1: Shou Ze Lin raised to 5,000 from early position and was called by button Tzu Shan Huang. Big blind Hao Wang then squeeze-jammed for around 50,000 and collected the pot.

Hand 2: Shih Wei Lin opened to 5,500 from the hijack and was called by button Artur Akhmetzianov. Small blind Wang jammed once more, this time for around 77,000, and again collected the pot.

Hand 3: Juntae Park shoved for 15,000 from the cutoff, and big blind Shou Ze called.

Juntae Park: A♠2♦
Shou Ze Lin: 5♣4♣

The 6♥A♥6♣5♦3♦ runout kept Park's paired ace ahead and awarded him the full double.

Hand 4: Shou Ze limped in from the small blind and Po Ching Lee checked, before folding to Shou Ze's bet of 2,500 on the T♦J♥7♥ flop.

Level 12: Blinds 1K / 2K - Ante 2K

Shin Mau Lin open-jammed for around 17,000 from the hijack, and button Younho Jeong called off his remaining 14,500. Big blind Jinho Hong then called with a covering stack to put them both at risk.

Younho Jeong: A♦Q♠
Shin Mau Lin: A♥8♦
Jinho Hong: Q♣Q♦

Jeong and Lin were holding each other's outs, both looking for one of the two remaining aces to stay alive, with Hong a sizeable favourite to score the double knockout.

The 9♦9♠9♥ flop gave Hong a full house, and both Lin and Jeong were out of their seats as the T♠ turn landed.

Both were promptly reseated, however, when the A♠ river gave them a superior full house. The pair chopped the main pot, with Lin also collecting a small side pot, denting Hong in the process.

Level 12: Blinds 1K / 2K - Ante 2K

The action on Table 12 just heated up as Ming Sheng Liu opened to 4,000 from under the gun. Chi Ho Yeung called in the hijack and Natsuki Kuromizu called in the small blind, before Chung Chie Kuan made it 17,000 to go from the big blind.

Liu folded, Yeung back-raised all-in for around 75,000, and Kuromizu folded. After thinking it over, Kuan made the call with a slightly covering stack.

Chi Ho Yeung: 8♠8♥
Chung Chie Kuan: T♠T♥

Yeung's snowmen were dominated by the pocket tens of Kuan, and his search for a date with an eight would continue as the 6♠9♦9♥4♦7♦ runout meant his dreams of qualifying to Day 2 melted away...at least in Flight C.

Level 12: Blinds 1,000 / 2,000 - Ante 2,000

Hyoseok Park leads the way at Table 33 with 165,000, while Hao Chih Yang is the only other player at the table to have cracked six figures.

A late surge in Flight C of the National Cup Championship pushed the field to 740 entries (569 unique), setting a new APT Championship record for the largest starting flight. It surpassed the previous high of 725 entries, set in last year's Mini Main Championship, won by none other than Natural8 Ambassador Nevan Chang.

That brings the combined field across the first three flights to 1,560 entries, with two more flights still to come this evening.

The target? Last year's total of 2,398 entries!

Level 11: Blinds 1K / 1.5K - Ante 1.5K

Tzu De Lin raised to 3,000 from middle position, and Tokuya Shuto called from the big blind.

Shuto checked the 9♠4♠4♥ flop and Lin bet 3,000. Shuto raised to 6,500, and Lin called.

Both checked the 7♠ turn, and on the 6♠ river, Shuto stuck in 5,000. Lin looked a little sick but tossed in the call without too much hesitation, turning over two red kings, K♦K♥.

Shuto showed 9♥8♣ for a pair and little else, much to Lin's relief.

Level 10: Blinds 700 / 1.4K - Ante 1.4K

Down to his last four big blinds, Yohn Paredes got his 6,000 chips in from the cutoff, and button Jian Jun Ng made the call as a few "good lucks" were heard around the table.

Neither blind wanted to get involved, and the two were left to show down.

Yohn Paredes: A♦T♠
Jian Jun Ng: A♥K♠

Paredes let out a wry laugh. "I haven't seen ace-king all day," he said.

He had already tossed his time banks in and ejected himself from his seat as the dealer fanned the 4♠T♣3♦ flop, which put him ahead to some commotion at the table.

The 9♦ turn and J♦ river were safe, and the Peruvian scored the double and then some, giving him a little more breathing room.

"The stand-up method works," a tablemate quipped.

411 players are currently seated from 690 entries (and counting), and are now on their second 15-minute break of the day.

Level 10: Blinds 700 / 1.4K - Ante 1.4K

The action was joined with the board reading J♥9♥T♠ and Anacleto Quijano all in for his last ~6,000 against Jeng Hsun Mao.

Quijano showed K♦T♦ for middle pair and a gutshot, but was trailing Mao's pocket queens, Q♠Q♣.

No help came on the 4♠3♠ runout, and Quijano hit the rail.

Level 10: Blinds 700 / 1.4K - Ante 1.4K

Jinhwan Jeong raised to 3,000 from the button, and Sirimas Thanalertlap committed her final 5,000 chips. Big blind Yohn Paredes, sitting on around 12 big blinds, complained about his hand before sending it to the muck. Jeong quickly called, and the two players showed down.

Sirimas Thanalertlap: Q♠T♥
Jinhwan Jeong: K♦K♠

Jeong's monster holding faced no sweat on the A♥8♦7♦ flop, leaving the Thai player needing running cards to stay in the game.

The 4♦ turn sealed it, and the 5♠ completed the board as Thanalertlap hit the rail.

Level 10: Blinds 700 / 1,400 - Ante 1,400

Rene von Reden, who won the APT Taipei Poker Classic Main Event back in 2024, is battling it out in the National Cup Championship. Von Reden has around 55,000 in front of him as play moves into the last level of registration.

Poland's Dawid Smolka (60,000), Australia's John Perry (45,000), and USA's Brian Green (45,000) are also still involved.

Michel Molenaar and Victoria Livschitz busted a bullet at identical times, but both bought back in and are in their new seats.

Level 9: Blinds 600 / 1.2K - Ante 1.2K

Liu Yu opened to 2,400 from early position and was called by Yu Zu Chuang in the cutoff. Small blind Wan Yun Lai then three-bet jammed his remaining 9,200, and Yu made the sole call.

Wan Yun Lai: K♦9♦
Liu Yu: K♣J♠

Lai was looking for a shiny flop or a nine to stay in the game, but the 4♥4♣2♥ flop provided little in the way of help.

The 7♣ turn was no use either, nor the T♦ river, and Lai was eliminated as Yu added a nice chunk of chips.

Level 9: Blinds 600 / 1,200 - Ante 1,200

Daniel Craig was seen scooping a massive pile of chips, having clashed on the river with Tzu An Feng, seated directly to his left.

The board read 3♥7♠9♥J♣6♣, and Feng had called Craig's shove with 7♣7♦ for a set of sevens.

Craig had the Knives Out, however, turning over J♠J♥ for the higher set to rake in the huge pot and leave Feng short and looking visibly shaken, not stirred.

It wasn't quite Casino Royale, but the superior set allowed him to rake in the huge pot and leave Feng with just a couple of blinds and little more.

Craig is building a Layer Cake of a stack, sitting on over 240,000.

Level 8: Blinds 500 / 1,000 - Ante 1,000

Chen Ming Young opened to 2,000 from early position and was called by Jaesoon Kim a couple of seats over. Alex Lindop, seated in the hijack, quickly confirmed Young's stack of 30,000 before three-betting to 7,500.

Small blind Ting Yu Chen then cold four-bet jammed for 33,000, and despite some mulling from a couple of players, he took down the pot to add around 13,000 to his stack.

A short while later, Lindop had dipped to under 17,000.

Level 8: Blinds 500 / 1,000 - Ante 1,000

Level 8: Blinds 500 / 1,000 - Ante 1,000

A few notables have taken their seats in Flight C of the National Cup Championship.

Kevin Tang is playing and has boosted his stack to around 75,000. Kunal Patni has been seated with a stack of 40,000.

Thailand's Isara Premphonkamol has just over starting stack with 42,000, and Alex Lindop has 45,000. Australia's Ken Demlakian has also joined the field and has around the starting stack in the middle of Level 8.

Level 7: Blinds 400 / 800 - Ante 800

Linus Goh raised to 1,600 from the cutoff and collected the blinds.

Yousef Nassr then opened to 1,600 from under the gun to no resistance.

Jin Long Pan opened to 2,400 from the button on the next hand, and small blind Nishit Jain made the sole call.

Jain check-called Pan's bet of 2,300 on the 8♣A♣2♦ flop, and on the K♠ turn he check-called once more, this time for 6,000. Pan jammed the 6♥ river and eventually forced a fold.

Goh then opened to 1,600 from early position, and Pan called from the cutoff.

Both players checked the 3♦4♥3♠ flop through to the 9♣ turn, where Goh check-called Pan's bet of 1,400. The 8♠ river was checked through, and Goh's A♠J♥ took the pot with a jack kicker over Pan's A♣2♠.

Level 7: Blinds 400 / 800 - Ante 800

Daniel Ruiz raised to 1,700 from under the gun, and Yifu He called from a couple of seats over, as did big blind Po Yu Su.

Su and Ruiz checked the 5♦6♥J♥ flop over to He, who bet 2,200. Su called before Ruiz check-raised to 9,000, and only He stuck around.

The A♥ hit the turn, and Ruiz checked. He didn't take too long before counting out 21,000 and sticking it in the middle, sending the Spanish player into the tank.

Ruiz used a time bank before opting to fold, knocking the table as he did, having taken considerable damage to his stack.

Level 6: Blinds 300 / 600 - Ante 600

Edwin Kwan raised to 1,200 from under the gun before Natsuki Kuromizu three-bet to 3,000 directly to his left. Kwan took a moment before eventually making the call.

The dealer fanned the 5♣T♠K♦ flop, and Kwan checked before promptly folding to Kuromizu's continuation-bet of 2,500.

The Japanese player added a small chunk of chips to her already hefty stack.

Level 6: Blinds 300 / 600 - Ante 600

Small blind Jaesung Kang, sitting with a fresh stack after busting in the last level, limped in before big blind Hsiang Chun Chang raised to 2,500.

Kang then re-raised to 6,700, and Chang immediately shoved with a covering stack. Perhaps suffering some trauma from his last preflop all-in, Kang used a time bank before mucking, showing the A♠ as he did.

Chang gratuitously flicked over A♦K♣, and Kang nodded his head.

The 281 players currently in the National Cup Championship are now on their first 15-minute break of the day.

Level 5: Blinds 300 / 500 - Ante 500

Following a preflop raising war, all of Jaesung Kang's chips went into the middle against Liang Ko Chen, with the two players tabling monster holdings.

Jaesung Kang: K♠K♥
Liang Ko Chen: A♦A♣

Kang had been unfortunate, but the hearty 2♥5♥8♥ flop offered him some extra outs with a flush draw, something he was keen to vocalize.

The 5♣ turn and 6♦ river were of little help, however, and the Korean hit the rail.

Level 5: Blinds 300 / 500 - Ante 500

Level 4: Blinds 200 / 400 - Ante 400

The action was joined with the board reading 8♠8♦Q♠ and around 35,000 in the middle.

Junyeon Jang was all in and at risk for his last ~20,000 against Po Tse Wu, with Jang's Q♦J♦ ahead of Wu's 4♠4♥.

The J♣ turn improved the short stack to an even better two pair. However, Wu, who was already boasting quite a sizeable stack, continued his run of good form when the 4♣ hit the river, a two-outer that scored the knockout on Jang and took his stack to over 120,000.

Level 4: Blinds 200 / 400 - Ante 400

Flight C of the National Cup Championship has, predictably, attracted a number of notables that are now in the field.

Maxim Lykov, a WSOP bracelet winner and EPT Kyiv champion, is in the field, as is four-time APT champion Hal Rotholz. Fellow bracelet winner Alex Lindop is another familiar face on the APT, while Tolga Karakaya arrives fresh off an 11th-place finish in this year's WSOP Main Event.

Yifu He, who finished ninth in this summer's WSOP Millionaire Maker, has also taken a seat, alongside APT champion Sai Hang Jason Chau and WPT Cambodia title winner Graham Cowan.

Level 3: Blinds 200 / 300 - Ante 300

Mehmet Siginc opened to 800 from the hijack and was joined to the flop by button Tsz Ching Lau and Tao Qin in the small blind.

Qin check-called and Lau stuck around when Siginc fired 1,200 on the 6♦K♥2♠ flop.

The T♦ hit the turn, and Qin and Siginc checked before both folding to Lau's bet of 3,000.

Despite giving up this pot, Siginc remains the clear chip leader at Table 9 with over 100,000 in his stack, good for over 350 big blinds.

Level 3: Blinds 200 / 300 - Ante 300

Siarhei Chudapal raised to 700 from the cutoff, and only small blind Roy Lee joined him to the flop.

The dealer fanned 9♣2♦2♠, and Lee check-called Chudapal's continuation-bet of 800.

The 5♦ landed on the turn, and the action repeated, this time for 2,200.

Chudapal fired 6,000 on the 9♥ river, and Lee didn't take too long to put in the call, before mucking as Chudapal turned over T♠9♠ for a rivered full house.

Level 2: Blinds 100 / 300 - Ante 300

The registration desk does not currently look like this
 

There's a queue round the corner of players looking to register for Flight C of the National Cup Championship, and with the second level coming to a close, it looks like more records could be broken in this event.

140 players are now registered, with registration open for another eight levels.

Level 2: Blinds 100 / 300 - Ante 300

Myonso Yoshiyama raised to 700 from the button before calling small blind Nuttawat Ittipakorn's three-bet to 2,000.

The Thai player led for 1,500 on the 9♥T♦J♣ flop, and Yoshiyama quickly called.

The 7♠ landed on the turn, and Ittipakorn fired 2,500, called once more by Yoshiyama.

The Q♠ completed the board, and Ittipakorn sized down to 3,000. Yoshiyama took a moment before sending his hand back to the dealer, with the Thai player tapping the table.

Level 1: Blinds 100 / 200 - Ante 200

Darren Goh opened to 600 from the hijack, and Kuo Hung and Roy Lee called from the cutoff and button, before small blind Sung Jin Yun squeezed to 3,600. Only Lee called.

On the T♣J♠4♠ flop, Yun fired 2,800, and Lee quickly called.

Yun barreled again for 7,300 on the Q♣ turn, before calling Lee's raise to 16,000.

The 5♥ completed the board and Yun checked. Lee rather quickly jammed for his remaining 17,000, and without too much hesitation, Yun let the hand go.

Lee gratuitously showed K♦9♠ for a turned straight.

Level 1: Blinds 100 / 200 - Ante 200

The action was joined on a [Qx] [3x] [Ax] [9x] [5x] board with around 7,000 in the middle.

Under the gun player Ekkacha Winpatthanon bet 5,000 on the river following a check from big blind Mitsuto Ito, and the Japanese player quickly put in the call.

Winpatthanon proudly tabled [Ax] [Jx] for top pair, but Ito had flopped the best of it, turning over [Qx] [3x] for two pair to take the sizeable pot in a rather tilting scenario for the Thai player.

Level 1: Blinds 100 / 200 - Ante 200

Flight C of the National Cup Championship is underway at Red Space, with players from all four corners of the world among the early entries.

Here are some of the players who have taken their seats so far.

The Asian Poker Tour Championship (APTC) 2026 continues at Red Space with Flight C, the third of five starting flights in the TWD 16,000 buy-in event. Cards are in the air at 11:00 AM local time, and with 25-minute levels, Flight C offers a little more breathing room than last night's turbo.

So far the first two flights have drawn 820 entries. Flight A brought 602 (464 unique), with 84 players surviving, while 218 entries (181 unique) got involved in Flight B and 31 made it through. That's 115 players already locked into Sunday's Final Day with a TWD 20,000,000 guarantee on the line.

Players start with 40,000 in chips, and can jump into this flight until approximately 3:40 PM ahead of Level 11. As with the previous flights, the field will play down to the top 14%, with every survivor securing a min-cash and a seat on the Final Day.


Australia's Troy Mclean currently holds the lead after bagging 1,261,000 in Flight B, just ahead of Flight A leader Konosuke Nakajima (1,234,000). Jun Wei Yan is the only other player to have bagged a seven-figure stack so far.

National Cup Championship Top Ten Stacks So Far

Flights D and E follow later today, before the Final Day gets underway tomorrow, Sunday, November 15, at 11:15 AM.

Stay tuned to the APT Live Reporting blog for all the action from Flight C.