Taiwan, Asia Poker Arena & Red SpaceEVENT #54

2026.04.26 - 2026.05.02Add to Calendar

Asian Poker Tour

Blind level

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

LIVE UPDATES BY APT

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 2:43:30 PM

Daniel Neilson Leads Day 2A Survivors Into Day 3 of the APT Taipei 2026 Main Event

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

Daniel Neilson

Day 2A of the APT Taipei 2026 Main Event has wrapped up here at the Red Space venue in Taipei. A combined 587 players returned to the felt from Flights A, C, and D, playing all the way down to the money bubble before bagging up for the night. The Main Event itself has drawn a massive 2,354 entries (1,300 unique), generating a TWD 111,862,080 (~USD 3,585,320) prize pool.

Of the 587 players who took their seats for Day 2A, just 199 bagged up to advance to Day 3. Leading them is Australia's Daniel Neilson with 1,425,000. A seasoned veteran with nearly $6 million in career earnings, Neilson has a third-place finish at WSOP Paradise among his career highlights and won an APT title here in Taipei back in 2024. He also cashed in the Superstar Challenge earlier this series, making this a strong run across the board. South Korea's Hoseong Ha is close behind with 1,180,000, while Laos' Mangkone Sanaphanith rounds out the top three with 1,054,000.

Day 2A Top Ten Chip Counts

Player	Chips
DN Daniel NeilsonAustralia	1,425,000(178 BB)
HH Hoseong HaSouth Korea	1,180,000(148 BB)
MS Mangkone SanaphanithLao People's Democratic Republic	1,054,000(132 BB)
CC Cheng Chuang LinTaiwan	940,000(118 BB)
TA The Anh TranViet Nam	841,000(105 BB)
YS Yoo SunhoSouth Korea	810,000(101 BB)
TR Tony Ren LinChina	766,000(96 BB)
DK Dohyeok KimSouth Korea	758,000(95 BB)
JO Junseok OhSouth Korea	728,000(91 BB)
MP Manwoo ParkSouth Korea	680,000(85 BB)

Day 2A Action

The 587-strong field returned to Red Space with a spot in the money firmly in sight, and the eliminations came at a steady pace throughout the day.

Three of Asia's biggest names entered Day 2A carrying the weight of their countries' all-time money lists on their shoulders. Thailand's Punnat Punsri, the 2025 GPI Player of the Year, and the Philippines' James Mendoza both fell short of bagging up, while Vietnam's Nguyen Le fared better, bagging 352,000 to carry the flag into Day 3.

Ren Lin

Ren Lin, fresh off his remarkable back-to-back victories at the APT Jeju Classic, bags in seventh with 766,000, showing he remains in fine form. Andres Vasquez had a strong day at the tables, scooping a three-way pot with queens to eliminate Nai Yuan Hu along the way, eventually bagging 679,000, just outside of the top 10. Joseph Cheong bags 529,000 after a consistent session, showing no fear around the bubble, especially. Peter Kiem bags 428,000, while recent APO Champion Joris Michl ends the day with 190,000.

The day also saw a number of notable departures. Nishant Sharma, the reigning APT Championship Main Event winner, and Harry Halim, who final-tabled the Super High Roller earlier in the series, both hit the rail before bagging time. Swiss grinder Fabian Rolli also fell short, as did Rosalie Petit, the reigning APT Championship Women's Event champion, who battled hard throughout the day but ultimately couldn't find a bag to take into Day 3.

Rosalie Petit

The Bubble

As the field tightened around the money, the tension was thick in the air. On the soft bubble, Yuta Arai's set of queens was overtaken by Ryota Shinde's rivered straight, sending him to the rail just two spots from the money in particularly cruel fashion.

Aung Myo then produced one of the most memorable moments of the session. All-in on the stone bubble with pocket jacks against Gab Yong Kim's six-three offsuit, having made a trip threes on the flop. Myo was needing a two-outer to survive, and he found exactly that on the river. He leapt from his seat and punched the air as the halls of the Red Space venue erupted around him.

Aung Myo proved the poker gods have a sense of humour

The stone bubble proved equally dramatic. Yung Teng Wang shoved from under the gun with pocket kings and was called by Chun Shing Lau in the hijack with queens. Wang was firmly in front until the flop delivered a set for Lau, and despite a desperate wait for the turn and river, no help came, sending Wang to the rail as the bubble boy and locking up a cash for all remaining players.

Yung Teng Wang was 2A's unfortunate bubble boy

What's Next

Day 3 begins tomorrow at 11:15 AM local time at Red Space, where the Day 2A survivors will be joined by the Day 2B field. With the prize pool confirmed at TWD 111,862,080 (~USD 3,585,320) and a Gold Lion Trophy on the line, the race is well and truly heating up.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 1:47:01 PM

Play Concludes

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

The remaining 199 players from Day 2A have bagged up their chips and will return tomorrow for Day 3, along with all of the survivors from Day 2B, which is currently still playing out.

Stay tuned for chip counts and a full recap of the day's action.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 12:44:50 PM

Yung Teng Wang Is the APT Main Event Bubble Boy of 2A

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

Yung Teng Wang

Yung Teng Wang was under the gun and risked his last 147,000 all in. Chun Shing Lau on the hijack made the call.

When the cards were flipped...

Yung Teng Wang: K♠ K♥

Chun Shing Lau: Q♣ Q♥

Wang was ahead with pocket kings and was poised to double up.

However, the poker gods thought they saw too many double ups during the bubble period and threw a flop of 4♣ 2♦ Q♠ to give Lau a set of queens to overtake Wang.

Wang needed a miracle to keep his Main Event dream alive, but the 6♠ turn didn't provide any promise and the J♠ on the river broke his dream, sending him out as the bubble boy.

Player	Chips
CS Chun Shing LauHong Kong	385,000(48 BB)
YT Yung Teng Wang	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 12:14:43 PM

Yuta Arai Eliminated On The Soft Bubble

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

Yuta Arai was up against Ryota Shinde.

The board showed 5♦ 4♦ Q♣ 3♠ 7♣ beside a pot of around 65,000.

Arai was at risk for his last 44,000 with Shinde making the call.

Yuta Arai: Q♦ Q♥

Ryota Shinde: 6♠ 6♣

Arai had a pair of queens, but wasn't enough against the straight of Shinde, sending him on the soft bubble, just two spots away from the money.

Player	Chips
RS Ryota ShindeJapan	512,000(64 BB)
YA Yuta AraiJapan	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 12:03:47 PM

Final Numbers, Prize Pool & Payouts Announced

The numbers have been crunched, and fingers are aching from the tapping on the calculators, but the final figures have just been released.

The 2026 APT Taipei Main Event smashed the TWD 70 Million guarantee with a huge 2,354 players ponying up the TWD 55,000 buy-in, generating a massive TWD 111,862,080 (~USD 3,585,320) prize pool.

A total of 340 players will be paid with a minimum cash prize of TWD 94,000 (~USD 3,010), being awarded, but all players will be eyeing up the mouth-watering first-place prize of TWD 16,640,100 (~USD 533,340) which comes along with the coveted APT Gold Lion Trophy.

The top six placed finishers will also receive a ticket to the APT Championship Main Event here in Taipei this November, worth TWD 312,000 (~USD 10,000), and an additional two tickets will be awarded randomly, one to a random draw after all players are in the money, and one to a random draw on Day 4.

Place	Payout (TWD)	Payout (USD)
1	16,640,100	$533,340
2	9,519,000	$305,100
3	6,510,000	$208,650
4	4,880,000	$156,410
5	4,081,000	$130,800
6	3,297,500	$105,690
7	2,516,500	$80,660
8	1,807,000	$57,920
9	1,376,500	$44,120
10	1,150,000	$36,860
11	1,150,000	$36,860
12	1,023,000	$32,790
13	1,023,000	$32,790
14	913,500	$29,280
15	913,500	$29,280
16	804,000	$25,770
17	804,000	$25,770
18	695,000	$22,275
19	695,000	$22,275
20	695,000	$22,275
21	585,500	$18,765
22	585,500	$18,765
23	585,500	$18,765
24	481,500	$15,430
25	481,500	$15,430
26	481,500	$15,430
27	481,500	$15,430
28	409,000	$13,110
29	409,000	$13,110
30	409,000	$13,110
31	409,000	$13,110
32	346,000	$11,090
33	346,000	$11,090
34	346,000	$11,090
35	346,000	$11,090
36	346,000	$11,090
37	346,000	$11,090
38	346,000	$11,090
39	346,000	$11,090
40	285,500	$9,150
41	285,500	$9,150
42	285,500	$9,150
43	285,500	$9,150
44	285,500	$9,150
45	285,500	$9,150
46	285,500	$9,150
47	285,500	$9,150
48	285,500	$9,150
49	285,500	$9,150
50	285,500	$9,150
51	285,500	$9,150
52	285,500	$9,150
53	285,500	$9,150
54	285,500	$9,150
55	285,500	$9,150
56	225,500	$7,230
57	225,500	$7,230
58	225,500	$7,230
59	225,500	$7,230
60	225,500	$7,230
61	225,500	$7,230
62	225,500	$7,230
63	225,500	$7,230
64	225,500	$7,230
65	225,500	$7,230
66	225,500	$7,230
67	225,500	$7,230
68	225,500	$7,230
69	225,500	$7,230
70	225,500	$7,230
71	225,500	$7,230
72	189,500	$6,075
73	189,500	$6,075
74	189,500	$6,075
75	189,500	$6,075
76	189,500	$6,075
77	189,500	$6,075
78	189,500	$6,075
79	189,500	$6,075
80	189,500	$6,075
81	189,500	$6,075
82	189,500	$6,075
83	189,500	$6,075
84	189,500	$6,075
85	189,500	$6,075
86	189,500	$6,075
87	189,500	$6,075
88	189,500	$6,075
89	189,500	$6,075
90	189,500	$6,075
91	189,500	$6,075
92	189,500	$6,075
93	189,500	$6,075
94	189,500	$6,075
95	189,500	$6,075
96	162,000	$5,190
97	162,000	$5,190
98	162,000	$5,190
99	162,000	$5,190
100	162,000	$5,190
101	162,000	$5,190
102	162,000	$5,190
103	162,000	$5,190
104	162,000	$5,190
105	162,000	$5,190
106	162,000	$5,190
107	162,000	$5,190
108	162,000	$5,190
109	162,000	$5,190
110	162,000	$5,190
111	162,000	$5,190
112	162,000	$5,190
113	162,000	$5,190
114	162,000	$5,190
115	162,000	$5,190
116	162,000	$5,190
117	162,000	$5,190
118	162,000	$5,190
119	162,000	$5,190
120	138,500	$4,440
121	138,500	$4,440
122	138,500	$4,440
123	138,500	$4,440
124	138,500	$4,440
125	138,500	$4,440
126	138,500	$4,440
127	138,500	$4,440
128	138,500	$4,440
129	138,500	$4,440
130	138,500	$4,440
131	138,500	$4,440
132	138,500	$4,440
133	138,500	$4,440
134	138,500	$4,440
135	138,500	$4,440
136	138,500	$4,440
137	138,500	$4,440
138	138,500	$4,440
139	138,500	$4,440
140	138,500	$4,440
141	138,500	$4,440
142	138,500	$4,440
143	138,500	$4,440
144	123,000	$3,940
145	123,000	$3,940
146	123,000	$3,940
147	123,000	$3,940
148	123,000	$3,940
149	123,000	$3,940
150	123,000	$3,940
151	123,000	$3,940
152	123,000	$3,940
153	123,000	$3,940
154	123,000	$3,940
155	123,000	$3,940
156	123,000	$3,940
157	123,000	$3,940
158	123,000	$3,940
159	123,000	$3,940
160	123,000	$3,940
161	123,000	$3,940
162	123,000	$3,940
163	123,000	$3,940
164	123,000	$3,940
165	123,000	$3,940
166	123,000	$3,940
167	123,000	$3,940
168	123,000	$3,940
169	123,000	$3,940
170	123,000	$3,940
171	123,000	$3,940
172	123,000	$3,940
173	123,000	$3,940
174	123,000	$3,940
175	123,000	$3,940
176	123,000	$3,940
177	123,000	$3,940
178	123,000	$3,940
179	123,000	$3,940
180	123,000	$3,940
181	123,000	$3,940
182	123,000	$3,940
183	123,000	$3,940
184	110,500	$3,540
185	110,500	$3,540
186	110,500	$3,540
187	110,500	$3,540
188	110,500	$3,540
189	110,500	$3,540
190	110,500	$3,540
191	110,500	$3,540
192	110,500	$3,540
193	110,500	$3,540
194	110,500	$3,540
195	110,500	$3,540
196	110,500	$3,540
197	110,500	$3,540
198	110,500	$3,540
199	110,500	$3,540
200	110,500	$3,540
201	110,500	$3,540
202	110,500	$3,540
203	110,500	$3,540
204	110,500	$3,540
205	110,500	$3,540
206	110,500	$3,540
207	110,500	$3,540
208	110,500	$3,540
209	110,500	$3,540
210	110,500	$3,540
211	110,500	$3,540
212	110,500	$3,540
213	110,500	$3,540
214	110,500	$3,540
215	110,500	$3,540
216	110,500	$3,540
217	110,500	$3,540
218	110,500	$3,540
219	110,500	$3,540
220	110,500	$3,540
221	110,500	$3,540
222	110,500	$3,540
223	110,500	$3,540
224	102,000	$3,270
225	102,000	$3,270
226	102,000	$3,270
227	102,000	$3,270
228	102,000	$3,270
229	102,000	$3,270
230	102,000	$3,270
231	102,000	$3,270
232	102,000	$3,270
233	102,000	$3,270
234	102,000	$3,270
235	102,000	$3,270
236	102,000	$3,270
237	102,000	$3,270
238	102,000	$3,270
239	102,000	$3,270
240	102,000	$3,270
241	102,000	$3,270
242	102,000	$3,270
243	102,000	$3,270
244	102,000	$3,270
245	102,000	$3,270
246	102,000	$3,270
247	102,000	$3,270
248	102,000	$3,270
249	102,000	$3,270
250	102,000	$3,270
251	102,000	$3,270
252	102,000	$3,270
253	102,000	$3,270
254	102,000	$3,270
255	102,000	$3,270
256	102,000	$3,270
257	102,000	$3,270
258	102,000	$3,270
259	102,000	$3,270
260	102,000	$3,270
261	102,000	$3,270
262	102,000	$3,270
263	102,000	$3,270
264	97,000	$3,110
265	97,000	$3,110
266	97,000	$3,110
267	97,000	$3,110
268	97,000	$3,110
269	97,000	$3,110
270	97,000	$3,110
271	97,000	$3,110
272	97,000	$3,110
273	97,000	$3,110
274	97,000	$3,110
275	97,000	$3,110
276	97,000	$3,110
277	97,000	$3,110
278	97,000	$3,110
279	97,000	$3,110
280	97,000	$3,110
281	97,000	$3,110
282	97,000	$3,110
283	97,000	$3,110
284	97,000	$3,110
285	97,000	$3,110
286	97,000	$3,110
287	97,000	$3,110
288	97,000	$3,110
289	97,000	$3,110
290	97,000	$3,110
291	97,000	$3,110
292	97,000	$3,110
293	97,000	$3,110
294	97,000	$3,110
295	97,000	$3,110
296	97,000	$3,110
297	97,000	$3,110
298	97,000	$3,110
299	97,000	$3,110
300	97,000	$3,110
301	97,000	$3,110
302	97,000	$3,110
303	97,000	$3,110
304	97,000	$3,110
305	97,000	$3,110
306	97,000	$3,110
307	97,000	$3,110
308	97,000	$3,110
309	97,000	$3,110
310	97,000	$3,110
311	97,000	$3,110
312	97,000	$3,110
313	97,000	$3,110
314	97,000	$3,110
315	97,000	$3,110
316	97,000	$3,110
317	97,000	$3,110
318	97,000	$3,110
319	97,000	$3,110
320	97,000	$3,110
321	97,000	$3,110
322	97,000	$3,110
323	97,000	$3,110
324	97,000	$3,110
325	97,000	$3,110
326	97,000	$3,110
327	97,000	$3,110
328	94,000	$3,010
329	94,000	$3,010
330	94,000	$3,010
331	94,000	$3,010
332	94,000	$3,010
333	94,000	$3,010
334	94,000	$3,010
335	94,000	$3,010
336	94,000	$3,010
337	94,000	$3,010
338	94,000	$3,010
339	94,000	$3,010
340	94,000	$3,010

Stay tuned for all the action live and direct from the floor as it unfolds.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 12:01:20 PM

Kim's Aces Hold Up

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

With the flop showing 2♣ 7♣ J♠ and after some betting and raising, Minjae Kim's stack of 124,000 got into the middle from the cutoff, with Yi Chang Ho being the player trying to bust him in the hijack.

Minjae Kim: A♠ A♣

Yi Chang Ho: Q♠ J♣

Kim needed his pocket rockets to hold up or he would bust shy of the money and Day 2A would be on the official bubble.

The K♥ hit the turn, which was safe for Kim.

A 3♥ on the river meant Kim's aces held up and he survived the rail.

Player	Chips
MK Minjae KimSouth Korea	310,000(39 BB)
YH Yichang HoTaiwan	50,000(6 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 11:30:10 AM

Two More To Go! It's Bubble Time!

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

Chi Dung Tran

203 Players remain. Some of the recent busts nearing the bubble include Jaesik Lim, Matthew Chan, Nguyen Khoi Le and Toni Ravnak

One-time Day 2A monster chip leader Chi Dung Tran also bowed out.

Fendy Kosasih suffered a bad beat with his big slick against ace-queen.

Ho Hoi Choy, Lee Wee Liew and Hal Rotholz were the latest bust outs, prompting the floor to put a pause on the action as play will now go hand-for-hand until the bubble burts.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 11:28:51 AM

Cheong Staying Active

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

Joseph Cheong

Gong Hyeongseok opened to 12,000 from under the gun before calling next-to-act Pei Shan Hsu's 30,000 three-bet. Both players checked through the entirety of the 2♠ 6♥ 8♥ 7♠ K♦ board, with Hyeongseok tabling J♣ J♦ to best Hsu's ace-queen.

The next hand saw small blind Joseph Cheong limp and Hyeongseok check in the big blind. Cheong forced a fold with a 6,000 bet on the 3♦ Q♥ 5♥ flop.

In the third hand of note, Cheong raised to 13,000 from the button and Hsu defended from the big blind before check-folding on the 2♠ A♠ J♠ flop when Cheong continued for 8,000.

Player	Chips
HG Hyeongseok GongSouth Korea	570,000(71 BB)
JC Joseph CheongUnited States of America	520,000(65 BB)
PS Pei Shan HsuTaiwan	410,000(51 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 11:19:34 AM

Hyeongseok Doubles With a Set

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

Gong Hyeongseok

We didn't catch the action, but Gong Hyeongseok had made a set of tens and the chips were being counted by the dealer from the stack of Yashar Mammadov.

Yashar Mammadov

Player	Chips
HG Hyeongseok GongSouth Korea	530,000(66 BB)
YM Yashar MammadovAzerbaijan	70,000(9 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 10:52:53 AM

Break It To Me Gently

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Last break before the bubble breaks. 210 players remain with 11 eliminations to go until the remaining 199 are in the money and will advance to Day 3.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 10:50:34 AM

Matoba Sends Leoncio Out

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Jan Jason Leoncio

Action folded to Masakai Matoba on the cutoff, who raised to 14,500. Jan Jason Leoncio was on the small blind and moved all in for 88,300.

Matoba, after asking for a count, looked at his chips, made the count and pushed them forward for a call.

Jan Jason Leoncio: A♣ 9♣

Masaki Matoba: A♥ T♠

The board fell 4♥ K♠ 7♣ 8♦ Q♠.

No miracles helped Matoba, sending him to the rail, while Matoba continued to build his wall.

Player	Chips
MM Masaki MatobaJapan	496,500(83 BB)
JL Jan LeoncioPhilippines	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 10:30:36 AM

Chen Makes Crucial Double

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Chul Woo Jung opened for 10,000 from the hijack. Jin Yu Chen shoved his last 36,500 all in on the button. Jung just had to add some change and made the call.

Jin Yu Chen: A♠ Q♦

Chul Woo Jung: Q♠ 9♠

Board came K♠ 8♦ 2♦ 3♦ K♥.

No bad upsets for Chen as he made a very critical double up away from the ICU and into the recovery room.

Player	Chips
CW Chul Woo JungSouth Korea	193,500(32 BB)
JY Jin Yu ChenTaiwan	82,500(14 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 10:19:52 AM

Lin Summons Lady Gaga

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Tony Lin

Big blind Tony Lin called Ryuji Suzuki's 11,000 open from under the gun and the two headed to the flop. Both checked when the dealer fanned J♦ 5♦ 3♥, with Lin clearly pleased with the texture.

"Another diamond please!" he requested. The dealer peeled off the Q♦. "Lady Gaga, excellent. 15,000." He slid in the chips, prompting a reluctant fold from Suzuki.

"When Lady Gaga coming, you have no future, my friend," Lin added, flicking over a gratuitous K♦ as he collected the pot.

The next hand saw Shandy Wong open to 10,500 from middle position before being three-bet to 30,000 by button Lin. Wong four-bet to 90,000 and collected the pot without going further.

The two tangled again in the next hand, with Lin calling Wong's 10,000 open before firing 10,000 on the Q♠ J♦ 4♦ flop, enough to pick up a fold from Wong.

Shandy Wong

Player	Chips
TR Tony Ren LinChina	315,000(53 BB)
SW Shandy WongNetherlands	240,000(40 BB)
RS Ryuji SuzukiJapan	90,000(15 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 10:12:45 AM

No Second Main Event Title For Punsri And Other Exits

Level 16: 2,500 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Punnat Punsri

Past APT Main Event Champion Punnat Punsri was short-stacked and didn't recover. He joins Nishant Sharma - another former champion - who also hit the rail much earlier.

Some other names taken off the roster were the likes of

Player	Chips
JL Jason LauMalaysia	busted
PH Pao Hsuan HsuTaiwan	busted
ST Simon Ting	busted
HW Hsiao Wei WuTaiwan	busted
FR Fabian RolliSwitzerland	busted
NR Nirunrut RachburomThailand	busted
KH Keita HiranoJapan	busted
BE Benjamin EbarlePhilippines	busted
CC Chihwei ChengTaiwan	busted
NK Nopparat KongjaiThailand	busted
HH Harry HalimIndonesia	busted
SJ Seungmook JungSouth Korea	busted
MC Michelle ChinUnited States of America	busted
PP Punnat PunsriThailand	busted
NS Nishant SharmaIndia	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 9:58:50 AM

Main De Boissiere's Snowmen Freeze Lim

Level 16: 2,500 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Gregoire Main De Boissiere

A huge pot of 85,000 was in the middle beside a board that showed Q♣ 3♥ 8♦ J♣.

Gregoire Main De Boissiere was on the hijack against Jaesik Lim on the button.

Main De Boissier and Lim checked the turn to reveal a 9♦ on the river.

Main De Boissier led out for 20,000 and Lim made the call.

Main De Boissier turned over 8♣ 8♥ for a set of snowmen, while Lim mucked his hand.

Player	Chips
GM Gregoire Main De Boissiere	178,000(36 BB)
JL Jaesik Lim	51,000(10 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 9:52:02 AM

Kan's Flush Gets Paid

Level 16: 2,500 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Fendy Kosasih

Fendy Kosasih opened to 8,000 from under the gun and big blind Marlon Laxamana defended, before promptly check-folding when Kosasih continued for 15,000 on the 3♥ T♥ 9♦ flop.

Cutoff Kevin Choi raised to 8,000 the next hand, only to fold to Laxamana's 25,000 three-bet from the small blind.

Joel Singam got a walk in the third hand, with small blind Kosasih flicking over seven-deuce in the process.

Kosasih then opened to 10,000 from the button and collected the blinds uncontested.

Wai Cheng Keong shoved his ~65,000-chip stack from early position in the fifth hand and, despite some interest from the blinds, found no customers.

Button Yosuke Ujihara then opened to 8,000 and Choi defended from the big blind. Choi check-called Ujihara's 5,000 continuation-bet on the 2♦ 5♣ 5♥ flop before both players checked the 9♣ turn.

Choi checked a third time on the A♣ river and called Ujihara's 25,000 bet without too much thought, only to look a little sick when the Japanese player tabled 8♠ 5♠ for flopped trips.

The final hand saw big blind Keong shove once again for 61,000, with early raiser Kosasih sticking in the call.

Wai Cheng Keong: K♥ T♥

Fendy Kosasih: A♥ T♣

Kosasih had Keong on the ropes and needing a king. Both connected with the 8♠ 6♠ T♦ flop, but Keong still needed to find another card to stay alive.

The J♠ changed little, and the Q♦ sealed his elimination, adding a welcome boost to Kosasih's stack.

Player	Chips
KC Kevin ChoiHong Kong	380,000(76 BB)
YU Yosuke UjiharaJapan	360,000(72 BB)
JJ Joel Justin SingamMalaysia	350,000(70 BB)
ML Marlon LaxamanaPhilippines	265,000(53 BB)
FK Fendy KosasihIndonesia	180,000(36 BB)
JL Jan LeoncioPhilippines	160,000(32 BB)
WC Wai Cheng KeongMacao	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 9:37:54 AM

Kan's Flush Gets Paid

Level 16: 2,500 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Yew Fatt Kan

Yew Fatt Kan was on the button against Michelle Chin on the big blind.

There was a complete board of J♣ 9♦ 5♠ 2♦ 3♦ beside a lucrative pot of around 75,000.

Chin checked her option to Kan, who pushed in a bet of 38,000, leaving 10,000 behind in his stack.

Chin took a look at her cards, threw in a time bank token, thought that it would be better if whales didn't have to come up for air so they wouldn't be hunted, then counted the chips to call.

Kan peeled open 6♦ 5♦ for a flush. Chin looked like she didn't want to let go of her hand, but eventually turned it in so the dealer could get shuffling.

Michelle Chin

Player	Chips
RK Raiden KanHong Kong	172,000(34 BB)
MC Michelle ChinUnited States of America	107,000(21 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 9:24:19 AM

Earlier On The Day...

Level 16: 2,500 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

David Erquiaga

David Erquiaga reported his hand, saying that he jumped from 45K to 96K after changing tables.

Blinds were still at 1200/2400 when he opened for 5,000 on late position with A♣ K♠

The small blind and big blind chimed in.

Flop arrived A♦ K♥ 5♦.

Both blinds checked to Erquiaga, who bet 8,000. The small blind raised to 22,000. The big blind folded, and Erquiaga jammed for 90K-ish.

The small blind called and showed K♦ 3♦.

The turn came Q♦ The river 2♦.

Erquiaga out and the small blind took down a 200,000 plus pot.

Thanks for sharing, Dave! GG!

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 9:23:00 AM

No Dice for Jung's Aces

Level 16: 2,500 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Yoda Lin opened to 10,000 from under the gun and the action folded around to big blind Chul Woo Jung, who promptly shoved his 386,000-chip stack. Lin turned his head and gave Jung the look, asked for a count, then instantly folded once it was confirmed.

"I never win," Jung said, flicking over A♣ A♥.

"I folded ace-king," Lin replied.

The next hand saw Wei Cheng Yin open to 10,000, receiving calls from cutoff Cheng Wu and big blind Jung. Jung check-called and Wu folded when Yin fired 6,000 on the 8♣ J♣ K♦ flop.

Jung took the betting lead on the 8♦ turn for 8,000, which Yin called, before both players checked the double board-pairing J♥ river. Jung tabled K♠ 5♠ to take the pot.

Player	Chips
CW Chul Woo JungSouth Korea	420,000(84 BB)
YL Yoda LinTaiwan	415,000(83 BB)
CW Cheng WuChina	250,000(50 BB)
WC Wei Cheng YinTaiwan	40,000(8 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 9:21:07 AM

Fan Folds Aces

Level 16: 2,500 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Chih Wei Fan

Pin Cheng Liu opened for 8,000 from under the gun. Chih Wei Fan was on the cutoff and three-bet raised to 25,000. Liu made the call.

Both players checked the flop of 8♠ T♦ 7♣.

The dealer opened a 6♠ on the turn.

Liu led out for 42,000.

Fan took one look at his cards, then mucked it open, showing A♦ A♣ and received some wows and oohs from the table.

Liu also looked confused, but was happy enough to scoop the pot.

Player	Chips
PC Pin Cheng LiuTaiwan	274,000(55 BB)
CW Chih Wei FanTaiwan	160,000(32 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 9:18:00 AM

Time's Up

Level 16: 2,500 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Player	Chips
NS Nishant SharmaIndia	busted
CC Chung Ching CheungHong Kong	busted
HC Hsien Chang LiuTaiwan	busted
TL Tawei LinTaiwan	busted
MT Methavee TaveekitvateeThailand	busted
KH Kai Hung HuTaiwan	busted
LA Loy AbdoAustralia	busted
TK Tsx Kin Luo	busted
SM Sandeep MirchandaniHong Kong	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 8:41:31 AM

How They Stack?

Level 16: 2,500 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Natural8 Ambassador Charlie Chiu

We scanned the room of some of the key APT players and checked out some random stacks.

Chi Dung Tran still holds a massive chip lead with a stack of 594,000

Meanwhile, here's what we found for some key players.

Player	Chips
DN Daniel NeilsonAustralia	370,000(74 BB)
JC Joseph CheongUnited States of America	365,000(73 BB)
JJ Joel Justin SingamMalaysia	304,000(61 BB)
QT Quang Trinh DoViet Nam	213,000(43 BB)
JT John TechPhilippines	174,000(35 BB)
MC Michelle ChinUnited States of America	168,000(34 BB)
CC Charlie ChiuTaiwan	125,000(25 BB)
TR Tony Ren LinChina	115,000(23 BB)
JM John MatsudaJapan	68,700(14 BB)
PP Punnat PunsriThailand	62,700(13 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 8:41:30 AM

Break

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

280 players remain and are on a quick 15-minute break.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 8:39:18 AM

Jung's Aces Get Paid By Kings

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

Seungmook Jung

Short-stacked Seungmook Jung made the call against Hao Wu when Wu shoved all in on the button.

Jung simply turned over his cards, then was asked by Wu if that was a call.

Jung made the obvious reply, "What do you think? You think I'm folding that?"

Seungmook Jung: A♦ A♥

Hao Wu: K♠ K♥

Board ran J♦ 5♣ 2♠ 8♣ 5♦.

Jung made a crucial double from his stack of 70,000 plus, but still wasn't quite happy.

Jung remarked, "Please write down that Table 80, Seat 7 (his seat) is on maximum tilt. MAXIMUM TILT!"

Peter Kiem, on the same table, quipped, "Find him a Xanax."

Player	Chips
HW Hao WuViet Nam	208,000(52 BB)
SJ Seungmook JungSouth Korea	152,000(38 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 8:31:58 AM

Tran Flushes Out Cucchiara

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

Chi Dung Tran

Chi Dung Tran just jumped into the chip lead and just had to explain how it went.

According to Tran:

Tran was on the small blind against Frank Cucchiara, who was under the gun.

The flop arrived T♥ 8♥ A♥.

There was an 8,000 bet which Cucchiara called. to open a 5♣ on the turn, which they checked.

Then, a 3♠ on the river.

Tran led out for a bet of 33,000. Cucchiara raised it some and Tran moved all in. Cucchiara called.

Frank Cucchiara: Q♥ 9♥

Chi Dung Tran: K♥ 7♥

Tran had the better flush, eliminating Cucchiara with a brutal flush over flush cooler, then boosting him to the top of the chip leader board, winning a pot of over 600,000.

Frank Cucchiara

Player	Chips
CD Chi Dung TranViet Nam	614,000(154 BB)
FC Frank CucchiaraUnited States of America	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 8:06:56 AM

Table 96 Update

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

Cutoff Chia Wei Kuo raised to 6,000 and was joined to the flop by button Kouki Okumiya and big blind Haeil Jung.

Kuo fired an 8,000 continuation-bet on the J♠ 3♦ Q♦ flop and only Jung stuck around, with both players checking the remainder of the T♣ J♣ runout. Jung tabled Q♣ 9♦ to take the pot.

The next hand saw Cheng Ho raise to 8,000 from under the gun and Soma Ishikawa defend his big blind, before a swift check-fold when Ho continued for 4,000 on the K♥ J♥ 3♥ flop.

In the third hand of note, Soo Bum Kim opened to 6,500 before calling button Jung's 15,000 three-bet. Kim check-called Jung's 12,000 bet on the J♦ A♦ K♦ flop before both players checked the 9♣ turn.

Kim led for 30,000 on the T♥ river and Jung snapped it off, only for both players to table a queen, Kim with K♣ Q♣ and Jung with A♠ Q♥, resulting in a chopped pot.

Player	Chips
HJ Haeil Jung	450,000(113 BB)
SK Soobum KimSouth Korea	209,000(52 BB)
CW Chia Wei KuoTaiwan	180,000(45 BB)
SI Soma IshikawaJapan	125,000(31 BB)
KO Kouki OkumiyaJapan	110,000(28 BB)
CH Cheng HoMacao	85,000(21 BB)
TW Tsan Wa LiHong Kong	68,000(17 BB)
SM Sandeep MirchandaniHong Kong	50,000(13 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 8:05:24 AM

Droppin' Like It's Hot

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

Alex Wice

The field has now been reduced to 320 players and still a few more eliminations until we hit the magic number of 199.

Some notables no longer in their seats include Fendy Kosasih, Rudy Edenata, David Erquiaga, Justin Tsui, Dongjae Kim, Wai Kiat Lee, Hsuan Yu Lai, Tim Schmitt, Rosalie Petit, Sameer Argawal, Chien Chih Weng, Frank Cucchiara, Alex Wice, Andrew Chang and Anthony Spinella.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 8:03:33 AM

Vasquez Fires The River To Win Blind Battle

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

Andres Vasquez

In a battle of the blinds between Andres Vasquez on the small blind against Han Ming Feng on the big blind.

A pot of around 55,000 was in the middle with a board that showed 6♠ 8♦ 9♠ 8♥.

Vasquez acted first and bet out 33,500. Feng didn't rush and made the call before the clock ran out.

The dealer opened a 5♦ on the river.

Vasquez took a moment before announcing "All in" covering the remaining chips of Feng.

Feng didn't take long before he waved the white flag and mucked his hand.

Player	Chips
AV Andres VasquezColombia	244,000(61 BB)
HM Han Ming FengUnited States of America	90,400(23 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 7:26:50 AM

Ravnak's Prayers are Answered

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

Toni Ravnak

Small blind Toni Ravnak shoved his remaining 46,000 chips in and big blind Po Hao Liao called it off.

Toni Ravnak: 6♦ 5♥

Po Hao Liao: K♦ Q♠

Ravnak had clearly said his prayers to the poker gods as the dealer fanned the 3♣ 3♦ 6♠ flop, giving the Serbian the best of it.

His pair of sixes held on the J♦ 9♥ runout, with his tablemates quick to offer their thoughts.

"The main thing is, you won the hand," Khoo said with a grin.

Player	Chips
EL Even Lunde	310,000(103 BB)
SK Shixiang KhooSingapore	270,000(90 BB)
JM Joris MichlNetherlands	150,000(50 BB)
PH Po Hao LiaoTaiwan	145,000(48 BB)
MT Methavee TaveekitvateeThailand	135,000(45 BB)
YS Yuen Shan ChuiHong Kong	110,000(37 BB)
TR Toni RavnakSerbia	95,000(32 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 7:24:56 AM

Lin's Overbet Takes One Down

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

Ren Lin

Ren Lin made it 4,800 from the cutoff with Jongkwan Lee calling out of the small blind and Wen Zhang defending his big blind.

When it got to Lin on the Q♠ 7♦ 6♠ flop, he fired for 6,000, which only Lee called.

Check, check came after the 7♦ turn to see the A♦ land on the river.

Lee checked again, allowing Lin to overbet for 32,000. Lee tossed his cards away, surrendering the pot to Lin.

Player	Chips
TR Tony Ren LinChina	216,000(72 BB)
JL Jongkwan LeeSouth Korea	111,000(37 BB)
WZ Wen ZhangChina	90,000(30 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 7:23:33 AM

Chou's Nines Good Enough

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

Raymond Chou

John Tech - an 11-time APT winner since the old era and an APT Superstar Challenge champion - raised to 5,000 from the cutoff and was matched by Raymond Chou on the big blind.

Both players were shown a flop of 7♠ 8♦ 9♦ which was checked to reveal a A♥ on the turn.

Chou check-called the 10,000 bet of Tech to open a A♣ river.

Chou checked and Tech slowed down with a check.

Chou showed K♥ 9♣, boasting two pair with a paired nine and the aces, while Tech mucked.

Player	Chips
JT John TechPhilippines	266,700(89 BB)
RC Raymond ChouTaiwan	220,500(74 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 7:11:52 AM

Yang's Fate is Set

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

Hogyun Kang

The action was joined with big blind Phua Si Yang all in and at risk for ~28,000 against small blind Hogyun Kang.

Phua Si Yang: K♠ T♠

Hogyun Kang: Q♣ Q♥

Yang called for a ten, but the A♠ 8♣ Q♠ flop did not comply, giving Kang a set of queens instead. Yang then called for a jack or spade, but neither the 9♥ turn nor the 8♦ river obliged, sending him to the rail.

Player	Chips
HK Hogyun KangSouth Korea	125,000(42 BB)
SP Siyang PhuaSingapore	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 7:06:27 AM

Huang's Bet Makes Petit Surrender

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

Kuo Yang Huang opened from early position for 5,000 and action went around to Rosalie Petit in the big blind, who made the call.

Both players were shown a flop of K♦ 9♣ A♦.

Petit check-called the 4,500 bet of Huang to open a 6♦ on the turn.

Both slowed with a check and saw a A♥ on the river.

Petit checked, allowing Huang to push a bet of 8,000 across the betting line.

While affordable, Petit took a look at her cards, mucked her hand and tapped the table "nice bet."

Player	Chips
RP Rosalie PetitFrance	175,000(58 BB)
KY Kuo Yang HuangTaiwan	123,500(41 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 7:04:59 AM

Big Stacks

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

Minjae Kim

A few of the larger stacks lurking at the tables.

Player	Chips
YO Yuki OzakiJapan	470,000(157 BB)
LN Leonard NgUnited Kingdom	450,000(150 BB)
GL Guan Lun ChenTaiwan	440,000(147 BB)
MK Minjae KimSouth Korea	360,000(120 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 7:02:38 AM

Lin's Two Pair Hurts Punsri

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

Cheng Yi Lin

Pei Shan Hsu opened for 5,000 from the hijack. Cheng Yi Lin called on the button. Punnat Punsri - a former APT Main Event champion - three-bet to 22,000.

Hsu stepped out of the way, but Lin stayed on.

Both Lin and Punsri were shown a flop of A♣ K♣ 7♣.

Punsri led for 7,500 and Lin made the call.

Both checked the 3♠ turn to open a 9♠ on the river.

Punsri checked and Lin fired a bet of 20,500.

Punsri spent a time bank token to assess the situation, wondered if giants really roamed the earth and built ancient pyramid cities all over the world, then threw in the chips to call.

Lin tabled K♦ 9♦ for a two-pair, while Punsri mucked and tapped "nice hand."

Punnat Punsri

Player	Chips
CY Cheng Yi LinTaiwan	316,500(106 BB)
PP Punnat PunsriThailand	123,500(41 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 6:27:47 AM

BREAK!

Players are on a 15-minute break.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 6:25:59 AM

"Seat Open!"

Level 13: 1,200 / 2,400 ante: 2,400

Robert Nemeskeri-Kiss

The dealer announced "Seat Open" near our media table and the unmistakable tall figure of Robert "The Hammer" Nemeskeri-Kiss stood up from his seat, sporting his signature sunglasses.

He joins the likes of recent eliminations, such as Ryan Plant, Chaehun Ryu, Shao Fu Wang, Tsz Him Chan, Kenichi Yamasahita, Shunichi Okamoto, Gary Thompson, Bin Zhao, Rishi Mirpuri. Minsoo Park, Nageshwara Alaparthy, Yee Wen, Shintaro Sato, Daniel Smiljkovic, Dicky Tsang and Joris Michl.

418 players remain and will play down until 199 are left to make it in the money and advance to Day 3.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 6:13:03 AM

Matsuda Delivers Fatal Blow To Grundeman

Level 13: 1,200 / 2,400 ante: 2,400

Mark Grundeman was on the small blind and was against John Matsuda on the button.

There was a pot 12,000 with a flop that showed K♥ 4♠ J♣.

Grundeman check-called the 5,000 bet of Matsuda to show a 4♣ on the turn.

Both checked and a J♥ fell on the river.

Grundeman quickly threw in 10,000.

Matsuda bade his time then made a raise to 45,000 before the clock ran out. The raise covered the remaining stack of Grundeman.

Grundeman threw in a time bank, assessed the action and felt confident enough to make the call, then peeled open A♠ Ks: for two pair kings-jacks and an ace-kicker.

Matsuda, however, opened J♦ 9♠ for a full house to take down the pot and send Grundeman to the rail.

Player	Chips
JM John MatsudaJapan	104,300(43 BB)
MG Mark Grundeman	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 6:09:15 AM

76 Action and Counts

Level 13: 1,200 / 2,400 ante: 2,400

Huu Dung Nguyen

Pranav Agarwal opened to 4,000 from the hijack and big blind Santi Adultrakul defended. Adultrakul check-called Agarwal's 3,000 continuation-bet on the 8♣ Q♥ 4♥ flop before both players checked down the 2♦ 3♥ runout, with Adultrakul tabling K♣ 4♦ for third pair to take the pot.

Adultrakul kept the momentum going the very next hand, three-betting button Tom Eady's 4,500 raise to 13,000 from the small blind and picking up the pot without a fight.

Hijack Panitan Poopadsri then raised to 4,000 and big blind Leonard Ng called. Both checked the 4♦ 4♣ T♥ flop before Ng check-called Poopadsri's 5,000 bet on the J♥ turn.

Poopadsri fired again for 12,000 on the Q♥ river and Ng nonchalantly obliged, before Poopadsri tabled K♠ K♦, only to look a little jarred as Ng flicked over 7♥ 2♥ for a rivered flush to scoop the pot.

In the final hand of the stretch, cutoff Adultrakul opened to 4,000 and received a call from button Yi Cheng Lo, before big blind Huu Dung Nguyen three-bet to 16,000. Only Nguyen and Lo went to the flop, where Nguyen led for 15,000 on the A♥ 3♦ 9♦ and took it down without much fuss.

Player	Chips
LN Leonard NgUnited Kingdom	250,000(104 BB)
JL Jason LauMalaysia	220,000(92 BB)
TE Tom EadyUnited Kingdom	170,000(71 BB)
HD Huu Dung NguyenViet Nam	110,000(46 BB)
SA Santi AdultrakulThailand	85,000(35 BB)
YC Yi Cheng LoTaiwan	53,000(22 BB)
PP Panitan PoopadsriThailand	30,000(13 BB)
PA Pranav AgarwalIndia	22,000(9 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 6:07:44 AM

Brutal River Sends Pham Home

Level 13: 1,200 / 2,400 ante: 2,400

Yu Wu Chun was seated in early position and was up against Hong Pham in the button.

A huge pot of around 60,000 was in the middle beside a board that showed T♥ 2♥ A♦ 8♥.

Chun checked his option to Pham, who risked all her 38,000 plus chips in the middle.

Chun tanked, did a quick chip assessment, decided he could risk some and then made the call.

Hong Pham 8♦ 8♣

Yu Wun Chun: K♣ J♥

Pham was ahead with a set of eights, but Chun had eleven outs with a flush draw and a gutshot straight draw.

The poker gods wanted excitement and threw in a 7♥ on the river to give Chun the straight, ending Pham's Main Event dream.

Pham was on her way out when Peter Kiem, seated beside her, reminded her of the jacket. Apparently, Pham was feeling cold and Kiem was gentleman enough to lend the jacket. Pham returned and went on her way,

Someone remarked, "You should've given it as a consolation."

Kiem joked, "Well, she almost ran away with it."

Player	Chips
YW Yu Wu Chun	120,700(50 BB)
HP Hong PhamBelgium	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 6:06:24 AM

Lau Puts The Squeeze On Adultrakul

Level 13: 1,200 / 2,400 ante: 2,400

Jason Lau - a past APT High Roller champion - sat on middle position against Santi Adultrakul on the button.

Santi Adultrakul has four APT cashes with a modest runner-up finish in the NLH Single Re-Entry during the APT Championship Taipei 2025.

Both players had a handsome pot of around 62,000 in the middle with a board that showed T♦ 3♠ Q♣ A♥ 6♠

Lau acted first and pushed in a bet of 34,000.

Adultrakul threw in a time bank, tried to look at his options, but eventually made the fold.

Someone commented, "I thought you were going to raise" - probably because he used a time bank to calculate.

Adultrakul answered, "No. I don't have enough chips."

Player	Chips
JL Jason LauMalaysia	222,600(93 BB)
SA Santi AdultrakulThailand	97,400(41 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 5:37:58 AM

Taneda Takes Two

Level 13: 1,200 / 2,400 ante: 2,400

Yuki Taneda

Yuki Taneda opened to 4,000 and received calls from cutoff Yew Fatt Kan and big blind Kuo Pin Liao.

Liao check-folded and Taneda check-called when Kan fired 5,000 on the K♦ K♥ 8♥ flop.

Both checked the A♠ turn before Kan counted out 10,000 and slid it in on the 5♥ river. Taneda tanked, tossed in a timebank, and then moved his entire stack into the middle. Kan looked sick, shook his head, and folded.

The very next hand, cutoff Martin Sedlak opened to 4,000 and Taneda called from the big blind. Taneda check-raised Sedlak's 5,000 continuation-bet to 13,500, enough to shake the Slovak off the pot.

Player	Chips
MS Martin SedlakGermany	185,000(77 BB)
KP Kuo Pin LiaoTaiwan	90,000(38 BB)
YT Yuki TanedaJapan	90,000(38 BB)
RK Raiden KanHong Kong	74,000(31 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 5:37:11 AM

The Magic Number is 199

Level 13: 1,200 / 2,400 ante: 2,400

APT Main Event

The clock has been updated to show that 199 players will advance from Day 2A to Day 3, with all returning players guaranteed to be in the money.

The value of the min-cash will be confirmed once registration closes on Day 2B and the final numbers are locked in.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 5:34:32 AM

What A Fold!

Level 12: 800 / 1,600 ante: 1,600

Sugai Yusuke

Sugai Yusuke and Ran Yi were staring at a pot of around 35,000 with a board that showed A♠ J♠ 8♣ K♥

Yusuke checked his option over to Yi, who fired a bet of 20,000, leaving behind 10,500 in his stack.

Yusuke noticed that, then went into the tank.

Despite having a huge stack to cover the bet and the leftover stack of Yi, Yusuke went into deep thought, threw in three time banks, watched Yi, assessed possible chip stack damage, looked at his cards several times, took a lot of deep breaths, wondered where he could find the best oyster omelet in Taipei, then folded his hand, showing an A♥

The table was impressed. Yi stacked his chips and remained stoic.

The air on that table was intense.

Ran Yi

Player	Chips
SY Sugai YusukeJapan	195,500(122 BB)
RY Ran YiCanada	67,000(42 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 5:32:48 AM

Von Reden And Others End Main Event Campaign

Level 12: 800 / 1,600 ante: 1,600

Rene von Reden

Past APT Main Event champion Rene von Reden won't be adding another Main Event title as he is on the list of recent eliminations.

Joining him in the recent elimination list are the likes of Wouter Betz, Jungmin Kim, Chien Wei Chen, Min Soon Lin, Kotaro Nakayama, Shobu Oda, Yu Chien Kung, Chen An Lin, Masohito Kamosaki, Adityao Rao, Isaac Phua, Mikael Daniel Andersson and Natural8 Ambassador Hua Wei Lin among several others.

511 players still have some chips and a seat.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 5:31:57 AM

Huang's Stack Heads Over to Osa

Level 12: 800 / 1,600 ante: 1,600

Yencheng Huang moved all in for 36,100 from the hijack and the action folded all the way to Makoto Osa in the big blind. After giving it some deliberation, Osa called wth the covering stack.

Yencheng Huang: A♦ T♥

Makoto Osa: A♠ Q♠

Huang was dominated by the ace-queen of Osa and needed to find a ten to stay seated in the Main Event.

The 7♥ 2♦ 7♠ flop offered up some chop opportunities, but the 5♥ turn and K♠ river were bricks.

Huang's Main Event was over and Osa was up to almost 100,000.

Player	Chips
MO Makoto OsaJapan	97,000(61 BB)
YH Yencheng HuangTaiwan	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 5:30:19 AM

Shuto's Cowboys Earn A Triple

Level 12: 800 / 1,600 ante: 1,600

Tokuya Shuto

We got there at the tail end of the hand when they were counting the chips to be divided after a three-way all in showdown.

From what was understood, from the three players involved it was Tokuya Shuto with the smallest stack followed by Kawai Tsui. It was Pin Lun Li who covered all.

Tokuya Shuto: K♥ K♠

Kawai Tsui: A♦ Q♥

Pin Lun Li: 6♦ 6♣

Board showed: K♦ 3♥ 6♥ 9♥ Q♣.

Shuto tripled up with his set of cowboys, while the remaining stack of Tsui lost out to Li's set of sixes.

Player	Chips
TS Tokuya ShutoJapan	81,800(51 BB)
PL Pin Lun LiTaiwan	63,600(40 BB)
KT Kawai TsuiHong Kong	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 5:02:31 AM

Cheeky Check-Raise from Petit

Level 12: 800 / 1,600 ante: 1,600

Rosalie Petit

Rosalie Petit opened to 3,500 from under the gun and was called by cutoff Benjamin Ebarle, plus Masayuki Murata defending his big blind.

The dealer fanned the 5♠ T♠ Q♦ flop and Murata checked, with Petit checking behind. Ebarle slid 7,500 into the middle, swiftly getting Murata out of the pot, but Petit thought for a moment before sliding in a not-so-petit check-raise of 21,000. After burning a timebank, Ebarle opted not to call.

Petit is no stranger to running deep at APT, having dominated a 119-entry field to take down the Women's Championship at the APT Championship last November for TWD 760,000 (~USD 24,000).

Player	Chips
RP Rosalie PetitFrance	150,000(94 BB)
MM Masayuki MurataJapan	148,000(93 BB)
BE Benjamin EbarlePhilippines	62,000(39 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 4:47:38 AM

Okumiya Shoves To Gain Survival Chips

Level 12: 800 / 1,600 ante: 1,600

There was around 10,000 in the pot with a board that showed 7♠ 4♠ 6♥.

In the pot were Kouki Okumiya, who was under the gun, up against Cheng Yi Lin and John Lee Lim in later positions.

Okumiya was the first to act and shoved his last 25,800 all in. Lin had a whole stack of chips and considered it for a while, but eventually gave up his hand before the clock ran out.

Lim mucked instantly, awarding the pot to Okumiya.

Player	Chips
CY Cheng Yi LinTaiwan	309,000(193 BB)
JL John Lee Lim XiangSingapore	43,400(27 BB)
KO Kouki OkumiyaJapan	35,800(22 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 4:42:18 AM

Vasquez's Ladies are Good

Level 12: 800 / 1,600 ante: 1,600

Andres Vasquez

Andres Vasquez opened to 3,200 from early position before button Nai Yuan Hu jammed his remaining 31,000. Big blind Mingchen Zhang stuck in the call, as did Vasquez.

Zhang check-called Vasquez's 17,500 bet on the T♣ 2♣ 8♠ flop, creating a 35,000 side pot, and both players checked through the remainder of the double board-pairing 8♣ T♥ runout.

Hu tabled 5♠ 5♦, Zhang had him beat with 9♣ 9♥, but it was Vasquez who took sole claim to the moster pot with his ladies, Q♣ Q♠, sending Hu to the rail.

This puts the Colombian comfortably over the 200k mark.

Player	Chips
AV Andres VasquezColombia	220,000(138 BB)
MZ Mingchen ZhangChina	150,000(94 BB)
JN Jack Nai Yuan HuTaiwan	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 4:38:45 AM

Gone And Out

Level 12: 800 / 1,600 ante: 1,600

Dinesh Alt

Some of those who have fallen since late registration closed include the likes of Jung Ng, Jimmy Gin Yar, Bin Chiat Tay, Dinesh Alt, Po Chun Shen, Chung Yu Tsai, You Jia Lin, Kiseok Kang, Ka Chun Tsui, Ting Xuan Chen, Jin Wang, Yung Bing Chu, Ethan "Rampage: Yau, Sui Ki Leung, Kwan Ming Law, Jason Chau, Feng Puyen, Joe Brindle, Girish Apte, Taehyun He, Minh Nguyen, Mao Yu and Hong Yu Huang.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 4:37:25 AM

Registration Closed!

Level 12: 800 / 1,600 ante: 1,600

Registration has officially closed in Flight 2A with a total of 728 entries booked, adding an additional 186 late registrants to the 542 survivors who already had seats. The total entries boosted to 2,252 with the total prize pool currently at TWD 107,015,040.

There is still late registration for Flight 2B later this afternoon. However, those who have jumped in at 2A and are eliminated from 2A can no longer enter the afternoon session.

Those coming in the afternoon session will be new registrants and should not have played in flight 2A.

So for the remaining 586 players with chips and a seat for Flight 2A, this is the last life. If you're gone, you are gone.

Good luck to everyone.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 4:07:57 AM

Break!

The players are on a 15-minute break. It's also the last 15 minutes for late registration for flight 2A.

Just a reminder... If you are a late registrant for 2A, you may not re-enter 2B.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 4:00:28 AM

Late Entries

Level 11: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

Hua Wei Lin

The field has boosted to 667 entries with still a few minutes left for registration.

Some of the notable ones taking their seats include Natural8 Ambassador Hua Wei Lin, Hanbin Jang, Jason Chau, Wouter Beltz, John Matsuda and Dinesh Alt.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 3:53:17 AM

Yeung Shows Honke The Exit

Level 11: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

Ayaka Honke

We arrived with the cards on their back and challenging were both short-stacked Ayaka Honke and Ka Yu Yeung. Yeung had a very small lead, but the loser of the flip would certainly be either disadvantaged or eliminated.

Ayaka Honke: 9♠ 9♣

Ka Yu Yeung: A♥ T♥

The flop arrived T♠ Q♣ Q♦ immediately giving Yeung the lead and reducing Honke to a two-outer to win it.

The turn showed a J♠ which gave Honke some hope an added open-ended straight draw.

However, the hope died in the river when the poker gods bricked a 4♠.

Yeung made a critical double up to get out of the red zone, while Honke - a familiar and successful figure in the APT Women's events - had to vacate her seat.

Player	Chips
KY Ka Yu YeungHong Kong	62,200(44 BB)
AH Ayaka HonkeJapan	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 3:50:42 AM

Choi Can't Catch a Break

Level 11: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

Marlon Laxamana opened to 3,000 from early position and big blind Kevin Choi defended.

Both opted to check the 3♥ 5♥ 3♦ flop before Choi check-called Laxamana's 5,000 bet on the 2♠ turn.

Laxamana upped it to 16,000 on the 9♦ river, a price too high for the Hong Kong-based pro, who sent his cards back to the dealer.

The next hand saw Choi raise to 4,500 from the small blind, with APT Championship Main Event winner Nishant Sharma defending from the big blind.

The A♣ 3♦ 3♥ flop saw Choi lead for 3,500, only to fold swiftly once Sharma raised it to 8,000.

Player	Chips
ML Marlon LaxamanaPhilippines	175,000(125 BB)
NS Nishant SharmaIndia	85,000(61 BB)
KC Kevin ChoiHong Kong	52,000(37 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 3:42:08 AM

Lee Damages Edenata With A Double

Level 11: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

Rudy Edenata

Brendan McManus opened for 2,400 from early position. Hyeongkyu Kim called from the hijack. Rudy Edenata ws on the button and three-bet to 18,000.

On the big blind, Chieh Wei Lee jammed all in.

McManus and Kim stood down, while Edenat asked for a count.

The dealer counted 47,800, which Edenata found reasonable and made the call to put Lee at risk.

Chieh Wei Lee: 9♦ 9♥

Rudy Edenata: A♣ J♥

The board fell 2♦ 2♣ 8♣ 8♠ 5♦.

Lee's nines held on to scoop a double up and more, while leaving Edenata damaged.

Player	Chips
CW Chieh Wei LeeTaiwan	96,500(69 BB)
RE Rudy EdenataIndonesia	54,100(39 BB)

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 3:32:17 AM

Cheng's Rockets Blast A Double KO

Level 11: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

We got there with the chips in the middle and three sets of cards on their backs.

Matusaka Setoguchi: A♣ T♣

Irvan Iliadi: K♦ J♦

Chi Wei Cheng: A♦ A♠

All three players had similar sized stacks within the 50,000 to 70,000 range with Cheng having the slight upper hand over both Setoguchi and Iliadi.

The flop arrived 7♦ 8♥ J♠ to pair Iliadi with jacks, while giving Setoguchi a gut-shot straight draw.

The turn showed 6♥ which did not change anything.

The river landed 8♣ and Cheng was able to breathe a sigh of relief as he faded his aces getting cracked and scored a huge double KO to boost his stack tremendously.

Meanwhile, Setoguchi and Iliadi both left their seats.

Player	Chips
CC Chihwei ChengTaiwan	194,500(139 BB)
MS Matusaka SetoguchiJapan	busted
II Irvan IliadiSingapore	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 3:23:33 AM

Early Exits

Level 11: 700 / 1,400 ante: 1,400

Runch Pornraksamanee

Several short stacks couldn't find the double-up they needed in the opening level of Day 2A, hitting the rail during the first level of the day. Still, they have time to fire another bullet if they wish.

Player	Chips
II Irvan IliadiSingapore	busted
RP Runch PornraksamaneeThailand	busted
RC Raymond ChouTaiwan	busted
JK Juhwan KimSouth Korea	busted
KS Ki Seok KangSouth Korea	busted
CT Chengnan TsengTaiwan	busted
KT Kuan Ting YehTaiwan	busted

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 3:22:03 AM

Shuffle Up And Deal

589 players have filled up the table at Red Space for Day2A of the APT Taipei 2026 Main Event.

Zoe ChangZoe Chang

4/29/2026, 3:12:48 AM

Main Event Day 2A Kicking Off

The APT Taipei 2026 Main Event concluded its four starting flights yesterday with the conclusion of Flight C in the afternoon and Flight D later in the evening. The total Main Event entries is now pegged at 2,064 (including 510 OnLive Natural8 players), and the prize pool sits at TWD 98,081,000 (~USD 3,143,621).

The 689 survivors from the four starting flights will be divided into two Day 2 flights, which will be held today.

Day 2A will kick off at 11:00 AM local time and will consist of the 198 survivors of Flight A, the 229 from Flight C and the 114 from Flight D.

Day 2B deals at 3:00 PM local time and will consist of the 199 survivors of Flight B.

Late registration for both flights will be open for the first hour. Day 2A closes at 12:15 PM and Day 2B registration closes at 4:15 PM. It is important to note that those who opt for late registration can only register in ONE Day 2 flight. Either you play at 2A or 2B, but you cannot have an opportunity to buy in to both.

With that said, the total prize pool is expected to grow and should pass the TWD 100 million mark.

Sung Jin Yun enters Day 2A as chip leader

Entering Day 2A as the chip leader is South Korea's Sung Jin Yun with 365,100 from Flight A. He is followed by Shun Gui Toh with a close 360,200 and Manwoo Park with 348,300 - all from Flight A. Flight C chip leader Chul Woo Jong bagged a formidable 306,900 and sits at the 4th spot, while Flight D chip leader Kazushi Nomura ended with 244,600, but sits outside of the top ten entering Day 2A.

These are the top ten chip counts entering Day 2A

Player	Chips
SJ Sung Jin YunSouth Korea	365,100
SG Shun Gui TohSingapore	360,200
MP Manwoo ParkSouth Korea	348,300
CW Chul Woo JungSouth Korea	306,900
PL Peng Luo AngMalaysia	292,000
YO Yuki OzakiJapan	287,400
YL Yongjae LeeSouth Korea	282,800
AM Atsushi MiyakoshiJapan	276,000
SK Soobum KimSouth Korea	269,000
CY Chen Yi HungTaiwan	251,800

Some other notable survivors joining this 542-strong flight include the likes of past APT Main Event champions Rene von Reden, Punnat Punsri and Nishant Sharma - who all found a bag on Flight D. Also from Flight D are big names like David Erquiaga, Gi Boum Kim, Joel Singam and Alvir Inocentes.

Punnat Punsri and Rene von Reden

There are also praiseworthy Flight A survivors going into Day 2 include Joseph Cheong, Martin Sedlak, James Mendoza, Seungmook Jung, Jason Lau, Rudy Edenata and Chih Wei Fan among others.

Meanwhile, some big names from Flight C include Daniel Neilson, Joshua Gebissa, Charlie Chiu, Isaac Phua, Ren Lin and Fendy Kosasih.

Chien Yu Lin

Several women will also be playing Day 2A with a chance to make history - since no woman has ever yet won an APT Main Event in the New Era.

Those to look out for include Rosalie Petit, Hong Pham, Michelle Chin, Wipawadee Kanarapsapong, Chien Yu Lin, Methavee Taveekitvatee, Chien Chih Weng, Ayaka Honke, Bixi Yao and Hazel Chui.

Flight 2A will play down until the top 14.5% of the field remain, and those survivors will advance to Day 3 and will be in the money. The payouts will be determined later at the close of registration.

For the complete seat draw, you can click APT Official YouTube Channel.

Featured tables will also be on a delayed livestream at the APT Official YouTube Channel.

Of course, stay tuned here for all the live reports and recaps.