APT Championship 2026 Nears With Over $8 Guaranteed and Big Names Confirmed
Just over a week remains until the APT Championship 2026 gets underway, bringing the Asian Poker Tour's season-ending festival back to Taiwan.
Running from November 13-29 at Red Space in Taipei, Taiwan, the 17-day festival features 23 Championship Events, more than TWD 256 million (~ USD 8.1 million) in combined guarantees, and a USD 10,000 Main Event with USD 5 million guaranteed.
The Championship returns following its record-breaking debut in 2025, with the APT looking to round off its 20th anniversary season with another huge festival.
With the schedule finalized and several big names and poker personalities confirmed for Taipei, attention is turning to the opening events on November 13.
National Cup Gets the Championship Underway
The TWD 16,000 National Cup Championship opens the festival on November 13, offering a TWD 20 million guarantee across multiple starting flights before concluding on November 15.
As one of the more affordable Championship Events, the National Cup is likely to attract plenty of interest, with a substantial prize pool on offer for its relatively modest buy-in.
The TWD 35,000 Mystery Bounty Championship, sponsored by Natural8, follows on November 15 with TWD 15 million guaranteed, while the TWD 25,000 Ultra Stack Championship begins November 16 with a TWD 25 million guarantee.
The Natural8 Cup Championship, Super High Roller Championship and Superstar Championship are among the bigger tournaments scheduled ahead of the Main Event.
APT Championship 2026 Major Tournament Dates
Event | Dates | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|
National Cup Championship | Nov. 13-15 | TWD 16,000 |
Mystery Bounty Championship | Nov. 15-16 | TWD 35,000 |
Ultra Stack Championship | Nov. 16-18 | TWD 25,000 |
Natural8 Cup Championship | Nov. 18-21 | USD 3,300 |
Super High Roller Championship | Nov. 20-22 | USD 25,000 |
Superstar Championship | Nov. 22-23 | USD 50,000 |
APT Championship Main Event | Nov. 23-27 | USD 10,000 |
High Roller Championship | Nov. 26-28 | USD 15,000 |
$5 Million Guaranteed Main Event Begins November 23
The biggest attraction remains the USD 10,000 APT Championship Main Event, which begins November 23 and concludes November 27.
Last year's inaugural Main Event attracted 671 entries, generating a prize pool of TWD 194,080,973 (~USD 6,220,550), with India's Nishant Sharma going on to claim the title and TWD 37,030,773 ( ~USD 1,186,880) top prize after defeating John Niko Costiniano heads-up.
The same USD 5 million guarantee returns this year, with the tournament retaining its freezeout format.
Players can also qualify through dedicated satellites, while 17 Main Event seats will be awarded through tournaments during the festival.
Big Names Heading to Taipei
The APT has already confirmed several of poker's heavyweights for the Championship Main Event, including Tony Ren Lin, Punnat Punsri, Mike Takayama, Nevan Chang and Rudy Edenata.
Lin secured his seat following his Super High Roller victory at the APT Jeju Classic, while Punsri earned his entry by winning the Superstar Challenge at APT Incheon.
Chang and Edenata will also be among the familiar names returning to the tour, with both having enjoyed success during the 2026 season.
Beyond the tournament tables, the APT has announced the attendance of several popular poker personalities and content creators, including Greg Goes All In, Abby Poker, KevMath, Vaughn GTO and Joe Stapleton.
All Set for APTC Taipei 2026
Preparations are nearly complete for another busy Championship in Taipei, with players from across the region and beyond expected at Red Space for the final APT festival of the year.
Players can explore the full APT Championship 2026 schedule on Somuchpoker, while the official APT website provides the latest tournament structures and starting times.
Most images courtesy of the Asian Poker Tour.
About the Editor
Tim Baker is a UK-born Live Poker Reporter based in Indonesia, covering major poker tournaments across Asia and around the world since 2023. With nearly two decades of experience around live and online poker, he brings deep knowledge of the game and the international poker scene to his tournament coverage.
