Stephen Pang Leads Final 9 as Masatoshi Minowa Wins Zodiac Classic

APT Incheon 2026 reached the sharp end of the festival on Day 8, with the record-breaking Main Event reduced to its final nine players and another two tournaments setting new Incheon marks.

Hong Kong’s San Hon “Stephen” Pang will lead the Main Event finalists into Saturday’s conclusion, while Japan’s Masatoshi Minowa collected the biggest title of his career in the record-setting Zodiac Classic.

Meanwhile, 1,427 entries poured into the Mini Main Event. Apparently one record field was not enough for the week.

Stephen Pang Leads APT Incheon Main Event Final Nine

The 1,393-entry APT Incheon 2026 Main Event has reached its final table after five days of play inside Paradise City Casino Resort .

The remaining nine players are competing for the largest shares of the KRW 3,008,540,000 (~USD 2.15 million) prize pool. Everyone is guaranteed at least KRW 38,580,000 (~USD 27,560), while the eventual champion will collect KRW 523,720,000 (~USD 374,085) and the 24K gold APT Main Event Lion Trophy.

The top three finishers will also receive seats worth USD 10,000 for the APT Championship Main Event in Taipei this November.

Pang will return with the chip lead after bagging 13,550,000, giving him 85 big blinds for the final day. China’s Shoumin Zhang is his closest challenger with 10,585,000.

Pang won his first Asian Poker Tour title in the Tick Tock BOOM! event at APT Taipei 2026, but this is his first APT Main Event cash. He is already guaranteed a new career-best result and now has a considerably larger Lion in his sights.

“I can’t wait to take this down and display the Mega Lion at HKPPA,” Pang said after reaching the final table.

APT Incheon Main Event Final Table

Japan supplied five of the nine finalists, although Thailand’s Phachara Wongwichit is the most decorated player left in the field.

Wongwichit enters the final day with 5,610,000 and can become the first player to win two APT Mega Lion trophies. The eight-time APT champion is also within touching distance of USD 3 million in recorded live tournament earnings.

Former Day 3 leader Shinichiro Kano remains firmly involved with 6,190,000. He finished fourth in the APT Taipei 2025 Main Event and has now cashed every APT Main Event played in 2026.

At the other end of the experience scale, Kazuki Koyama arrived at the final table with only USD 730 in previous recorded live earnings. Even ninth-place money will be worth almost 38 times that total.

Tempei Kotani , better known for his mixed-game results, returns third in chips with 6,935,000. His guaranteed payout is already more than four times his previous largest live cash.

The final table resumes at 11:15am KST on Saturday, August 15 and will play down to the newest APT Main Event champion.

Minowa Wins Record-Breaking Zodiac Classic

Japan’s Masatoshi Minowa captured his maiden APT title after overcoming the largest Zodiac Classic field ever recorded at an Incheon stop.

The KRW 3 million (~USD 2,100) Zodiac Classic, sponsored by Natural8 , attracted 403 entries and generated a KRW 1,044,576,000 (~USD 746,125) prize pool.

Minowa entered the final day alongside 133 other survivors before reaching the last three with China’s Xiao Zhang and two-time bracelet winner Renji Mao .

The remaining players agreed to an ICM deal before continuing for the trophy, an additional KRW 7 million and an APT Championship Main Event seat. Zhang eliminated Mao in third and began heads-up with the lead, but Minowa fought his way back before closing out the title.

The victory earned Minowa KRW 155,187,000 (~USD 110,850). He entered the tournament with USD 32,748 in recorded live earnings, so one afternoon at Paradise City was enough to increase that career total more than fourfold.

Zhang collected KRW 144,917,000 (~USD 103,510) as runner-up, while Mao received KRW 118,242,000 (~USD 84,460) for third.

Other recognizable names to cash included Yita Choong , John Perry and Korea National Cup runner-up Phuong Ngoc Nguyen .

Punnat Punsri finished 37th, while newly crowned Super High Roller champion Jeremy Chan added another cash in 41st.

Mini Main Event Smashes Incheon Records

The KRW 900,000 (~USD 640) Mini Main Event attracted 1,427 entries across its three opening flights, setting new APT country records for both field size and prize pool.

The turnout surpassed the previous Incheon record of 1,029 entries by 398 and created a KRW 1,078,812,000 (~USD 770,580) prize pool, comfortably clearing the KRW 400 million guarantee.

It is also the second-largest Mini Main Event held during the APT New Era.

A total of 199 players advanced to the Final Day, with Japan’s Akifumi Ikejiri leading the way on 1,158,000.

Thailand’s Pannakit Thankarn also crossed the one-million mark, while Ryoya Enomoto topped the turbo Flight C with 961,000.

The eventual champion will receive KRW 189,982,000 (~USD 134,739), the Mini Main Event trophy and another USD 10,000 seat to the APT Championship Main Event.

Nakai Leads Superstar Challenge Final 11

The highest buy-in tournament of the festival also began on Day 8, with the KRW 35 million (~USD 24,900) Superstar Challenge attracting 29 entries from 25 unique players.

The compact field generated a considerable KRW 961,350,000 (~USD 686,680) prize pool. Eleven players survived Day 1, but only five will be paid.

Japan’s Ryuta Nakai finished with the chip lead after bagging 1,130,000. Punnat Punsri follows with an even one million.

Defending champion Calvin Lee remains well placed with 895,000 as he attempts to win the same event in consecutive years.

The champion will collect KRW 360,000,000 (~USD 257,140), the Black Stealth Lion Trophy and an APT Championship Main Event seat. With six eliminations still required before the money, there may be a few uncomfortable hours ahead before anyone starts pricing trophy cabinets.

Tang Completes His Stealth Lion Collection

Hong Kong’s Danny Tang added another unique piece of silverware to his collection by winning the KRW 3 million High Roller 9-Game for KRW 27,818,000 (~USD 19,729).

The victory made Tang the first player to complete the full set of Silver, Gold and Black 2D Stealth Lion trophies.

Plenty of players have won more money this week, but nobody else can currently claim the complete colour set. That feels like an important distinction.

More Champions to Be Crowned on Saturday

Saturday brings one of the busiest days of APT Incheon 2026 , with major champions set to be crowned at Paradise City Casino Resort .

The APT Main Event Final Day begins at 11:15am KST, with Pang leading the final nine in the race for the KRW 523,720,000 (~USD 374,085) top prize and the 24K gold APT Lion Trophy.

The record-breaking Mini Main Event and the high-stakes Superstar Challenge also resume at 11:15am and will both play down to winners.

Elsewhere, the KRW 5 million APT High Roller gets underway with a KRW 500 million guarantee, while the three opening flights of the KRW 150 million guaranteed Ultra Stack run throughout the day.

The Main Event may be approaching its conclusion, but with another two days remaining in Incheon, the festival is not easing towards the finish line just yet.

Be sure to check back with Somuchpoker for the latest results and stories from Incheon.

All facts, figures and images courtesy of Asian Poker Tour.