APT Incheon 2026 Opens With Record Korea National Cup

APT Incheon 2026 is underway at Paradise City , with a record-breaking Korea National Cup and eight opening-day champions getting the ten-day festival off to a busy start.

The Asian Poker Tour is back in South Korea for the 18th time and making its seventh visit to Incheon. This is also the 127th festival in APT history and the third stop of the tour’s 20-Year Anniversary season.

There is plenty still to come. The schedule features 106 tournaments and more than KRW 4 billion (~USD 2.7 million) in guarantees , including the KRW 2.5 million (~USD 1,700) APT Main Event, which begins on August 9 and carries a KRW 1.5 billion (~USD 1 million) guarantee.

Before the Main Event gets underway, however, the Korea National Cup has already delivered a new festival record.

Korea National Cup Sets New Incheon Record

The KRW 700,000 (~USD 500) Korea National Cup attracted 709 entries from 28 countries across its three starting flights, setting a new APT Incheon record for the event.

The turnout comfortably passed the KRW 200 million guarantee and created a prize pool of KRW 409,459,411 (~USD 290,400).

A total of 101 players advanced to the Final Day, with every returning player guaranteed at least KRW 1,110,000 (~USD 790). The eventual champion will collect KRW 78,109,411 (~USD 55,400) alongside the first major trophy of the festival.

Flight A attracted 236 entries and ended with 34 players advancing. Thailand’s Jeerasak Khumchanthuek led the way with 626,000, putting him second in the overall standings.

Mongolia’s Tuguldur Gantumur finished the flight with 552,000, while Japan’s Haruna Matsumoto bagged 438,000. Matsumoto enters the Final Day eighth overall and as the highest-ranked female player remaining.

Flight B proved to be the largest of the three starting flights, drawing 307 entries and sending 43 players through.

Former APT Main Event champion Ivan Govorov controlled much of the action before finishing with 827,000, enough to secure the overall chip lead.

Govorov won the APT Manila Classic Main Event in 2025 and now has an opportunity to claim the second APT title of his career.

The United States’ Frank Zhang finished Flight B with 600,000, placing him fourth overall, while Thailand’s Anucha Muandech advanced with 480,000.

The final turbo flight added another 166 entries, with 24 players surviving its 21 levels. China’s Yutao Zheng topped Flight C with 610,000 and will begin the Final Day third in chips.

Japan’s Ryouma Yamanaka bagged 422,000, while Austria’s Phuong Ngoc Nguyen ended the night with 343,000.

Korea National Cup Final Day Top Ten Chip Counts

The 101 survivors return at 11:15am KST on Saturday, August 8, with live coverage available through the official APT blog.

Maxim Sorokin Wins Opening High Roller

While the Korea National Cup occupied much of the room, Event #3: Single Day High Roller awarded the first high roller trophy of the festival.

Russia’s Maxim Sorokin secured his second APT title of the year and collected KRW 32,608,000 (~USD 23,126) for the victory.

Sorokin defeated American professional Kyung Min Lee heads-up, denying Lee what would also have been his second APT title. The recent GOP Incheon Main Event champion received KRW 22,470,000 (~USD 15,936) as runner-up.

Japan’s Waichiro Oka finished third for KRW 14,320,000 (~USD 10,156), recording his largest cash on the tour so far.

Single Day High Roller Final Results

Shalaev Collects Eighth APT Trophy

Daniil Shalaev also made an immediate impact in Incheon by winning Event #2: PL Omaha 5 Card – Hi-Lo (Big O) for KRW 6,149,538 (~USD 4,361).

The victory gave the Russian tour regular his eighth career APT title. Shalaev and fellow Russian Pavel Platonov agreed to an ICM deal heads-up before playing on for the trophy, with Platonov eventually finishing second for KRW 5,401,000 (~USD 3,830).

Two-time APT winner Abe Yusuke took third place for KRW 3,000,000 (~USD 2,128).

Hong Kong’s Jeffrey Lo was another returning champion to add to his collection, winning the Fixed Limit – Triple Draw Mix for his second APT title and KRW 7,800,720 (~USD 5,532).

China’s Ziwen Liu claimed career title number five in the Turbo – NL Omaha High, defeating Mita Hayato heads-up to win KRW 3,494,665 (~USD 2,478).

Four Players Claim Maiden APT Titles

Several players also collected their first APT trophies during the opening session.

Japan’s Hyuma Igarashi broke through in the Turbo – High Roller after several previous close calls on the tour. He defeated an all-Japanese final four to collect KRW 11,126,000 (~USD 7,891).

Fellow Japanese player Kensuke Makino turned his first recorded APT cash into a title, winning the Hyper Turbo Home Games – Super Holdem for KRW 2,190,573 (~USD 1,554).

Jutaro Hattori also made his first recorded live tournament cash a winning one. The Japanese player took down the Hyper Turbo – NL – Single Draw Mix for KRW 1,690,281 (~USD 1,199).

China’s Yi Wang completed the list of first-time winners by claiming the Super Hyper Turbo – NLH title. Wang, already a regular face at APT stops, earned KRW 4,881,299 (~USD 3,462) for the victory.

Main Event and Super High Roller Still to Come at APT Incheon 2026

The opening day offered an early look at the size and variety of this year’s festival, but the biggest tournaments have yet to begin.

The APT Super High Roller starts on August 9 with a KRW 15 million (~USD 10,600) buy-in and a KRW 500 million (~USD 354,000) guarantee.

The opening flights of the APT Main Event also begin on August 9. The tournament runs through August 15, with the eventual champion receiving an APT Lion Trophy and a seat in the APT Championship Main Event in Taipei this November.

Nine APT Championship Main Event seats will be awarded during the festival. The top three Main Event finishers will each receive one, while seats will also go to the winners of several of the festival’s biggest tournaments.

Mystery Bounty Hunter Headlines Saturday Schedule

The action continues on Saturday, August 8 with the KRW 900,000 Mystery Bounty Hunter sponsored by Natural8 . The tournament carries a KRW 300 million (~USD 212,000) guarantee, with Flight A starting at 11am, Flight B at 4pm and the turbo Flight C at 8:30pm.

The Korea National Cup Final Day begins at 11:15am, with Govorov leading the 101 remaining players, while another KRW 4 million (~USD 2,800) Single Day High Roller gets underway at the same time.

APT Incheon 2026 is only one day old, but a National Cup record and eight completed side events have already given players plenty to talk about. With the Main Event and the festival’s biggest high rollers still ahead, Paradise City is set for a busy nine days.

Be sure to check back to Somuchpoker regularly for the latest news and updates from APT Incheon 2026.

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