Tarun Guwalani Wins First Baby Zodiac Classic at APT Jeju 2026

APT Jeju 2026 crowned its first Baby Zodiac Classic champion on Monday, with India’s Tarun Guwalani claiming his maiden live tournament title at LES A Casino .

Guwalani defeated China’s Hongbo Pan heads-up for KRW 61,158,000 (~USD 45,980), while Ryan Plant added another final-table finish to his impressive festival campaign.

Elsewhere on APT Jeju 2026 Day 11, Jiaxian Pan edged ahead of the remaining 41 players in the High Roller – Ultra Stack, while Japan’s Haruki Ichiki bagged the overall lead as 26 players advanced to the Micro Main Event Final Day.

Catch up on Sunday’s results in our APT Jeju Day 10 recap , including Scott Margereson’s High Roller victory and the opening day of the Baby Zodiac Classic.

Tarun Guwalani Wins Inaugural Baby Zodiac Classic

The first Baby Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8 attracted 223 entries from 152 unique players at a KRW 1.5 million buy-in, more than doubling its KRW 125 million guarantee.

The tournament generated a KRW 289,008,000 (~USD 217,300) prize pool, with 69 players returning for the Final Day and 31 reaching the money.

Guwalani emerged with the silver lion silhouette trophy and KRW 61,158,000 (~USD 45,980), securing his first APT title and the second-largest live cash of his career. For the Indian player, the result rewarded months spent adapting his cash-game experience to tournament poker.

“It feels very special. I have worked… basically I am a cash game player, so making a transition to tournaments, I know how much I have worked these past few months. So it just paid off.”

His route to victory included a crucial recovery with 16 players remaining, when he was down to around ten big blinds. Guwalani doubled against pocket sevens after pairing his queen on the flop, keeping his title hopes alive.

He later eliminated Natural8 ambassador Hua Wei Lin in tenth place to help set the final table, where Hongbo Pan and Russia’s Maxim Sorokin both spent time at the top of the counts.

Plant knocked out Japan’s Motokatsu Uhara in sixth and China’s Meng Dian Peng in fifth, before Pan eliminated Sorokin and Plant in consecutive hands to reach heads-up with a narrow lead.

Guwalani overturned that deficit during a 29-hand contest and eventually sealed the victory. Pan received a career-best KRW 41,150,000 (~USD 30,940) for second place.

Plant’s third-place finish earned KRW 29,020,000 (~USD 21,820). It was his fifth cash and fourth final table of the festival, including a title win, taking his total Jeju earnings past USD 194,000.

Baby Zodiac Classic Final Table Results

#100 Baby Zodiac Classic - Sponsored by Natural8 (1,500,000 KRW)

Total Prize USD

$217,300

Total Prize

289M KRW

Guaranteed

125M KRW

Entries

223

ITM

31

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₩61,158,000 $45,980	TG Tarun Guwalani India	1,480.49
2	₩41,150,000 $30,940	HP Hongbo Pan China	1,046.86
3	₩29,020,000 $21,820	RP Ryan Plant United Kingdom	854.76
4	₩23,530,000 $17,690	MS Maxim Sorokin Russia	740.24
5	₩18,610,000 $13,990	MD Meng Dian Peng China	662.09
6	₩14,130,000 $10,625	MU Motokatsu Uhara Japan	604.41
7	₩10,320,000 $7,760	SZ Shouda Zhang China	559.57
8	₩7,540,000 $5,670	JM John Matsuda Japan	523.43
9	₩6,240,000 $4,690	NU Nikita Ustiuzhanin Russia	493.50

Check the 31 Payouts & Results ...

Jiaxian Pan Leads High Roller Ultra Stack Final 41

The KRW 4.3 million High Roller – Ultra Stack drew 141 entries, creating a KRW 523,650,200 (~USD 393,870) prize pool.

Only 41 players remain ahead of Tuesday’s conclusion, with 20 places paid and a KRW 125,713,200 (~USD 94,520) top prize awaiting the champion. The minimum cash is KRW 7,020,000 (~USD 5,280).

China’s Jiaxian Pan bagged 1,358,000, finishing just 3,000 chips ahead of compatriot Hang Xu . Yaoyu He sits third with 1,322,000.

Pan is chasing his maiden APT title after recording two cashes and a final-table appearance earlier in the festival. The returning field also includes Stanley Weng, who has already won the Single Day Super High Roller in Jeju.

Main Event fourth-place finisher Toby Joyce returns seventh in chips, while Daniel Neilson sits ninth as he looks to improve on his runner-up result in the same tournament at APT Incheon 2026.

Read more about the record-breaking Main Event and Joyce’s final-table run in our APT Jeju Day 9 recap .

High Roller – Ultra Stack Top Ten Stacks

Haruki Ichiki Leads Micro Main Event Survivors

The KRW 750,000 Micro Main Event attracted 173 entries from 98 unique players across its three starting flights, with 26 players advancing to the Final Day.

Japan’s Haruki Ichiki topped Flight B with 556,000 to secure the overall lead. Main Event finalist Weimin Chen follows with 450,000 after leading Flight A, while Flight C leader Yingjie Chen bagged 372,000.

Flight A was the largest of the opening sessions, drawing 81 entries and sending 12 players through. Flight B contributed 56 entries and eight survivors, while Turbo Flight C added 36 entries and six qualifiers.

The finalists will compete for a KRW 125 million (~USD 93,985) prize pool, with everyone returning guaranteed at least KRW 1,260,000 (~USD 950). The champion will receive KRW 27,980,000 and the silver lion silhouette trophy.

Play resumes at 11:15 a.m. KST on Tuesday, October 6.

More APT Jeju Day 11 Winners

China’s Xuan Zhou secured her maiden APT title in Event #110: PL Omaha High, topping 38 entries for KRW 8,300,432 (~USD 6,126). Taiwan’s Yih Ming Hsu, already a three-time winner at this festival, finished runner-up for KRW 5,710,000 (~USD 4,214).

Japan’s Geka Aoi collected her second title of the festival in Event #112: Women’s Event, overcoming eight entries for KRW 1,892,115 (~USD 1,396).

Russia’s Alena Ermaskevich won Event #113: Fixed Limit – Triple Draw Mix after a heads-up deal with Taiwan’s Kuo Wei Kao . Ermaskevich received the trophy and KRW 2,227,728 (~USD 1,644), while Kao took the larger payout of KRW 6,050,000 (~USD 4,465).

China’s Zeng Weiyong also made it two titles in Jeju, winning Event #114: Turbo – NL Omaha Hi-Lo – 5 Card (Big O) for KRW 1,970,160 (~USD 1,454).

Zhenye Zhou claimed his maiden APT title in Event #115: Turbo – NLH, earning KRW 3,726,345 (~USD 2,750). Zhou had finished runner-up in Sunday’s Superstack – Big Bounty before going one better on Monday.

Wei Sun picked up his third career APT title and second of the festival in Event #116: Hyper Turbo – NL R-O-S-E-T, collecting KRW 1,770,144 (~USD 1,306).

Finally, Guangling Chen won the Super Hyper Turbo – NLH for the second consecutive day. His victory in Event #117 earned KRW 1,610,268 (~USD 1,188), adding another trophy after Sunday’s win in Event #108 .

Check the SMP x APT Jeju Points Race Standings

With two days of play remaining, every eligible cash can still affect the SMP x APT Jeju Points Race , sponsored by Natural8 .

The final top three will share USD 1,000 in Natural8 credits, with USD 500 awarded to first place, USD 300 to second and USD 200 to third.

Check the APT Jeju 2026 SPI leaderboard for the latest standings as results are updated.

APT Jeju Day 12: High Roller and Micro Main Finales

Tuesday, October 6 brings the festival into its penultimate day, with the High Roller – Ultra Stack and Micro Main Event both playing down to their champions.

Jiaxian Pan leads the 41 High Roller survivors chasing the KRW 125,713,200 top prize, while Haruki Ichiki heads the 26-player Micro Main field returning at 11:15 a.m. KST.

Players can view the complete lineup on the APT Jeju 2026 schedule .

Stay tuned to Somuchpoker as APT Jeju 2026 continues through October 7.

All images courtesy of the Asian Poker Tour.

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