Jianfeng Sun Leads Main Event Final Eight at APT Jeju 2026

The business end of APT Jeju 2026 has arrived at LES A Casino , with the 1,375-entry Main Event now down to its final eight players.

China’s Jianfeng Sun will take the chip lead into Saturday’s final day with 12,060,000, ahead of Steve Ng and Toby Joyce , as the remaining players chase the KRW 556,340,000 (~USD 415,180) top prize and APT Gold Lion trophy.

Elsewhere on Day 8, Tomoyuki Maeda won the Zodiac Classic, Ryan Plant grabbed the Mini Main Event chip lead, and the record-breaking Baby Superstar Challenge was reduced to the final five.

Jianfeng Sun Leads APT Jeju Main Event Final Eight

Just 47 players returned for the penultimate day of the KRW 2.7 million APT Main Event, all competing for a share of the KRW 3,207,600,000 (~USD 2.39 million) prize pool.

Before play began, Xiang Chen secured the second of the tournament’s five USD 10,000 seats to November’s APT Championship Main Event after winning the Day 4 lucky draw.

The remaining three Championship seats will be awarded to the eventual top three finishers.

After more than seven full levels, the final table was set through a double elimination. Kwang Chung Tan flopped a set of eights to eliminate Changliang Sun in ninth and Yi Heng Luo in tenth.

Day 3 chip leader Ma Kaihong, who had led the final 47 into Day 4 , saw his run come to an end earlier than expected in 19th place.

Sun emerged as the new frontrunner, bagging 12,060,000, good for 75 big blinds when play resumes. Singapore’s Steve Ng sits second with 9,050,000, while Joyce rounds out the top three with 8,790,000.

Sun is making his second APT Main Event final table appearance after finishing runner-up in Jeju in 2024, while Shuang Qiu finished third in this event last year. Xu and Ng have also previously reached APT Main Event final tables.

Joyce, meanwhile, is the only finalist with an opportunity to become the first player to win both an APT Championship trophy and an APT Gold Lion Main Event title.

Other notable Day 4 eliminations included Christian Harder in 12th, Joris Michl in 18th, Piet Pape in 24th, Dieu Tu “Tracy” Dinh in 31st, Rishi Mehra in 32nd and Sean Ooi in 43rd.

The final eight are now guaranteed at least KRW 53,230,000 (~USD 39,725), with the champion taking home KRW 556,340,000 (~USD 415,180).

The Final Day begins at 11:15 a.m. KST on Saturday, October 3 and will play down to a champion.

Tomoyuki Maeda Wins APT Jeju Zodiac Classic

Japan’s Tomoyuki Maeda produced the biggest completed-event victory of Day 8, winning Event #67: Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8 for a career-best KRW 228,656,400 (~USD 170,640).

The KRW 3.7 million event drew 373 entries and generated a KRW 1,192,406,400 (~USD 889,855) prize pool, with 65 players returning for the final day and 55 reaching the money.

Maeda defeated China’s Yongliang Li heads-up to secure his maiden APT title, along with a USD 10,000 seat to the APT Championship Main Event in Taipei.

Ryan Plant Leads 101 Into Mini Main Event Final Day

The KRW 1.5 million Mini Main Event comfortably surpassed its KRW 300 million guarantee after three starting flights attracted 713 entries from 385 unique players.

The field generated a KRW 924,048,000 (~USD 684,480) prize pool, with 101 players advancing to Saturday’s Final Day.

All remaining players are guaranteed at least KRW 2,510,000 (~USD 1,860), while the eventual champion will collect KRW 176,038,000 (~USD 130,400).

Ryan Plant leads the combined field after topping Flight B with 1,300,000. Hong Kong’s Ling Kay Yip is the only other player above one million, returning with 1,027,000.

The Mini Main Event Final Day begins at 11:15 a.m. KST on Saturday and will play down to a champion.

Manuel Fritz Leads Record-Breaking Baby Superstar Final Five

The Event #78 Baby Superstar Challenge has also reached its final five after setting new APT records in South Korea.

The KRW 7.5 million event drew 119 entries and created a KRW 799,680,000 (~USD 590,170) prize pool, making it both the largest and richest Baby Superstar Challenge ever held by the APT in South Korea.

Austria’s Manuel Fritz holds a commanding lead with 5,120,000, almost double the 2,800,000 of China’s Jieming Xu .

The eventual champion will collect KRW 201,230,000 (~USD 148,509), with the final five returning on Saturday to determine the winner.

More APT Jeju Day 8 Winners

Yih Ming Hsu continued his remarkable festival by winning Event #75: PL Omaha High – Heads Up for KRW 6,460,192 (~USD 4,768). Hsu defeated Suiyuan Chen heads-up to claim his third title of APT Jeju 2026 and fourth APT title overall.

Hong Kong’s Chun Yu Ma won the 28-player Event #77: 9-Game – High Roller for KRW 26,856,000 (~USD 19,820), securing his second career APT title.

Qiang Ying captured her second trophy of the festival by winning Event #79: Women’s Event for KRW 2,550,208 (~USD 1,882), while Thailand’s Sorawit Suriyakarn claimed his sixth career APT title in Event #80: Fixed Limit – R-O-S-E-T for KRW 5,492,752 (~USD 4,054).

Chi Jen Chen also reached six career APT titles after topping the 90-entry Turbo – NLH for KRW 9,691,440 (~USD 7,152), while Siyuan Lu won the Hyper Turbo – NL Hi-Lo Dealer Button’s Choice for KRW 3,875,360 (~USD 2,860).

Wenhao Ying secured his maiden APT title in the Hyper Turbo – High Roller for KRW 12,509,200 (~USD 9,232), and Jing Kai Ng turned his first APT cash into victory in the Super Hyper Turbo – NLH for KRW 3,420,806 (~USD 2,525).

Ryan Plant Leads SMP x APT Jeju Points Race

With several days still remaining at the festival, Ryan Plant has moved to the top of the SMP x APT Jeju Points Race , sponsored by Natural8.

Every cash in an eligible non-satellite event earns SPI points toward the leaderboard, with USD 1,000 in Natural8 credits split between the eventual top three.

Plant currently leads with 3,487 SPI points, ahead of Xiang Chen on 3,025.

The eventual points-race winner receives USD 500 in Natural8 credits, with USD 300 for second and USD 200 for third.

APT Jeju Day 9 Schedule

Saturday, October 3 is headlined by two major final days, with both the APT Main Event and Mini Main Event resuming at 11:15 a.m. KST.

The final five in the record-breaking Baby Superstar Challenge will also return on Saturday to play down to a champion.

Event #85: Ultra Stack begins with Flight A at 11 a.m. The KRW 1.2 million tournament carries a KRW 150 million guarantee, with Flight B following at 4 p.m. and Turbo Flight C at 8:30 p.m.

The KRW 5 million Event #87: APT High Roller also gets underway at 11:15 a.m., carrying a KRW 700 million guarantee with registration remaining open until 8:35 p.m.

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

Stay tuned to Somuchpoker as the APT Jeju Main Event crowns its champion and the festival enters its final stretch.

All images courtesy of the Asian Poker Tour.

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