Natural8 APT Online 2026 National Cups: Winners, Results and Highlights

The APT Online 2026 series features six National Cup events celebrating poker across Asia, with tournaments representing Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, the Philippines and China. Running from October 13 to October 31 on Natural8, the events offer a range of formats, buy-ins and guaranteed prize pools.

This overview covers the winners, prize pools and key statistics from all six APT Online National Cup events.

What Is the APT Online National Cup?

The “National Cup” name can be misleading if taken too literally. These events are named after individual countries, but that does not automatically make them official national championships or mean they are restricted to players from those countries.

The distinction matters when looking at the results. A tournament named after Thailand, for example, should not automatically be treated as a competition exclusively for Thai players. The event name identifies the tournament, while its official rules determine who is eligible to participate.

For this reason, the results are best viewed as part of the wider APT Online series, with each National Cup offering its own format, prize pool and path to a title.

Six APT Online National Cups Across Asia

The six National Cup events were played in different formats, with varying buy-ins and prize pool guarantees. From shorter-handed tournaments to bounty formats, each stop brought something different to the APT Online 2026 schedule.

• Thailand National Cup: A 6-Max tournament, with fewer players at each table and a more action-oriented format.

• Taiwan National Cup: A bounty event, where players can earn additional rewards by eliminating opponents.

• Vietnam National Cup: A tournament that attracted a record field of 2,628 entries in 2026.

• Korea National Cup: A 7-Max bounty tournament combining shorter-handed play with elimination rewards.

• Philippines National Cup: A Deepstack Bounty tournament, offering players deeper starting stacks and additional bounty rewards.

• China Zodiac Classic: The final National Cup of the series, featuring a CN¥1,100 buy-in and a CN¥1.5 million guaranteed prize pool.

These format differences provide useful context for comparing the results. Field size and prize pool tell part of the story, while the tournament structure helps explain what players were competing in at each stop.

APT Online 2026 National Cup Results

The six National Cup events feature a mix of formats, from six-max poker to bounty tournaments, with buy-ins and prize pools set in local currencies. The results below highlight each event’s field size, total prize pool and winner’s payout, including bounty earnings where applicable.

All monetary amounts are shown in approximate USD equivalents, based on Natural8’s event coverage. Total payouts include bounty winnings where applicable.

Which National Cups Set New Records?

Natural8’s 2026 National Cups produced mixed results compared with the previous year. While Thailand came close to its 2025 field size, Vietnam, Korea and the Philippines attracted more entries. Taiwan’s field was smaller, but the event still set a new prize pool record following a change in buy-in and format.

Entry figures are from Natural8’s APT Online event recaps. Percentage changes are calculated from the published entry counts.

Korea recorded the largest year-over-year increase, with entries growing by 31.8%. Philippines and Vietnam also set a new field-size record, while Taiwan and China demonstrated that a smaller field does not necessarily prevent a tournament from generating a larger prize pool when its buy-in and format change.

How Much Did Bounties Add to the Winners’ Payouts?

Bounty tournaments accounted for three of the six National Cup events, with players earning extra money for eliminating opponents. The Taiwan and Korea results show just how significant those rewards can be, making up close to half of each winner’s total payout.

Figures are approximate USD equivalents based on Natural8’s event recaps. Total payouts include bounty winnings.

At the Taiwan National Cup, bounties contributed approximately 47.7% of MoneyMaker_1999’s total payout. The proportion was even higher in Korea, where Littleshy earned around 48.9% of the total from bounties.

What the National Cups Reveal About Online Poker in Asia

The 2026 APT Online National Cups highlight the variety of tournament formats and international competition available across Natural8’s Asian-focused schedule. While the events are named after individual countries, the results show that the titles are not necessarily won by players from those nations.

The six events also offer a snapshot of participation trends across the series, from larger fields in Vietnam and Korea to the significant role bounty rewards played in several winners’ payouts. Together, the results underline the international nature of online tournament poker, where players from different countries compete for titles associated with destinations across Asia.

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APT Online National CUP FAQ

What are the APT Online 2026 National Cups?

The APT Online 2026 National Cups are a series of country-themed online poker tournaments hosted on Natural8. The six featured events represent Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, the Philippines and China, with different formats, buy-ins and guaranteed prize pools.

Which countries are represented in the 2026 National Cups?

The series features tournaments associated with Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, the Philippines and China. Despite their country-themed names, the events attract international fields, and the winners may come from countries other than the one represented by the tournament.

How much can you win in the APT Online 2026 National Cups?

Prize pools and payouts vary by event, depending on factors such as the buy-in, number of entries and tournament format. The series includes tournaments with guaranteed prize pools ranging from millions of Thai baht to hundreds of millions of Korean won. Check the individual event results for the final prize pools and winners’ payouts.

Do the APT Online National Cups include bounty tournaments?

Yes. The 2026 series includes bounty formats such as the Taiwan National Cup – Bounty, Korea National Cup – Bounty 7-Max and Philippines National Cup – Deepstack Bounty. In these tournaments, players can earn additional rewards by eliminating opponents, so bounty winnings can make up a significant part of a winner’s total payout.