APT Taipei 2025 Main Event Headed For An Earth-Shaker; Wu Chun Yu Bags Day 1A Lead

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APT Taipei 2025 - APT Main Event - Photo by APT
APT Taipei 2025 – APT Main Event Day 1A – Photo by APT

Players continued to flood into the Asian Poker TourAPT Taipei 2025 festival, with the Main Event and its NT$ 70,000,000 (~US$ 2.1 Million) guarantee now the centerpiece of all the action. Kicking off on April 27 at the brand new Red Space venue, Day 1A brought in 542 entries (404 uniques), setting a strong early pace for what is expected to be another record-breaker.

According to APT, another 466 qualified via Natural8 OnLive, further boosting the numbers to 1,008 entries. With three more flights still to come, just how high the final turnout will climb remains to be seen.

APT Taipei 2025 – APT Main Event

Through the years, the APT Main Event has been widely regarded as having the best structure in the region. For players that took their chances at Day 1A, the starting stack was 400x the opening blinds with increases at the slowest pace of 60 minutes. This gave players plenty of time to gauge the competition and build up.

Wu Chun Yu sets the bar at APT Main Event - Photo by APT
Wu Chun Yu sets the bar at APT Main Event – Photo by APT

By the end of the scheduled ten rounds, 203 players managed to avoid the rail led by Taiwan’s Wu Chun Yu with a stack of 469,200 equivalent to a whopping 335 big blinds. Yu was far ahead of the pack with his closest challenger Hong Kong’s Nicholas Go bagging 338,900 (242 bb). Other notables making the cut were China’s biggest player Biao Ding, past APT Main Event champions Rene Alexander Von Reden, Gyeongbyeong Lee, Lester Edoc, and Zhan Shuo Guo. 

Indonesian player Jhon Hendri also found a bag, jumping in right after he finished 8th at the APT Super High Roller. To list a few more were Vietnam’s #1 ranked player Dao Minh Phu, Korea’s Hyun Sup Kim, and side event winners Alfie Poetra, Ryan Plant, Jun Hao Wu, and Zichuan Huang

Day 1A Live Updates
Day 1A Chip Counts

For those that fell by the wayside or have yet to join the action, the APT Main Event continues with three more entry flights running from April 28-29. And if you still need one more chance, players can sign up just before the start of Day 2. Buy-in is NT$ 55,000 (~US$ 1,700).

APT Taipei 2025 – Day 3 Winners

Despite the APT Main Event at the top of the menu, the side events still saw significant action with big winners crowned. Here are all of the day’s champions.

#15 APT Super High Roller (330,000 TWD)
APT Super High Roller

Nguyen Quang Minh Clinches APT Super High Roller For Career Best

Vietnam's Nguyen Quang Minh celebrated his biggest takedown to date at the APT Super High Roller, after defeating Alexander Lynskey for a payout of NT$ 9,580,920 (~US$ 295,700). In a brief interview with the champ, he shared,


Đây là chiến thắng lớn nhất của tôi cho đến nay. Là một người Việt Nam yêu nước, tôi thực sự hạnh phúc khi chiến thắng này lại đến đúng vào thời điểm đất nước của tôi đang chuẩn bị kỷ niệm 50 năm ngày giải phóng miền Nam và thống nhất đất nước.


[This is my biggest victory to date. Being a patriotic Vietnamese, I am truly happy that this victory comes at the right time when our country is preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country.]


The two-day event attracted a record field of 122 entries, each one coughing up the NT$ 330,000 (~US$ 10,100) buy-in. This built a prize pool of NT$ 37,040,420 (~US$ 1,143,225) with the top 18 places paid. The money began with rising young Malaysian player Chun Keat Liu first to collect. When players continued to fall, German pro Dominik Nitsche was bumped out in 10th place to form the final table. Nguyen expressed,


Tôi vào bàn chung kết với 1 tâm lý thoải mái và không có chiến thuật gì cả. Tôi chỉ quyết tâm thi đấu với tất cả niềm đam mê mà tôi đã giành cho bộ môn Poker.


[I entered the final table with a relaxed mindset and no strategy. I was just determined to play with all the passion I had for Poker.]


Nguyen also added that at the final table, his toughest opponent was Jhon Hendri saying,


Đối thủ khó nhằn nhất của tôi là JHON HENDRI bằng 1 cách nào đó tôi luôn thua anh ấy ở tất cả các ván bài, từ ngày thứ nhất cho tới khi anh ấy bị loại.


[My toughest opponent was Jhon Hendri. Somehow I lost every hand against him, even from Day 1, until he was eliminated.]


You can watch the final table action via APT Super High Roller Livestream.

Total Prize
$1,143,225
Guaranteed
15,000,000
Entries
122
ITM
17
#PayoutPlayer
1$295,705
9,580,920 TWD
2$192,515
6,237,500 TWD
3$125,140
4,054,500 TWD
CS
Calvin Sungwon Lee
United States of America [USA]United States of America
4$103,610
3,357,000 TWD
MP
Matthew Paul Belcher
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [GBR]United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
5$83,580
2,708,000 TWD
6$65,910
2,135,500 TWD
JS
Joseph Sanghyon Cheong
United States of America [USA]United States of America
7$50,385
1,632,500 TWD
CY
Christopher Young Park
United States of America [USA]United States of America
8$37,930
1,229,000 TWD
JH
Jhon Hendri
Indonesia [IDN]Indonesia
9$28,320
917,500 TWD
Check the 17 Payouts & Results ...
#24 Sunday Super Stack (30,000 TWD)
Sunday Super Stack

Japan's Taiga Tanida Tops Sunday Superstack's Huge Turnout

Another big field produced at the APT Taipei 2025 with the Sunday Superstack bringing in a roaring 386 entries to easily smash the guarantee. With a NT$ 30,000 (~US$ 925) buy-in, it wasn’t a small investment either however the reward was well worth it for the 55 players that earned a piece of the bloated NT$ 10,005,120 (~US$ 308,800) prize pool.


Among the notables that reached the final table was APT Main Event champion Dicky Tsang, finishing in 7th place. The title was claimed by Japan's Taiga Tanida, turning his buy-in nearly sixty times over for a payout of NT$ 1,943,120 (~US$ 59,975). With no prior live scores on record, this may well be his first ever live title and score.

Total Prize
$308,800
Guaranteed
5,000,000
Entries
386
ITM
55
#PayoutPlayer
1$59,975
1,943,120 TWD
2$37,980
1,230,500 TWD
3$27,455
889,500 TWD
CY
4$22,205
719,500 TWD
JS
Jo Seng Mok
Malaysia [MYS]Malaysia
5$17,575
569,500 TWD
WH
Wei Huang
Taiwan [TWN]Taiwan
6$13,520
438,000 TWD
CH
7$10,060
326,000 TWD
8$7,285
236,000 TWD
9$5,895
191,000 TWD
FY
Check the 55 Payouts & Results ...
#29 NL Hold'em - Big Bounty (TWD 10K Bounty Per Player) (20,000 TWD)
NL Hold'em - Big Bounty (TWD 10K Bounty Per Player)
Total Prize
$89,705
Entries
173
ITM
23
#PayoutPlayer
1$17,590
569,900 TWD
2$17,455
565,500 TWD
AH
3$9,415
305,000 TWD
4$7,715
250,000 TWD
CH
Chin Ho Li
Hong Kong [HKG]Hong Kong
5$6,190
200,500 TWD
YC
6$4,800
155,500 TWD
WF
Wai Fung Tang
Hong Kong [HKG]Hong Kong
7$3,550
115,000 TWD
JY
8$2,610
84,500 TWD
9$2,085
67,500 TWD
Check the 23 Payouts & Results ...
#28 Women's Event (12,000 TWD)
Women's Event
Total Prize
$28,550
Entries
94
ITM
13
#PayoutPlayer
1$7,485
242,460 TWD
JC
2$5,245
170,000 TWD
3$3,470
112,500 TWD
OA
4$2,730
88,500 TWD
5$2,190
71,000 TWD
ER
Elena Roberta
Indonesia [IDN]Indonesia
6$1,715
55,500 TWD
YK
7$1,360
44,000 TWD
8$1,050
34,000 TWD
SW
9$800
26,000 TWD
LJ
Check the 13 Payouts & Results ...
#26 Single Day High Roller (100,000 TWD)
Single Day High Roller

Kai Cheng Hsu Finally Takes It Down

Often seen running deep at many high roller events but always denied the gold, Taiwan's Kai Cheng Hsu finally nailed one down at the APT Taipei 2025 - Single Day High Roller. Hsu faced some very tough competitors in the 81 entry field that included Thai pro Punnat Punsri, Hong Kong's Hon Cheong Lee, and Malaysia's Sean Ooi.


In the end, the title came between Hsu and Masataka Setoguchi, both players seeking a coveted first high roller win. Hsu emerged victorious to win the lion's share of the NT$ 6,998,400 (~US$ 216,000) prize pool which was a career high score of NT$ 1,923,900 (~US$ 59,380).

Total Prize
$216,000
Entries
81
ITM
11
#PayoutPlayer
1$59,380
1,923,900 TWD
2$42,220
1,368,000 TWD
3$27,655
896,000 TWD
BH
Bawoo Hyun Shik Yun
Korea (Republic of) [KOR]Korea (Republic of)
4$21,280
689,500 TWD
PP
5$16,850
546,000 TWD
6$13,180
427,000 TWD
KC
Kwok Chun Ng
Hong Kong [HKG]Hong Kong
7$10,370
336,000 TWD
HC
8$8,100
262,500 TWD
9$6,155
199,500 TWD
JP
Jason Park Lun Wong
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [GBR]United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Check the 11 Payouts & Results ...
#33 Hyper Turbo Home Games - Super Hold'em (3 Hole Cards, Use 3, 2, 1 or 0 Cards) (3,500 TWD)
Hyper Turbo Home Games - Super Hold'em (3 Hole Cards, Use 3, 2, 1 or 0 Cards)

Kuan Yu Chen Wins Hyper Turbo Home Games

Another smoking turnout at the Hyper Turbo Home Games - Super Hold'em with 197 lighting up a section of the poker room. The fun game with three hole cards to start with generated a prize pool of NT$ 551,663 (~US$ 17,025) with 27 players locking up cash returns. The biggest winner was CTP regular Kuan Yu Chen to clinch his first ever APT win and a payout of NT$ 121,663 (~US$ 3,755).

Total Prize
$17,025
Entries
197
ITM
27
#PayoutPlayer
1$3,755
121,663 TWD
KY
2$2,545
82,500 TWD
3$1,760
57,000 TWD
4$1,435
46,500 TWD
CY
5$1,140
37,000 TWD
6$880
28,500 TWD
7$635
20,500 TWD
8$465
15,000 TWD
9$385
12,500 TWD
Check the 27 Payouts & Results ...
#25 Omaha Masters - PL Omaha High (35,000 TWD)
Omaha Masters - PL Omaha High
Total Prize
$66,265
Entries
71
ITM
9
#PayoutPlayer
1$19,320
626,040 TWD
2$13,920
451,000 TWD
TH
3$9,045
293,000 TWD
OC
Owen Chong
Australia [AUS]Australia
4$6,820
221,000 TWD
CY
Calvin Yu Jiang
United States of America [USA]United States of America
5$5,310
172,000 TWD
6$4,105
133,000 TWD
DB
Devid Berlin
Lithuania [LTU]Lithuania
7$3,240
105,000 TWD
YC
8$2,515
81,500 TWD
9$1,990
64,500 TWD
#32 Turbo - High Roller (35,000 TWD)
Turbo - High Roller
Total Prize
$55,065
Entries
59
ITM
8
#PayoutPlayer
1$16,515
535,160 TWD
2$11,945
387,000 TWD
3$7,715
250,000 TWD
4$5,835
189,000 TWD
5$4,520
146,500 TWD
CH
6$3,520
114,000 TWD
7$2,810
91,000 TWD
8$2,205
71,500 TWD
#36 Super Hyper Turbo (8,000 TWD)
Super Hyper Turbo
Total Prize
$31,210
Entries
158
ITM
23
#PayoutPlayer
1$7,340
237,750 TWD
2$4,925
159,500 TWD
3$3,270
106,000 TWD
KD
Ken Doi
Japan [JPN]Japan
4$2,685
87,000 TWD
5$2,160
70,000 TWD
YY
6$1,665
54,000 TWD
7$1,235
40,000 TWD
SL
Seokyoung Lee
Korea (Republic of) [KOR]Korea (Republic of)
8$910
29,500 TWD
JL
Jungwoo Lee
Korea (Republic of) [KOR]Korea (Republic of)
9$725
23,500 TWD
Check the 23 Payouts & Results ...
#27 Limit - Dealers Choice - 7 Stud (10 Games) (10,000 TWD)
Limit - Dealers Choice - 7 Stud (10 Games)
Total Prize
$10,125
Entries
40
ITM
6
#PayoutPlayer
1$3,455
112,012 TWD
2$2,375
77,000 TWD
TK
Tony Khoang
Netherlands [NLD]Netherlands
3$1,510
49,000 TWD
4$1,155
37,500 TWD
JG
Jarryd Godena
Australia [AUS]Australia
5$910
29,500 TWD
GT
Gregory Taborissky
United States of America [USA]United States of America
6$710
23,000 TWD
PC
Pui Cheung Ng
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [GBR]United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
#31 Turbo - PL Drawmaha 2-7 (Half the Pot to Omaha High, Half to 2-7) (10,000 TWD)
Turbo - PL Drawmaha 2-7 (Half the Pot to Omaha High, Half to 2-7)
Total Prize
$10,375
Entries
41
ITM
6
#PayoutPlayer
1$3,525
114,213 TWD
LS
Liang Su
Taiwan [TWN]Taiwan
2$2,440
79,000 TWD
CP
Chak Pan Yiu
Hong Kong [HKG]Hong Kong
3$1,560
50,500 TWD
4$1,190
38,500 TWD
AF
Alexander Firsov
Russian Federation [RUS]Russian Federation
5$940
30,500 TWD
CY
6$725
23,500 TWD
DM
Danny Ming Fan Chang
United States of America [USA]United States of America
#34 Hyper Turbo - NL Single Draw Mix (A-5, 2-7, Badugi) (8,000 TWD)
Hyper Turbo - NL Single Draw Mix (A-5, 2-7, Badugi)
Total Prize
$10,865
Entries
55
ITM
8
#PayoutPlayer
1$3,240
105,017 TWD
JY
Jeong Yeol Yu
Korea (Republic of) [KOR]Korea (Republic of)
2$2,360
76,500 TWD
3$1,530
49,500 TWD
KS
4$1,155
37,500 TWD
5$895
29,000 TWD
6$695
22,500 TWD
7$555
18,000 TWD
8$430
14,000 TWD
#35 Tick Tock BOOM! (Levels Decrease Every Hour 15/10/5/2) (10,000 TWD)
Tick Tock BOOM! (Levels Decrease Every Hour 15/10/5/2)
Total Prize
$13,160
Entries
52
ITM
7
#PayoutPlayer
1$4,150
134,416 TWD
2$2,995
97,000 TWD
YM
Yong Man Kwon
Korea (Republic of) [KOR]Korea (Republic of)
3$1,915
62,000 TWD
4$1,450
47,000 TWD
TH
Tsz Him Yip
Hong Kong [HKG]Hong Kong
5$1,110
36,000 TWD
6$850
27,500 TWD
7$695
22,500 TWD