Main Event Final Nine Set As Lau Takes Massive Lead While Side Events Shatter Records On Day 10 Of APT Taipei 2026

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Updated: 2026.05.02

Day 10 of the Asian Poker Tour (APT) Taipei 2026 was headlined by the Main Event reaching its final table, with the massive 2,354-entry field narrowed down to just nine players. Chun Shing Lau holds a commanding chip lead with 133 big blinds, while the remaining finalists compete for a TWD 16,640,100 (~USD 533,340) top prize from the tour’s second-largest prize pool in history.

The series also saw Michel Molenaar capture his second title of the festival in the Baby Superstar Challenge, while the Zodiac Classic moved into an unscheduled extra day with three players remaining. Meanwhile, side event momentum continued to build as the Mini Main Event prize pool surpassed USD 1.2 million and the Labour Day Monster Stack broke the 1,000-entry milestone. The action remains centered at Red Space and Asia Poker Arena as the festival prepares to crown its Main Event champion.

APT Taipei 2026 Main Event Reaches Final Nine

APT Taipei 2026 Main Event Final Table (Credit: APT)

The APT Taipei 2026 Main Event has been whittled down from a massive 2,354-entry field to just nine players, setting up the final stage of the tournament.

The strong turnout generated a total prize pool of TWD 111,862,080 (~USD 3,585,320), with all remaining players now guaranteed at least TWD 1.3 million (~USD 44,000). The eventual champion will take home TWD 16,640,100 (~USD 533,340) along with the Gold Lion Trophy.

Chun Shing Lau Leads APT Taipei 2026 Main Event Final Table With Massive Stack

Hong Kong’s Chun Shing Lau leads the way heading into the final day, sitting atop the counts with 33,275,000 (133 big blinds). Lau holds a commanding advantage over the rest of the field after a strong late surge that saw him take a huge portion of the chips in play.

From 46 returning players, the action played out over more than seven 60-minute levels before the final nine were confirmed. Early in the day, Ari Engel was among the first to exit, as the field steadily tightened toward the final table stage.

The key moment came when South Korea’s Jaejoong Kim and Haeil Jung were eliminated in the same hand. Both committed preflop with pocket jacks and queens, but were outdrawn by Lau’s ace-king, which hit a king on the flop, sending them out in eleventh and tenth place, confirming the final nine.

Final Nine Contenders

Joshua McCully (L) Tony Ren Lin (R) (Credit: APT)

Despite Lau’s lead, the remaining field includes several strong contenders. Tony Ren Lin , currently ranked #1 on the Global Poker Index, remains in contention, along with former Superstar Challenge champion Joshua McCully and Thailand’s Pakinai Lisawad.

Final Table Seat Draw

Rank	Player	Flag	Chip Counts	Big Blinds (250K BB)	Table	Seat
1	Chun Shing Lau	Hong Kong	33,275,000	133	1	9
2	Kazuma Ishihara	Japan	11,450,000	46	1	4
3	Joshua McCully	Australia	8,125,000	33	1	7
4	Ching En Chen	Taiwan	7,450,000	30	1	1
5	Miki Shiraishi	Japan	7,250,000	29	1	2
6	Pakinai Lisawad	Thailand	6,825,000	27	1	5
7	Chia Lin Huang	Taiwan	6,525,000	26	1	8
8	Kristof Segers	Belgium	6,525,000	26	1	3
9	Tony Ren Lin	China	5,925,000	24	1	6

What’s at Stake

Beyond the top prize, the top six finishers will each earn over TWD 3.2 million (~USD 100,000) and a USD 10,000 seat to the APT Championship (APTC) Main Event in November. Two seats have already been awarded via lucky draw to Sergei Zakharov and Joris Michl .

Remaining Payouts

Place	Prize (TWD)	Prize (~USD)
1	16,640,100	531,635
2	9,519,000	304,120
3	6,510,000	207,985
4	4,880,000	155,910
5	4,081,000	130,385
6	3,297,500	105,350
7	2,516,500	80,400
8	1,807,000	57,730
9	1,376,500	43,980

Play resumes at 11:15am local time today, with the remaining nine players set to play down to a champion.

Eisuke Katsuren Leads Final Three In Zodiac Classic Overtime

The Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8 has extended into an extra day of play following a marathon session at APT Taipei 2026. After 19 levels on Friday, the field of 486 entries has been whittled down to just three survivors. Japan’s Eisuke Katsuren bagged the overnight lead and is guaranteed a career-best score.

ICM Deal Reached For Final Trio

With the average stack at 27 big blinds and play extending past the 3 a.m. cutoff, the remaining players agreed to an ICM deal to secure their payouts. They will return today, to compete for the trophy, an additional TWD 600,000 (~USD 19,230), and two APTC Main Event seats awarded to the top two finishers.

Final Three Chip Counts & ICM Payouts:

Player	Country	Chip Counts	ICM Deal (TWD)	ICM Deal (~USD)
Eisuke Katsuren	Japan	8,200,000	4,857,040	155,675
Ranno Sootla	Estonia	6,400,000	4,515,500	144,730
Leo Pang	Hong Kong	4,650,000	4,113,700	131,850

Day 2 Recap

Bubble - Wooram Cho — Bubble – Wooram Cho (Credit: APT)

The second day spanned nineteen 40-minute levels, starting with 156 players and ending past the three a.m. venue cutoff. The session featured a lengthy money bubble that eventually burst with South Korea’s Wooram Cho exiting in seventy-second place.

Several notable players made deep runs but fell short of the final day, including Kuen Wai Jeffrey Lo in fourth, John Tech in fifth, and Hon Cheong ‘Ivan’ Lee in sixth. Other eliminations included former champion Alan Lau and start-of-day leader Darius Nass .

Play resumes today at 1 p.m. local time to crown a champion.

Mini Main Event Prize Pool Exceeds USD 1.2 Million; Monster Stack Surpasses 1,000 Entries

The Mini Main Event at APT Taipei 2026 has generated significant momentum, drawing 1,542 entries to create a prize pool of TWD 39,968,640 (~USD 1,276,950). This total easily cleared the TWD 25 million guarantee.

A total of 217 survivors have locked up a minimum cash of TWD 47,200 (~USD 1,510), but all eyes are on the TWD 6,988,540 (~USD 223,275) top prize and the two APTC Main Event tickets reserved for the top two finishers.

South Korea’s Jeonghyeon Kim emerged as the overall leader after the opening flights, bagging 1,422,000 chips in Flight B. Other flight leaders include Taiwan’s Yun Sheng Liu, who topped Flight A with 1,278,000, and Po Hao Liao , who led Flight C with 730,000.

Monster Stack On Pace For Record Turnout

The recently added Labour Day Monster Stack is proving to be a standout side event, with the entry count climbing to 1,348 following the completion of Flights C and D. The field has already surpassed the 1,000-entry milestone and is well on its way to breaking the TWD 6 million guarantee. With two flights still remaining, Flight 1E at 11:00 AM and a Turbo Flight 1F at 6:00 PM, the tournament is expected to exceed 2,000 total entries.

Michel Molenaar Claims Second Title with Baby Superstar Challenge Win

The Baby Superstar Challenge concluded with the Netherlands’ Michel Molenaar emerging victorious, securing his second trophy of the series. Molenaar outperformed an elite field to claim the TWD 3,170,520 (~USD 101,294) top prize. This victory follows his earlier win in the Single Day High Roller , further cementing a dominant run for the professional, who now boasts over USD 2 million in live tournament earnings.

The final stages saw several seasoned professionals vying for the title. Thailand’s Nattawat Soontanont finished as the runner-up for TWD 2,254,500 (~USD 72,028), narrowly missing out on a third career APT title. Australia’s Daniel Neilson rounded out the top three, adding TWD 1,476,000 (~USD 47,156) to his tally.

Other notable appearances at the final table included Ethan Yau , who continued a consistent series performance with a sixth-place finish for TWD 703,500 (~USD 22,475). Local favorite Nevan Chang also featured in the final lineup, departing in eighth place with TWD 432,500 (~USD 13,817).

Baby Superstar Final Table Results

Place	Name	Flag	Prize (TWD)	Prize (USD)
1	Michel Molenaar	Netherlands	3,170,520	101,294
2	Nattawat Soontanont	Thailand	2,254,500	72,028
3	Daniel Neilso	Australia	1,476,000	47,156
4	Horace Leung	Hong Kong	1,136,000	36,293
5	Yee Yan Wen	Malaysia	899,500	28,738
6	Ethan Yau	United States	703,500	22,475
7	Hoseong Ha	South Korea	553,500	17,683
8	Nevan Chang	Taiwan	432,500	13,817
9	Haruhiko Shinohara	Japan	328,500	10,495

Key Events: Saturday, May 2

Today features a packed schedule at APT Taipei 2026, headlined by the Final Day of the APT Main Event and the conclusion of the Zodiac Classic, both of which kick off at 11:15 AM at Red Space. Players looking for fresh action have three opportunities to join the TWD 10M GTD Ultra Stack, with Flight A starting at 11:00 AM, Flight B at 4:00 PM, and Flight C at 8:30 PM.

Over at the Asia Poker Arena, the Labor Day Monster Stack continues with Flight 1E at 11:00 AM and a Turbo Flight 1F at 6:00 PM. Additionally, high roller enthusiasts can enter Day 1 of the TWD 20M GTD APT High Roller, starting at 11:15 AM at Red Space.

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