Phachara Wongwichit Wins Superstar Challenge As Main Event Hits 2,064 Entries In Day 7 Of APT Taipei 2026

Day 7 of the Asian Poker Tour (APT) Taipei 2026 was packed with action across Red Space and Asia Poker Arena , highlighted by Phachara Wongwichit winning the TWD 800K Superstar Challenge for a career-best TWD 7,247,750 (~USD 232,300). In the Main Event, the total field has exploded to 2,064 entries, with the prize pool now over TWD 98 million (~USD 3.1 million). Chul Woo Jung and Kazushi Nomura emerged as the final flight leaders, while Tetsuya Tsujisaka secured a breakthrough win in the High Roller – Ultra Stack.

The day also saw the historic debut of Chess as part of Mind Sports Week, where players faced off against APT CEO Fred Leung. Today’s schedule features Day 2A and 2B of the Main Event, with registration still open for the first level of each flight, and the start of a new TWD 70K High Roller.

Phachara Wongwichit Dominates Superstar Challenge For 8th APT Title

DeepRun cofounder Phachara Wongwichit delivered a dominant performance in TWD 800K Superstar Challenge , leading from start to finish to claim the top prize. Entering the final day as the chip leader, Wongwichit eliminated three of his four opponents in less than three hours of play to secure his eighth career APT title.

The tournament featured 26 elite entries and a total prize pool of TWD 19,696,950 (~USD 631,310). Wongwichit’s victory earned him a career-best TWD 7,247,750 (~USD 232,300) and the exclusive Black Stealth Lion trophy.

Final Day Highlights

The final day went by fast, lasting less than three hours. Wongwichit started his run by knocking out Chih Wei Fan in fifth place. Then, Wai Kiat Lee took out Daniel Neilson in fourth place, leaving three players left. Wongwichit quickly sent Chin Wei Lim to the rail in third place, setting up a final match against Lee.

Wongwichit started heads-up play with a huge 3-to-1 chip lead. He never let go of that advantage, winning 10 out of the 14 hands played during the final battle. In the final hand, Wongwichit’s ace-queen dominated Lee’s queen-jack. Two aces on the flop sealed the win, leaving Lee in second place.

I was actually just joking with Kiat, that I only needed one red ace. He had queen-jack offsuit and I had ace-queen; when two red aces appeared on the flop, I felt like I was destined to win. This is such a unique trophy – it’s probably the only black poker trophy in the entire industry and is a standout piece for this whole series.

While the Thai champion was humble in victory and downplayed his own edge, Wongwichit is clearly not someone opponents want to face at the table.

Even though there is a lot of money at stake, the high-roller fields are small, so you pretty much know everyone. It feels very relaxed because at least half the table are friends. I can be competitive at a high level, but honestly, many of these guys who play the Triton series are a bit better than me. That’s fine, though, as I don’t study the game as much as I used to.

However, the main reason Wongwichit has less time for study is his growing business project DeepRun, a multi-language, Asia-focused poker training and education platform, which has been taking up much of his attention.

Everything feels like it’s falling into place for DeepRun. We just made the public announcement for it at the start of this APT series, and the timing has been like destiny. My co-founder, Kannapong Thanarattrakul , won the 500K High Roller – the second-biggest buy-in – and just a few days later, I won the 800K, the biggest buy-in of the series. It feels like a sign that our brand is meant to go big. I truly appreciate all the support; my phone hasn’t stopped buzzing with messages, and it really does help.

Along with taking down the exclusive Black Stealth Lion trophy and a career-best TWD 7,247,750 (~USD 232,300), both Wongwichit and Lee also earned a seat worth TWD 312,000 (~USD 10,000) to the Asian Poker Tour Championship (APTC) Main Event this November.

#75 High Roller - Superstar Challenge @RED (800,000 TWD)

Total Prize USD

$631,310

Total Prize

NT$19,696,950

Entries

26

ITM

5

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	NT$7,247,750 $233,045	PW Phachara Wongwichit Thailand	1,476.53
2	NT$4,815,900 $154,850	WK Wai Kiat Lee Malaysia	1,044.07
3	NT$3,147,050 $101,190	CW Chin Wei Lim Malaysia	852.48
4	NT$2,241,100 $72,060	DN Daniel Neilson Australia	738.27
5	NT$1,621,200 $52,130	CW Chih Wei Fan Taiwan	660.33

APT Taipei Main Event Field Hits 2,064 Entries As Prize Pool Climbs Toward TWD 100M

The final two starting flights of the APT Main Event, featuring a TWD 70 million (~USD 2.2 million) guarantee, have now concluded. Across four live starting flights and OnLive Day 1s hosted on Natural8, the tournament has drawn a total of 2,064 entries, with the prize pool currently standing at TWD 98,081,280 (~USD 3,143,630). With late registration still open during the first level of both Day 2 flights, both the field size and prize pool are expected to continue growing.

Flight C Led By Chul Woo Jung & Flight D Led By Kazushi Nomura

South Korea’s Chul Woo Jung led Flight C from start to finish, bagging 306,900 to top the 229 players advancing to Day 2B. The 11am flight drew 442 entries (369 unique) over ten levels of play. Jung was the only player to cross the 300K mark, with Malaysia’s Peng Luo Ang with 292,000 and South Korea’s Soobum Kim with 269,000 rounding out the top stacks.

Japan’s Kazushi Nomura topped Flight D, finishing with 244,600 after a late-night surge in the final starting flight. The 6pm session attracted 227 entries (189 unique), with Nomura leading 114 survivors into Day 2A. South Korea’s Gun Young Kim finished second with 206,600, as both players were the only ones to clear the 200K mark. Taiwan’s Shao Ching Chen completed the top three with 187,700.

Split Day 2 Flights

For the first time, the tour is introducing two separate Day 2 flights. This change helps manage the large field while giving players more options to join the action.

• Day 2A: For survivors of Flights 1A, 1C, and 1D. It starts at 11am today.
• Day 2B: For survivors of Flight 1B. It starts at 3pm today.

Late registration stays open for the first 60-minute level of both Day 2 flights. This means players who didn’t play a Day 1 flight can still buy in directly. However, players must choose one or the other, you cannot buy in directly to both Day 2A and Day 2B.

What’s Next

In addition to the Gold Lion APT Main Event trophy and the eight-figure top prize awaiting the champion, the top six finishers will also earn a seat to the APTC Main Event in November. Two additional seats will be awarded via random draws, one on Day 4 and another once the tournament reaches the money, giving all remaining players a chance at qualification.

Tetsuya Tsujisaka Takes Ultra Stack Title In Career-Best Breakthrough Win

Japan’s Tetsuya Tsujisaka just scored the biggest win of his career in the High Roller – Ultra Stack, outlasting a massive field of 399 entries to claim TWD 4,955,000 (~USD 158,306) and his second APT title. The result was especially meaningful, as it nearly doubled his total career earnings in live tournaments.

The two-day event built a total prize pool of TWD 25,543,200 (~USD 816,716), and the road to victory was far from easy. Tsujisaka had to battle through a tough final table that included Hong Kong’s Wing Po Liu , a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, who finished in second place for TWD 3,141,800 (~USD 100,377), while Michael Gabby Concepcion from the Philippines took third for TWD 2,270,800 (~USD 72,549).

Along with the trophy and top prize, Tsujisaka also secured a seat to the APTC Main Event this November, adding even more value to an already career-defining victory.

Chess Makes Historic Debut During APT Mind Sports Week

Mind Sports Week took a big step forward as Chess officially joined the schedule for the first time. The first-ever Chess x Poker event brought in 21 players looking to test both their board skills and their card play. In the end, Alex Wong, Vice President of the Players Series, came out on top to win his first APT title and TWD 28,406 (~USD 902) in prize money.

One of the highlights was the “Beat the CEO” challenge. Players got the chance to go one-on-one against APT CEO Fred Leung for a shot at a special Mini Lion Trophy. Leung held his own but finished the day with a 3-4 record, handing out four trophies to the players who managed to outplay him.

Mind Sports Week is just the start. The records are modest—for now—but so were poker mixed games when we first introduced them three years ago, and today they define us. What matters most is the engagement—I’ve genuinely enjoyed connecting with players through the Beat The CEO challenge and the feedback was very positive. We’re certainly looking to build on this.

With Chinese Chess already finished and Go coming up next at the Asia Poker Arena, Mind Sports Week is quickly becoming a unique part of the tour experience.

Key Events: Wednesday, April 29

Wednesday’s schedule at APT Taipei 2026 is headlined by the continuation of the APT Main Event. Day 2A kicks off at 11:00, while Day 2B follows at 15:00; both flights offer a final chance to join the action, as registration remains open for the first level of play. Additionally, the TWD 70K High Roller begins at 13:00 at the Asia Poker Arena, with registration open until late in the evening.

Please note an important change to today’s schedule: Event #103, originally the Wednesday Wonderstack, has been changed to a NL Hold’em – Double Board (2 winners) – Deepstack event. Be sure to check the latest times and venues to stay on top of today’s action.

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