Asian Poker Tour returns to Taiwan in March with NT$ 14 Million in guaranteed prizes
Ever since the Asian Poker Tour set foot in Taiwan last year, it was evident there would be return visits in the future. It didn’t take long for it to happen; the year went on to see two more events in the country which included the tour’s season finale.
Into the new year, the APT heads back to Taipei City once again for a 12-day series on March 4 to 15. The festival takes place at the popular CTP Club (Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association). Players can expect a variety of games with buy-ins ranging from NT$ 5,500 (~US$ 180) to NT$ 86,000 (~US$ 2,800) along with a combined NT$ 14,000,000 (~US$ 460,000) in guaranteed prizes.
Headlining the festival are the tour’s top-notch tournaments namely the Main Event and Championships Event. Both extend a NT$ 6,000,000 (~US$ 197,500) guarantee. The events run back-to-back. See schedule and info below:
Main Event
Dates: March 5 to 10
Buy-in: NT$ 33,000 (~US$ 1,100)
Format: Ante Big Blind
Three starting days – Day 1A, Day 1B, and Day 1C – open the tournament. Players begin with a deep 25,000 stack, Level 1 blinds are at 50/100, increasing every 60 minutes. Day 1 heats bag up at the end of Level 9. Day 2 is on Sunday, March 8. Registration stays open for one last hour and closes at the start of Level 11. Remaining players bag up at the end of Level 17 and return the next day for Day 3 where they play down to the Final 8 players. Final Day is on Tuesday, March 10. For those looking to get in at a cheaper cost, there are three satellites offered.
Championships Event
Dates: March 11 to 15
Buy-in: NT$ 49,500 (~US$ 1,600
Format: Ante Big Blind
With buy-in for the Championships Event higher than the main, the field is usually elbow to elbow with pros. Last year, Dutch pro Tobias Peters shipped it. Other past winners include Sparrow Cheung, Xixiang Luo, Vincent Chauve, and two-time champions Iori Yogo and Yohwan Lim.
Unlike the main, the Championships Event only offers two starting days – Day 1A and Day 1B. Players begin with a deep 50,000 stack, Level 1 blinds are at 100/200, increasing every 60 minutes. Day 1 heats bag up at the end of Level 8. Day 2 is on Friday, March 13. Registration stay open for two hours in Day 2 and closes at the start of Level 11. Remaining players bag up at the end of Level 16 and return the next day for Day 3 where they play down to the Final 8 players. Final Day is on Sunday, March 15. For those looking to get in at a cheaper cost, there are five satellites offered.
Other Events
The rest of the schedule is taken up by 24 side events. The series opener is the KMGM Monster Stack featuring a NT$ 2,000,000 (~US$ 65,800) guarantee. This event runs from March 4 to 5. Two flights to enter, Flight A is at 1pm and Flight B at 5pm both on opening day. Buy-in is NT$ 16,500 (~US$ 545). In a recent announcement by the APT, partnership with KMGM (Korean Mind Game Members) will bring at least 50 KMGM players to APT Taiwan 2020. Expect to see them heating up the action right from the start.
Other events are the Ladies of Poker, Pot Limit Omaha, No Limit Hold’em, Mix NLH & PLO, 5 Card PLO, and a variety of Turbo events. The schedule wouldn’t be complete without the High Rollers events. Six High Rollers events are offered with buy-ins of NT$ 54,000 (~US$ 1,800), NT$ 75,000 (~US$ 2,500), and NT$ 86,000 (~US$ 2,800). The lower end are the HR Single Day events, and the latter two are the two-day High Rollers.
