Hustle and bustle continued at the CTP Asia Poker Arena as Day 8 of GOP Taipei 2026 wrapped up with the Main Event firmly under the spotlight. Across five starting flights, the crown jewel event officially breached its TWD 21,000,000 guarantee, closing registration with 556 total entries.

With all flights now complete, 77 players have advanced to Day 2, which gets underway on Friday, January 16, as the race toward the Black-and-Gold Gauntlet enters its next stage.

Main Event Flight D Ends With Andy Tsai Out Front

Earlier in the day, Flight D played down to the money following the close of registration, bringing its total field to 184 entries. When play concluded, Andy Tsai (Qing Yu Cai) sat atop the counts with 2,245,000, placing him fourth overall heading into Day 2.

While Tsai’s run was built through steady accumulation, Billy Alfonso provided much of the fireworks, becoming the first player in the flight to reach two million chips. One of the most memorable moments saw Alfonso pull off a bold river bluff against Jinsoo Kim, forcing Kim to burn through his remaining time banks before folding.

The flight ended with Kazuki Okamoto eliminated after Alfonso completed a runner-runner straight to crack a set, sealing the final ITM spot.

Flight E Ends With Hogyun Kang Out in Front

The final starting flight proved to be a popular last-chance option, drawing 101 entries before trimming down to 14 survivors. Korea’s Hogyun Kang emerged as the standout, bagging 2,650,000, the largest stack across all flights.

Kang’s surge came through two pivotal hands late in the day. He first eliminated Chia Hsiang Ko after winning a flip with pocket tens against ace-king, then took a major pot from Eng Loong Choi with trip aces. The flight concluded shortly after, with Choi bowing out on the bubble when his pocket jacks ran into Hao Lin’s pocket aces.

Day 2 Chip Leaders and Payouts

Heading into Day 2, Kang leads the field, followed closely by Chihwei Fan , Hao Lin, and Tsai. The remaining contenders are all guaranteed a minimum payout of TWD 77,200, while the eventual champion stands to earn TWD 4,323,180.

With stacks deep and the field condensed, Day 2 promises a pivotal turning point in the Main Event.

Day 8 Side Event Winners

Side-event action continued alongside the Main Event grind, adding more trophies to an already crowded cabinet. Ma. Arlene Rivera strengthened her run by capturing her fourth Aphrodite Mirror of the series, closing the gap on Martijn Gerrits in the trophy count.

Additional winners included Luke Dainton in NL Hold’em, Kevin Choi in GOP Dealer’s Choice, and Shun Yi Zheng in the Hyper Turbo High Roller, while Elmer Kalaquian picked up a Shield in the Titan Stack Turbo. By the end of the night, the total number of trophies awarded continued to climb as the festival pushed deeper into its second week.

Looking Ahead to Day 9

Friday’s schedule is headlined by Main Event Day 2, where the combined field returns to continue the march toward the final table. Alongside the Main Event, a full slate of side events will once again run throughout the day, including the GOP x RPT Mini Main, which begins its opening flights.

For full photo galleries from the day, including Main Event action and side-event winners, visit the Gods of Poker Flickr, where images are updated daily from CTP Asia Poker Arena.