Eleven Days, Dozens of Trophies: GOP Taipei 2026 in Review

The inaugural GOP Taipei 2026 came to a close after eleven full days inside the CTP Asia Poker Arena , and by the time the final chips were bagged, the series felt properly lived in. Nothing sprinted, nothing dragged. Fields built steadily, tables stayed full from morning through midnight, and the rhythm of the festival settled in early and stayed consistent right through to the last gauntlet.

Rather than relying on one or two headline days, Gods of Poker works because of accumulation. Each day added something. More players. Bigger fields. Familiar names sticking around. By the final weekend, it felt like a festival that knew exactly what it was.

Main Event Sets the Tone

The Main Event quickly became the spine of the series . Five starting flights generated 556 entries, comfortably pushing past the guarantee and building a TWD 21,617,280 prize pool. Seventy-seven players reached the money, and from there the tournament slowed into a deep, technical grind that rewarded patience far more than pressure.

Final Table Results

When it mattered most, Chih Wei Fan timed his run perfectly. He didn’t arrive at the final table with the chip lead and spent much of the day sitting in the middle of the pack, letting others collide while keeping his stack intact.

The shift came three-handed, where Fan took control, applied pressure at the right moments, and never really let the table reset. He closed out the title and the Black-and-Gold Gauntlet for TWD 4,323,180, sealing the flagship moment of the festival.

The final table itself was stacked with experience. Lin Wei Kai entered the day as chip leader and made an immediate impact, including a pivotal straight that cracked pocket aces and briefly put him far ahead of the field. Andy Tsai once again turned a deep Main Event run into a talking point, while Kevin Choi , Soohyeok Lee, and Seung Hyuk Jung ensured the closing stages were anything but soft.

A Festival Built on Variety

Away from the Main Event, GOP Taipei found its identity through balance. The schedule mixed high rollers, turbo formats, mixed games, and bounty events without ever feeling bloated. Players could play all day or pick their spots, and both approaches worked.

The Aphrodite women’s events became a daily constant rather than a side note. Fields were small but steady, the atmosphere noticeably relaxed, and by the end of the series they had produced one of the most consistent storylines on the schedule. Seeing the Aphrodite Mirror handed out day after day helped give the festival a wider rhythm beyond the headline tournaments.

Mixed games and short-format events filled the gaps between bigger buy-ins, keeping the room busy even when flagship events were deep. It meant there was always something running, but never too much competing for attention.

Gauntlets Take Center Stage

The gauntlet events gave the series its sharpest edges. Each one felt distinct, especially late in the schedule when fatigue set in and mistakes carried more weight.

The GOP High Roller delivered one of the clearest stories of the week. Rangka Tekarn Teeraphat entered the final day as the shortest stack and immediately found himself all in, cracking pocket aces to survive the opening hand.

From there, it was swings in both directions. Lost leads. Timely doubles. Missed bluffs. In the end, Teeraphat locked up the Gold Gauntlet and TWD 1,814,320, finishing the series’ most demanding event the hard way.

The Kraken provided the final punctuation mark. Heng Zhe Hu needed less than an hour at eight-handed play to tear through the table, personally eliminating every remaining opponent. It was fast, direct, and completely decisive. No deals, no hesitation, just pressure until nothing was left.

Player of the Series: Consistency Wins

If one theme ran through the entire festival, it was consistency. No one embodied that more than Martijn Gerrits , who wrapped up Player of the Series with 14 cashes and five wins. He didn’t rely on one big result. He was simply there every day, across formats, picking up points and staying relevant from start to finish.

Behind him, Hu and Alfie Adam remained in the chase, while a deep leaderboard showed just how many players managed to make repeated runs across the schedule. It wasn’t top-heavy. It was earned.

A Strong Chapter

With the last trophies handed out and the floor finally quiet, GOP Taipei 2026 ends as a solid chapter. It didn’t try to overwhelm. It didn’t force moments. It let the days build naturally, and because of that, the festival found its footing quickly.

The next stop on the calendar is GOP Phnom Penh 2026: The Coiled Path , running March 26 to April 5 at NagaWorld. The series will feature 87 events in total, headlined by a USD 500,000 guaranteed Main Event, marking the biggest stage yet for the tour. If Taipei showed what Gods of Poker looks like once it settles into rhythm, Phnom Penh is where it steps fully into stride.

For full results, news articles, and upcoming schedules, visit the Gods of Poker website.