New chapter for Asian Poker Tour: APT Hanoi 2023 revamped schedule and five-year sponsorship deal with Natural8
2023 marks a new chapter for the Asian Poker Tour with new owners, APT Events Private Limited, aiming to take the brand to greater heights. This past week revealed some of those changes starting with a revamped APT Hanoi 2023 schedule. Following the release, the APT also announced an agreement with Natural8 that will see the online brand as title sponsor for five years. The tie-up begins with an APT Online series featuring $10,000,000 in guarantees.
APT Hanoi 2023
APT, the longest running land based poker organizer in Asia, opens its 2023 season at the Vietnam Series of Poker (VSOP) in Hanoi, Vietnam. Viewed as the coolest looking poker room in the capital, the festival runs from February 3 to 12. It features 41 events and VN₫ 20 Billion (~$852,900) in guaranteed prize pools. Amateurs and pros are in for a thrill with a variety of games priced from VN₫ 4,400,000 (~$185) to VN₫ 107,000,000 (~$4,560). Here are the highlights.
Guaranteed Events
| Event | Guarantee | Dates | Buy in |
| AP MAIN EVENT | VN₫ 10,000,000,000 | February 6-11 | VN₫ 27,500,000 |
| Super Star Invitational | VN₫ 1,500,000,000 | February 4-5 | VN₫ 107,000,000 |
| APT Kick Off | VN₫ 1,500,000,000 | February 3-4 | VN₫ 8,800,000 |
| Mystery Bounty Hunter | VN₫ 1,500,000,000 | February 4-5 | VN₫ 9,900,000 |
| Sunday Special | VN₫ 500,000,000 | February 5 | VN₫ 6,600,000 |
| Monster Stack | VN₫ 1,000,000,000 | February 10-11 | VN₫ 11,000,000 |
| APT High Roller 8-Max | VN₫ 3,000,000,000 | February 10-12 | VN₫ 55,000,000 |
| APT Mini Main Event | VN₫ 1,000,000,000 | February 11-12 | VN₫ 8,800,000 |
The star of the festival is the APT MAIN EVENT which weighs in at an ambitious VN₫ 10 Billion (~$426,400) guarantee. This is double the amount of its first visit. Significant changes have also been made to the starting day formats.
- Day 1A retains its 60 minutes per level
- Day 1B will see blinds increase every 45 minutes
- Day 1C and Day 1D will see blinds increase every 30 minutes
- Day 2, Day 3, and Final Table retain its 60 minutes per level
- Day 1 flights play ten levels
High Roller Events
The Vietnam high roller scene is vibrant and players worldwide have taken notice. At each festival, demand increases, therefore for the series, nine are scheduled with the Super Star Invitational (Open Event) peaking at VN₫ 107M buy in.
| Event | Guarantee | Dates | Buy in |
| Super Star Invitational | VN₫ 1,500,000,000 | February 4-5 | VN₫ 107,000,000 |
| APT High Roller 8-Max | VN₫ 3,000,000,000 | February 10-12 | VN₫ 55,000,000 |
| Single Day HR 8-Max | February 2,5,7,8 | VN₫ 44,000,000 | |
| NLH/PLO Single Day HR 8-Max | February 6 | VN₫ 55,000,000 | |
| Single Day HR 8-Max | February 9 | VN₫ 66,000,000 | |
| High Speed High Roller | February 12 | VN₫ 44,000,000 |
Unique Events
Aside from staple tournaments, the APT introduces new events and gives space to past favorites such as the Women’s Event and Crazy Pineapple.
| Event | Dates | Buy in |
|---|---|---|
| Event 3: Holdem – Hyper Turbo | February 3 | VN₫ 16,500,000 |
| Event 4: Omaholic (PL Pre/NL Omaha High – Hyper Turbo | February 3 | VN₫ 4,400,000 |
| Event 22: NLH – Super Holdem (3 holecards) – Hyper Turbo | February 7 | VN₫ 4,400,000 |
| Event 24: Women’s Event | February 8 | VN₫ 4,400,000 |
| Event 26: Tick Tock (levels decrease every hour 20/15/10/5) | February 8 | VN₫ 4,400,000 |
| Event 30: NLH – Crazy Pineapple – Hyper Turbo | February 9 | VN₫ 4,400,000 |
For more information, head to the APT Hanoi 2023 schedule. Along with this release, the APT also included the full schedule for APT Phu Quoc 2023. The event takes place from March 24 to April 2 at the Corona Resort & Casino Phu Quoc. Details can be found here.
APT signs Natural8 as title sponsor for five years
In line with its season of progression, the APT has also announced a five-year agreement with online platform Natural8. In the official announcement, APT Chief Executive Officer, Fred Leung said,
“2023 is going to be a transformative year for the Asian Poker Tour and inking this deal with Natural8 is a massive step towards reaching our new era initiatives. This collaboration with N8 will greatly improve our live event offerings and provide opportunities for players that didn’t previously exist.”
Linking up with N8 will no doubt cast a larger net. To kick off the deal, N8 is sponsor for several events in the released live schedules and plans to host a massive Asian Poker Tour Online (APTO) $10,000,000 guaranteed festival some time in February. Details have yet to be announced.
