Taiwan gears up for month-long Asia Poker Carnival, running January 5 to February 5, 2024 at the Asia Poker Arena
With 2024 just around the corner, Taiwan remains the top destination for Asian poker. Situated amidst countries that breed top players makes it an easy yes for live tournament players. To kick off 2024, the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association (CTP Club) is set to host a month-long event in Taipei City dubbed, Asia Poker Carnival (APC), which features back-to-back events by three major brands and a combined prize pool guarantee of over NTD 60 Million, approximately 2 Million USD.
The festivities get underway on January 5 and will run through February 5, 2024. All the action takes place at the Asia Poker Arena,the largest brick and mortar poker room in the region.
Here’s what to expect from the upcoming APC in 2024.
U Series of Poker: January 5 – 15, 2024
First up on the roster is the U Series of Poker (USOP) Taiwan which runs from January 5 to 15, 2024. The festival features a guaranteed prize pool of NTD 40,000,000 (~$1.28 Million). For a buy-in of NTD 33,000 (~USD 1,054), players stand a chance at winning a piece of the NTD 15,000,000 (~USD 479,200) guaranteed Main Event prize pool. Last season saw Filipino player Edwin Dela Cruz crowned as the first ever live USOP Main Event champion.
The best part about USOP Taiwan is that it caters to players of every level from your weekend warriors to serious high rollers. The 11-day event will see a jam-packed schedule of 45 trophy events and 24 satellite tournaments.
For more info, check out the USOP Taiwan – Player Guide
Japan High Roller Festival: January 16 – 23, 2024
Following USOP is the Japan High RollerFestival, with a Main Event buy-in of NTD 100,000 (~USD 3,200). The festival runs from January 16 – 23, 2024.Not much info has been released however players can start purchasing packages.
The JHR has previously hosted one full blown festival in Taiwan held back in March 2019. The 19 game lineup saw local pro En Ching “Jack” Wu claim the Main Event. In January 2023, JHR teamed up with CTP to form a festival called the CTP Championship Series X Japan High Roller.15 out of the 32 game lineup were JHR tournaments.
Taiwan Millions Tournament Season 15: January 19 – February 5, 2024
Perhaps the most anticipated event of the first quarter’s awaited Asia Poker Carnival is the Taiwan Millions Tournament. Since its inception, it has ballooned in size and in prizes. Now in its 15th iteration, the homegrown TMT features a guarantee of NT$ 20,000,000 (~USD 638,950) which should be easily breached given that the previous season paid out over NTD 58.5 Million (~USD 1.849 Million).
The Main Event will be closely watched as the organizers attempt to set a new record. At the previous edition, TMT 14 Main Event drew a towering 3,485 field for a stunning prize pool of NTD 22.8+ Million, roughly USD 728K. This was an incredible boost from its inaugural launch of just 420 entries. Local pro Chiayun Wu shipped it for a massive NTD 3.6 Million(~USD 114,900).
About Asia Poker Arena
The APC will take place at the Asia Poker Arena (APA), accommodating up to 65 tables over 540 square meters of floor space. The revolutionary venue hosts a 9-player livestream feature table with four cameras, a commentary room, an in-house restaurant, and a lounge area—everything a poker enthusiast could dream of.
Players attending the Asia Poker Carnival can look forward to working with CTP’s 15 to 20 professional dealers, all of whom train senior dealers every six months. Events held at the APA accept NTD, USD, Euro, and JPY.
Taipei as a Poker Hotspot
Taipei, the modern capital city of Taiwan, provides unparalleled experiences for poker players in the arena and outside of it. The country drew in more international players in 2018 when it welcomed the Global Poker League China and World Poker Tournament.
Stay tuned for more information and updates.
*Article by Zoe Alcazaren
