Originally from the Lake District, UK, I’ve spent the last few years living and breathing the Southeast Asian poker circuit. Since 2025, I’ve been a fixture on the floor at the APT, PokerStars, and WSOP events, serving as a lead reporter and media specialist for Somuchpoker. My work is about more than just recording action; I manage the social media and digital content that brings action rail to the fans. By combining a business education and creative background, I aim to look past the technical hand histories to capture the actual human grit and drama that happens during a deep run.

Updated: 2026.05.16

Kenji Arai is a Japanese poker player currently ranked 2,039th on the Japan All-Time Money List with $6,749 in recorded live earnings. A participant on the domestic JOPT circuit and at international Asian festival stops, Arai made his most notable live result at the Asian Poker Tour’s Hanoi Billions festival in December 2023, where he reached the final stages of the Single Day High Roller 8-Max event to claim his career-best cash.

Career Earnings & Results

Total live earnings stand at $6,749 across 3 recorded cashes, per The Hendon Mob.

Career Highlights at a Glance
💰 Live Earnings: $6,749 | 💵 Best Cash: $6,749 (APT Hanoi 2023) | 🎯 3 Cashes | 🇯🇵 Japan ATM: 2,039th

Results (click to expand)

Date	Event	Place	Prize
Dec 2023	APT Hanoi Billions — Single Day High Roller 8-Max (₫92M + 8M buy-in)	15th	₫163,840,000 ($6,749)
May 2025	JOPT 2025 Grand Final — Good Game 1000, Tokyo	7th	—
Jan 2023	JOPT Tokyo — Monster (¥30,000 buy-in)	10th	—

Biography & Poker Background

Arai is a Japanese player active across both the domestic Japan Open Poker Tour (JOPT) circuit and international Asian tournament stops. His three recorded live cashes span Japan and Vietnam, covering a range of buy-in levels — from the ¥30,000 JOPT Monster in Tokyo to the significantly higher-stakes APT Hanoi Single Day High Roller in 2023.

His career-best result came at the APT Hanoi Billions in December 2023, where he entered the ₫92,000,000 + 8,000,000 Single Day High Roller 8-Max — one of the premium side events at one of Asia’s most competitive annual festivals — and reached 15th place to claim ₫163,840,000 (approximately $6,749). The result placed him in a field alongside some of the best players competing on the Asian circuit at the time.

He returned to domestic play in 2025, finishing seventh at the JOPT Grand Final in Tokyo in May — a tournament that gathers Japan’s most active circuit players for the season’s culminating event. With activity continuing into 2025, Arai represents a growing wave of Japanese players building their live credentials across both home and international events.