APT INCHEON SCHEDULE | OFFICIAL RESULTS | IMAGES | WINNERS | PLAYER LISTS
INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA, August 28, 2023 – The APT Incheon, South Korea 2023 Main Event and its juicy KRW 1.3 billion (~USD $1 million) guarantee has arrived, with the first of the four opening flights getting underway at 12pm local time and playing out at the tournament tables of the luxurious Paradise City Casino.
The opening Flight A saw 223 entries (167 unique) battle at the baize over ten 60-minute levels in an attempt to lock up a Day 2 seat.
Defending champion Farhad Aghayev and former champion Dicky Tsang both returned in an attempt to repeat chance, with two-time former APT Main Event champion Mike Takayama also in the running.
APT Summer Series Hanoi, Vietnam 2023 Super High Roller champion Shung Er Sua was looking to tame yet another APT lion, and Natural8 Ambassador Danny Tang was also in action and looking to claim a maiden APT Main Event title.
However, Taiwan's Yu Sheng Lin left them all in the dust, bagging the biggest stack of 246,500 by the time the tournament clock ticked into the red.
China's Nan Zhu (229,400), and Singapore's Adrian Chua (223,000) rounded out the top three stacks, with the top ten as follows:
MAIN EVENT FLIGHT A TOP TEN STACKS
- Yu Sheng Lin (Taiwan) – 246,500
- Nan Zhu (China) – 229,400
- Adrian Chua (Singapore) – 223,000
- Taago Tamm (Estonia) – 215,000
- Xiaohua Fu (China) – 205,700
- King Wai Cheung (Hong Kong) – 203,400
- Wayne Lau (Canada) – 198,000
- Taiki Uragami (Japan) – 190,000
- Yunfeng Sun (China) – 177,800
- Tomochika Kamiya (Japan) – 175,700
A total of 89 players made the cut. Of the aforementioned notables, both Agahyev (147,800), and Tsang (136,200) made it through the tournament maelstrom, as did Sur (133,700) and Tang (90,000).
Others to make it through to Day 2 included Malaysia's Wai Kiat Lee (153,100), China's Xixiang Luo (140,500), Hong Kong's Sparrow Cheung (130,400), Chin Wei "Webster" Lim (104,800), the Philippine's Marc Rivera (58,300), and Benigno Jr Ledina (49,500), and Malaysia's Natalie Teh (46,600).
For Main Event Flight A Survivors please CLICK HERE
With three more starting flights left to play out, there are still opportunities for those unsuccessful in their endeavors to win their way through.
Flight B gets underway at 12pm on Tuesday, August 29, with players competing over ten 45-minute levels.
The final two starting Flights C & D – both boasting ten 30-minute levels – get underway on Wednesday, August 30 at 12pm and 5pm respectively.
You can follow all the APT Main Event Flight A action as it played out via the APT Blog
Singapore's Jun Hao Wu Wins Record-Breaking Superstar Challenge for KRW 177.66M (~USD $134K)
Boasting the biggest buy-in on the schedule, the KRW 13,000,000 Superstar Challenge is one of the highlights of the Series but is not usually one that draws the most sizable of fields.
However, the hefty ~USD $10,000 price tag did not prove to be a deterrent to the number of entries. Quite the opposite in fact, with the tournament breaking not one, but two APT records; attracting the largest-ever Superstar Challenge field, and smashing the event's previous prize pool record in the process.
Some of the Asia-Pacific's top tournament players anted up the entry fee, with a total of 72 competitors (57 unique) entering the tournament arena to battle it out for a hefty KRW 873,000,000 (~USD $657,970) prize pool.
Notables in the running included France's top tournament player and GG Poker Ambassador Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier, and Natural8 Ambassadors Yu-Chung "Nevan" Chang, Kannapong "Tent" Thanarattrakul, and Phachara Wongwichit.
Add in the Philippines' #1 ranked tournament player Marc Rivera, bracelet winner Yan Shing "Anson" Tsang, and further international flair with the USA's Jeff Gross, and Joseph Cheong and you had a line-up that would have any poker fan drooling in anticipation.
APT Summer Series Da Nang Superstar Challenge champion Joshua Mccully also returned to defend his title.
Of these, only Grospellier would make the final table. However, it was Singapore's Jun Hao Wu who overcame the star-studded field with some great play and that all-important bit of luck.
"On the bubble, I ran pretty hot; I got in a four-way all-in and I woke up with kings on the big blind so I think other than skill I think I have to... It's not all about skill, the luck factor involved is also very important." Wu humbly stated in his post-match interview.
Wu staked his claim to the title after cutting a three-way ICM deal with Hong Kong's Kevin Choi and Thailand's Thanisorn Saelor, battling back from the shortest stack to earn a career-best score of KRW 177,660,000 (USD $134,130).
The Singaporean defeated Choi heads-up to claim the crown, with the latter receiving a payout of KRW 177,510,000 (~USD $134,020) for his runner-up finish.
Thailand's Saelor – who was the chip leader at the time the deal was agreed – claimed the tournament's largest payout, earning a windfall of KRW 201,798,700 (~USD $152,360) for third place.
Grospellier, making only his second-ever APT final table appearance, collected KRW 54,130,000 (~USD $40,790) for his sixth place finish, with the tournament paying out as follows:
SUPERSTAR CHALLENGE RESULTS
- 1st: Jun Hao Wu (Singapore) – KRW 177,660,000
- 2nd: Kevin Choi (Hong Kong) – KRW 177,510,000
- 3rd: Thanisorn Saelor (Thailand – KRW 201,800,000
- 4th: Abraham Ceesvin (Singapore) – KRW 89,920,000
- 5th: Daniel Lee (United States) – KRW 69,840,000
- 6th: Bertrand Grospellier (France) – KRW 54,130,000
- 7th: Wing Po Liu (Hong Kong) – KRW 42,780,000
- 8th: Jeffrey Lo (Hong Kong) – KRW 33,170,000
- 9th: Julian Kleiber (Germany) – KRW 26,190,000
For Superstar Challenge - 8 Max Results please CLICK HERE
You can read about all the Superstar Challenge - 8 Max action as it played out via the APT Blog
You can also watch a play-by-play recap via the APT live stream on the following platforms:
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
Russia's Vladislav Klepikov Wins Inaugural Event #27: Seoul Starleague Bounty - Sponsored by Natural8
Russia's Vladislav Klepikov claimed his maiden APT title in Event #27 Seoul Starleague Bounty - Sponsored by Natural8
Another new addition to the schedule making its APT debut – the KRW 500,000 Event #27: Seoul Starleague Bounty - Sponsored by Natural8 – proved to be the biggest draw outside of the Main Event, drawing a 131-strong field (106 unique).
These eager bounty hunters duked it out over twenty-six 25-minute levels in an attempt to claim their share of the KRW 44,081,500 (~USD $33,260) prize pool.
There was also a further KRW 13,100,000 (~USD $9,885) in the bounty pool, with each scalp collected worth KRW 100,000.
It was Russia's Vladislav Klepikov who claimed the accolades of becoming the inaugural Seoul Starleague Bounty champion, defeating Mongolia's Dalaichuluun Jamsranjav heads-up to take the KRW 12,411,500 (~USD $9,370) top prize, claiming maiden APT title in the process.
Jamsranjav took KRW 8,090,000 (~USD $6,100) for his runner-up finish, with Thailand's Kajornnut Prirungrueng taking bronze and a payout of KRW 4,970,000 (~USD $3,750) for third place.
A total of 17 players made the money, with the final table paying out as follows:
SEOUL STARLEAGUE BOUNTY FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- 1st: Vladislav Klepikov (Russia) – KRW 12,411,500
- 2nd: Dalaichuluun Jamsranjav (Mongolia) – KRW 8,090,000
- 3rd: Kajornnut Prirungrueng (Thailand) – KRW 4,970,000
- 4th: Carlos Shiu (Canada) – KRW 4,530,000
- 5th: Hongjie Wang (China) – KRW 3,750,000
- 6th: Nobuhide Sakuma (Japan) – KRW 2,970,000
- 7th: Akihito Mori (Japan) – KRW 2,260,000
- 8th: Pokchat Ratanatabtim (Thailand) – KRW 1,780,000
- 9th: Xiaoyang Qian (China) – KRW 1,500,000
France's Bastien Joly followed up his victory in the Sunday Super Stack with a 12th place finish which was good for KRW 790,000.
For Seoul Starleague Bounty Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
OMAHA ACTION
##Event #25: PL Omaha
Japan's Tsuyoshi Yanagida won his first APT title in Event #25 PL Omaha
The KRW 1,000,000 Event #25: PL Omaha saw 20 entries (12 unique) enter the action and fight it out over nineteen 25-minute levels to claim their slice of the KRW 17,460,000 (~USD $13,180) prize pool.
It was Japan's Tsuyoshi Yanagida who emerged on top, besting Chinese bracelet winner Renji Mao heads-up to claim the KRW 7,330,000 (~USD $5,535) top prize and his maiden APT title.
Mao, who was making his second final table appearance in as many days, had to settle for second-best and KRW 4,890,000 (~USD $3,690) for his runner-up finish.
Taiwan's Leon Li Ta Hsu took bronze and a payout of KRW 3,140,000 (~USD $2,370) for third place.
he UK's Constantine "Coz" Paparestis was the only other player to cash, following up on his runner-up finish in Event #17: PL Omaha - 5 Card with another final table appearance, which was good for KRW 2,100,000 (~USD $1,585).
PL OMAHA RESULTS
- 1st: Tsuyoshi Yanagida (Japan) – KRW 7,330,000
- 2nd: Renji Mao (China) – KRW 4,890,000
- 3rd: Li Ta Hsu (Taiwan) – KRW 3,140,000
- 4th: Constantine Paparestis (United Kingdom) – KRW 2,100,000
For Event #25: PL Omaha please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
MIXED GAME ACTION
Event #20: NL Single Draw Mix (A-5, 2-7, Badugi) - Turbo
Hong Kong's Kin Tung Wong claimed his maiden APT title in Event #20 NL Single Draw Mix
Kicking off at 8.45pm on Sunday and wrapping up in the early hours of Monday morning, the KRW 300,000 Event #20: NL Single Draw Mix (A-5, 2-7, Badugi) - Turbo attracted 30 entries (26 unique), generating a KRW 7,857,000 (~USD $5,930) prize pool.
It took twenty-nine fast-paced 15-minute levels for Hong Kong's Kin Tung Wong to prove his single draw credentials, defeating China's Renji Mao heads-up to take the KRW 2,907,000 (~USD $2,195) top prize and his maiden APT title.
Mao, who was on the hunt for his second APT title had to be satisfied with the KRW 2,000,000 (~USD $1,510) on offer for second.
Japan's Daiki Aoki rounded out the podium, taking KRW 1,280,000 (~USD $960) for third place, with Hong Kong's Anson Tsang (4th for KRW 920,000) and Singapore's Abraham Ceesvin (5th for KRW 750,000) the only other players to make the money.
NL SINGLE DRAW MIX RESULTS
- 1st: Kin Tung Wong (Hong Kong) – KRW 2,907,000
- 2nd: Renji Mao (China) – KRW 2,000,000
- 3rd: Daiki Aoki (Japan) – KRW 1,280,000
- 4th: Yan Shing Tsang (Hong Kong) – KRW 920,000
- 5th: Abraham Ceesvin (Singapore) – KRW 750,000
For Event #20: NL Single Draw Mix (A-5, 2-7, Badugi) - Turbo Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
Event #23: Limit Triple Draw Mix (A-5, 2-7, Badugi)
The opening tournament of the day – the KRW 300,000 Event #23: Limit Triple Draw Mix (A-5, 2-7, Badugi) – got underway at 11.30am local time and drew a 31-strong field (26 unique).
It took twenty-four 25-minute levels to find a champion, with Japan's Takuma Ito taking the lion's share of the KRW 8,118,900 (~USD $6,130) prize pool.
Ito bested the USA's David Wortham heads-up to claim the KRW 3,008,900 (~USD $2,270) top prize and his maiden live tournament cash, with Wortham receiving a KRW 2,070,000 (~USD $1,563) payout for his runner-up finish.
Japan's Keita Yamashiro completed the winner's triumvirate, taking KRW 1,320,000 (~USD $1,000) for third, with five players in total making the money and the tournament paying out as follows:
LIMIT TRIPLE DRAW MIX RESULTS
- 1st: Takuma Ito (Japan) – KRW 3,008,900
- 2nd: David Wortham (United States) – KRW 2,070,000
- 3rd: Keita Yamashiro (Japan) – KRW 1,320,000
- 4th: Ryutaro Okuda (Japan) – KRW 950,000
- 5th: Kenji Kurashina (Japan) – KRW 770,000
For Event #23: Limit Triple Draw Mix Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
SIDE EVENT ACTION
Singapore's Bao Qiang Ho Scores Second APT Title in Event #21: Super Hold'em - Hyper Turbo
Singapore's Bao Qiang Ho scored his second APT title in Event #21 Super Hold'em Hyper Turbo
The KRW 300,000 Event #21: Super Hold'em (3 Hole Cards, Use 0,1,2,3 Cards) - Hyper Turbo concluded in the early hours of Monday morning, with the 31 entries (22 unique) competing over nineteen turbo-charged 10-minute levels for a KRW 8,118,900 (~USD $6,130) prize pool.
It was Singapore's Bao Qiang Ho the man to showcase his Super Hold'em skills, defeating the USA's Aaron Matura heads-up to score his second APT title and the KRW 3,008,900 (~USD $2,270) top prize.
Matura took home KRW 2,070,000 (~USD $1,560) for his second-place finish, with Canada's Hyo Joon Ko collecting KRW 1,320,000 (~USD $1,000) for third place.
A total of five players made the money, with the tournament paying out as follows:
SUPER HOLD'EM HYPER TURBO RESULTS
- 1st: Bao Qiang Ho (Singapore) – KRW 3,008,900
- 2nd: Aaron Matura (United States) – KRW 2,070,000
- 3rd: Hyo Joon Ko (Canada) KRW 1,320,000
- 4th: Jieming Xu (China) KRW 950,000
- 5th: Kazuo Morizono (Japan) KRW 770,000
For Event #21: Super Hold'em Hyper Turbo Player List Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
Title time for Japan's Toru Sahara in Event #22: Midnight Tick Tock
Title time for Japan's Toru Sahara, who claimed his maiden APT title in Event #22 Midnight Tick Tock
Playing out in the early hours of Monday morning the third of ten scheduled Midnight Tick Tock tournaments – the KRW 300,000 Event #22: Midnight Tick Tock (Levels decrease every hour 20/15/10/5) – proved the most popular yet.
A field of 57 entries (48 unique) assembled and anted up to duke it out at the tournament tables, all looking to score a piece of the KRW 14,928,300 (~USD $11,270) prize pool.
Players battled it out at the baize over twenty-seven levels, with level length decreasing every hour until it reached the 5-minute threshold.
It was Toru Sahara whose time had come, with the Japanese player beating the Philippines' #1 ranked tournament player Marc Rivera heads-up to make his maiden tournament score a memorable one – taking the title, trophy, and a KRW 4,478,300 (~USD $3,380) top prize.
Rivera padded out his USD $2.78 million in live tournament winnings to the tune of KRW 3,240,000 (~USD $2,445) for his runner-up finish, with Japan's Kenji Hata rounding out the winner's podium and collecting KRW 2,090,000 (~USD $1,580) for third place.
A total of eight players made the money with the tournament paying out as follows:
MIDNIGHT TICK TOCK RESULTS
- 1st: Toru Sahara (Japan) – KRW 4,478,300
- 2nd: Marc Rivera (Philippines) – KRW 3,240,000
- 3rd: Kenji Hata (Japan) – KRW 2,090,000
- 4th: Luke Wood (Japan) – KRW 1,580,000
- 5th: Ka Tung Ng (China) – KRW 1,220,000
- 6th: Kelvin Ma (Hong Kong) – KRW 960,000
- 7th: Masaki Kawanishi (Japan) – KRW 760,000
- 8th: Shun Hamada (Japan) – KRW 600,000
For Event #22: Midnight Tick Tock please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.
Singapore's Bao Qiang Ho Clinches Second Series Title in Event #30: Turbo
Singapore's Bao Qiang Ho claimed his second Series title in as many days in Event #30 Turbo
The KRW 500,000 Event #30 Turbo kicked off at 9pm local time on Monday, drawing 103 entries (89 unique) who battled for a share of the KRW 44,959,500 (~USD $33,929) prize pool.
It took twenty-two fast-paced 15-minute levels for Singapore's Bao Qiang Ho to clinch his second title in as many days, besting Japan's Waku Harako to claim the KRW 11,499,500 (~USD $8,690) top prize and his third APT title.
Harako earned KRW 7,910,000 (~USD $5,970) for his deep run, with Russia's Alexander Ugay taking KRW 5,190,000 (~USD $3,920) for third.
A total of 15 players made the money, with the final table paying out as follows:
TURBO FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- 1st: Bao Qiang Ho (Singapore) – KRW 11,499,500
- 2nd: Waku Harako (Japan) – KRW 7,910,000
- 3rd: Alexander Ugay (Russia) – KRW 5,190,000
- 4th: Hao Wang (China) – KRW 4,200,000
- 5th: Tatsuya Imanishi (Japan) – KRW 3,390,000
- 6th: Kuan Ying Chen (Taiwan) – KRW 2,650,000
- 7th: Shogo Kono (Japan) – KRW 2,090,000
- 8th: Ikeda Fumitaka (Japan) – KRW 1,600,000
- 9th: Shunsuke Nishimoto (Japan) – KRW 1,170,000
For Event #30 Turbo Results please CLICK HERE
All tournament information can be found on the Official Results page.