APT TAIPEI 2026 Day 1; Daily Recap and Highlights

APT TAIPEI 2026 SCHEDULE| OFFICIAL RESULTS | PLAYER LISTS | IMAGES | WINNERS

TAIPEI, TAIWAN, April 22, 2026– Welcome to the daily recap of APT Taipei 2026! A historic year for APT kicked off with the much successful APT Jeju 2026, with several South Korean poker records broken including the Main Event that became the largest international poker tournament ever in South Korea.

While still in early beginnings, this year’s edition of APT Taipei will be looking to be the sixth record-breaking festival in a row for the Asian Poker Tour. Taipei has played host to extraordinary things since the APT New Era began, so make sure to not miss out on the action and join us as we look to break more ground in Taipei.

Former Champions Make an Early Start in Taipei

The action is officially underway at APT Taipei 2026, with the ever-popular festival opener APT National Cup taking centre stage as one of the festival’s opening highlights. All eyes are on whether the event can surpass the remarkable benchmark set at APT Taipei 2025, where it drew 2,161 entries and generated a record-breaking TWD 21,264,240 prize pool.

The early flights have already seen a surge of familiar faces making their presence felt. Among them, India’s Nishant Sharma, the APT Championship 2025 Main Event champion, has wasted no time getting into the mix, firing in both Flight A and Flight B in a determined bid to build an early stack. Joining him in the field is fellow APT Championship 2025 Main Event final tablist, Taiwan’s Hao Shan Huang, as well as APT Taipei 2025 Main Event champion Akira Takasugi from Japan.

APT Championship 2025 Main Event champion Nishant Sharma

Meanwhile, attention also turned to the high-stakes arena, where the two-day High roller - Ultra stack is drawing interest. Fresh off his victory earlier this year, Abraham Ceesvin, the APT Jeju 2025 Main Event champion, was seen in action, looking to make an early headstart. APT’’s winningest player Joseph Cheong from the United States was also seen getting mixed in early.

APT Jeju Main Event champion Abraham Ceesvin

Natural8 ambassadors Nevan Chang and Sparrow Cheung were all seen on the felt, along with fellow ambassador Charlie Chiu, a local influencer and poker content creator.

Natural8 ambassador Nevan Chang looking locked in

Natural8 ambassador and poker influencer Chairlie Chiu

Stars Show Up for First High Roller Event of Series; Local Ko Takes the Lead Going into Day 2

Local pro Chia Hsiang Ko leads the way in the first high roller event of the series

The first high-stakes contest of the series is in the books, as Event #4: High Roller – Ultra Stack wrapped up Day 1 of its two-day run with a strong showing. A total of 97 entries built a prize pool of TWD 5,447,520 (~USD 174,041), with TWD 1,429,820 (~USD 45,681) awaiting the eventual champion as players return for the Final Day.

Plenty of star power was in sight on Day 1, with Natural8 ambassadors Nevan Chang and Charlie Chiu all managing to bag up a Day 2 stack, along with Joseph Cheong.

Leading the charge is local contender Chia Hsiang Ko, who bagged the biggest stack of the night after a commanding Day 1 performance. With over USD 600,000 in live tournament earnings, Ko is in prime position to capture his first APT title should he see this through.

Close behind is Japan’s Kento Nasu, a rising pro who only began posting results in 2025 and is also in pursuit of a maiden APT victory. Rounding out the top three is Thailand’s Shotiwan Wattanalarp, an amateur player who is now in line for the biggest score of his career if he can convert his deep run into a win.

Further down the counts, Australia’s John Perry also enjoyed a productive day, finishing inside the top ten stacks heading into the Final Day. With over USD 2 million in live earnings and one APT title already to his name, Perry remains firmly in contention as he looks to add a second APT trophy to his poker resume.

HIGH ROLLER - ULTRA STACK TOP 10 CHIPSTACKS