Junjie He claims the richest APT Main Event prize ever awarded in Korea

Wins KRW 380.5M (~USD 275K) Plus APT Championship Seat Worth KRW 13.8M (USD 10K)

APT INCHEON 2025 SCHEDULE | OFFICIAL RESULTS | PLAYER LISTS | IMAGES | WINNERS

INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA, August 8, 2025 – The Asian Poker Tour’s largest and richest Korean-based Main Event has crowned a champion, with China’s Junjie He putting on a commanding final table performance to claim the lion’s share of the KRW 2,766,660,000 (~USD 2,000,477) prize pool – the richest the tour has ever awarded in the country.

After four high-octane days of topflight tournament poker, just nine players out of a field of 1,281 entries returned for the Final Day of the KRW 2.5M (~USD 1,800) APT Incheon 2025 Main Event.

All nine finalists were already guaranteed a pay out of KRW 35,760,000 (~USD 25,860), with the top three finishers also receiving a KRW 13,830,000 (USD 10,000) APT Championship (APTC) Main Event ticket for the tour’s largest-ever guaranteed tournament series, running November 14-30 in Taipei, Taiwan.

It was He returning in pole position with just over a quarter of the total chips in play for a sizable 83 big blind stack with play rolled back to level 31 and the action recommencing at blinds of 80,000/160,000 with a 160,000 big blind ante when the final table got underway at 11:15am local time (KST) on Saturday, August 9.

The final table was a fast-paced affair and was all wrapped up in a flurry of cards and chips in four 60-minute levels with the Chinese player never taking a backwards step.

While He only eliminated two out of the other eight finalists on his road to victory, the slopes of his mountainous chip stack proved too steep for the remaining opposition to scale, and he maintained his lead throughout the final tables’ duration.

The 35-year-old He earned the largest cash of his poker career for his epic win after cutting a three-way ICM deal with Japanese opponents Kouki Okumiya, and Kuroda Kiyoto, with the trio leaving KRW 36 million (~USD 26,000) and the trophy and title on the table to compete for.

He lifted the award-winning 24K Gold Lion APT Main Event trophy and claimed a KRW 380,520,000 (~USD 275,140) top prize, in addition to a maiden major poker title following a brief two-handed heads-up battle with Okumiya after the latter saw off compatriot Kiyoto in third place.

Junjie He and Kouki Okumiya prepare to battle heads-up

"I’m definitely very excited. I’ve always wanted to win a big Main Event title, and this time I did it," gushed He in his post-match interview via the aid of a translator, before talking about how he planned his approach to the biggest tournament of his poker career to-date.

“Actually, when I first sat down today, the cards weren’t that great, but I didn’t rush things. I wanted to observe my opponents more and then make adjustments," He confided. It appeared that his slow and steady strategy paid dividends, and He is more than pleased with the new adornment for his mantlepiece.

"The trophy is beautiful — really cool! I’ve always believed that if you keep doing the right things, you will eventually get results. This is great proof of that. I hope I can continue doing the right things in the future."

Being as He’s future features playing in the upcoming APT Championship, we could well be seeing more of him, travel plans permitting.

“Ever since I learned about APT, I’ve been playing their events. I really like them. Every stop and every series is excellent,” He stated.

“I’m really looking forward to the APT Championship, I just hope that if I can get my visa – I’ll find a way to participate in the APT Championship in Taipei!”

He thanked his family and friends for their support at the final table before heading off into the Incheon evening to celebrate his success.

Junjie He celebrates his win with his vocal rail

MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE RESULTS

*Plus an APTC Main Event Seat worth KRW 13,830,000 (USD 10,000)

For APT Incheon 2025 Main Event Final Table Player Profiles please CLICK HERE.

You can read all about the Final Table action in more detail in the APT Blog or view it as it happened via the Main Event Final Table live stream.

All tournament information can be found on the Main Event – Final Day tournament page.

Main Event by the Numbers

The tours’ largest-ever Korean-based Main Event drew a sizable 1,281 entries comprised of 754 unique players from 27 different countries and regions from across the globe.

Japan made up the highest proportion of the field with 484 entries representing close to 38 percent (37.8%) of the total field, with China the next best represented with 299 entries making up a further 23 percent (23.3%).

All other country and region participation was below 10 percent, with Thailand (8.4%) and Hong Kong (8.3%) the next best represented with 107 and 106 entries respectively. Taiwan rounded out the top five best represented region with 49 entries accounting for a further 3.8 percent of the field.

The top ten were rounded out by Russia, who provided 40 entries (3.1%), Singapore, who provided 37 entries (2.9%), Vietnam, who provided 29 entries (2.3%), the United States, who provided 26 entries (2%), and Malaysia, who provided 21 entries (1.6%), with a further 17 countries and regions from the rest of the world making up the remainder of the field.

For Main Event Breakdown by Country/Region please CLICK HERE with a graphic available HERE.

APT INCHEON MAIN EVENT BY YEAR

The APT Incheon Main Event is the largest and richest poker tournament the tour has ever operated in Korea, almost seven times larger and fifteen time richer than the inaugural APT Incheon 2017 Main Event, which drew 185 entries and generated a KRW 179,450,000 (USD 157,392) prize pool.

The New Era of the Asian Poker Tour (APT) continues to showcase the tours’ unprecedented growth with the APT Incheon 2025 Main Event seeing an impressive 37 percent increase in entries over the APT Incheon 2023 Main Event, and a massive 48 percent increase in the prize money played for.