China’s Peng Zhou topped the Day 3 counts of Korea’s largest-ever poker tournament

• China’s Ming Huang Leads Tour’s Largest Korean-Based Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8

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

JEJU, SOUTH KOREA, October 2, 2025 – Running at the tournament tables of the LES A Casino—located at the luxurious Jeju Shinhwa World resort and hosted in partnership with Landing Entertainment Korea—Day 7 of the ten-day APT Jeju 2025 proved to be one of the busiest days of the festival so far, with 14 tournaments (including satellites) in action.

In addition to Day 3 of the record-breaking Main Event, there was also Day 1 of the two-day KRW 3.3M (~USD 2,360) Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8, with the tournament setting a new tour record for both field size and prize pool – more on this below the Main Event updates.

Other exciting side event action saw the Final Day of the tour’s largest-ever Korean-based two-day KRW 4M (~USD 2,860) Event #57: High Roller play out, as well as a plethora of Turbo tournaments, Omaha events, and mixed games – all of which you can read about in the side event press release.

Main Event

Just 246 players out of the 1,693-entry KRW 2.6M (~USD 1,860) APT Jeju 2025 Main Event returned for Day 3 of the largest international poker tournament ever to play out in Korea.

All returning players were already guaranteed a KRW 4,020,000 (~USD 2,870) payout from the KRW 3,761,155,200 (~USD 2,686,540) prize pool – the richest the APT has ever generated for a Korean-based Main Event, and the third richest APT Main Event prize pool of all time.

The eventual champion will earn a hefty KRW 649,835,200 (~USD 464,170) top prize – the largest the tour has ever awarded in the country, and the third-largest APT Main Event prize ever awarded.

The top three finishers will also receive an APT Championship Main Event seat valued at KRW 14 million (USD 10,000) for the tour’s largest-ever USD 5M GTD tournament running November 24-28 in Taipei, Taiwan.

It took a little over seven and a half 60-minute levels to thin the field down to 48, with the elimination of China’s Xian Xiao in 49th place concluding the Day 3 tournament action with 30 minutes remaining on level 26.

It is China’s Peng Zhou in pole position, putting Natural8 Ambassador Kitty Kuo’s chips to good use to bag up a chip leading stack of 4,460,000.

The Middle Kingdom occupy the current top triumvirate; Shuang Qiu (4,010,000) was the the only other player to bag up over 4 million in chips, with Danqiu Chen (2,765,000) rounding out the top three.

China’s Lili Tang is one of two remaining female players in the field

There are two female players remaining in the field, both of whom bagged a top ten stack; Event #25: Women’s Event champion Lili Tang (2,655,000), and Taiwan’s Yu Han Su (2,290,000).

Taiwan’s Yu Hsiang Huang, who bagged the largest stack on Day 2, also closed out the action in the top ten:

DAY 3 TOP TEN STACKS

For Main Event Day 3 Player List please CLICK HERE

For Main Event Day 3 Survivors please CLICK HERE

For Main Event Day 4 Draw please CLICK HERE

Whatever happens over the next two days of play, one thing is certain; with no former APT Main Event champions remaining in the field a brand new champion will be crowned on Saturday, October 4.

There are two former APT High Roller champions still in contention and looking to become the first players in tour history to claim a second APT signature lion trophy – APT Incheon 2023 High Roller champion Thanisorn Saelor (1,005,000), and APT Taipei Poker Classic 2024 High Roller champion Martin Sedlak (1,005,000).

Other notables who remain in contention include Germany’s Fabian Gumz (1,940,000), Cypriot bracelet winner Georgios Skarparis (1,515,000), the Czech Republic’s Roman Hrabec (1,470,000), former Superstar Challenge champion Joshua McCully (1,460,000), Australia’s Yita Choong (1,195,000), Taiwan’s Poseidon Ho (1,115,000), two-time Main Event finalist Abraham Ceesvin (960,000), start-of-day chip lead Jianfeng Sun (745,000), and the UK’s Guy Taylor (660,000).

Cypriot bracelet winner Georgios Skarparis will be returning for Day 4 with a seven-figure stack

Players to cash but come up short of Day 4 included Iceland’s Adalsteinn Karlsson who cashed twice, collecting a min-cash and 247th place after winning his way through OnLive to Day 3, as well as eventually finishing in 74th for KRW 7,150,000 (~USD 5,110).

Other notables to hit the rail on Day 3 included the USA’s Christopher Park (97th for KRW 6.17M), the Netherland’s Tom Verbruggen, APT Taipei Poker Classic Main Event champion Rene Von Reden (121st for KRW 5.27M), Flight A frontrunner Maxim Sorokin (155th for KRW 4.74M), APT Super High Roller champion Mingcong Chen (159th for KRW 4.74M), and APT Manila 2024 Super High Roller champion William Teoh (164th for KRW 4.74M).

All tournament information can be found on the Main Event Day 3 tournament page.

You can read about how everything played out via the APT Blog, and watch the action as it happened via the Main Event Day 3 Live Stream on the official APT YouTube channel.

Day 4 gets underway at 11:15am (KST) on Friday, October 3 where the 48 survivors will attempt to lock up a seat at the nine-handed final table, so join us then as we see who earns a chance to tame the Gold Lion APT Main Event Trophy.

China’s Ming Huang Leads Tour’s Largest Korean-Based Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8

China’s Ming Huang is leading the tour’s second largest Zodiac Classic of All-Time

Outside of the tour’s three flagship tournaments and the top end high roller events, the KRW 3.3M (~USD 2,360) Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8 is one of the more prestigious tournaments on the APT schedule.

With former champions include the likes of APT All-time Money List #1 Joseph Cheong, and Hong Kong’s Alan Lau, this is tournament title APT regulars and high rollers both are aiming to win.

Boasting a KRW 500M (~USD 357,000) prize pool guarantee, the APT Jeju 2025 edition of the Zodiac Classic drew a sizeable 449 (326 unique) entry field, making it the largest iteration of the tournament ever to play out in Korea, and the second largest Zodiac Classic of all-time.

The KRW 1,283,040,000 (~USD 916,460) prize pool is the second largest this tournament has ever generated, just behind the record set at the APT Incheon 2025.

A total of 63 players will make the paying positions, with a min-cash good for KRW 5,460,000 (~USD 3,900) with the eventual champion taking home the largest first place price this event has ever awarded – a massive KRW 245,030,000 (~USD 175,020) top prize!

It is China’s Ming Huang who will be returning in the driving seat, bagging up a stack of 375,000 after the thirteen 40-minute levels played out, with compatriot Peng Deng (335,000), and France’s Hugues Girard the only two other players to bag over 300K in chips, with 146 players making the cut for the Final Day and the top ten as follows:

ZODIAC CLASSIC TOP TEN DAY 1 STACKS

For Zodiac Classic Day 1 Player List please CLICK HERE

For Zodiac Classic Day 1 Survivors please CLICK HERE

For Zodiac Classic Final Day Draw please CLICK HERE

Other notables still in the running include Malaysia’s Murly Manokharan (233,000), Germany’s Martin Finger (232,000), Morocco’s Mehdi Chaoui (229,000), the Philippines’ David “Spade” Erquiaga (223,500), and APT Super High Roller champion Mingcong Chen (162,000).

All tournament information can be found on the Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8 Day 1 tournament page, and you can follow along with a play-by-play account of the action on the APT Blog.

The 146 survivors will return for the Final Day at 11:15am (KST) on Friday, October 3 with the tournament playing down to a champion.