APT Jeju 2025 kicked off on September 26 in the Landing Casino at Jeju Shiwaworld Resort, Jeju, South Korea, and will continue to run for 10-days until its conclusion on October 5.

Two days of poker have already pushed the series into new heights with five varied records already broken so far. If that is any indication of the festival's trend, the crown jewel APT Jeju 2025 Main Event also looks poised to also add some of its own record-breaking achievements.

Coming in with a very generous KRW 2.2 billion (~USD 1.5 million) guaranteed prize pool, today's Flight A of the Main Event already attracted 397 entries, crushing the attendance record of 285 during last year's APT Jeju 2024 Main Event Flight A and also crushing the Main Event Flight A of APT Incheon earlier this year, which logged 250 runners.

Of course, it is still only the first flight with three more Day 1 flights scheduled in the next few days. In the end, what will matter most will be the big number at the end of all starting flights and the prize pool that will generate.

The Main Event champion can expect to win the coveted 24-K APT golden lion trophy, a seat valued at KRW 14M (USD 10,000) to the APT Championship Main Event and the lion's share from the KRW 2.2 billion (~USD 1.5 million) prize pool.

So far, today's field was trimmed down to 147 runners, who were able to complete ten 60-minute levels and still bag a stack to continue their journey into Day 2 this coming Wednesday, October 1.

Ending the day, sitting at the chip leader throne of Flight A was Maxim Soronkin of Russia with a very healthy 369,300 chip stack. Sorokin is an old school APT regular, having cashed during the early era of the APT, back in 2011 during APT Cebu.

Maxim Sorokin

Sorokin cashed twice during APT Incheon 2025 last month, but his most significant accomplishment was a 2015 Wynn Classic victory, in the USD 2,000 NLH event, where he pocketed a career best USD 101,619.

Just a breathe away was China's Zu You Wang who managed to bag 328,900 along with compatriot Xiang Yu Yu who rounded up the top three with 325,700.

Only the top three broke the 300K chip count mark.

Here are the top ten chip counts:

Monica Agnieska Hrabec

Some of the notables who also made it through Flight A outside of the top ten were the likes of Fabian Gumz (192,600), Dylan Foster (179,200), Thanisorn Saelor (167,000), John Matsuda (127,200), Punnat Punsri (121,500), Natural8 Ambassador Hua Wei Lin (120,000) and Monika Agnieszka Hrabec (90,600)

You can view the complete chip counts of all Flight A survivors HERE.

147 players of 397 Flight A entries have reached the end of Level 10 and are now bagging their chips to carry on to Day 2.

Stay tuned for a short recap of the day's highlights.

Kunal Patni

Bin Wu was all in and at risk for his remaining 37,500 from early position. He was called and covered by Kunal Patni from the small blind.

Bin Wu: A 2

Kunal Patni: Q Q

Patni was looking strong and wanted to evade seeing an ace or clubs, but Wu went from strength to strength as the: 7 A 6 A 4 runout secured him the late double up - just before bagging for Day 2.

Wenyuan Yin had almost all his chips all-in, save for one solitary 500 chip. Making the call against his almost all-in, was ZhenYi Huang.

ZhenYi Huang: A K

Wenyuan Yin: 4 3

Board: 9 5 7 9 8

When the chips were being shipped Huang's way, Huang asked for the remaining 500 chip as well. But Yin seemed reluctant, like it may still make a miracle.

In lost-in-translation language - the bottom line that I understood was, that it was explained to him that the tournament director had announced, "Last 4 hands for the night."

It seemed like he didn't want to bag that one chip, so he gave it to Huang anyway and walked away to maybe re-enter at another opening flight.

Xiang Yu

Yidum Zhang was all in for his remaining 21,500 and already stood from the table. He had been called off by Xiang Yu, who had around ten times his stack.

Yidum Zhang: A J

Xiang Yu: A Q

Yu was ahead, but Zhang picked up some flush draw outs on the: 9 7 K flop.

The 6 was turned and Zhang awaited the river.

When the 5 was peeled, Zhang celebrated with a subdued fist clench, as he was saved by the flush.

A handsome pot of 25,000 had formed in the middle, care of small blind, Hugues Girard, big blind , Chzhen Evgenii, hi-jack, Michael Liang and button, Lee Wee Liew.

All players checked the flop of: 4 6 9 to see a 3 on the turn.

Girard led out for 9,000. Evegenii shoved all-in and only Girard stayed around.

Chzhen Evgenii: T 4

Hugues Girard: Q 8

Evgenii was ahead with third pair and both were on a flush draw. Evgenii begged the dealer, "no more clubs!"

The dealer obliged with a 6 , giving Evgenii a very crucial double up.

Maxim Sorokin

Maxim Sorokin opened to 3,000 from the cutoff and Bizhen Li three-bet to 12,000 from the small blind.

Sorokin four-bet to 25,000 and Li called, taking the players to the board.

The flop came: 7 3 5 and Li bet-called a jam from Bizhen, with Li at risk of elimination.

Li's remaining stack stood at 63,800, whereas Bizhen was sitting with almost triple that.

Bizhen Li: T T

Maxim Sorokin: A 7

Sorokin had flopped top pair, but Li was ahead with pocket tens.

The 3 turn and 3 river, while prettying up Li's hand to a full boat, didn't change anything, and Li secured his double up.

Hua Wei Lin

A sizable pot of 30,000 was spread out beside a board that showed: 7 J Q T .

Van Quoc Vo checked his option from middle position to, cut-off, Hua Wei Lin, who also checked behind.

The dealer then gave a 9 on the river. Vo tapped over to Lin, who fired 25,000 this time. Vo mucked almost immediately.

As soon as the hand ended, the floor director came with a bunch of trays requesting everyone to stack up and prepare for a collapsing table.

I was doing a quick chip count from the action and Kunal "Retired Fish" Patni was knid enough to shout out "134!" referring to the stack of Ms. Lin.

Amazingly, he wasn't that far off!. It sat on 135,500

Martin_Sedlak

Action was caught after the cards were dealt. Chen Huang was already standing at the table having been eliminated from the tournament in a brutal knockout.

One of the players recalled how they got all the chips in, pre-flop, with back and forth raising before Huang's stack was all in, and he was at risk for around 76,000 on the button. His opponent, Martin Sedlak, had him just about covered from an early position.

Chen Huang: A A

Martin Sedlak: K K

Sedlak needed some luck, but things got worse on a: 9 8 6 flop, which brought in the nut flush draw for Huang.

A K turn saw Sedlak hit the set, but it also improved Huang further, bringing in his diamond flush.

The only card good for Sedlak now was an eight. Huang's worst nightmare an :8s,: fell on the river, stripping him of his stack and securing Sedlak the pot.

The table were in awe of the runout and Sedlak remarked "I have never taken a picture of the run out in my life before, but I have to."

Van Quoc Vo

Sedlak sat back with a sizeable stack after the hand, but Van Quoc Vo looms at the same table and has a monster stack.

Hi-jack, ZhenYi Huang, and button, Takato Ariake, had a pot of 24,000 in front of them with a board that showed: 5 J 8 9 .

Huang fired out 13,000 and Ariake made the call.

The dealer peeled a T on the river.

Huang shoved all-in and Ariake called immediately and was excited to turn over: Q J for a straight.

However, Huang showed K Q for a straight that went all the way up to the king, sending Ariake out of his seat.