Main Event final table chip leader Junjie He

• Japan’s Shigeji Kusakabe Wins APT Championship Main Event Seat & KRW 198.4M (~USD 143.5K) in Tours' Largest Korean Zodiac Classic

• Mini Main Event Sets New Tour Country Record; China’s Jingjun Wang Leads

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

INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA, August 8, 2025 – The final table of the Asian Poker Tours’ largest Korean Main Event is set, with the 1,281-entry field reduced to the last nine players.

While players and the watching rail will have to wait another suspenseful 24-hours for the conclusion of the festivals’ flagship tournament, another of the series’ record-breaking side events has played out to an exciting finish with the tours’ largest Korean Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8 crowning a champion – more on this further down.

Outside of these two events, the tournament tables of the palatial Paradise City resort were all in operation with the three opening flights of the KRW 900,000 (~USD 650) Mini Main Event generating yet another record field, with the tournament attracting a total of 1,029 entries, setting a new tour county and prize pool record for the event. You can read about this further down.

There was also plenty of high stakes action with the KRW 10M (~USD 7,230) Baby Superstar Challenge kicking off at 11:30am local time (KST), and a further seven side events offering an eclectic spread of mixed games as well as No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Open Face Chinese poker action. You can read about all that in the day 8 side event press release.

Main Event Day 4 Action

Just 48 players out of the APT's largest-ever Korean field of 1,281 entries returned for the penultimate day of the APT Incheon 2025 Main Event all guaranteed a pay out of KRW 8,180,000 (~USD 5,915) from the tours' richest-ever Korean-based Main Event prize pool of KRW 2,766,660,000 (~USD 2,000,477).

All had but one goal in mind, securing a spot on the nine-handed final table for a chance at claiming the largest first place prize the APT has ever awarded in a Korean poker tournament – a massive KRW 483,890,000 (~USD 349,885) top prize.

In addition to the life-changing KRW nine-figure (USD six figure) top prize, the top three finishes will also claim a seat worth KRW 13,830,000 (USD 10,000) to the APT's largest-ever guaranteed tournament – the Asian Poker Tour Championship (APTC) Main Event, running November 24-28 in Taipei, Taiwan.

It was India's Rishi Mehra returning with the start-of-day chip lead, with the blinds recommencing with twenty-five minutes remaining on level 24 with blinds of 15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 big blind ante.

It took close to eight and a half 60-minute levels to thin the field down to the last nine players and set up the final table, with Mehra managing to make it through to the last two tables before eventually busting in 16th place for a KRW 21,230,000 (~USD 15,350) payday – his best APT Main Event career cash to date.

The elimination of China’s Haohui Ma in tenth place at the hands of compatriot Junjie He concluded the Day 4 action; He surged to the top of the leaderboard in the last level played.

In addition to railing Ma in 10th place, also sent Japan’s Satoshi Tateuchi out in 12th to cement his stranglehold on the chip lead.

The Chinese player will be bringing in a sizable stack of 13,200,000 (valued at 83 big blinds) into the Final Day.

Thailand’s Anusorn Asiralertsiri is returning second in the counts

After narrowly missing out on making the APT Taipei 2025 Main Event final table just over three months prior and finishing in tenth place, Thailand’s Anusorn Asiralertsiri has managed another deep run on the APT’s largest stage and will be returning with the second largest stack of 8,625,000 – valued at 54 big blinds.

Kuroda Kiyoto rounds out the top three Main Event final table stacks, and the Japanese player is making his second career APT Main Event final table showing after an old era appearance back during the APT Manila Weekend Series 2016 Main Event.

Kiyoto is returning with a stack of 8,325,000 (valued at 52 big blinds) with which to make his run at the title.

Thanisorn Saelor is looking to make tour history

Thailand’s Thanisorn Saelor is the only player returning in the final nine who can make tour history by becoming the first player to claim two of the tours’ signature lion trophies having previously won the APT Incheon 2023 High Roller at this very tour stop two years ago.

Saelor has a very good chance of doing so and will be returning fourth in the overall counts with a stack of 7,600,000 (48 big blinds).

MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE STACKS

Back row (l-r): Anusorn Asiralertsiri, Junjie He, Mingyang Na, Kouki Okumiya, Bin Li. Front row (l-r): Kuroda Kiyoto, Naoki Ota, Daniel Lee, Thanisorn Saelor.

For APT Taipei 2025 Main Event Player Profiles please CLICK HERE.

For Main Event Day 4 Player List please CLICK HERE.

For Main Event Results so far, please CLICK HERE.

Former APT head of live poker operations Lloyd Fontillas came into Day 4 second in chips, but was unable to turn his APT Main Event debut into a final table appearance, exiting in 22nd place at the hands of finalist Kouki Okumiya.

Other notables to make Day 4 but come up short of a spot in the final nine included Day 2 frontrunner and former Main Event finalist Abraham Ceesvin (17th), Sweden’s Mikael Andersson (18th), Brit bracelet winner Alex Lindop (25th), New Zealand’s Tae Hoon Han (32nd), Hong Kong’s Jeffrey Lo (35th), and Jason Chau (36th).

The Final Day gets underway at 11:15am local time (GMT+8) on Saturday, August 8, where the blinds will be rolled back to level 31 (80,000/160,000 with a 160,000 big blind ante) and the nine remaining players will battle it out for the award-winning 24K Gold Lion APT Main Event trophy and title. The action will be live streamed via the official APT YouTube channel.

You can read about all the Main Event Day 4 action via the APT Blog or watch the action as it played out via the Main Event Day 4 live stream.

All tournament information can be found on the Main Event - Day 4 tournament page.

Japan’s Shigeji Kusakabe Wins APT Championship Main Event Seat & KRW 198.4M (~USD 143.5K) in Tours' Largest Korean Zodiac Classic

In addition to the record-breaking action in the Main Event, there was also the Final Day of the APT’s largest-ever Korean iteration of the Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8.

Just 156 players from an initial field of 400 entries returned to compete for a share of the KRW 1,036,800,000 (~USD 749,675) prize pool – the most this tournament has ever awarded in Korea.

The action recommenced on level 14 and played out over a gruelling eighteen 40-minute levels, with the money bubble bursting right at the start of the eighth level played (level 21).

Mongolia’s Bayar Saran exited in 56th place to burst the money bubble and guarantee the remaining 55 players a payday of at least KRW 5,010,000 (~USD 3,620).

It took a further six and a half levels to reach the final table, which was played eight-handed due to a double bust out midway through level 27; Japan’s Katsuki Yamashita coming in with the chip lead after sending Haibo Yang and Jason Li to the rail in ninth and tenth respectively in the same hand.

Yamashita’s sizable chip lead powered his play all the way to heads-up, but it was not enough to clinch the title.

That honour went to compatriot Shigeji Kusakabe who came into the match with close to a two-to-one lead he would not relinquish after sending China’s Jie Zheng out in third place.

Shigeji Kusakabe (left) and Katsuki Yamashita (right) prepare to battle heads-up

Kusakabe claimed a career-best KRW 198,470,000 (~USD 143,510) top prize for his victory, and in addition to his maiden APT live title was also rewarded with a APT Championship Main Event seat valued at USD 10,000.

“There were all sorts of hardships, but I overcame them,” an elated Kusakabe gushed in his post-match interview via the aid of a translator.

“The reason I came to APT Incheon was to strike it rich! I’m really happy. I definitely want to go to Taiwan and give it [the APT Championship Main Event] a try. It was an extremely tough final table, but it all paid off, and right now I feel amazing!”

While Yamashita will be disappointed to have been unable to turn his final table dominance into a maiden tour title, the KRW 125,830,000 (~USD 90,980) runner-up prize represents the best result of his poker career.

Third place finisher Jie Zheng was another to cash for a career best, taking KRW 90,940,000 (~USD 65,755) for third, with the final table paying out as follows:

ZODIAC CLASSIC FINAL TABLE RESULTS

For Zodiac Classic Final Day Player List please CLICK HERE.

For Zodiac Classic Results please CLICK HERE.

Other notables to make the money included APT Taipei 2025 High Roller champion Nguyen Trung Quan (18th), APT All-Time Money List #1 Joseph Cheong (38th), Natural8 Ambassador Sparrow Cheung (41st), Thailand’s Napat Chokejindachai (49th), and Germany’s Niko Koop (53rd).

All tournament information can be found on the Zodiac Classic - Final Day tournament page.

Mini Main Event Sets New Tour Country Record; China’s Jingjun Wang Leads

Flight A frontrunner Jingjun Wang will be returning with the chip lead

The KRW 900,000 (~USD 650) Mini Main Event proved to be another record-breaker.

A total of 1,029 entries (648 unique) piled into the field over the three starting flights making it the largest iteration of the event the tour has run in Korea.

The action kicked off at 11am local time (KST) with the opening Flight A drawing an initial 373 entries, with 53 players making it through the twenty-one 25-minute levels played and China’s Jingjun Wang topping the overall chip counts.

Wang will be returning in the tournament top spot with 1,313,000 in chips and was the only player from all three flights to crack a seven-figure stack.

The Flight B action got underway at 4:30pm (KST) attracting another 415 entries with the action playing out over twenty-three 20-minute levels.

A total of 59 players survived the carnage, with Akiyama Daisuke bagging biggest, and the Japanese player will be returning second in the overall counts with a stack of 982,000.

The third and final Turbo Flight C got going at 9pm and concluded in the wee hours of Saturday morning with the action playing out over twenty-two 15-minute levels.

A further 34 made the Final Day, with Russia’s Chzhen Evgenii leading the flight with a stack of 915,000, putting him third in the overall counts.

With the top 14 percent of each of the three flights making the Final Day and the paying positions, a total of 146 players will be returning to battle it out for a share of the KRW 777,924,000 (~USD 562,490) prize pool – the fourth largest of the festival so far.

All remaining players are guaranteed a payout of at least KRW 1,380,000 (~USD 1,000) when the Final Day action resumes at 11:15am (KST).

However, it will be the KRW 142,884,000 (~USD103,315) top prize that all will be aiming for – the largest this tournament has ever awarded in the county, and second largest Mini Main Event top prize of the New Era.

For Mini Main Event Prize Pool & Payouts please CLICK HERE.

MINI MAIN EVENT TOP TEN STACKS

Other notables still in the running include New Zealand’s Tae Hoon Han (470,000), Vietnam’s Nang Quang Nguyen (326,000), Austria’s Min Sung Lee (288,000), and former Main Event champion Shixiang Khoo (185,000).

For Mini Main Event Flight A Player List please CLICK HERE.

For Mini Main Event Flight A Survivors please CLICK HERE.

For Mini Main Event Flight B Player List please CLICK HERE.

For Mini Main Event Flight B Survivors please CLICK HERE.

For Mini Main Event Flight C Player List please CLICK HERE.

For Mini Main Event Flight C Survivors please CLICK HERE.

For Mini Main Event Final Day Draw please CLICK HERE.

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

Action for the Final Day gets underway at 11:15am (KST) on Saturday, August 8 with the tournament playing down to a champion.