What began as a simple qualifier has turned into one of the biggest stories of the Asian Poker Tour Championship (APTC) festival. The TWD 53,000 Step 2 Mega Satellite to the TWD 311,000 (~USD 10,000) APTC Main Event drew a staggering 399 entries as the final numbers came in. The total prize pool swelled to TWD 18,271,008 (USD 585,610), awarding 58 seats to the Main Event, while one extra player received TWD 233,008 in cash.

Yes, you read that right. Over half a million dollars in prizes were generated from a single satellite. And remember, this isn’t even a Main Event, it’s just a satellite.

This is officially the richest satellite ever held in Asia, setting a new APT record for both field size and prize pool. It may also stand as the largest live satellite ever run in the region, though that remains unconfirmed. Regardless, no previous qualifier in APT history has ever come close to this scale.

From Feeder to Feature

This Step 2 Mega started with a 41-seat guarantee, which already stood out as ambitious for any live satellite. Yet player turnout smashed every expectation. The room inside Red Space was packed, with tables filled from early levels as players battled it out for the tickets. The atmosphere felt less like a qualifier and more like a championship event of its own.

The buy-in of TWD 53,000 attracted a blend of hopefuls who see this as their best chance to join the $5 million guaranteed Main Event. The scale of participation has now pushed the prize pool into territory that was once reserved for the biggest Main Events on the APT calendar.

The venue inside Red Space was packed for the satellite

A Satellite Bigger Than Main Events

To put this in perspective, here are the total prize pools from the final four APT Main Events before the start of the new era in Taipei 2023:

• APT Philippines 2022: PHP 23,280,000 (~USD 396,000)
• APT Da Nang 2022: VND 11.96 billion (~USD 454,000)
• APT Phu Quoc 2023: VND 14.75 billion (~USD 559,000)
• APT Hanoi 2023: VND 15.86 billion (~USD 602,000)

All four of those were Main Events, the crown jewels of their respective series, and yet this single satellite has blown past three of them, falling short of Hanoi by less than USD 20,000 — a city renowned for its massive turnouts. The fact that a qualifier has reached these kinds of numbers is almost unbelievable. It’s the clearest sign yet of just how far the APT has evolved since its relaunch.

A satellite beating the prize pools of three out of four pre–new era Main Events is something that has quite literally never been said before.

By Comparison

To truly grasp how remarkable this is, the USD 585,610 prize pool from this single satellite also outstripped several feature events from the APT’s new era itself.

It beat the APT Incheon 2023 Super High Roller (USD 399,950), the APT Manila 2024 Super High Roller (USD 554,560), and the APT Jeju 2024 Super High Roller (USD 603,900).

It was also larger than the APT Hanoi 2023 High Roller (USD 493,700), the APT Da Nang 2023 High Roller (USD 474,680), and the APT Manila 2024 High Roller (USD 397,740). Even the APT Incheon 2023 Superstar Challenge (USD 657,970) fell just short of this figure.

Each of those tournaments was a full-fledged title event with its own trophy and coverage. This was a satellite, designed purely to hand out seats. The numbers make it one of the most lucrative qualifying events ever seen in Asia.

The tournament clock shows 399 entries

The satellite was never meant to be the headline act. It was created to feed players into the Main Event, yet it has become a landmark in its own right. The value of the seats, the size of the field, and the sheer number of players willing to invest TWD 53,000 for a shot at one of the most exclusive freezeouts in Asia are all remarkable.

Each of the 58 seats currently in the pool represents a TWD 311,000 ticket, which makes this field’s total value approaching the USD 600,000 range. That level of prize money used to define an entire Main Event at several major APT stops only a few years ago.

A Reflection of the New Era

The Asian Poker Tour’s growth since Taipei 2023 has been fast and undeniable. Buy-ins are higher, guarantees are larger, and the enthusiasm among players has reached a new level. The Step 2 Mega is the perfect example of what the modern APT looks like.

With registration now closed and the figures confirmed, one thing is already clear. The Step 2 Mega is no longer just a path to the Main Event, it's another record set at this historic festival.

It’s rare for people working in poker media to be left speechless, but...