APT Jeju 2026 Zodiac Classic Champion Tomoyuki Maeda

The 2026 APT Jeju Zodiac Classic Sponsored by Natural8 here at the 2026 APT Jeju Series attracted 373 (273 unique) players, generating a massive prize pool of KRW 1,192,406,400 (~USD 889,855), more than doubling the KRW 500 million guarantee.

Japan’s Tomoyuki Maeda was crowned champion after a short heads-up battle, defeating China’s Yongliang Li. Maeda picks up KRW 228,656,400 (~USD 170,640) and an APT Championship ticket to the ATPC Main Event in November, worth USD 10,000, along with the stunning Zodiac Classic Silhouette Lion Trophy.

The first-place prize is almost twenty-five times Maeda’s previous highest cash, and today's championship performance has more than six-fold increased his recorded lifetime earnings.

ZODIAC CLASSIC FINAL TABLE RESULTS

Final Day Action

A total of 65 players took their seats at the start of Day 2, with 55 places paid, so it wasn’t long before the money bubble was reached and play went hand-for-hand.

Bubble Boy Li Wei

The bubble was a short-lived affair, and after only four hands of hand-for-hand play, Li Wei was the unfortunate bubble boy when his pocket jacks lost to Wenchao Liu’s pocket sevens after Liu spiked a seven on the river.

With the bubble burst, the players opened up their ranges and play was fast and furious, with several notable players soon falling by the wayside in their attempts to make a run at the title.

The likes of Scott Margereson, Renji Mao and Ren Lin were sent to the rail not long after the bubble burst, off to jump into the next event on the festival schedule.

Ren Lin

After less than seven hours of play, the final two tables were reached when Ryuta Nakai’s pocket jacks spiked a set on the turn after Dung Huu Nguyen’s ace-queen had flopped a queen, sending Nguyen to the rail.

With the final table now firmly in all the players’ sights, they tightened up as they looked to make a run at the top nine places.

Japan's Tetsuya Tsujisaka came into the day with a monstrous chip lead as the only player to cross the 800k mark, with his nearest rival yet to cross 600k. He was unfortunately sent home in 12th place when his top pair ran into Qingtian Qian’s flopped trips.

Tetsuya Tsujisaka

After nearly three hours of two-table play, it was China’s Wenchao Liu who was sent home as the final table bubble boy when his jam with king-ten ran into Tomoyuki Maeda’s ace-king and he couldn’t find the miracle runout he needed to stay alive.

Wenchao Liu

China’s Qingtian Qian came into the final table as the chip leader with a handy lead over the rest of the field, with compatriot Zhuoqun Zhang closest behind.

Final Table Starting Stacks

(Standing L-R): Wang Sum Li, Kento Nasu, Qingtian Qian, Chun Ting Lo, Tomoyuki Maeda

(Seated L-R): Zhuoqun Zhang, Yongliang Li, Sebastian Toro, You Zeng

Final Table Action

First to be sent packing from the final table was Taiwan’s Chun Ting Lo, whose jam with king-queen was picked off by Qian’s ace-eight, with no help from the dealer.

Straight after Lo was sent home, You Zeng followed him out of the door in eighth place, his jam with ace-ten unable to outdraw Sebastian Toro’s pocket nines.

Wang Sum Li

Wang Sum Li was sent to the rail in seventh place even though his pocket sixes flopped a set, as they couldn’t hold against Qian’s king-jack, which rivered a flush.

It looked like Qian could start to pull away from the chasing pack as he continued to build on his opening chip lead, at one point holding more than double his nearest rival.

Toro was next to be sent home in sixth place when he jammed with ace-six, only to see Maeda wake up with ace-king, and he couldn’t find the three-outer he needed to save him.

Qian then went on an absolute tear, with the cards firmly on his side. He first eliminated Zhang in fifth place when his king-queen spiked a queen against Zhang’s ace-jack.

Qingtian Qian

In the very next hand, Qian was at it again, his nine-eight hitting two pair to send Kento Nasu to the cage with his pocket sixes and collect the fourth-place prize.

However, Maeda ended Qian’s lucky spell, and it was his turn to see the poker Gods change their allegiance when his king-queen hit a king, leaving Qian running on fumes after he called with ace-queen.

Qian was sent packing in the very next hand when Maeda landed the one-two knockout blow. This time, his nine-eight hit two pair to crack Qian’s jam with pocket sevens and take play into heads-up.

Heads-Up Play

Maeda came into the heads-up match with a commanding near 3-1 lead over Li and, after a small joust, it looked only a matter of time before a cooler would end the day, judging by the majority of the final table action.

Runner-Up Yongliang Li

It didn’t take long before Maeda looked down at the blessed pocket rockets and managed to trap Li perfectly with his pocket jacks. Maeda’s aces held, and as they say, that was all she wrote!

Maeda collected a cool KRW 228,656,400 (~USD 170,640) for his efforts, along with a ticket to the APTC Main Event in Taipei this November, and will need to clear some space on the mantelpiece for his newly acquired Zodiac Silhouette Lion Trophy to take center stage.

Tomoyuki Maeda

This concludes our coverage of the 2026 APT Jeju Zodiac Classic Sponsored by Natural8.

Tomoyuki Maeda

Tomoyuki Maeda has outlasted a field of 373 players to take down his first APT title and pick up his largest career cash to date.

Stay tuned for a recap of the day.

ZODIAC CLASSIC FINAL TABLE RESULTS

Yongliang Li

After jousting back and forth for several hands with neither player gaining a clear advantage, Tomoyuki Maeda limped on the button and Yongliang Li exercised his option and made it 500,000 to go.

Maeda responded by shoving and Li quickly called all in for a bit under 4,000,000 total.

Yongliang Li: J J

Tomoyuki Maeda: A A

"Wow," Li said after seeing his jacks were crushed by Maeda's aces.

Li would need some serious help to stick around, but the 7 5 4 A 5 runout left him drawing dead by the turn to be eliminated in second place.

Qingtian Qian

Tomoyuki Maeda made it 250,000 to play from the button, and action came to Qingtian Qian, who three-bet all-in from the big blind for his last 500,000. Maeda snap-called, looking for the double sucker punch and to take play to heads-up.

Qingtian Qian: 7 7

Tomoyuki Maeda: 9 8

The flop of 6 K 2 was kind to Qian and he stayed out in front, but when the dealer peeled off the 8 as the turn it all went downhill from there.

The 9 river gave Maeda two pair, and Qian was sent to the rail in third place.

Tomoyuki Maeda_

Qingtian Qian made it 250,000 to play from the button only for Tomoyuko Maeda to three-bet all-in from the small blind. Yonglian Li was away from his seat in the big blind, and Qian snap-called to put Maeda at risk.

Tomoyuki Maeda: K Q

Qingtian Qian: A Q

Qian had Maeda dominated and was looking good to take another scalp and send play to heads-up.

It was all change though on the door card of the K 8 7 flop, which sent Maeda storming into the lead.

The 9 turn changed nothing, and when the 7 paired the board on the river, Maeda was shipped the monster pot, leaving Qian with a bowl of rice.

Tomoyuki Maeda

Qingtian Qian opened to 250,000 on the button and called by Tomoyuki Maeda in the small blind and Yongliang Li in the big blind for a family pot.

Maeda led out for 450,000 on the 4 6 2 flop, which got a call from Li and a fold from Qian.

Maeda sized down for a bet of 250,000 on the Q turn and Li again called.

The 2 paired the board on the river and Maeda moved all in. This time, Li let his hand go and Maeda was sent the pot.

Yongliang Li

Tomoyuki Maeda raised to 500,000 on the button and Yongliang Li shoved for 2,400,000 from the small blind. Action folded back to Maeda and he called to put Li at risk.

Yongliang Li: A Q

Tomoyuki Maeda: A 5

Maeda shook his head in regret after seeing Li's cards, and the K 8 8 T 4 runout kept Li's queen-kicker best to award him the double-up.

Kento Nasu

Action folded around to Qingtian Qian in the small blind who raised to 2,050,000 which was enough to put Kento Nasu in the big blind, all-in. Nasu squeezed his cards, took a breath, and made the call.

Kento Nasu: 6 6

Qingtian Qian: 9 8

Nasu was ahead, but with the cards Qian had been hitting in the last few rounds, he knew he wasn't home and dry yet.

Once again, for Qian it didn't take long for him to shoot into the lead when the dealer served up the flop of 9 5 3 .

It got even worse for Nasu when the 8 peeled off on the turn and made Qian two pair, leaving him drawing pretty thin to a seven or six non-diamond, to stay alive.

The J bricked out the river, and Nasu was sent to the rail in fourth place as another of Qian's unlucky victims.

Zhuoqun Zhang

Zhuoqun Zhang opened to 505,000 from under the gun which left about 400,000 behind. Qingtian Qian sat in the next seat, then three-bet to 1,000,000. Action came back around to Zhang, who didn't like it but made the call for his tournament life.

Zhuoqun Zhang: A J

Qingtian Qian: K Q

Zhang looked a bit surprised to find himself in front and was looking good for a double up. That was until he saw the door card on the Q 3 4 flop, which fired Qian into the lead. Zhang got no help from the T turn, and even though he paired up with the J river was sent to the rail in fifth place.

Tomoyuki Maeda

Tomoyuki Maeda opened to 200,000 from the cutoff and found one caller in Qingtian Qian in the big blind.

Qian check-called a 200,000 bet from Maeda on the 9 K A flop and a 325,000 barrel from Maeda on the 3 turn.

The Q brought four hearts on board and both players checked.

"Two pair," Qian said as he turned over A 3 .

It was no good, however, as Maeda revealed A 7 for a flush to claim the pot.