A record-breaking field saw 1,718 entrants take their shot in the 2026 APT Jeju Classic Main Event — making it the largest international poker tournament ever held in South Korea. After four long days of action on the felt, just nine players remain, each vying for the lion’s share of the KRW 3,414,009,600 (~$2,370,840) prize pool.

All of the finalists have locked up at least KRW 42,910,000 (~$29,800), but the ultimate goal is the KRW 579,649,600 (~$402,535) top prize, along with the Gold APT Main Event Lion Trophy. Additionally, the top three finishers will earn entry into the APT Championship (APTC) Main Event in Taipei in November.

The full action leading to the final table can be found on the APT blog here.

Here’s a closer look at the nine finalists:

Seat 1: Yuefeng Pan (China) - 25,000 (1/10th of a big blind)

Just barely sneaking into the final table, Yuefeng Pan was left with a single chip after an unfortunate pot on the final hand of Day 4. While it would take a virtual miracle for Pan to make a comeback, he is no stranger to navigating final tables, with multiple titles from various Asian poker festivals and over $1,000,000 in live tournament earnings.

Should Pan go on to win, it would be his first-ever APT title and largest score to date, not to mention one of the greatest comebacks in tournament poker history.

Seat 2: Arita Naohiro (Japan) - 1,175,000 (5 big blinds)

Arita Naohiro is one of two players representing Japan at the final table and will begin the finale as the second-shortest stack. A regular on the APT circuit, Naohiro has multiple cashes dating back to 2024 and captured a Lion Trophy in a Super Hyper Turbo event at last year’s APTC in Taipei. By reaching the final table, Naohiro has already secured his biggest cash to date and could more than quadruple his $95,000 in career earnings with a victory.

Seat 3: Mihai Christian Tabac (Romania) - 15,475,000 (62 big blinds)

Mihai Christian Tabac currently sits 74th on Romania’s All Time Money List with $284,000 in earnings and stands to make some serious ground as one of Romania’s top tournament players. Armed with the second-biggest stack headed into the finale, a win for Tabac would vault him into 32nd on the list while also more than doubling his overall earnings. With no prior APT results to his name, Tabac will be looking to make a statement by capturing a Main Event title in his debut.

Seat 4: Zu You Wang (China) - 13,400,000 (54 big blinds)

China’s Zu You Wang enters the final table with the third-largest stack and redemption on his mind after placing runner-up in the APT National Cup earlier in the festival.

All of Zu You Wang’s $50,000 in tournament earnings come from APT events dating back to APT Incheon last August. Known for his willingness to gamble in pursuit of chips, Wang could prove to be a dangerous presence with a big stack at the final table.

Seat 5: William Li (Canada) - 5,000,000 (20 big blinds)

William Li of Canada finds himself squarely in the middle of the pack, both in terms of seating and chip count. All but one of Li’s live tournament cashes have come from events held in Jeju, including a third-place finish in the Single Day High Roller earlier in the festival for a career-best $39,302 score.

Li will achieve a new high score if he can outlast two players at the final table, but will regardless add significantly to his $65,000 in lifetime earnings no matter where he finishes.

Seat 6: Haohui Ma (China) - 2,550,000 (10 big blinds)

One of the more experienced players remaining with nearly $900,000 in tournament earnings, Haohui Ma will be looking to run up his short stack as he hunts for his first APT title. Already inside the top 100 on China’s All-Time Money List, Ma can surpass the seven-figure mark with a fifth-place finish or better. While he already owns two six-figure scores, a podium finish would represent a new career high.

Seat 7: Quang Minh Nguyen (Vietnam) - 2,700,000 (11 big blinds)

The sole Vietnamese player remaining, Quang Minh Nguyen is no stranger to success at the APT, having won a Super High Roller at APT Taipei last April for $283,854 – a tournament in which he rallied from just six big blinds at the final table.

Nguyen will enter the Main Event final table similarly short-stacked and once again has a chance to prove his grit on the felt. A win for Nguyen would vault him into the top 20 on the Vietnam All Time Money List.

Seat 8: Lei Zhang (China) - 11,150,000 (47 big blinds)

Lei Zhang is one of the four players remaining who holds an eight-figure stack, which will give him plenty of room to maneuver at the final table. Zhang has tournament results dating back to 2012 that add up a respectable $270,000 in earnings.

Zhang already has two final table appearances from side events during this festival and will be looking for a fifth-place finish or higher to eclipse his previous best result, which came from a fifth-place finish in a CPG China Championship Main Event for $73,469.

Seat 9: Shintaro Sato (Japan) - 17,175,000 (69 big blinds)

The current man to beat, Shintaro Sato has proven to be fearless with a big stack over the past few days, which will make him quite an obstacle to overcome at the final table.

Sato appears to be relatively new to tournament poker, with just over $16,000 in reported earnings across two events, according to The Hendon Mob. However, one of those results was a victory in a WPT No Limit Hold'em Freezeout event in Taipei last year, which means Sato already has already experienced what it takes to win.