A Closer Look at the Action-Packed APT Taipei 2025 Schedule; 10 Days, 126 Events, Over TWD 178 Million (~USD 5.4 Million) in Prize Pool Guarantees
Fresh off the back of the tour’s largest and richest poker series ever to play out in Manila, the Asian Poker Tour is returning to Taiwan for the second series of the 2025 poker season – the highly anticipated APT Taipei 2025.
The APT’s last two visits to Taipei both set poker records for Taiwan, with the most recent APT Taipei Poker Classic 2024 officially the region’s largest and richest poker festival of all time.
Like its record-breaking predecessors, the festival is run in partnership with the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Club (CTP) and is running from Friday, April 25 to Sunday, May 4 at the Red Point Center’s brand new Red Space 多元商務空間 venue located in central Taipei.
The APT Taipei 2025 is 28 percent larger than the previous record-breaking offering with a whopping 126 tournaments (including satellites) squeezed into the ten-day schedule.
Offering a Main Event with a TWD 70 million (~USD 2.1 million) guarantee the action-packed series comes with over TWD 178 million (~USD 5.4 million) in prize pool guarantees, with the tour’s other two signature Lion Trophy events—the TWD 330,000 APT Super High Roller and the TWD 110,000 APT High Roller—both boasting eight-figure (six in USD) prize pool guarantees!
Just to spice up the action further, there are three seats up for grabs to the APT’s largest-ever guaranteed Main Event running at the end of the year, with the winners of the tour’s three signature tournaments receiving poker’s hottest ticket to the TWD 165 million (~USD 5 million) guaranteed APT Championship Main Event valued at TWD 350,000 (~USD 10,700), plus an additional USD 500 to cover expenses.
Regardless of the size of your bankroll there’s plenty of great value tournaments to be played, ranging from the TWD 10M GTD APT National Cup to the TWD 20M GTD Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8.
Read on as we take a closer peek at the festival’s key events looking at the buy-in, structure, guarantee, and potential field size estimates based on the tour’s previous offerings.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Guarantee: TWD 70 million (~USD 2.1M)
Date: Sunday, April 27 to Saturday, May 3
Buy-in: TWD 55,000 (~USD 1,680)
APT Taipei Poker Classic Main Event champion Rene von Reden
The highlight of the festival, the APT Main Event comes with a hefty TWD 70 million (~USD 2.1 million) prize pool guarantee and will see players compete for the award-winning Gold Lion APT Main Event Trophy, with the eventual champion also earning a ticket to the APT Championship Main Event.
With APT Main Event fields averaging four figures since the launch of the New Era at APT Taipei 2023 and the previous APT Taipei Poker Classic Main Event setting a record as the region’s largest & richest poker tournament ever—exceeding its’ guarantee by over 30 percent—expect a four-figure field and a prize pool in the region of TWD 80 million (~USD 2.4M) or above.
It was Germany’s Rene von Reden who conquered the 1,991-strong record-breaking field at the last Taipei tournament, taking home a TWD 14.4 million (USD 454K) top prize.
Players start with 40,000 in chips and have four starting flights to choose from, running Sunday, April 27 to Tuesday, April 29; Flight A comprises ten 60-minute levels, Flight B comprises six 45-minute levels and four 60-minute levels, and Flights C & D both comprise six 30-minute levels and four 45-minute levels each.
Level length will be 60-minutes from Day 2 onwards and you can buy in directly before play recommences at 11:15am local time (GMT+8) on Wednesday, April 30. Late entry is not permitted once play restarts, so buy in ahead of time if you are planning on coming in directly for Day 2.
Guarantee: TWD 10 million (~USD 305K)
Date: Friday, April 25 to Saturday April 26
Buy-in: TWD 12,000 (~USD 370)
APT Taipei Poker Classic National Cup champion Kaihung Hu
The staple opening event of the series since the close of 2023, the last National Cup to run in Taiwan drew a four-figure field and generated a TWD 14.3 million (USD 454K) prize pool with Taiwan’s Kaihung Hu claiming a TWD 2.5 million (USD 79K) top prize – the richest this event has ever awarded.
Hong Kong’s Ka Chun Yuan won the largest-ever National Cup, defeating a 2,305-strong field at APT Taipei 2024 to bank a TWD 2.26 million (USD 71,700) top prize.
The tournament averages 842 entries and generates an average prize pool in excess of USD 226,000. Players start with 30,000 in chips, with the three starting flights A, B, & C all playing out on the Monday––boasting 25-minute, 20-minute and 15-minute level length respectively––with the top 14 percent of each field making the Final Day and the money.
Mystery Bounty Hunter – Sponsored by Natural8
Guarantee: TWD 15 million (~USD 458K)
Date: Saturday, April 26 to Sunday April 27
Buy-in: TWD 17,000 (~USD 520)
APT Poker Classic Mystery Bounty Hunter champion Isaac Phua
The Mystery Bounty Hunter – Sponsored by Natural8 gets underway on Saturday, April 26 and comes with three starting flights. The event draws an average of 667 entries and generates an average prize pool of over USD 282,000.
The last one to run in Taiwan at the APT Taipei Poker Classic was a record-breaker, with Malaysia’s Isaac Phua seeing off challenges from 1,328 entries to claim the largest slice of the TWD 17.2 million (USD 582K) prize pool, banking a TWD 1.9 million (USD 60K) top prize – the second largest first place prize the tournament has ever awarded.
Players start with 30,000 in chips, with Flight A kicking off at 11am local time coming with 25-minute levels. Flight B gets underway at 4pm and comes with 20-minute levels, and Flight C runs at 8pm and boasts 15-minute levels. The top 14 percent of each flight will make the Final Day and the money, which is when the mystery bounties kick in.
Guarantee: TWD 15 million (~USD 458K)
Date: Saturday, April 26 to Sunday April 27
Buy-in: TWD 330,000 (~USD 10,080)
APT Taipei Poker Classic Super High Roller champion Phanlert Sukonthachartnant
Getting underway on Saturday, April 26, the two-day APT Super High Roller is the second of the tour’s three signature tournaments, with the winner walking away with the coveted Pewter Lion APT Super High Roller Trophy and a ticket to the APT Championship Main Event, running November 14-30, 2025.
The eleven New Era Super High Rollers have drawn an average field of 83 entries and generated an average prize pool of over USD 550,000, with defending champion Phanlert Sukonthachartnant of Thailand claiming a TWD 57.9 million (USD 183K) top prize the last time the tournament ran in Taipei.
The USA’s Isaac Haxton holds the record for the tournament’s richest prize, overcoming a field of 137 entries to take home a TWD 9 million (USD 287,885) top prize.
However, it is Nozomu Shimizu who defeated the tournament’s largest field, besting 156 entries at the Hanoi Billions 2023––where he also won the tour’s largest ever Superstar Challenge––with the Japanese player claiming a VND 5.4 billion (USD 224K) top prize.
The tournament comes with a shot clock and players start with 250,000 in chips. As per the APT tournament rules players receive two 30-second time banks and receive another time bank at every scheduled break. The Day 1 action plays out over sixteen 40-minute levels. The survivors will return for the Final Day on Sunday April 27 with the tournament playing down to a champion.
Guarantee: TWD 5 million (~USD 152K)
Date: Sunday April 27
Buy-in: TWD 30,000 (~USD 920)
APT Taipei Poker Classic Sunday Super Stack champion Ravn Teo
A single-day tournament that comes with a decent guarantee, a 100,000-chip starting stack and 25-minute levels, shortening to 20-minute levels after the close of registration.
The event averages 262 entries and generates an average prize pool of USD 119,500, with Singapore’s Ravn Teo overcoming a 229-strong field at the last Taipei iteration of the tournament to claim the lion’s share of the TWD 4.9 million (USD 156K) prize pool, taking home just over a TWD 1 million (USD 33K) top prize.
South Korea’s Junghyun Lee won the tour’s largest-ever Sunday Superstack at the Hanoi Billions, besting 555 entries to claim a VND 697 million (USD 28.7K) top prize, while Japan’s Kenju Wata grabbed the event’s richest-ever top prize of TWD 11.9 million (USD 37.8K) at APT Taipei 2024 after besting a 216-entry field.
Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8
Guarantee: TWD 20 million (~USD 610K)
Date: Thursday, May 1 to Friday, May 2
Buy-in: TWD 80,000 (~USD 2,440)
APT Taipei Poker Classic Zodiac Classic champion Hye Keun Park
Following an increase to the buy-in at APT Taipei 2024, the last two Zodiac Classics to run in Taiwan have both drawn fields of over 300 entries, although neither have surpassed the inaugural event record of 386 entries set during the APT Taipei 2023 which saw South Korea’s Younghee Park walk away with a TWD 1.3 million (USD 42.5K) top prize.
The tournament boasts the largest guarantee outside of the Main Event, draws an average field of 228 entries and generates an average prize pool of over USD 354,000.
The USA’s Hye Keun Park won the last Taipei iteration of the event––which was also the richest ever played––defeating 354 entries to claim the largest portion of the TWD 24.4 million (USD 775K) prize pool, earning the richest first place prize this event has ever awarded – a hefty TWD 4.7 million (USD 151K) top prize.
Day 1 of the two-day tournament gets underway on Thursday, May 1 with thirteen 40-minute levels scheduled and starts with a shot clock in effect. Players start with 40,000 in chips and two 30-second time banks, receiving another time bank at every scheduled break.
Guarantee: TWD 15 million (~USD 458K)
Date: Friday, May 2 to Saturday May 3
Buy-in: TWD 25,000 (~USD 760)
APT Taipei Poker Classic Mini Main Event champion Tom Verbruggen
Sporting a slimmed down structure modelled after the Main Event and designed to play out in two days, the Mini Main Event comes with the same great TWD 15 million prize pool guarantee as the APT Super High Roller, APT High Roller, and Mystery Bounty.
The tournament averages 451 entries, generates an average prize pool of USD 205,000 and awards an average first place prize of just over USD 39,000 with the last one to run in Taipei setting a new tour record as the largest and richest Mini Main Event ever.
It was the Netherland’s Tom Verbruggen who earned the accolades, besting a field of 741 entries to take the largest portion of the TWD 14 million prize pool and claim a TWD 2.7 million (USD 85K) top prize – also the richest this event has ever awarded.
Players start with 30,000 in chips and have the choice of three starting flights which all run on Friday, May 2; Flight A comes with 25-minute levels, Flight B comes with 20-minute levels, and Flight C comes with 15-minute levels with the top 14 percent of each flight making the Final Day and the money.
Guarantee: TWD 15 million (~USD 458K)
Date: Saturday, May 3 to Sunday, May 4
Buy-in: TWD 110,000 (~USD 335K)
APT Taipei Poker Classic High Roller champion Martin Sedlak
The last of the festival’s three signature events comes with a sizable TWD 15 million (~USD 458K) prize pool guarantee, with the eventual winner walking away with the coveted Bronze Lion APT High Roller Trophy and booking their ticket to the APT Championship Main Event.
The tournament averages 186 entries and generates an average prize pool of over USD 624,000, with the average top prize coming in at just over USD 133,000.
Germany’s Martin Sedlak is the defending champion, besting a field of 275 entries at the last Taipei APT High Roller to take a TWD 5.2 million (USD 165K) top prize.
The largest ever APT High Roller also played out in Taipei, with Natural8 Ambassador Phachara Wongwichit defeating a 302-strong field to claim a TWD 4.8 million (USD 157K) top prize back during the APT Taipei 2023.
Wongwichit’s fellow Natural8 Ambassador Eric “Six Poker” Tsai won the richest ever APT High Roller at the APT Jeju 2024 to win the largest first place prize this event has ever awarded – a sizable KRW 266 million (USD 196K).
Day 1 of the two-day tournament will see players compete over sixteen 40-minute levels, with the survivors returning for the Final Day to flight for the trophy. Players start with 100,000 in chips with a shot clock in effect from the get-go, with players receiving two 30-second time banks and another time bank at every scheduled break.
Guarantee: TWD 10 million (~USD 305K)
Date: Saturday, May 3 to Sunday, May 4
Buy-in: TWD 20,000 (~USD 610)
APT Taipei Poker Classic Double Stack champion Dongjae Kim
Four of the last five Double Stack tournaments have set tour country records for field size and prize pool, with the last one to run in Taiwan at the APT Taipei Poker Classic generating the tournament’s richest-ever prize pool.
It was South Korea’s Dongjae Kim who earned the plaudits and the TWD 2.25 million (USD 70K) top prize – the richest the tournament has ever awarded.
The event draws an average field of 566 entries and generates an average prize pool of over USD 264,000, with the winner claiming an average top prize of over USD 40,000.
Players start with 60,000 in chips and have a choice of three flights to choose from, all running on Saturday, May 3; Flight A comes with 25-minute levels, Flight B comes with 20-minute levels, and Flight C comes with 15-minute levels with the top 14 percent of each flight making the Final Day and the money.
Guarantee: TWD 2 million (~USD 61K)
Date: Sunday, May 4
Buy-in: TWD 11,000 (~USD 335)
APT Taipei Poker Classic Micro Main Event champion Dhanesh Chainani
Just like its bigger brother, the Micro Main Event sports a slimmed down structure modelled after the Main Event, only is designed to play out in a day. With a TWD 11,000 buy-in and a TWD 2 million (USD 61K) guarantee this is a great value tournament for those looking to make a decent score for a minimal investment.
Player start with 40,000 in chips and compete over 20-minute levels and the tournament averages 223 entries and generates an average prize pool of over USD 53,000, with the eventual champion claiming an average top prize of close to USD 11,000.
The last Mini Main Event to run in Taipei was the largest and richest of all time, drawing 635 entries and generating a TWD 5.9 million (USD 187K) prize pool, with Singapore’s Dhanesh Chainani claiming the richest-ever Micro Main Event top prize of TWD 1.1 million (USD 36K).