Jason Li

The fan-favourite four-day Natural8 Cup Championship event boasted a TWD 31,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. The 408 entries have already meant that the prize pool has reached and breached the guarantee, but late registration is open until the end of Level 10 of Day 2, so there is still more time for the prize pool to grow.

So far, today’s field has whittled down to just over half the entries, standing at 224 players, who have all bagged and are set to return for Day 2 tomorrow, Thursday, Nov 20th at 11:15 a.m.

Top Ten Chip Counts

Jason Li sits at the top of the pack, returning with a towering 225,000 stack. Li has been seen on the felt a lot over the past two days, and narrowly missed out on being the chip leader going into the final three tables of the 7-Max event yesterday. He jumped straight back into action early today and steadily built his stack throughout the final levels of the night. In one of the last hands of the evening, Li topped up his stack through George Tomescu after hitting a straight flush.

Lester Edoc sits close on his tail with 198,000 chips returning to play tomorrow. Edoc joined with only two levels left in the day and quietly built up a towering stack. Edoc is well-known and a familiar face on the APT circuit. He has over USD 2,600,000 in live earnings, with the most consecutive cashes coming from APT Manila stops last year.

Alexandru Papazian (179,600) rounds off the podium positions, sitting third in chips. Papazian has been playing live events since 2012 and has had 15 cashes in online WSOP events. Eyes will be on him to see whether he can build on his previous late-night momentum to remain near the top of the counts.

Sofia Lövgren

The field emerged fierce, with many notables taking their seats toward the later stages of the day. This series’ Mystery Bounty champion Sofia Lövgren (68,000) jumped in hoping to secure another title, as did two-time Women’s WSOP Main Event champion Shiina Okamoto (133,500). Okamoto came to play, showing no mercy at her table.

Many fell from the freezeout, and Isaac Phua was among those who tragically lost their tournament life halfway through the day after running into pocket kings.

Timon Prill

Timon Prill also took down two players late in the day in a lucky runout. Kuan Han Lee ended up busting with aces, and Hao Wu—who lost most of his stack against Prill—ran it in and busted after seeing his opponent turn over aces in the very next hand.

Other familiar faces who bagged for Day 2 include Martin Finger (139,500), Tom Verbruggen (130,600), Kitty Kuo (126,500), Florian Dimitrie Duta (78,000) and Joseph Cheong (64,200).

Day 2 will commence at 11:15 a.m. local time. Action will resume at Level 9. Levels will continue at 60 minutes each, with a scheduled 15-minute comfort break at the end of every two levels. A dinner break is planned after Level 14, and play is expected to end after Level 18.

Stay with APT Live Reporting as we follow all the pivotal action in this and other key events throughout the Taipei Championships 2025.

Play has stopped and 227 have sealed their chips in a bag, ready to return to Day 2 tomorrow at 11.15am (CST).

The full end of day recap will be posted shortly.

Jason Li

It all began with an open to 3,500 from Shiina Okamoto in early position. George Tomescu called on the button, and one of the chipleaders Jason Li completed from the big blind.

On a 2 6 4 flop, Li and Okamoto checked, and Tomescu bet 1,500. Li raised to 4,500, which forced Okamoto to fold, while Tomescu called.

The turn brought the 3 . Li fired a big 13,000 bet, and Tomescu called again.

On the river 7 , Li bet 9,000 and Tomescu paid, but—just like several players at the table—he could only let out a “Woooow” when Li tabled his hand at showdown.

Jason Li: 5 8

George Tomescu: 5 7

Jason Li claimed the huge pot with a heart straight flush, while Tomescu fell to a short stack and remained stunned by the improbable scenario.

Gal Bar was in the big blind and in a hand with Yi Chang Ho in the hijack. Players were already on the Q 9 2 flop with a pot of around 20,000.

Ho was all in for his remaining 47,000 and action was on Bar to call or fold. The discussion wasn't caught but after Bar called and showed his hand, Ho remarked "I warned you".

Yi Chang Ho: 9 2

Gal Bar: K Q

Bar was behind as Ho had flopped two pair.

The 5 turn and A river didn't change anything, and Ho secured a late double.

Abraham Ceesvin

There was an all in and call on the next able across, Abraham Ceesvin eliminated Quirin Heinz after getting it all in on the 8 5 3 flop.

Abraham Ceesvin: 8 6

Quirin Heinz: A K

Ceesvin stayed ahead on the T turn and 5 river, to eliminate Heinz in the last level of the day.

Tournament director has announced last 7 hands for Day 1 of the Natural8 Championship Freezeout.

Filipino pros Edgar Asehan and Robertson Yap went head-to-head in a huge cooler.

Edgar Asehan had pocket aces against the pocket kings of Yap. The aces of Asehan held for a huge double-up.

When they flipped over their cards everyone at the table, including John Juanda cringed with an "ouch." Luckily though, Yap had Asehan well covered.

Nevertheless, that has to sting.

Shiina Okamoto

Shiina Okamoto, without a doubt THE female poker player of the year 2025, is an oxymoron. Okamoto is a shattering gentleness. Rough silk. Her face exudes purity, yet her game is the exact opposite: brutally aggressive.

Watching her play gives a certain thrill, but it quickly turns uncomfortable if you put yourself in the shoes of her opponents. Anyone opening to 2,000 gets 3-bet to 12,000 by the Japanese player.

A player attempts a 12,000 raise on the flop, only to get re-raised to 28,000 right in the face. In six observed hands she played, she won five of them before the river, thanks to bets as devastating as an Asian typhoon.

The sixth hand, you ask? No, she didn’t lose that one either.

Okamoto opened to 1,700 from the cutoff, and Ori Kossonogi 3-bet to 7,900 in the small blind. The Japanese player wasn’t going to be walked over and 4-bet to 18,000. Kossonogi used a time bank and decided to 5-bet shove all-in. Without hesitation, Okamoto called instantly.

Ori Kossonogi: A K

Shiina Okamoto: A K

The board brought no card capable of separating the two, and they split the pot. Six hands, five wins, one tie for Okamoto. Seven opponents at the table left gasping.

Ran Ilani

JIn Xu and Ran Ilani had all their chips in the middle with a board of K 2 8 6 and a pot of 30,000 in the middle.

Jin Xu: Q Q

Ran Ilani: A A

Ilani was ahead and stayed ahead after the 9 landed on the river to give him a double and cripple Xu to just 1,300 chips.

In the next hand, Alf Martinsson raised to 1,600 on the button. Xu shoved all his remaining 1,300 and big blind Xin Ann Lim called.

The flop came 4 7 8

Lim checked and Martinsson fired 4,000. Lim got out of the way.

JIn Xu: T 6

Alf Martinsson: A 9

Xu was ready to leave his chair seeing that he was dominated, but the runout of 3 9 gave him a straight and a triple up to stay alive for a little more.

Joseph Cheong

Both short-stacked Joseph Cheong and Jaeah Kim had their chips in the middle.

Joseph Cheong: A K

Jaeah Kim: 9 9

Board ran 6 4 K A 5

Cheong paired the king on the flop and two-paired the ace on the turn. Kim couldn't find his two-outer and was crippled while Cheong gained some breathing space.

Timon Prill

The live action was missed, but Timon Prill recalled the hand and had a photo of the runout, remarking "This one's worth writing".

Prill was already counting out his near tripled stack, having just got his pocket jacks in three-ways in the big blind.

The recalled action saw Hao Wu "min-raise" from early position and Kuan Han Lee jam from middle position for around 18,000. Lee had the shortest stack in play, and was at risk after Prill re-jammed for around 36,000. Wu only just covered Prill by a few big blinds, but "snap called".

Timon Prill: J J

Kuan Han Lee: A A

Hao Wu: A K

Lee was sitting comfortably with pocket aces, and had hope of securing the top.

Everything changed on the J 7 T flop, which rocketed Prill into the lead, finding a set. But there was still a chance for things to change, as Wu was looking at a gutshot straight draw.

It was all over on the J turn, and Prill secured the pot with quads.

Lee was left to leave the freezeout after the T was placed, and Wu sat back with very little left.

In the next hand, Wu got his final chips in but ran into Aces, and he fell to the same fate.