Day 1 Chip Leader Kosaku Akashi

What started with only three tables in the early afternoon inside the lavish five-star Paradise City Casino and Hotel ballooned into a massive field for Event #74: Zodiac Classic - Sponsored by Natural8. The initial KRW 500 Million guarantee was obliterated and more than doubled thanks to a staggering 403 entries, consisting of 303 unique entries and 100 re-entries.

This produced a massive prize pool of KRW 1,044,576,000 (~USD 746,125)l, which set a new APT tour-stop record in Incheon and follows the footsteps of many other events at APT Incheon 2026.

Upon completion of 13 levels of 40 minutes each, the frantic final stages of the night cut down the number of hopefuls to only 134 survivors who will return at 11.15 a.m. local time tomorrow for their shot at glory. Only the top 55 spots will be paid at least KRW 5,050,000 (~USD 3,600), with the money bubble is still some ways to go.

Leading the field after Day 1 is Japan's Kosaku Akashi, who stormed to the top of the leaderboard during the final hands of the night and bagged up 407,000. Thailand's *Tattana Pengduen follows in second place with 370,000, narrowly ahead of WSOP bracelet winner Renji Mao with 363,500.

Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 1

Mao was also involved in the exhilarating last orbit of the night before bagging and tagging after he sent fellow countryman Dong Chen to the rail. In a single-raised pot, Mao flopped two pair with ace-nine and Chen called him down with one pair and a missed flush draw. Mao is one of five players from China in the top ten.

Renji Mao

Pengduen appeared on the radar with a decent stack mid-way through the day and rose to a contender for the overnight lead when he knocked out Ryuta Nakai prior to the end of the late registration period.

Well-known Asia-Pacific poker pro Aaron Lim advanced with 277,500 in chips which puts him in ninth place overall and he was responsible for the elimination of fellow Aussie Dylan Foster to establish his prime position for the chase towards the money bubble.

Aaron Lim

Aforementioned Nakai re-entered to bag up a healthy 224,500 and was joined by notables such as Khoa Anh Ngo (222,500), Yita Choong (195,500), Michel Molenaar (172,000), John Perry (168,000), Joseph Cheong (158,500), Punnat Punsri (146,000), as well as Natural8 ambassador Nevan Chang (137,000).

Among the shorter stacks returning will be freshly-crowned Super High Roller winner Jeremy Chan (69,000), Eric Tsai (61,000), Daniel Neilson (54,500), the defending APT Incheon 2025 Main Event champion Junjie He (54,000), Hon Cheong Lee (48,500), Ren Lin (48,000) and *Pete Chen (40,500).

The recommencing blinds will be 1,500 / 3,000 with a big blind ante of 3,000 and the levels will remain with a duration of 40 minutes each until a winner has been crowned.

Along with the top prize of KRW 199,966,000 (~USD 142,830), the winner of this event also receives an entry to the APT Championship Event in Taipei this November.

Stay tuned for the conclusion right here on the APT website, as the live reporting team will be back for the final day to provide as many key hands as possible en route to crowning a Zodiac Classic champion.

The remaining 139 players have bagged their chips and are all returning tomorrow for the Final Day.

A full recap will follow shortly.

Action was picked up with Wing Po Liu, at risk, and Anusorn Asiralertsiri engaged in an all-in showdown on the last hand.

Wing Po Liu: K Q

Anusorn Asiralertsiri: Q Q

Liu didn't look that much hopeful when he saw the hands tabled. Asiralertsiri was ahead with his queens and the 6 7 5 flop didn't help Liu improve. He prepared to leave when the J fell on the turn and was gone on the Q river.

Christopher Young Park looked like he was just trying to pick up some chips before the day ended when he opened for 4,800 and looked slightly disappointed when Yuan Lei in the big blind called.

The flop came 4 5 9 . Both players checked. When the T fell on the turn, Lei fired 3,500 prompting Park to fold immediately.

Renji Mao

There was a big pot brewing over on table 33 during the final hands of the night which Siu Foo Lee described as a single-raised pot with triple barrel by Renji Mao. He was up against Dong Chen and they were already on the A 9 7 2 Q river.

Mao bet 80,000 and that covered Chen's stack, who reluctantly called all-in.

Mao tabled the A 9 for the flopped two pair and Chen's T 9 for the missed flush draw and one pair bluff catcher was no good.

During the final hands of the night, table big stack Kosaku Akashi raised to 5,000 and then folded when the two short stacks Keita Matsumae and Naohiro Matsuda moved all-in.

Naohiro Matsuda: A J

Keita Matsumae: 7 7

The 4 3 3 .Tc: 7 board further improved the pocket pair to a set and sent Matsuda to the rail just shy of bagging up for the night.

Perhaps fuelled by the announcement of the floor that the APT Player's Party had free booze, the chips were flying during the final hands of the night and more than two dozen players busted.

One of them was Po Hao Liao, who jammed the Q J 4 Q A river for around 90,000. Dajie Zhuo barely had him covered and was in the tank after which he ultimately made the call.

Liao tabled his 6 4 for queens and fours, which Zhuo had beat holding the A 9 to celebrate the late elimination.

Kosaku Akashi

Just before the end of play, big stack Kosaku Akashi raised to 5,500 and Keita Matsumae three-bet to 16,000. It folded back to Akashi who squeezed forward a four-bet to more than 160,000 and Matsumae sigh-folded.

At the 15-minute mark of the level, the last hand was announced which created confusion among both the dealers and the players with a player saying, "When has it ever happened that it's just the last hand?"

The floor immediately corrected the situation and had asked the dealers to finish the hand that they were on, after which the last seven hands would end the day.

Tattana Pengduen

Mou Yue opened under the gun for 5,000 and Tattana Pengduen in late position three-bet to 20,000. When action went back to her, she replied with an all-in shove for 61,000. Pengduen snap-called.

Mou Yue: A T

Tattana Pengduen: A K

Yue was dominated. Her outs increased with a straight draw when the dealer flopped J Q 6 . But no help came on the runout Q 5 eliminating her on the last level of the tournament.