The APT Incheon Main Event record book has been rewritten once again.
After four starting flights and one final level of registration on Day 2, the 2026 APT Incheon Main Event officially attracted 1,393 entries from 807 unique players. The field generated a colossal KRW 3,008,540,000 (~USD 2,148,960) prize pool, effectively doubling the advertised KRW 1.5 billion guarantee.
Both figures represent new Main Event records for APT Incheon, surpassing the previous marks established at the same festival last year.
The eventual champion will collect KRW 523,720,000 (~USD 374,085), along with the coveted APT Gold Lion Main Event trophy and a seat to the APT Championship Main Event worth KRW 14 million (~USD 10,000).
That is also the largest first-place package ever offered by an APT Incheon Main Event.
A total of 207 players will earn a share of the prize pool, with a min-cash worth KRW 3,790,000 (~USD 2,700). The top three finishers will each receive an APT Championship Main Event seat in addition to their cash prizes.
Incheon’s Main Event Keeps Growing
The first APT Incheon Main Event of the tour’s New Era attracted 930 entries from 563 unique players in 2023, generating a KRW 1,867,347,000 prize pool. Japan's Shoichiro Tamaki took home the trophy alongside the KRW 271,447,000 (~USD 206,030) top prize.
Two years later, APT Incheon 2025 raised those records to 1,281 entries, 754 unique players and KRW 2,766,660,000. China’s Junjie He claimed the title and the largest portion of the prize pool.
The 2026 edition has now improved upon every one of those numbers.
Compared to last year, the field increased by 112 entries, while the number of unique players rose from 754 to 807. The prize pool grew by more than KRW 241 million, and the first-place payout climbed from KRW 483,890,000 to KRW 523,720,000.
The longer-term growth is even more significant. Since APT Incheon 2023, Main Event attendance has increased by almost 50 percent, while the prize pool has risen by more than 61 percent.
The top prize has almost doubled during the same period, increasing from KRW 271,447,000 in 2023 to more than KRW 523 million this year.
A Late Rush Pushes the Field Beyond 1,300
The four starting flights produced 1,177 entries and sent 419 players through to Day 2, but registration remained open for one additional level.
Another 216 entries joined during that final registration window, taking the field comfortably beyond last year’s 1,281-entry benchmark.
Those Day 2 registrations accounted for more than 15 percent of the eventual field and represented a considerable increase from the 81 Day 2 entries recorded at APT Incheon 2025.
By the time registration closed, the KRW 1.5 billion guarantee had been exceeded by more than KRW 1.5 billion.
Players From 35 Countries Build International Field
The record-breaking field included entries from 35 countries and regions, with players from across Asia and much further afield making the trip to Paradise City Casino Resort.
Japan supplied the largest contingent, accounting for 501 entries, or 36% of the entire field. China followed with 286 entries, while Thailand contributed 125 and Hong Kong added 119.
Those four markets combined for 1,031 entries, representing 74% of the field.
Taiwan rounded out the top five with 64 entries, while the United States was the best-represented country from outside Asia with 56. Vietnam contributed 48 entries, followed by Singapore with 41, Australia with 27 and Malaysia with 24.
The remaining 102 entries came from another 25 countries, including Russia, Mongolia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, India, the Philippines and South Africa.
The 1,393-entry APT Incheon Main Event attracted players from 35 countries and regions
Among South Korea’s Largest Poker Tournaments
The 1,393-entry field makes the 2026 APT Incheon Main Event the largest international poker tournament ever held in Incheon and on the South Korean mainland.
It is also the third-largest poker tournament ever played in South Korea, behind only two APT Main Events held on Jeju Island.
The APT Jeju 2025 Main Event attracted 1,693 entries before the APT Jeju Classic 2026 Main Event raised the national record to 1,718.
Those results mean the APT now occupies all three leading positions among the largest international poker tournaments staged in South Korea.
The KRW 3,008,540,000 prize pool also ranks as the richest ever awarded by an APT Incheon Main Event and the third-largest APT Main Event prize pool generated in the country.
APT Incheon Main Event Growth
The latest figures continue an exceptional run for APT Main Events in South Korea, with each of the tour’s last four visits to the country producing a field of at least 1,281 entries.
APT Incheon has now broken its own Main Event attendance record for a second consecutive edition. With more than KRW 3 billion on the line and 207 players set to be paid, attention now turns from the numbers to the race for the newest APT Gold Lion champion.