Chia Wei Kuo

The 2025 APT Championship Series in Taipei is shaping up to be another record-breaking series, and the Main Event is no exception. Day 1 drew an impressive 595-player turnout, setting the stage for an electrifying competition.

This year’s Championship Main Event features a single Day 1 flight in a freezeout format, giving each player only one shot at the title. Beyond the top payout, the eventual champion will also claim the coveted 24K APT Golden Lion Trophy.

Smashing Records

The prestigious TWD 311,000 (~USD 10,000) APTC Main Event came with a monumental TWD 156,000,000 (~USD 5 million) guaranteed prize pool — making it Taiwan’s largest-ever poker guarantee and the richest APT Main Event in history, even before registration opened. By Level 5, the number of registrants had already surpassed 540, smashing the guarantee and setting another record for the day.

The first record came from the Superstar Challengers event, taken down by Calvin Lee — who had previously won a Main Event ticket at the same even in the Incheon series. Today, he secured a ~USD 600,000 payout, which was the highest APT payout on record. The Main Event then surpassed this by guaranteeing over a USD 1,000,000 first-place prize, which was quickly met as the tournament progressed.

Satellite Success

Excitement had been building long before Day 1, with over 100 players earning entry through the online Natural8 satellite, including Nicolas Godard(113,700) and Fabian Rolli(39,800), both of whom bagged chips and return to Day 2.

Georgina Vuksanovic

Live satellites running throughout the festival at the Red Space Event Centre also produced notable qualifiers. Georgina Vuksanovic, playing her first APT tournament after just three years of full time compteting, enjoyed a steady day and took through 61,800 for Day 2 — making for an impressive start to her series.

Day 1 Action

Day 1 began at 11:15 a.m., with many players taking their seats immediately. Notable contenders included Sofia Lovgren, who has already dominated this series with several cashes, including a recent Mystery Bounty win. Taiwan’s top-ranked James Chen also appeared early, adding another title chase to his WSOP victories. Both players were among those to take a tumble, and won't be returning to Day 2 tomorrow.

Chip Leaders

Taiwan’s Chia Wei Kuo ended the day atop the chip counts with a towering 434,100 stack. Quietly climbing the ranks, Kuo doubled up opponent Mattias Lipp in one of the final hands, solidifying his lead.

Trailing him is Eisuke Katsuren from Japan with 329,000 chips. Katsuren, who earned his biggest cash of USD 61,257 at the recent APT Incheon High Roller, will look to maintain momentum into Day 2. Fellow Japanese player Nobuaki Sasaki (‘Sasa’) sits in third with 283,300 chips.

Erik Seidel

Powerhouses Erik Seidel(65,700) and Steve O’Dwyer were also in action, challenging tables across the room. O’Dwyer (73,100), who joined later in the day, accumulated chips near the end after eliminating Ferdinand Carabuena just after he quadrupled up.

Several former APT Main Event champions returned as well. While Punnat Punsri exited early, Abraham Ceesvin(46,000) and Joseph Cheong(72,600) bagged chips for Day 2. Cheong built his stack after an early knockout of Johannes Molenaar, hitting the nut straight.

Monika Hrabec

Italy’s Alesso Isaia survived a runner-runner hand early, but eventually bowed out in the freezeout. Monika Hrabec (67,600) and Roman Hrabec(36,800) both bagged for Day 2, with Monika ending the day just above starting stack after a difficult Level 5.

Natural8 ambassadors Sparrow Cheung (68,400), Kitty Kuo (81,000), Fan Chih Wei (133,500), and Nevan Chang (196,000) all secured their spots for tomorrow.

Looking Ahead

Day 2 of the APTC Taipei Championship Main Event resumes at 11:00 a.m. TST, starting at Level 9 with blinds at 500/1,000 and a 1,000 big blind ante. Levels are 75 minutes long, with a 15-minute break every two levels and a scheduled dinner break after Level 14 (approx. 7:00–8:00 p.m.). Play is expected to conclude after Level 16 or once the money is reached.

Late registration remains open until the first two levels of Day 2, meaning the prize pool is expected to grow even further.

Stay with APT Live Reporting for full coverage of all Main Event and side-event action throughout the remainder of the 2025 Taipei Championships.

From a full field of 595 players, just 343 players secured a bag and will return to Day 2 of the ATPC Main Event.

Stay tuned to the blog as a full recap will be posted shortly.

Chai Wei Kuo (left), Mattias Lipp (right)

Mattias Lipp secured a late night double up through the current chip leader, Chai Wei Kuo.

Lipp got in his remaining stack of just over ten big blinds against Kuo and the pair went head-to-head in one of the last hands of the night.

Mattias Lipp: A 6

Chai Wei Kuo: A 4

The Q K T 6 9 runout was safe enough for Lipp as he secured the double with a pair of sixes. He bags around 29,000 and will return for Day 2.

Despite giving away some chips, Kuo sat on a sizeable 430,000 stack after the hand.

In a last attempt to double up, after the last five hands had been announced, Maxwell Rosete shoved all-in for 92,000. Hang Xu had already bet 13,500 into a pot of 40,000 on a board of 6 3 A T 4 .

It cost him two time banks to finally make the decision to call, putting his tournament life on the line at the end of the day.

Rosete showed 7 5 for a rivered straight. Disappointed, Xu turned over 3 :3c to show he had flopped a set.

He left the table and vented it all out to one of the other players who had already bagged his chips for the day.

David Erquiaga recounted his brutal exit in the final level of the night. Holding pocket aces on the button, he three-bet to 6,500. Two spots over, big blind Jaesung Lee four-bet to 14,000, only for the initial raiser at middle position to snap out a five-bet to 22,000.

Action back on Erquiaga who six-bet shoved all-in for a total of 52,000 to chase out Lee while getting snap-called by the middle position player who tabled pocket kings.

The dealer peeled a king right in the window, and with nothing but bricks for Erquiaga, his title hopes were crushed in the coldest way possible.

John Juanda

Nearing the end of the day, players were slowing down just hoping they'd survive the day to make it to Day 2. Such was the case on Table #68.

John Juanda opened for 2,100 on the button and got called by James Mendoza.

The flop came Q 3 7 and action went check-check all the way through the 4 :turn and 2 river.

Mendoza showed K J while Juanda turned over A T for ace-high.

Juns Leong

Malaysia's Juns Leong got scratched in the previous hand for some chips while on the big blind.

In the following hand, Shixing Koo opened for 2,000 from the cutoff and Yoda Lin called on the button.

Leong three-bet to 10,000 on the small blind and found no customers to regain a pretty decent pre-flop pot to help him rebuild.

Wai Kiat Lee has been under the lights a couple of times this year, picking up two Triton titles and now extending that heater here at the APTC with four cashes and a pair of final table runs.

Like the rest of today’s field, he’s hungry to add the APTC Main Event title to his portfolio and end the year in cloud nine. He is moving in the right direction after wrestling a pot away from Jimenez Ortega.

Both players were locked in a tense board reading A 6 Q 5 8 . With 11,800 already brewed, Ortega uncorked a 16,000 overbet, only to be met immediately with a 42,000 shove from Lee, putting maximum pressure right back at him.

Ortega had a covering stack, but barely, and went tanking until he burned through two time-banks before finally deciding to give up his stake in the pot.

Nirunrut Rachburom

Fujiwara Tetsuya opened for 2,000. Hsuan-Yu Lai called. Ankit Ahuja three-bet to 7,200. Nirunrut Rachburom four-bet jammed all-in on the big blind for 24,500.

Tetsuya stood down. Lai stood down. Ahuja gave it some thought and made the decision to call.

Ahuja opened K T

Rachburom opened 8 8

The flop of 4 K A gave Ahuja the lead, leaving Rachburom with only two outs left.

The turn 9 didn't help and the T river improved Ahuja to two-pair, ending the run of Rachburom along with her hopes of a Main Event championship.

The floor has announced that players will continue through six more hands before bagging for the evening and returning to Day 2 tomorrow.

Those who bag will return at 11.am TST to battle through another day of play in search of the main event title.