APT Incheon Main Event Sees Record Entries and Prizes

The 2026 Asian Poker Tour (APT) Incheon Main Event has shattered records with a remarkable 1,393 entries, substantially surpassing its $1 million guarantee before completing the live opening flights. This makes it the largest international poker tournament ever held in Incheon and the second-largest in South Korea, trailing only APT Jeju's 1,718 entries. The current event produced a nearly 10% increase in participation compared to the previous record of 1,281 set in 2025.

Fred Leung, APT CEO, expressed satisfaction:

"We're very pleased to see the APT Incheon Main Event surpass last year’s record turnout."

Prize Pool and Champion's Rewards

The prize pool ballooned to $2,148,960, offering significant returns for participants. 207 players have already secured a minimum of $2,700. The eventual champion will not only claim the golden APT Lion trophy but also a whopping $374,085. Additionally, the top three finishers will receive entries into the $5 million guaranteed APT Championship in Taipei this November.

Key Payouts at the Final Table

• 1st: $374,085 (+ $10,000 APT Championship entry)
• 2nd: $214,120 (+ $10,000 APT Championship entry)
• 3rd: $150,850 (+ $10,000 APT Championship entry)
• 4th: $111,180
• 5th: $87,040
• 6th: $66,030
• 7th: $50,530
• 8th: $35,800
• 9th: $27,560

Highlights of Day 2

Day 2 was marked by intense action, including an exciting session of hand-for-hand play. Haohui Ma achieved a dramatic double-up against Tomoya Kojima’s aces with his kings, later bursting the bubble with his pocket queens beating Lifu Huang’s ace-eight. He will start Day 3 with 466,000 chips.

Yuxuan Deng leads the pack with the largest stack of 1,052,000. Other notable players advancing include Bin Duan with 632,000 and Punnat Punsri, who has 492,000 from the Natural8 'Onlive' flight. Shawn Lee, originally the Day 2 chip leader, will begin Day 3 with 428,000.

Early Exits

Several notable players exited earlier than anticipated. Joseph Cheong, the all-time APT money leader, was eliminated despite starting with over 100 big blinds. Tony 'Ren' Lin and William Li, both past champions, were unable to advance, along with Daniel Neilson, who recently achieved his first million-dollar score.

Upcoming Schedule

Play will continue at 11:15 am local time, targeting either ten 60-minute levels or reducing the field to the final 48 players. The APT live stream will cover all the action on YouTube and Twitter/X, offering fans live updates.

The 2026 APT Incheon Main Event demonstrates robust growth despite numerous concurrent poker festivals across Asia, solidifying its reputation as a key event on the Asian poker circuit.