by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Sep 7, 2023 | Updated on Sep 7, 2023
Summary:
- The festival attracted nearly 7,000 entries, making it the largest Korean event in APT history
- The record-breaking Main Event was won by Japan’s Shoichiro Tamaki
- The next and final stop on the APT 2023 schedule is the APT Hanoi Billions in December
The Incheon stop of the Asian Poker Tour (APT) is officially done and dusted and it was a massive success, creating a new record as the biggest Korean event in the tour’s history.
APT Incheon ran from August 25 to September 3 at Paradise City Hotel & Resort, featuring 67 trophy events.
Record-Breaking APT Incheon 2023
The 10-day poker action at the South Korean city attracted 6,967 entries to generate around ₩8,567,468,300 ($6,418,108) in total prize pool, the largest awarded in an APT Korean event since the tour’s launch in 2008. The festival was pretty much an international affair, as it drew players from 40 different countries.
The APT Incheon series culminated in the Main Event which also set a new record both for the biggest APT field size and prize pool in Korea. The APT Incheon Main Event ended up awarding ₩1,867,347,000 ($1,411,975) in total prize money, smashing its $1,000,000 guarantee.
Shoichiro Tamaki emerged as the Main Event champion following a three-way deal. The Japanese player took home ₩271,447,000 ($203,347) in top prize along with the golden lion trophy. Tamaki said he did not expect to win but was just thankful he made it. That victory earned Tamaki the largest score of his career.
The other players who reached the final table in the APT Incheon Main Event included China’s Tsz To Wan (2nd, $158,215), and Thailand’s Napat Chokejindachai (3rd, $166,455).
Apart from Tamaki, there were multiple players who also took home six-figure payouts, such as Serbia’s Milos Petakovic who won the APT Super High Roller 8-Max for $110,570, and Jun Hao Wu from Singapore who claimed $134,870 in first-place prize after taking down the Superstar Challenge – 8 Max, which by the way, also set a new record in Incheon. Also on the list of big winners was Thailand’s Thanisorn Saelor who topped his opponents in the APT High Roller 8-Max for $130,528.
APT Hanoi Billions Scheduled for December
The APT team heads next to Hanoi, Vietnam for the APT Hanoi Billions 2023. The festival takes place from December 1-10 at Hanoi’s National Convention Center. Billed as the biggest poker event in Vietnam, the APT Hanoi Billions features 10 high-roller events and is expected to also break records. It is the final event on the 2023 APT schedule.
