by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Jul 20, 2023 | Updated on Jul 20, 2023
Summary:
- APT has grown tremendously since it was acquired by APT Events Private Limited in 2022
- APT live events have attracted bigger fields and created bigger prize pools
- The 2023 APT Taipei Main Event became the biggest APT event after attracting a record-breaking field
The Asian Poker Tour (APT) has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past 12 months, mainly thanks to its new owners, APT Events Private Limited, which acquired the brand in June 2022.
Since then, the tour has attracted record-breaking fields, awarding massive prize pools to poker players across multiple countries. Of note is the hugely successful 2023 APT Taipei Main Event which ended up drawing the biggest field and creating the largest prize pool in APT history.
Bigger Growth for APT Under New Owners
The APT brand was founded in 2008 and originally managed by Asian Poker Tour Ltd, a subsidiary of Asianlogic Group, an investor in the online and land-based gaming industry. In June 2022, APT was sold to APT Events Private Limited, a newly-formed company.
At that time, APT’s former CEO Jeff Mann stated that they intended to pass the brand to a dedicated poker organization that would “take the tour to the next level”. One year on, it’s safe to say that the APT is in good hands.
Since acquiring the APT, the new owners have entered into new partnerships, helping the brand reach greater heights. Among those is a five-year title sponsorship deal with Natural 8 which the brand secured in January this year.
Live events hosted by the APT have also grown bigger and better since the takeover. One example is the APT series in Hanoi, Vietnam which saw Main Event participation increase from 487 entries in 2022 to 581 in 2023, despite the tournament featuring a bigger buy-in of ₫35,000,000 ($1,480), compared to ₫22,000,000 ($931) in the previous edition.
The APT Phu Quoc Main Event also doubled its entry fee to ₫33.0 million ($1,396) in 2023 from ₫16.5 million ($698) last year, but that did not deter players from entering the event. While attendance numbers dropped by 25% from 378 in 2022 to 284 in 2023, that was well covered by the significant increase in buy-in, resulting in a much bigger prize pool of ₫8,520,000,000 ($360,406).
Historic Year For APT
This year is proving to be a historic year for the APT, with the APT Taipei Main Event becoming the largest APT event ever in terms of field size. The tournament attracted 1,434 entries to create NT$62,594,100 (US$2,013,332) in total prize money, also the biggest prize pool in the tour’s history.
The tour is set to visit more locations for the rest of the year, with scheduled stops in Da Nang, Vietnam (July 21-30) and Incheon, South Korea (August 25-September 5). Natural8 will host online satellites for both events.
