APT TAIPEI 2023 SCHEDULE | ULTIMATE GUIDE | OFFICIAL RESULTS | IMAGES | WINNERS
TAIPEI, TAIWAN, May 5, 2023 – It was another action-packed record-breaking day at the APT Taipei 2023.
In addition to the largest TWD $50,000 (~USD $1,700) Main Event in APT history playing down to the final three tables, the record-breaking 386-strong Zodiac Classic - TWD 3,000,000 GTD - Sponsored by Natural8 also played out to a thrilling conclusion.
And if that was not enought to get the blood pumping, the TWD $15,000 Double Stack - TWD 2,000,000 GTD also attracted a record-breaking field, even after being reduced to a single starting flight.
Every single one of the 57 tournament tables at the brand new CTP Asia Poker Arena – Asia's largest permanent poker room – was in use as the 200 survivors of the 1,434-strong Main Event and the 202 Day 2 players of the record Zodiac Classic did battle at the baize.
MAIN EVENT
It was the Main Event that garnered the most attention, with the 200 returning Day 3 survivors reduced down to the final 17 players over eleven 60-minute levels.
These 17 survivors are all guaranteed a payday of at least TWD $487,200 (~USD $15,870) when play resumes for Day 4.
The man returning with the best chance of winning the TWD $11,210,400.00 (~USD $365,270) top prize – the largest first-place prize ever to be awarded in a Taiwanese poker tournament – is Thailand's top tournament player Punnat Punsri.
Punsri, who sits at #1 on the Thailand All Time Money List, boasts over USD $5.4 million in live tournament cashes and will return atop the chip counts with a stack of 8,445,000 – worth a sizable 105 big blinds.
Event #25 Freezeout champion Ben Loo is not far behind Punsri in the counts. Loo bagged a stack of 8,290,000 after an aces versus kings clash against Taiwan's Chih Wei Fan late into play and is on the hunt for a second Series title.
However, Fan is still very much in contention after bagging the fourth largest stack of 6,210,000 and sits just 20,000 in chips behind Japan's Naoki Matsumoto who will return for Day 4 third in the overall chip counts.
MAIN EVENT TOP TEN DAY 3 STACKS
- Punnat Punsri (Thailand) – 8,445,000
- Ben Loo (Malaysia) – 8,290,000
- Naoki Matsumoto (Japan) – 6,230,000
- Chih Wei Fan (Taiwan) – 6,210,000
- Long Lam Kim (Vietnam) – 4,875,000
- Soo Bum Kim (South Korea) – 3,905,000
- Teng-Kuei Hsu (Taiwan) – 2,610,000
- Taku Kubota (Japan) – 2,475,000
- Lester Edoc (Philippines) – 2,100,000
- Joshua Tan (Malaysia) – 2,085,000
At least two former Main Event champions are still in the mix; Natural8 Ambassador Kitty Kuo (1,195,000) is looking to follow up on her APT Taiwan 2021 Main Event win.
Two-time former Main Event champion Lester Edoc (2,100,000) is also looking to make history by becoming the first player to ever win three APT Main Event titles.
The fourth and final Day 4 gets underway at 12:15pm on Saturday, May 6, with the tournament playing down to a champion.
You can read a full recap of the Day 3 action via the APT Blog and live updates will be available throughout the tournament until a champion is crowned.
For Main Event Day 3 Survivors please CLICK HERE
South Korea's Younghee Park Shoots for the Stars in Record Zodiac Classic – Sponsored by Natural8
South Korea's Younghee Park made his maiden APT title victory a memorable one
Just 202 players out of the record 386-strong TWD $20,000 Event #34 Zodiac Classic - TWD 3,000,000 GTD - Sponsored by Natural8 returned for the second and final day, all looking to earn their slice of the TWD $6,739,560 (~USD $219,380) prize pool.
With only the top 55 places paying out, close to three-quarters of them would depart empty handed.
It took a grueling twenty-three 30-minute levels to find a champion, with South Korea's Younghee Park making his maiden APT title win a memorable one.
Park cruised to victory after winning a huge coin-flip at the final table with pocket jacks against Australia's Nebojsa Blanusa to seize 70 percent of the chips in play with three players left.
After that, it was plain sailing for the South Korean, with Park defeating heads-up opponent Kirishima Akinobu in just a single hand to take the TWD $1,307,760 (~USD $42,570) top prize.
In addition to earning a career-best score, Park also claimed his maiden APT title and a coveted silver lion silhouette trophy for his inaugural tournament win. Akinobu received TWD $829,000 (~USD $27,100) for his runner-up finish.
China's Fung Kong rounded out the winner's podium and taking TWD $599,100 (USD $19,580) for third place, with the final table paying out as follows:
ZODIAC CLASSIC FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- Younghee Park (South Korea) – TWD $1,307,760
- Kirishima Akinobu (Japan) – TWD $829,000
- Fung Kong (China) – TWD $599,100
- Nebojsa Blanusa (Australia) – TWD $484,600
- Daewoong Song (South Korea) – TWD $383,500
- Chak Lam Tsang (China) – TWD $295,200
- Chanasit Sangrungkongka (Thailand) – TWD $219,700
- Kuan-Han Chen (Taiwan) – TWD $159,100
- Sumire Hori (Japan) – TWD $128,700
Notables to cash but come up short of the final table included France's Bastien Joly (17th for TWD $73,500), India's Raju Jaruplavath (22nd for TWD $60,000), start-of-day chip leader Francisco Sanchez (29th for TWD $46,500), and Hong Kong's Jeffrey Lo (54th for TWD $33,000).
You can follow all the Zodiac Classic Day 2 action as it played out via the APT Blog.
All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.
South Korea's Sangbeom Lim Wins Event #38 Single Day High Roller - 8 Max for TWD $1.91M (~USD $62K)
South Korea's Sangbeom Lim earned his maiden APT title and second high roller title in the Single Day High Roller – 8 Max
The sixth of the APT Taipei's scheduled single-day high roller tournaments – the TWD $60,000 Event #38 Single Day High Roller - 8 Max – proved to be the largest of the Series so far.
A field of 152 high rolling entries consisting of 133 unique players anted up and fought it out at the felt for a share of the TWD $7,961,760 (~USD $259,750) prize pool.
It was a case of quantity and quality, with notables in the running including Natural8 Ambassadors Phachara Wongwichit, and Danny Tang, India's Ankit Ahuja, Hong Kong's Sparrow Cheung and Alan Lau, and New Zealand's Tae Hoon Han to name but a few.
Two APT Main Event champions were also in the mix in the form of APT Incheon 2019 champion Dicky Tsang, and reigning APT Da Nang champion Doo Sik Nam.
However, it was South Korea's Sangbeom Lim who rose above them all to claim the coveted golden lion silhouette trophy and TWD $1,910,860 (USD $62,460) top prize after thirty 20-minute levels.
Lim defeated Jun Hao Wu heads-up to earn his maiden APT title and second high roller title, scoring his third cash of the Series to bring his total haul up to over TWD $2 million.
Singaporean Wu also earned his third cash of the Series, taking TWD $1,297,800 (USD $42,420) for his runner-up finish.
South Korea's Yong Suk Chang rounded out the winner's podium, taking TWD $855,900 (~USD $27,970), with the final table paying out as follows:
SINGLE DAY HIGH ROLLER FINAL TABLE RESULTS
- Sangbeom Lim (South Korea) – TWD $1,910,860
- Jun Hao Wu (Singapore) – TWD $1,297,800
- Yong Suk Chang (South Korea) – TWD $855,900
- Joshua Mccully (Australia) – TWD $707,000
- Hiroyuki Noda (Japan) – TWD $567,700
- Seungmook Jung (South Korea) – TWD $445,100
- Phachara Wongwichit (Thailand) – TWD $333,600
- Wing Ki Cheng (Hong Kong) – TWD $246,800
- Chun-Kang Shih (Taiwan) – TWD $191,100
Notables to make the money but come up short of the final table included Taiwan's Chen An Lin (12th for TWD $139,300), Singapore's Benjamin Sai (16th for TWD $117,000), and South Korea's Steve Joonhee Yea (18th for TWD $106,700).
All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.
Japan's Toshio Kataoka Leads Record Double Stack
Japan's Toshio Kataoka leads Day 1 of the record Double Stack
Due to the size of the field in the record-breaking Zodiac Classic, the TWD $15,000 Event #37 Double Stack - TWD 2,000,000 GTD was rescheduled to just a single starting flight.
However, this did not stop the tournament from setting a new record for the event, which drew a total of 390 entries (326 unique) setting a new APT Double Stack record for field size.
After twenty 30-minute levels, just 55 players remained in contention for a share of the TWD $5,107,050 (~USD $166,610) prize pool, all guaranteed a payout of at least TWD $25,000 (USD $820).
It was Japan's Toshio Kataoka who bagged biggest, concluding play with a sizable 1,970,000 in chips – over 900K more than next closest rival Dhanesh Chainani (1,085,000).
Kataoka will be hoping to improve on his eighth place finish in the Mystery Bounty Hunter and returns in the best of positions to attempt a title run and lay claim to the TWD $991,350 (~USD $32,400) top prize.
It was Daiki Miura who was the only other player to bag a stack of over 1 million, and the Japanese player will return third in the chip counts with a stack of 1,045,000.
DOUBLE STACK TOP TEN STACKS
- Toshio Kataoka (Japan) – 1,970,000
- Dhanesh Chainani (Singapore) – 1,085,000
- Daiki Miura (Japan) – 1,045,000
- Yang Hsin Shih (Taiwan) – 945,000
- Pei Yang Li (Hong Kong) – 935,000
- Weng Chih Chan (Singapore) – 810,000
- Inkuei Tan (Taiwan) – 755,000
- Hao Fu Wang (Taiwan) – 710,000
- Yong Kwee Chua (Singapore) – 695,000
- Guan Lun Cheng (Taiwan) – 680,000
France's Romain Morvan (655,000) also bagged a decent sized stack. The 55 survivors will return for the second and final Day 2, which gets underway at 12:15pm local time on Saturday, May 6.
For Double Stack - TWD 2,000,000 GTD Day 2 Draw please CLICK HERE
SIDE EVENT ACTION
Taiwan's Heng Zhe Hu Rides Pineapple Express to Victory in Event #35 NLH - Crazy Pineapple - Turbo
Taiwan's Heng Zhe Hu claimed his maiden APT title in the Event #35 Crazy Pineapple – Turbo
Playing out in the wee hours of Friday morning, the TWD $5,000 Event #35 NLH - Crazy Pineapple - Turbo saw 99 (78 unique) players ante up for some fruity fun and games, all competing for a share of the TWD $432,135 (~USD $14,100) prize pool.
It was Taiwan's Heng Zhe Hu the man to showcase his Crazy Pineapple skills to the greatest effect, defeating Hong Kong's Charles Wong heads-up to take the TWD $113,435 (~USD $3,700) top prize.
Hu claimed his maiden APT title denying Wong a second series title in the process, with the Hong Kong player forced to settle for the TWD $79,500 (~USD $2,600) on offer for second place.
Taiwan's Wei-Chun Liu took TWD $52,500 (~USD $1,710) for third, with a total of 13 players making the money and the tournament paying out as follows:
CRAZY PINEAPPLE TURBO RESULTS
- Heng Zhe Hu (Taiwan ) – TWD $113,435
- Charles Wong (Hong Kong) – TWD $79,500
- Wei-Chun Liu (Taiwan) – TWD $52,500
- Chi Yin Leong (China) – TWD $41,300
- Hoan Cong Le (Vietnam) – TWD $33,300
- Kosaku Akashi (Japan) – TWD $25,900
- Tsz Wang Chevan Tin (Hong Kong) – TWD $20,500
- Yu Sheng Lin (Taiwan) – TWD $16,000
- Tobias Bergdolt (Germany) – TWD $12,100
- Mo Guan (Taiwan) – TWD $9,900
- Masamori Takuzato (Japan) – TWD $9,900
- Guan-Jhong Fang (Taiwan) – TWD $8,900
- Yuko Akashi (Japan) – TWD $8,900
All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.
Japan's Hiroki Kato Claims Maiden Title in Event #36 Turbo - 8 Max for TWD $248,175 (~USD $8,080)
Japan's Hiroki Kato claimed his first live event title APT title in Event #36 Turbo – 8 Max
The TWD $15,000 Event #36 Turbo - 8 Max drew a 65-strong field (58 unique), generating a TWD $851,175 (~USD $27,720) prize pool.
It took twenty-seven 15-minute levels for Japan's Hiroki Kato to defeat all comers, besting fellow countryman Kazuyuki Tanemura heads-up to take the TWD $248,175 (~USD $8,080) top prize and claim his maiden APT title.
Tanemura, who was also on the hunt for his first APT title and the coveted golden baby lion side event trophy, had to be satisfied with the TWD $178,700 (~USD $5,820) runner-up prize.
Hong Kong's Chun Kit Ho received TWD $116,200 (~USD 3,785) for third, with the tournament paying out as follows:
TURBO – 8 MAX RESULTS
- Hiroki Kato (Japan) – TWD $248,175
- Kazuyuki Tanemura (Japan) – TWD $178,700
- Chun Kit Ho (Hong Kong) – TWD $116,200
- Hyungchan Song (South Korea) – TWD $87,700
- Chuyi Huang (Taiwan) – TWD $68,100
- Christopher Man (United Kingdom) – TWD $52,800
- Wing Ki Cheng (Hong Kong) – TWD $41,700
- Cheng-Han Yang (Taiwan) – TWD $32,300
- Szu Ting Yeh (Taiwan) – TWD $25,500
All prize pool and payout information can be found on the Official Results page.