Nicholas Go

Day 2 of Taiwan’s largest-ever international poker tournament — and the richest APT Main Event in history — has come to a thrilling close. Leading the charge into Day 3 is Hong Kong’s Nicholas Go, who topped the counts with a commanding 1,280,000 chips, becoming the only player to cross the 1-million mark after seven hours of intense poker action against some of Asia’s best.

A total of 830 players returned for Day 2, all vying for a place in the money. By the end of play, 375 players had secured seats for Day 3, each guaranteed a payout of TWD 85,000 ($2,620). But with a top prize of TWD 19,009,440 ($586,710) and an APTC Main Event seat up for grabs, the real battle is just beginning. Among those advancing are 76 online qualifiers from N8, who also made it into the money.

Following Go are Taiwan’s Yu Chun Wu with 932,000 and South Korea’s Juyub Lee with 871,000.

Top 10 Chip Counts

The unfortunate bubble boy was David Berlin from Lithuania, who went all-in on a completed board after pairing his ace-king on the flop. However, Taiwan's Chun-Yu Wu had rivered two pair with queen-three suited, leaving Berlin just shy of a cash.

Go started the day with the second-largest stack, but vaulted into the lead after a dramatic hand against Germany’s Rene von Reden. Go held pocket aces against von Reden’s kings, and a flopped set sealed the elimination of the German in stunning fashion. After narrowly missing an APT Lion Trophy in the Superstar Challenge — where he finished runner-up — Go is now firmly in contention for redemption, and the ultimate prize.

Other notable contenders include Super High Roller champion Quang Minh Nguyen (602,000) and Superstar Challenge winner Biao Ding (119,000). While not among the top stacks, both players are riding hot streaks and could easily become factors late in the tournament.

Tom Verbruggen

A number of APT champions have also advanced to Day 3. Among them are John Matsuda (815,000), Tom Henricus Verbruggen (448,000), Daniel Neilson (444,000), Martin Michael Sedlak (349,000), David Erquiaga (149,000), John Tech (95,000), and Lester Edoc (44,000). Though some are short-stacked, their experience, discipline, and tournament instincts could prove pivotal as the field tightens.

Adding to the already stacked field, a number of well-known names have also qualified online, including Kitty Kuo (1,279,436)Abraham Ceesvin (321,928), Thanisorn Saelor (117,718), Punnat Punsri (114,256), Sean Ooi (105,748). Their presence ensures the road to the final table will be anything but easy

Day 3 resumes at 11:15am local time and play will start at Level 18 through 10 levels or until the field is reduced to 48 players — whichever comes first. Before cards go in the air, APT will raffle off an APTC Main Event seat worth TWD 350,000 to all players who entered the APT Taipei 2025 Main Event.

To check the complete List of Survivors, CLICK HERE.

For the Seat Draw, CLICK HERE.

And for the Full Payout Schedule, CLICK HERE.

Join us again tomorrow as we continue live updates straight from the tournament floor and get closer to crowning the next APT Main Event Champion.

The surviving 375 players have all earned themselves a payday and are currently bagging up their chips.

Stay tuned for a recap of the day's action!

David Berlin

By the time the TV cameras and announcers reached the table, the board was already out and showed 8 6 A 3 Q . David Berlin was all-in and at risk, with Chun-Yu Wu having made the call on the river in an attempt to bust him. Once given the all-clear by the production team, the players revealed their hands:

David Berlin: A K

Chun-Yu Wu: Q 3

Berlin’s Big Slick had the advantage on the flop, but you can never discount the reliable backdoor two-pair draw, and Wu was the one who managed to hit it. Cheers and a round of applause filled the room as the remaining 375 players secured their spots in the money of the largest and richest APT Main Event ever. Berlin, the unfortunate bubble boy of the tournament, took a video of his exit hand and quietly left the room.

David Berlin

Seungyeol Kim & Kimiaki Nakamura

Seungyeol Kim made it 15,000 from middle position before Kimiaki Nakamura three-bet to 45,000 from the hijack. When it got back to Kim he did some inventory, and then shoved all of his 110,000 into the middle. Nakamura happily called.

Seungyeol Kim: K K

Kimiaki Nakamura: A K

Kim was ahead with Cowboys, but Nakamura had an ace and hearts working for her.

The dealer fanned out a flop of A Q 8 to which a roar was heard from the rest of the field, as they knew Kim was likely to bust, sending everyone just one more elimination away from the money.

The turn was the 3 , leaving Kim with one out heading to the river.

There was no miracle for Kim as the 6 rolled off on the river, and he was out in 377th place. The next palyer eliminated would be the last to leave empty-handed.

Ki Bum Park

Ki Bum Park got his last 100,000 into the middle from the big blind, with Ryan Plant making the call with a covering stack to try and bust him.

Ki Bum Park: J J

Ryan Plant: A K

If there was ever a time for Park to win a race it was now, on the soft bubble of largest APT Main Event in history.

However the board ran out 3 K 6 8 4 to give Plant the winner with a pair of kings, sending Park to the rail in 378th place.

Everyone is now just two more eliminations away from the money.

Tension filled the air at The Red Space as hand-for-hand play was in progress with only three players left until the money.

Yeow Chong was all-in for his tournament life and found a caller in Shuzo Sekine.

Yeow Chong: A A

Shuzo Sekine: K K

The drama was short-lived as the window card sealed the deal — Chong flopped a set on 3 A 6 and Sekine was drawing extremely thin.

The runout of T T improved his hand to a full house, securing a crucial double-up just shy of the bubble.

Avadha Shah

Avadha Shah opened to 12,000 from middle position, only for Jacob Ikuma to raise to 225,000 from the hijack. Daehyung Lee then called for all of his 222,000 from the big blind, and Shah committed his remaining 100,000, creating a three-way all-in with two players at risk.

Avadha Shah: K K

Daehyung Lee: Q Q

Jacob Ikuma: 6 6

Ikuma had the largest stack and was in a position to send two players to the rail if he could hit a six.

The flop came down Q 7 T , putting Lee in the lead with top set.

The turn brought a 7 , giving Lee a full house and leaving Ikuma drawing dead. Shah still had a chance if a king hit on the river, but the card was the 3 .

Lee took down the entire pot, eliminating Shah from the tournament, and moving the remaining players in the tournament one step closer to the money.

Daehyung Lee.

Daniel Neilson

With just over ten players left in the money, Daniel Neilson turned up the heat at his table, applying constant pressure with repeated open-raises to 12,000—almost every hand.

Eventually, Yu-Sung Chen, seated in the big blind, decided to challenge Neilson’s middle-position raise with a call. The dealer fanned a flop of T 6 J , and after a check from Chen, Neilson continued his aggression with an 11,000-chip bet—enough to take the pot uncontested once again.

Neilson’s tablemates had grown so accustomed to his relentless raising that on the very next hand, they didn’t even notice he had folded under the gun. As players waited for him to act, Neilson playfully mimed a 12,000-chip raise, drawing laughter all around.

With 380 players remaining, the Main Event is now hand-for-hand until five more players are eliminated.

Yukako Hiroi

The action folded to Yukako Hiroi in the cutoff, who raised to 12,000 and picked up a caller in Chun Hin Lee from the big blind.

Lee checked the A J 9 flop, prompting a continuation bet of 11,000 from Hiroi. Lee called.

The T turn and 3 river were checked through, and Lee tabled A T for top two pair.

Hiroi mucked her hand as the pot was pushed Lee's way.