Since the start of the Asian Poker Tour’s New Era launch back at the APT Taipei in April 2023 no player has managed to win more than one of the APT’s award-winning signature lion trophies, but several have come close over the past two years.
With the sport of big game hunting viewed negatively through a 21st century lens, there has never been a more socially acceptable way to bag a lion as a trophy than by claiming victory in one of the tour’s three signature tournaments—the APT Main Event, the APT High Roller, and the APT Super High Roller—unless of course, you enjoy run-ins with the folks over at PETA.
Gleaming gold lions (or rose gold or pewter) are very much in demand amongst the APT’s dedicated player base.
Since the launch of the New Era there have been 31 signature lion trophies awarded, with a total of 8,194 unique players signing up for the big game hunt, meaning that less than 1 percent (0.3%) of them have been successful in winning one – so they are exceptionally hard to come by.
The three most successful countries when it comes to winning are Japan, Malaysia and Thailand, who are all tied at four trophies per country, with the table of the 31 winners by country as follows:
APT Signature Lion Trophy Tournament Wins by County/Region
In addition to the acclaim and bragging rights that come with bagging this rare beast, the champions of the three APT signature tournaments at the APT Taipei 2025—alongside nine other lucky winners—will also receive a ticket to the largest guaranteed event in APT history and claim a seat in the TWD 165 million (~USD 5 million) guaranteed APT Championship (APTC) Main Event, running November 14-30, 2025 the Red Point Center’s brand new Red Space 多元商務空間 venue located in central Taipei.
Of the 31 champions to have summited the pinnacle of the APT tournament leaderboard and etched their names in the annals of tour history, only eight have made more than one signature tournament final table and come close to repeating the feat.
Come with us on a deep dive into the shark infested waters of the Asian poker scene as we check out the region’s best big game hunters and take a closer look at the top five heaviest hitters of the APT New Era.
1. Punnat Punsri
Punnat Punsri celebrates his APT Taipei 2023 Main Event win with his ecstatic supporters
Fittingly, it is Natural8 Ambassador Punnat Punsri who tops the list, with the Thai national claiming the first of the New Era lion trophies ever awarded back at the APT Taipei 2023 and bagging the rarest beast of all – the Gold Lion APT Main Event trophy.
Punsri defeated a record field of 1,434 entries to win the trophy and claim the TWD 11.2 million (USD 365K) top prize of what was—at the time—the largest and richest poker Main Event ever to play out in Taiwan, although that record has subsequently been surpassed twice since; first during the APT Taipei 2024 Main Event, and then during the APT Taipei Poker Classic 2024 Main Event.
Having already done the hard yards and bagged the toughest of the APT trophies to win, what makes Punsri’s achievements stand above the rest is the fact he has also made the most signature tournament final tables, with five in total on his poker CV.
Following his APT Taipei 2023 Main Event victory, Punsri has made an impressive four further final tables in the tour’s big three events—in addition to making another three deep APT Main Event runs—for combined winnings of over USD 638K (not including APT side events).
Just 12 months after hoisting the Gold Lion, Punsri was back in Taiwan looking to claim his second with the Pewter Lion APT Super High Roller trophy in his sights at APT Taipei 2024. It was not to be, however, with Punsri falling in sixth place to eventual runner-up Tony Lin of China, with poker superstar Isaac Haxton claiming the Pewter Lion.
Seven months later Punsri almost did it again at the APT Taipei Poker Classic, finishing one place better—again in the APT Super High Roller—eventually busting in fifth at the hands of Sweden’s Mikael Andersson, who went on to finish third.
This tournament also saw Punsri’s compatriot Thanisorn Saelor come within touching distance of claiming a second lion trophy, which we will cover in more detail further below.
Then Punsri almost did it again during the same series! This time in the APT High Roller where he finished in fifth place once more, exiting at the hands of eventual runner-up Rishi Mehra of India.
Most recently, Punsri final tabled the Super High Roller back in February’s APT Manila 2025, exiting in eighth place to eventual third-place finisher I-Chun “Charlie” Chiu.
2. Thanisorn Saelor
Thailand’s Thanisorn Saelor shows his love for the Rose Gold APT High Roller Lion trophy
As alluded to above, of all the people to have come close to winning a second lion trophy, none have come closer than Thailand’s Thanisorn Saelor.
While Punnat Punsri has the most New Era final table showings of the players shortlisted, Saelor comes a close second, winning over USD 374K in the APT’s three signature tournaments having cashed an impressive eight times – and this is not factoring in his stellar side event results.
The Thai player has made a total of four signature tournament final table appearances, with his first resulting in a near miss back during the August of 2023 at the APT Incheon 2023 Super High Roller where he finished third for a KRW 67.7 million (USD 51K) payday, with Serbia’s Milos Petakovic claiming the accolades.
Saelor’s first successful big game hunt came just a scant seven days later during the same series, defeating Uzbekistan’s Valeriy Pak heads-up and overcoming a 145-strong field to claim the Rose Gold Lion APT High Roller trophy and take home a KRW 172 million (USD 130K) top prize.
Saelor has made a further two more signature tournament final table appearances since then, following up his initial victory with an eighth-place showing at the April 2024 APT Jeju Super High Roller.
After a deep run in the APT Taipei Poker Classic 2024 Main Event where he managed a 69th place finish, Saelor came within touching distance of his second lion trophy at the same festival, coming up agonizingly short after finishing runner-up to compatriot and eventual champion Phanlert Sukonthachartnant.
Saelor also came within a whisker of making an impressive fifth APT signature tournament final table appearance at the recent APT Manila 2025 where he earned an 11th place cash in the APT High Roller for a PHP 437K (USD 7.5K) windfall.
3. Jason Lau
Third time’s the charm for APT Phu Quoc 2024 High Roller champion Jason Lau
Malaysia’s Jason Lau is tied with Thanisorn Saelor on four signature tournament final table showings, winning over USD 192K in the APT’s big three tournaments and deserves his top three standing for the way in which he accomplished this feat.
Lau is a perfect example of the adage perseverance pays off; the Malaysian high roller already boasted four cashes and three APT final table showings in the old era, and made his first final table appearance of the New Era in the August 2023 APT Incheon Main Event where he finished seventh for KRW 45.7 million (USD 34.5K).
Lau then followed this up with something that has yet to be replicated, making impressive back-to-back-to-back final tables in the APT High Roller.
The first of these came at the APT Taipei Poker Classic 2024 where he finished in sixth place for TWD 1.2 million (USD 37.9K), busting to eventual champion Martin Sedlak.
Not deterred by this setback, Lau tried his luck again at the APT Manila 2024 where he did one better and finished in fifth place for PHP 1.6 million (USD 28.5K), falling at the hands of third place finisher Teng Hoo of Singapore.
However, it proved to be third time’s the charm as far as APT High Roller attempts go, with Lau refusing to be denied a third time at the APT Phu Quoc 2024, triumphing over Natural8 Ambassador Nevan Chang to claim the Rose Gold APT High Roller trophy and a VND 2.3 billion (USD 91.7K) top prize.
4. Xixiang Luo
Xixiang Luo claimed the Gold Lion APT Main Event trophy in the largest poker tournament ever to play out in South Korea
Xixiang Luo claims the #4 spot, with the highly decorated Chinese non-professional player already boasting an APT title and eight APT cashes (including two deep Main Event runs) before the start of the New Era.
Since the start of the New Era, Luo has made a further eight APT final tables, two of which he converted into APT titles, all of which he did in just one series at the APT Jeju 2024 with the Chinese businessman tearing it up at the tables.
Two of Luo’s eight APT Jeju final table appearances came in the tour’s three signature tournaments; Luo is the second player on this list to have successfully bagged the coveted Gold Lion APT Main Event trophy after winning the largest international poker tournament ever to play out in South Korea claiming what was—at the time—a career best score of KRW 429 million (USD 311K) to enter the top ten on the China All Time Money List.
In addition to his Main Event win, Luo also final tabled the APT Jeju 2024 Super High Roller, finishing in fourth place for a further KRW 85.6 million (USD 62K), bringing his APT big three tournament winnings for the New Era up to just over USD 374K, not including side events.
5. Nozomu Shimizu
Japan’s Nozumu Shimizu Hadoukens his way to victory in the Hanoi Billions APT Super High Roller
Nozomu “LASONE” Shimizu sits at #5 in the APT New Era rankings, cashing four times and making two final table appearances—one of which the Japanese businessman converted into a successful trophy hunt—for APT big three tournament winnings of over USD 247K.
Following a deep run in the APT Incheon 2023 Main Event, where he finished 72nd for KRW 4.5 million (USD 3.4K), Shimizu came within touching distance of the Pewter Lion APT Super High Roller trophy only to fall at the final hurdle, losing heads-up to Serbia’s Milos Petakovic and having to settle for the KRW 103.5 million (USD 78K) second-place prize.
Four months later Shimizu finally bagged his lion, Hadoukening his way to victory in the Hanoi Billions APT Super High Roller after a commanding final table performance, defeating Hong Kong’s Hon Cheong “Ivan” Lee heads-up to claim a VND 3.9 billion (USD 162K) top prize.
Shimizu was on fire that festival, also winning the APT’s largest-ever Superstar Challenge for VND 5.4 billion (USD 224K) and making another deep run in the Main Event, where he finished in 167th place for VND 80.5 million (USD 3.3K).
Other Double Finalists
Of course, we can’t sign off without mentioning the other three players who have made more than one APT signature tournament final table appearance.
Thailand’s Phanlert Sukonthachartnant winning the APT Taipei Poker Classic Super High Roller
Were this a top ten list, then Phanlert Sukonthachartnant would occupy the #6 spot with four cashes and over USD 211K in winnings in the tour’s big three tournaments, with the Thai player taming the Pewter Lion APT Super High Roller trophy at the APT Taipei Poker Classic 2024 and following this up six weeks later with a ninth-place final table appearance in the APT Phu Quoc 2024 APT High Roller.
Malaysia’s William Teoh winning the APT Manila 2024 Super High Roller
William Teoh comes in at #7 with three cashes and over USD 211K in winnings in the tour’s big three tournaments, with the Malaysian high roller winning the APT Manila 2024 Super High Roller title for PHP 9.7 million (USD 166K).
Teoh followed this up two weeks later with a 12th place finish in the APT Phu Quoc 2024 High Roller, before coming close to doing the double and final tabling the APT Manila 2025 Super High Roller, where he came in seventh for PHP 2.1 million (USD 36.8K).
Australia’s Julian Warhurst tames the Pewter Lion in the APT Summer Series Da Nang 2023 Super High Roller
The eighth and final player to have made more than one APT big three tournament final table is Australia’s Julian Warhurst, who has made five cashes and two final tables—both of which came in APT Super High Roller tournaments—for combined winnings of over USD 76K.
Warhurst made a deep run in the APT Summer Series Hanoi 2023 Main Event finishing in 23rd and followed this up with a 20th place cash in the APT Summer Series Da Nang High Roller two months later, before taming the Pewter Lion APT Super High Roller trophy at the same series for VND 1 billion (USD 42.4K).
Honorable Mentions
An honorable mention must also go to Natural8 Ambassador Phachara Wongwichit, who narrowly missed out on making the list as despite final tabling the last APT Main Event of the old era—a fourth place finish at the APT Phu Quoc 2023—this was pre-New Era.
The Thai player only has the one APT New Era big three tournament final table on his resume, although he did win the inaugural New Era APT High Roller event at the APT Taipei 2023 to claim the first-ever Rose Gold Lion APT High Roller trophy. Wongwichit boasts over USD 163K in big three tournament cashes.
Another to fall short of making the list with only a single big three tournament final table to his name is Natural8 Ambassador Eric “Six Poker” Tsai, who had two deep Main Event runs—22nd and 17th at the APT Taipei 2023 and APT Taipei Poker Classic 2024 respectively—and a 15th place cash in the Hanoi Billions 2023 Super High Roller before winning the APT Jeju 2024 High Roller. Tsai boasts over USD 239K in APT big three tournament cashes in total.
New Era APT history is still being written, and there are still plenty of opportunities for YOU to make this list, especially with the upcoming APT Taipei 2025—running April 25 to May 4—just over the horizon. See you in Taipei!