Hong Kong’s Kevin Choi Wins APT’s Largest-Ever Korea National Cup for KRW 78M (~USD 56K)

Hong Kong’s Kevin Choi Wins APT’s Largest-Ever Korea National Cup for KRW 78M (~USD 56K)

Hong Kong’s Kevin Choi Wins APT’s Largest-Ever Korea National Cup for KRW 78M (~USD 56K)

發佈於 編輯者 Ben Wilson

APT Super High Roller and Mystery Bounty Set New Tour Country Records

  • APT Super High Roller Breaks Tour’s Korea Country Record; Australia’s Michael Foo Leads

  • Mystery Bounty Hunter – Sponsored by Natural8 Draws Tours Largest Korean Field

APT INCHEON 2025 SCHEDULE | OFFICIAL RESULTS | PLAYER LISTS | IMAGES | WINNERS

INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA, August 2, 2025 – The record-breaking trends continued at APT Incheon 2025 as the 10-day festival closed out its second day of tournament thrills and spills.

Playing out at the tournament tables of the palatial Paradise City, and run in partnership with Paradise Group, the second day of the series saw twelve tournaments in action over the course of the day, three of which were record-breakers.

The biggest draw of the day proved to be the three starting flights of the KRW 900,000 (~USD 650) Mystery Bounty Hunter – Sponsored by Natural8, which drew an impressive 889 entries to set a new APT country record for Korea – you can read more on this later in the article.

The most popular from the railbirds’ perspective was Day 1 of the first of the festival’s three marquee events — the two-day KRW 15M (~USD 10,770) APT Super High Roller — which was another tournament to set a new tour country record as the APT’s dedicated high roller player base turned out in force to compete for the coveted Pewter Lion Trophy – more on this further down.

Of the twelve tournaments running eight played down to thrilling conclusions, with the most significant of these being the Final Day of the KRW 700,000 (~USD 500) Korea National Cup ¬– the largest Korean-based opening event in tour history.

Hong Kong’s Kevin Choi Flips for Victory in Korea National Cup

Just 100 players out of a record-breaking field of 707 entries returned for the Final Day of the Korea National Cup, all guaranteed a payout of at least KRW 1,110,000 (~USD 800) from the KRW 408,304,378 (~USD 293,112) prize pool ¬– the¬ richest ever generated in a Korean-based APT opening event.

However, it was the KRW 78,084,378 (~USD 56,055) top prize, silver lion silhouette trophy, and all the accolades that come with it that all were aiming for.

It was Austria’s Min Sung Lee returning in pole position with the overnight chip lead, and while Lee managed to make a deep run, he ultimately came up two places short, with Hong Kong’s Kevin Choi stealing his thunder and taking the title and trophy.

Choi came into the nine-handed final table with the chip lead, but the fast-paced action saw this change hands multiple times as play progressed, and it was Choi’s fellow Hong Kong native Ka Chuen Yip who brought a narrow lead into the heads-up battle between the duo.

Yip came into the match with just over 56 percent of the chips in play and the confrontation was wrapped up in just two hands with the pair opting to move all-in blind in back-to-back hands to let the poker gods decide on the victor.

It was Choi whose fortune proved to be on the ascendancy, coming from behind in both hands to run out four to a flush in the first and spike second pair in the second when his king jack out-flopped Yip’s ace seven.

The win granted Choi his third career APT title — his second of the New Era — and represents his third-largest career cash.

Yip, who was on the hunt for his second APT title, claimed his largest live career cash earning KRW 47,710,000 (~USD 34,250) for his runner-up finish.

Start-of-day chip leader Lee locked up KRW 34,080,000 (~USD 24,465) for his podium finish, which represents his largest APT live score to date, and the second largest live cash of his poker career, with the rest of the final table paying out as follows:

KOREA NATIONAL CUP FINAL TABLE RESULTS

PlacePlayerCountryPrizePrize (USD)
1Yun Lam Kevin ChoiHong Kong78,084,37856,055
2Ka Chuen YipHong Kong47,710,00034,250
3Min Sung LeeAustria34,080,00024,465
4Peerapon IamjamratThailand25,810,00018,530
5Ryo FujitaJapan20,540,00014,745
6Chang LiuChina15,770,00011,320
7Jie ZhengChina11,400,0008,185
8Junjie HeChina7,780,0005,585
9Miwa KojiJapan6,170,0004,430

For all Korea National Cup Results please CLICK HERE

Other notables to enjoy deep runs included Flight C frontrunner Hao Chen (15th for KRW 3,910,000), Russia’s Gleb Ershov (32nd for KRW 1,730,000), the UK’s **Jun Li **(47th for KRW 1,520,000), New Zealand’s Tae Hoon Han (58th for KRW 1,320,000), and Hong Kong’s Hon Cheong ‘Ivan’ Lee (100th for KRW 1,110,000).

You can follow all the action via the APT Blog.

All tournament information can be found on the Korea National Cup Final Day tournament page.

APT Super High Roller Breaks Tour’s Korea Country Record; Australia’s Michael Foo Leads

1 APT SHR chip leader Michael Foo.jpg Michael Foo holds a commanding lead after Day 1 of the APT Super High Roller

Boasting the second largest buy-in on the schedule, the KRW 15M (~USD 10,770) APT Super High Roller regularly attracts the cream of the international poker circuit.

APT Incheon 2025 proved to be no exception, with the tour’s dedicated high roller contingent out in force with several big names and former APT signature tournament champions in the thick of the action, all looking to make tour history and become the first player to bag a second award-winning signature lion trophy.

By the time registration closed at 8:35pm local time (KST) just before the scheduled dinner break the field proved to be another record-breaker with the tournament drawing 89 entries (62 unique) to set new tour country records for field size and prize pool.

The prize pool stands at a mouthwatering KRW 1,230,202,500 (~USD 883,132) — including an APT Championship (APTC) Main Event seat valued at KRW 13,930,000 (USD 10,000) — making it the richest APT Super High Roller the tour has run in South Korea, and the fifth richest of the New Era.

In addition to the APTC seat, the eventual winner will walk away with a hefty KRW 319,292,500 (~USD 229,210) top prize, with 13 players making the money and a min-cash good for KRW 24,930,000 (~USD 17,900).

For APT Super High Roller Prize Pool & Payouts please CLICK HERE

By the time the tournament clocked ticked into the red at the end of the sixteen 40-minute levels played just 23 players remain in contention for the Pewter Lion Super High Roller trophy, meaning ten of them will be leaving empty-handed when play resumes for the Final Day at 11:15am local time (KST) on Sunday, August 3.

It is Michael Foo leading the charge, with the Australian player bagging up a chip-leading stack of 3,835,000 – valued at 127 big blinds when play resumes.

Foo was the only player to crack the 3-million chip mark and holds almost double that of next closest rival Bayar Saran of Mongolia, who bagged the second-largest stack of 1,910,000 (63 big blinds), with Japan’s Ryuta Nakai rounding out the top three with 1,600,000 in chips (53 big blinds).

Taiwan’s I-Chun ‘Charlie’ Chiu (1,355,000) continued the run of form that saw him claim victory in Saturday’s Event #3 Single Day High Roller for KRW 44.3 million (~USD 31.8K).

Former APT High Roller champions Stanley Weng (1,105,000) and Thanisorn Saelor (1,055,000) are both looking to bag a second lion and claim their first APT Super High Roller title, as is Vietnam’s Quan Nguyen Trung (495,000).

Other notables still in the running include Japan’s Jun Obara (890,000), and Taipei Poker Classic Baby Superstar champion Niko Koop (270,000), although the latter will be returning as the second shortest stack.

APT HIGH ROLLER DAY 1 TOP TEN STACKS

Pos.PlayerChipsCountry
1Michael Foo3,835,000New Zealand
2Bayar Saran1,910,000Mongolia
3Ryuta Nakai1,600,000Japan
4I-Chun Chiu1,355,000Taiwan
5Jieming Xu1,235,000China
6Hamada Shoichiro1,170,000Japan
7Stanley Manfred Weng1,105,000United States
8Thanisorn Saelor1,055,000Thailand
9Katsuki Yamashita995,000Japan
10Eng Soon Ewe980,000Malaysia

For APT High Roller Day 1 Player List please CLICK HERE

For APT High Roller Day 1 Survivors please CLICK HERE

For APT High Roller Final Day Draw please CLICK HERE

All tournament information can be found on the APT Super High Roller Day 1 tournament page.

You can read about all the high stakes tournament action via the APT Blog.

The Final Day action gets underway at 11:15am (KST) on Sunday, August 3 with the tournament playing down to a champion.

Full coverage will be available via the APT Blog, and you can also watch all the action via the live stream on the official APT YouTube channel on a 30-minute delay, with the coverage getting underway at 11:45am local time.

Mystery Bounty Hunter – Sponsored by Natural8 Draws Tours Largest Korean Field

01 Flight B chip leader Haohui Ma-1.jpg China’s Haohui Ma topped Flight B of the Mystery Bounty Hunter to bag the overnight chip lead

By far the biggest draw of the day was the KRW 900,000 (~USD 650) Mystery Bounty Hunter – Sponsored by Natural8, which saw a third tour country record tumble with the tournament drawing its largest-ever Korean-based field and generate its richest-ever prize pool in the country.

A total of 889 entries comprised of 520 unique players competed over the three starting flights to generate a KRW 405,384,000 (~USD 291,015) prize pool with a further KRW 266,700,000 (~USD 191,457) in the bounty pool.

The top 14 percent of the three starting flights made it through to the Final Day and the paying positions, with a total of 127 players returning to battle at the baize when the mystery bounties kick in, with the top bounty coming in at KRW 30,000,000 (~USD 21,535).

With the eventual winner walking away with a KRW 75,784,000 (~USD 54,400) top prize there is all to play for when the tournament resumes at 11:15am (KST) on Sunday, August 3.

For Mystery Bounty Hunter Prize Pool & Payouts please CLICK HERE

The opening Flight A was the largest of the three starting flights attracting 351 entries, with China’s Yu Xuan Hou bagging a flight-leading 469,000 in chips over the nineteen 25-minute levels played.

Japan’s Harayama Yuichi (422,000) bagged the second largest Flight A stack, with China’s Xuefeng Huang (421,000) and Japan’s Yuto Ishiai (421,000) both tied for the #3 spot on the same sized stacks with a total of 50 players successfully making it through to the Final Day.

1 Flight A chip leader Yu Xuan Hou-181.jpg China’s Yu Xuan Hou bagged the Flight A chip lead

All tournament information can be found on the Mystery Bounty Hunter Flight A tournament page.

However, it is China’s Haohui Ma who will be returning in the driving seat after topping the 295-strong Flight B, concluding the twenty 20-minute levels played with a stack of 660,000.

Japan’s Kazushi Higashiura will be returning in the #2 spot after bagging the second-largest Flight B stack of 650,000, and the pair were the only two players to bag over 600,000 in chips, with China’s Yingkun Fan (553,000) rounding out the top three Flight B chip counts, with a further 42 players locking up a place for the Final Day.

All tournament information can be found on the Mystery Bounty Hunter Flight B tournament page.

The third and final Turbo Flight C drew a further 243 runners with Singapore’s Kwang Chung Tan topping the counts, concluding the twenty 15-minute levels played with a stack of 604,000.

China’s Xiaohui Cheung (559,000) and Natural8 Ambassador Sparrow Cheung (464,000) rounded out the top three Flight C stacks, with a final 35 players earning their place on the Final Day.

01 Flight C chip leader Kwang Chung Tan-1.jpg Singapore’s Kwang Chung Tan topped the Flight C chip counts

All tournament information can be found on the Mystery Bounty Hunter Flight C tournament page.

MYSTERY BOUNTY HUNTER FINAL DAY TOP TEN STACKS

Pos.PlayerCountryChips
1Haohui MaChina660,000
2Kazushi HigashiuraJapan650,000
3Kwang Chung TanSingapore604,000
4Xiaohui WangChina559,000
5Yingkun FanChina553,000
6Yu Xuan HouChina469,000
7Sparrow CheungHong Kong464,000
8Hongjie WangChina451,000
9Harayama YuichiJapan422,000
10Xuefeng HuangChina421,000

For Mystery Bounty Flight A Player List please CLICK HERE

For Mystery Bounty Flight A Survivors please CLICK HERE

For Mystery Bounty Flight B Player List please CLICK HERE

For Mystery Bounty Flight B Survivors please CLICK HERE

For Mystery Bounty Flight C Player List please CLICK HERE

For Mystery Bounty Flight C Survivors please CLICK HERE

For Mystery Bounty Final Day Draw please CLICK HERE

The Final Day gets underway at 11:15am local time on Sunday, August 3 with the 127 survivors returning to play down to a champion.

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