PHOTO: Junjie He Dominates the Richest APT Main Event in Korean History!

Records Shattered: The Largest and Richest Tournament
 

This year's APT Main Event in Incheon captured attention from the start. A historic field of 1,281 entries smashed the previous record held by APT Jeju 2024. This massive interest far exceeded the guaranteed pot of 1,500,000,000₩, creating an astonishing prize pool of 2,766,660,000₩ (approximately 2 million dollars). 

Main Event winner Junjie He walked away with 344,520,000₩ (around $249,110) and a ticket to the APT Championship Main Event valued at 13,830,000₩ (about $10,000), a bonus for the top three players. But the Main Event wasn't the only record-breaking tournament. The entire APT Incheon 2025 festival saw an immense rise in participation compared to previous years:

• Mystery Bounty NLH: Entries soared from 375 in 2023 to an astonishing 889, inflating the prize pool from a guaranteed 200,000,000₩ to 672,084,000₩ (~$482,472).

• APT Super High Roller: This prestigious event with a 15,000,000₩ buy-in saw its prize pool double to an incredible 1,216,272,500₩ (~$874,075) compared to 2023.

• Korea National Cup: A new tournament that, in its debut year, attracted 707 entries, quadrupling its guarantee with a total prize pool of 408,304,378₩ (~$293,112).

These figures clearly indicate that Incheon has become a stable and increasingly popular stop on the Asian poker map.

Action-Packed Final Table and Quick Eliminations
 

The final table kicked off at a rapid pace, with the first three hands delivering massive action and multiple all-ins. In the opening hand, Thailand's Thanisorn Saelor went all-in with K d 9 d against the aces A h A d of Koui Okumiya, resulting in a double-up for the Japanese player. In the second hand, American Daniel Lee exited in ninth place when his K h Q h ran into K s K c held by Naoki Ota. Just after, Bin Li was eliminated, holding A c J d against Kuroda Kiyoto's A d K c.

This frenetic pace later calmed, and players exchanged chips for the next two hours. The first break helped shift the relaxed tempo, and gradually more players were eliminated. 

Tickets to the APT Championship and Triumph of the Chinese Star
 

The last three players secured their spots at the APT Championship Main Event with a value of 13,830,000₩ (around $10,000) and agreed on a three-way deal to split the winnings. The final heads-up between Junjie He and Koui Okumiya saw stacks nearly even. However, it took only two hands to determine the winner. Okumiya's K d 4 c made top pair on the flop K h 9 c 5 c and he went all-in, but Junjie He was nearly unbeatable with K s 9 s. The Japanese player needed a miracle on further streets, but the turn 8 d dashed his hopes.

APT Incheon Sparks a Poker Fever in South Korea
 

This year's APT Incheon 2025 lived up to its reputation. In a short span from August 1 to 10, it offered nearly 100 different events, with buy-ins ranging from 300,000₩ to 35 million₩, catering to players with any bankroll. The festival’s total guarantee surpassed 3.4 billion₩ (approximately 2.38 million dollars). Since its debut in 2017, APT Incheon has become a permanent and beloved stop on the poker calendar, and the seventh edition in this South Korean city was exceptionally successful.

To conclude, we also include more exclusive shots from APT Incheon 2025. For more details and winners of all events, visit our partner page SoMuchPoker, where you can find detailed coverage of each tournament. 

Source: APT, SoMuchPoker, YouTube, Wikipedia