APT Incheon Main Event | 1,177 entries surpass 1,000, 419 advance to Day 2; Kunlei Xie wins High Roller event.

On August 11, 2026, the Asian Poker Tour (APT) Incheon event entered Day 5, with the focus entirely on the final two starting groups of the 2,500,000 KRW APT Main Event and the 4,500,000 KRW High Roller Ultra Stack final.

The Flight C and Flight D main events saw a combined 508 entries, bringing the total number of participants to 1,177. A total of 419 players qualified for Day 2 across the four on-site starter groups. Meanwhile, Chinese player Kunlei Xie emerged victorious from the 222-entry High Roller event, claiming his first APT title and securing 179,636,000 Korean Won and a $10,000 APT Championship main event spot.

The APT Main Event attracted 1,177 entries, with the prize pool exceeding 2.5 billion Korean won.

The APT Incheon 2026 Main Event originally had a guaranteed prize pool of 1.5 billion Korean won. During Flight C, the event officially exceeded the guarantee; as of the end of the four on-site starting groups, along with online entries, the prize pool has now accumulated to 2,542,320,000 Korean won, approximately US$1.816 million.

It's worth noting that the 1,177 participants are not the final number. According to the original schedule, late registration will remain open until the start of Day 2, Level 12, so there is still room for the final number of participants and the total prize pool to grow.

Flight C had 303 passengers, with Higuchi Junichi leading the pack.

Flight C, which started at 11:00 AM local time, attracted 303 participants, including 268 different players. After six 30-minute levels and a subsequent 45-minute level, 154 players successfully completed the bagging process.

Japanese player Higuchi Junichi became the Flight C chip leader with 294,800 chips, rising to third place on the overall Main Event leaderboard at that time. Takuya Miyaura ranked second with 282,900 chips, while Chinese player Dajie Zhuo ranked third with 228,000 chips.

Flight C Top 10

Chinese athletes occupy two spots in the top ranks of Flight C, with Dajie Zhuo and Haohui Ma ranking third and fifth respectively.

Chinese players Tony Ren Lin and Peng Chen advanced to the next round.

In addition to the top ten in Flight C, many Chinese and Chinese-speaking players also successfully advanced to Day 2.

Tony Ren Lin, the 2026 APT Jeju Classic Super High Roller champion, finished bagging with 104,800 chips; Peng Chen, who just finished third in this year's Incheon Super High Roller, accumulated 139,400 chips.

Other finishers include Ka Chuen Yip from Hong Kong, China with 82,000, Daming Kang from China with 70,300, and Hon Cheong “Ivan” Lee with 67,100.

For the Chinese contingent, in addition to vying for Day 2 slots, the ability to further build a deep chip count in the main event with over a thousand participants will be a key point to watch.

Flight D, 205 entries, Yusuke Sugai becomes the last chip leader.

The final starting group, Flight D, took place at 6 p.m., with a total of 205 participants, 183 of whom were different contestants.

Japanese player Yusuke Sugai ultimately led with 219,800 chips, the only player in his group to break the 200,000 chip mark, and advanced to Day 2 in 12th place overall.

Japanese players demonstrated a strong overall performance in Flight D, occupying six of the top ten spots; however, Chinese players Yunpeng Bai and Su Jing also made it into the top ten.

Flight D Top 10

Joseph Cheong, the all-time leader on the APT money list, is ranked eighth with 145,200; Toby Joyce, the APTC 2025 High Roller Championship winner, and Ivan Govorov, the 2025 APT Manila Classic Main Event winner, also successfully advanced.

419 players met on Day 2, with Shawn Lee still ranking high on the overall leaderboard.

After the four live starting groups concluded, a total of 419 players secured Day 2 slots. Flight B chip leader Shawn Lee held an overall lead with 329,000 chips, followed closely by Flight A chip leader Takayuki Akamatsu with 320,000 chips; Flight C leader Higuchi Junichi was in second place with 294,800 chips.

As originally scheduled, Day 2 will resume at Paradise City Casino Resort at 11:00 AM on August 12th, and the matches will be officially broadcast live starting from Day 2.

With the blind structure becoming more complex and the late registration deadline approaching, the final number of participants, total prize pool, and Day 2 leader will be officially determined for this year's APT Incheon Main Event.

Kunlei Xie defeats 222 players to win his first APT championship.

While the main event was in full swing, Chinese player Kunlei Xie achieved a major breakthrough in his professional career with the 4,500,000 Korean Won High Roller Ultra Stack.

This high roller tournament attracted 222 entries from 159 different players, creating a total prize pool of 863,136,000 Korean won. 94 players advanced to the Final Day, with 31 ultimately making it into the money, with a minimum prize of 7,470,000 Korean won.

Xie defeated several high-stakes tournament regulars and won the first APT championship trophy by defeating Australian player Daniel Neilson in the championship head-to-head match.

179.6 million won more than tripled his career prize money in one go.

Prior to this victory, Kunlei Xie had earned $47,307 in live tournament winnings.

The 179,636,000 Korean won prize money is equivalent to approximately US$128,955. This single-event income is more than double his previous total live tournament earnings, increasing his career winnings to more than three times his previous amount in just one afternoon.

In addition to the prize money, Xie also won the APT Gold Lion Silhouette trophy and a spot in the APT Championship Main Event worth $10,000 (approximately 13,930,000 Korean won).

The spot will be used for the APT Championship Main Event in Taipei in November, giving this Incheon High Roller victory additional opportunities for subsequent major tournaments.

High Roller Ultra Stack Final Table Results

Chinese players occupied three spots in the final nine: Kunlei Xie, the champion; Yuzhi Shen, who finished seventh; and Jian Ting Cai, who finished ninth.

Day 1 chip leader Daniel Smiljkovic finished in 22nd place, Phuong Ngoc Nguyen took 23rd, Australian player Yita Choong finished 27th, and Hong Kong player Wing Po Liu finished in 30th.

On Day 5, multiple side matches simultaneously produced champions.

Day 5 of the APT Incheon event also saw several side events completed, with several Asian players achieving career breakthroughs.

Malaysian star Wai Kiat Lee ended his multiple APT runner-up streak in the 10,000,000 KRW Baby Superstar Challenge, defeating a field of 33 players to win his first APT championship; Chinese player Bin Duan took third place and won 47,880,000 KRW.

In the Women's Main Event, Siriwan Sukmekerd defeated 73 competitors to win the title, setting a new prize pool record for the APT Incheon Women's Tournament. Chinese player Yue Sun finished as runner-up, earning 10,180,000 Korean won.

Japanese player Shinnosuke Takuma won the Single Day High Roller Mystery Bounty with 151 entries, earning a total of over 83 million Korean won in prize money and rewards, marking a personal masterpiece.

The main event officially enters Day 2, with Chinese teams vying for championships on multiple fronts.

The APT Incheon event reached two important milestones on Day 5: the main event surpassed 1,000 entries, and Kunlei Xie secured another important high roller title for the Chinese contingent in this series.

For the main event, the 1,177 entries are still just a preliminary figure before the extended registration deadline; the 419 players remaining from the four on-site starting groups will meet for the first time and truly enter the middle stage of the main event competition.

Chinese players including Dajie Zhuo, Haohui Ma, Peng Chen, Tony Ren Lin, Yunpeng Bai, and Su Jing all advanced to the next stage with their chip stacks. With the prize pool exceeding 2.5 billion Korean won, the remaining prize money, chip leader battles, and the performance of the Chinese players in the APT Incheon Main Event will be the core focus of the second half of the series.

Want to change Texas Holdem from "can understand" to "can win"?

If you want to learn more about Texas Hold'em, you can continue reading：

The Origins of Texas Hold'em: Why is it the World's Most Popular Poker Variant?
Texas Hold'em Hand Rankings and Showdown Rules (Beginner’s Essentials)
Texas Hold'em Betting teaching: Check / Bet / Call /Raise and Betting Strategy Analysis
The importance of Texas Hold'em position? Why is the back position more advantageous?
How to play Texas Hold'em? Novices learn Texas Hold'em rules, processes and betting teaching in 10 minutes
Texas Hold'em Starting Hands Strategy Guide: Which Hands to Play?
Texas Holdem Starting Hands Chart Tutorial: Complete Starting Hand Chart and Position Strategy
How to play Texas Hold'em? Complete rules and a hand's flow (Preflop / Flop / Turn / River)

Hunter Poker offers comprehensive tutorials, hand analysis, and strategy sharing to help players upgrade from simply "reading the cards" to understanding the range . This allows you to make better decisions in every hand.

▶️ In Facebook Follow Hunter Poker.
📘 In Youtube Follow Hunter Poker.

Want to learn more about Texas Hold'em gameplay and strategies?

Online Texas Hold'em free tournaments typically have no entry fee, making them ideal for beginners to familiarize themselves with the rules and for advanced players to test strategies and gain experience. View full brand profiles to learn about each platform's free tournament schedule, features, and target audience.

Go to learn more