APT Incheon | Tomoya Tsubouchi wins his first cash prize at the National Cup, Alex Ip leads an 868-player mystery bounty tournament.

On August 8, 2026, Day 2 of the Asian Poker Tour (APT) Incheon event took place, with two key events taking place at Paradise City Casino Resort in South Korea. Japanese player Tomoya Tsubouchi emerged victorious from the record-breaking 709 entries in the Korea National Cup, securing the championship with his first official live cash win. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Chun Fung Alex Ip became the chip leader of the final day with 923,000 chips after 868 entries in the Mystery Bounty Hunter event across three starting groups.

For Tsubouchi, this victory held even greater significance. This was only his second time leaving Japan to participate in an international live tournament, yet he didn't even need to reach the heads-up final. Instead, he eliminated the second and third place finishers simultaneously with a three-way all-in on the last hand, winning the APT Lion Trophy and a champion's prize of 78,109,411 Korean won.

South Korea's national cup saw 709 appearances, breaking the Incheon record.

This year's Korea National Cup attracted 709 participants from 28 countries and regions, creating a total prize pool of 409,459,411 Korean Won. This is also the largest opening tournament ever held by the APT in Incheon.

All 101 players who advanced to the final day were guaranteed at least 1,110,000 Korean won in prize money, with Tsubouchi ultimately taking home the largest share.

With a triple-chips lead leading to the final table, Tsubouchi controlled the game from start to finish.

When Tsubouchi entered the nine-handed final table, he held more than three times the chips of his closest opponent. This massive chip advantage allowed him to maintain control of the game throughout the final table, eliminating four of his eight opponents.

Although he had previously won online tournaments, he had no official live cash record. This trip to Incheon was originally more like a Korean vacation with five friends, with poker just a part of the journey; but it ultimately became an important starting point for his personal live poker career.

After the match, Tsubouchi stated that he valued bringing the championship trophy home more than the prize money. This victory further solidified his desire to travel overseas specifically to participate in more live tournaments in the future.

The final move resulted in a double elimination, allowing them to skip Heads-Up.

The most dramatic moment of the championship battle came in the very last hand.

At that point, Tomoya Tsubouchi, Phuong Ngoc Nguyen, and Ian Rudolph remained in the pot. The three players eventually went all-in, with Tsubouchi winning the entire pot and eliminating two opponents.

Nguyen thus secured second place and 47,710,000 won, while Rudolph came in third with 34,090,000 won. Tsubouchi, without needing to play any Heads-Up hands, secured the championship, 78,109,411 won, and the APT Lion Trophy.

He described after the match that when he won the three-way all-in, his first feeling was not ecstasy, but a sense of relief that "it's finally over," because he had originally hoped to avoid going to the championship singles.

Korea National Cup Final Table Results

Chinese player Chen Chaopeng successfully made it to the final nine, ultimately finishing in ninth place and earning 6,180,000 Korean won.

Yutao Zheng ranked 15th, Ivan Govorov missed the FT

In addition to the final table players, many Day 1 leaders and well-known players also completed their runs in the National Cup.

Flight A chip leader Jeerasak Khumchanthuek finished in 10th place, while 2025 APT Manila Classic Main Event champion Ivan Govorov finished in 11th, both missing out on the final table of nine.

Chinese player Yutao Zheng, who led Turbo Flight C with 610,000 chips, ultimately finished 15th. Other notable players who made it into the money included Alexander Ugay at 22nd, Frank Zhang at 28th, Natural8 ambassador Hua Wei Lin at 51st, and WSOP bracelet winners Alen Bakovic and Maxim Lykov, who finished 55th and 82nd respectively.

The number of Mystery Bounty Hunters has surged to 868.

While the Korean National Cup crowned its champion, the Mystery Bounty Hunter – Sponsored by Natural8, with a buy-in of 900,000 won, became the largest event of the day.

The three starting groups attracted a total of 868 participants, including 497 different contestants from 32 countries and regions. The originally guaranteed prize pool of 300,000,000 Korean won was exceeded during Flight B.

The final tournament resulted in a ranking prize pool of 395,808,000 Korean won, with an additional Mystery Bounty pool of 260,400,000 Korean won.

The top 141 TP3T players from each of the three starting groups advanced, so all 122 finalists have now entered the prize pool.

Alex Ip leads the top 122 with 923,000.

Chun Fung Alex Ip from Hong Kong, China, became the biggest focus after the three starting groups concluded.

Ip accumulated 923,000 chips in Flight B, which had 325 entries, making him not only the chip leader in that group but also surpassing all the other two groups that advanced, thus becoming the chip leader on the final day.

His chip lead over Japan's Inui Kanta is 275,000, equivalent to a difference of approximately 17 big blinds. Ip, still seeking his first official live tournament title, is now challenging for the Mystery Bounty Hunter championship with the largest chip lead of the night.

Chinese athlete Tianyi Ma also performed well in the same group, advancing to the final day with a score of 531,000 after 22 20-minute levels, ranking sixth overall.

Flight A: Kazuki Miyamoto leads 51 runners to advance.

Mystery Bounty Hunter Flight A attracted 360 participants, and after 20 25-minute levels, 51 players advanced.

Japanese player Kazuki Miyamoto leads the pack with 826,000 chips, currently ranking second overall on the final day. Nishikido Nobuhiro is second in the group with 532,000 chips, while Tomoya Hasegawa is third with 479,000 chips.

Flight B: Alex Ip surpasses the entire field

Flight B had 325 participants, with 46 ultimately securing a spot on the final day.

Alex Ip leads the pack with 923,000 chips, making him the all-time chip leader. Inui Kanta is second with 648,000 chips, while Tianyi Ma is third with 531,000 chips.

Flight C: Daniel Smiljkovic leads the fast group

The final event, Flight C, featured a 15-minute quick-response format and attracted 183 participants. The competition concluded with a double-elimination format, with 25 players qualifying for the final day.

German player Daniel Smiljkovic became the chip leader in this group with 571,000 chips and rose to fourth place on the overall leaderboard; Thai player Siwat Pattanaputisak ranked second with 511,000 chips, and Japanese player Takehiro Sato ranked third with 432,000 chips.

Mystery Bounty Hunter Final Day Top 10

Alex Ip is currently leading second-place Miyamoto by nearly 100,000 chips, while Chinese player Tianyi Ma has also successfully entered the top ten of the overall leaderboard.

A new champion has emerged in the National Cup; Alex Ip takes the baton and is vying for the title.

From his first official live cash win to becoming the APT National Cup champion, Tomoya Tsubouchi achieved a significant breakthrough in his career in Incheon. The event also set a new record for the opening weekend of APT Incheon 2026 with 709 participants from 28 countries and regions.

The next major focus shifts to the Mystery Bounty Hunter final day. The 122 finalists will resume the competition at 11:15 a.m. on August 9th, vying for the 74,738,000 KRW champion prize and a mystery bounty of up to 30,900,000 KRW.

For Chinese and Chinese-speaking players, Chun Fung Alex Ip leads the field with 923,000 chips, while Tianyi Ma is also among the top contenders with 531,000. Whether these two can maintain their initial lead into the later stages of the tournament will be a key point to watch on the next day of the APT Incheon event.

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