The Asian Poker Tour saw several big events during its 17-day run
The 2025 APT Championship in Taipei set a new benchmark for Asian poker thanks to overwhelming player participation across its 17-day schedule. Held at Red Space Taipei, the festival drew 28,265 total entries and awarded more than TWD1.06 billion (US$33 million), making it one of the largest poker events ever hosted in the region. The surge in turnout highlighted the growing global momentum behind the Asian poker scene.
The Main Event stood out as the defining moment of the series. With a TWD311,000 (US$10,000) buy-in, the freezeout attracted 671 entries and generated a prize pool of TWD194 million (US$6.2 million), establishing it as the richest 10K tournament ever held in Asia and the biggest outside Las Vegas in the past decade.
India’s Nishant Sharma captured the Gold Lion title and TWD37 million (US$1.2 million), becoming one of the few Indian players to secure a seven-figure payday from a single event.
The festival’s reach extended far beyond the Main Event. Players from 55 countries attended, and champions emerged from 15 different nations, underscoring the event’s international pull.
17 tournaments broke APT records, including new highs in field size, top prizes, and total payouts. Three championship events surpassed 1,000 entries, led by the National Cup with 2,398 participants — the largest non-Main Event field in tour history.
Other standout events included the Ultra Stack Championship with 1,867 entries and the Mini Main Event with 1,603 entries, where Nevan Chang earned his first APT Championship Lion. Even satellites hit new heights: the Step 2 Mega Satellite attracted 399 entries and produced more than TWD18 million (US$585,000), making it the biggest satellite ever run in Asia.
The series also delivered individual milestones. Julian Warhurst became the first player to win both an APT Championship title and an APT Big Three title, adding to the event’s long list of record-shattering achievements.
