)
Running from October 11 to November 2 and boasting a colossal $40,000,000 in prize pool guarantees the Asian Poker Tour Online 2026 (APTO) has concluded after just over three weeks of high octane online tournament action.
A Record-Breaking Festival
The fourth edition of the Asian Poker Tour Online (APTO) proved to be the most successful iteration of the festival ever with the 20 Trophy Events attracting a massive 70,165 entries – up almost 15 percent (+14.4%) year-on-year vs APT Online 2025 – and awarding over eight percent (+8.2%) more prize money – a monster $17,227,228 in total!
An impressive 15 out of the 20 Trophy Events set new APT Online records with three of the final four Trophy Events reaching new APT Online milestones with the $800 APT Online Main Event the most impressive of these, drawing its largest-ever field of 7,173 entries ,and generating the richest-ever APT Online prize pool – a massive $5,451,480!
Other record-breaking action came in the Event #17: China Zodiac Classic which saw a massive 113 percent (+112.9%) increase to its top prize to set a new record for the event.
The Event #18: Turbo - Bounty Closer set a new benchmark for entries drawing a huge 3,399 field – a massive 60 percent (+59.5%) increase over the APT Online 2025 edition of the tournament.
Coverage of earlier events is available below:
APT Online 2026 Returns: Events #1 & #2 Recap – Event #1: Bounty Kickoff and Event #2: Superstar Challenge
APT Online 2026 Recap: Events #3 & #4 – Event #3: Thailand National Cup 6-Max and Event #4: Single Day High Roller – Bounty Freezeout
APT Online 2026 Recap: Events #5-#8 – Event #5: Taiwan National Cup - Bounty, Event #6: Turbo - Ultra Stack, Event #7: APT Online High Roller, Event #8: Mystery Bounty Hunter $2M GTD
APT Online 2026 Recap: Events #9-#10 – Event #9: Vietnam National Cup, Event #10: Single Day High Roller – Double Stack
APT Online 2026 Recap: Events #11-#14 – Event #11: Korea National Cup - Bounty 7-Max, Event #12: Sunday Super Stack, Event #13: Bounty Hunters High Roller, and Event #14: Mini Main Event, $1M GTD
APT Online 2026 Recap: Events #15 & #16 – Event #15: Philippines National Cup - Deepstack Bounty, and Event #16: Masters Omaha - PLO Bounty
The full APT Online 2026 schedule can be viewed HERE.
Final Call for the APT Championship
Players have multiple paths to qualify for the USD 5M GTD APT Championship Main Event Freezeout in Taipei (November 23–27). The winners of all 20 APTO Trophy Events received a $10,000 seat with all APT Online participants earning players entry into the $100K Freeroll to APT Championship on November 7.
Online satellites are running from October 11 through November 23, with buy-ins starting at USD 12.
Event #17: China Zodiac Classic
The CNY 1,100 (~$165) Event #17: China Zodiac Classic maintained the same buy-in as its 2025 predecessor while sporting an increased CNY 1.5M (~$225,183) guarantee – up over six percent (+6.7%) over the APT Online 2025 edition.
A total of 1,851 entries generated a CNY 1,873,212 (~$281,210) prize pool, comfortably outstripping the guarantee by over 24 percent (+24.8%). The top 270 places earned a share of the spoils, with min-cashes starting at CNY 2,239.84 (~$336).
Following nearly nine and a half hours of intense competition (9:25:02), Austria’s “Jacopo Olivieri” struck a heads-up deal with Canada’s “kembo19”. The agreement saw Olivieri secure the title and a record CNY 212,471 (~$31,897) top prize—representing a massive 113 percent (+112.9%) surge over the top payout awarded in the 2025 edition.
Runner-up “kembo19” walked away with CNY 197,171.40 (~$29,599) for their impressive performance, while China’s “Liam_LXY” rounded out the podium in third place for CNY 137,526.92 (~$20,647).
CHINA ZODIAC CLASSIC FINAL TABLE RESULTS
| Rank | Player | Country | Result | Result (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacopo Olivieri | Austria | ¥212,471.64 | $31,897 |
| 2 | kembo19 | Canada | ¥197,171.40 | $29,599 |
| 3 | Liam_LXY | China | ¥137,526.92 | $20,647 |
| 4 | Bazingaaaaa | China | ¥106,047.69 | $15,920 |
| 5 | JayZone | Philippines | ¥81,774.03 | $12,274 |
| 6 | Akula-Makaka | Russia | ¥63,056.39 | $9,466 |
| 7 | N Maimone | Canada | ¥48,623.16 | $7,301 |
| 8 | dieontheroad | Vietnam | ¥37,493.50 | $5,631 |
| 9 | riskgambler | Brazil | ¥28,911.52 | $4,341 |
Event #18: Turbo - Bounty Closer
Featuring a lowered $125 buy-in (down from $215 in 2025), the Event #18: Turbo - Bounty Closer ($300,000 GTD) drew a record-breaking 3,399 entries—marking a colossal 60 percent (+59.5%) field growth over last year. The surging turnout generated a $390,885 prize pool, easily eclipsing the guarantee by more than 30 percent (+30.3%).
Competitors battled for progressive bounties starting at $30 per elimination, with 360 players reaching the money and a guaranteed payout of at least $133.50. After just over six hours of fast-paced action (6:11:48), Taiwan’s “KSmoke” struck a heads-up deal with Belarus’ “Maksim Bukreev” to seal the victory.
“KSmoke” claimed the official title, receiving $18,411.46 for first alongside $25,482.29 in bounties for a total payday over $43,890. Bukreev captured $18,409.77 plus $2,645.25 in bounties ($21,055 total), while France’s “Danny McFanny” completed the podium in third, adding $948.87 in bounties to their $14,628.35 prize payout ($15,577 total).
TURBO BOUNTY CLOSER FINAL TABLE RESULTS
| Rank | Player | Country | Bounty | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KSmoke | Taiwan | $25,482.29 | $18,411.46 + $25,482.29 |
| 2 | Maksim Bukreev | Belarus | $2,645.25 | $18,409.77 + $2,645.25 |
| 3 | Danny McFanny | France | $948.87 | $14,628.35 + $948.87 |
| 4 | CNMGG888888 | China | $3,955.29 | $11,623.65 + $3,955.29 |
| 5 | Thomas Rooij | Netherlands | $888.28 | $9,236.13 + $888.28 |
| 6 | HloveTao | China | $1,960.55 | $7,338.99 + $1,960.55 |
| 7 | FISHERBEN | China | $1,061.72 | $5,831.55 + $1,061.72 |
| 8 | Aresm | China | $1,039.69 | $4,633.74 + $1,039.69 |
| 9 | LET79 | Netherlands | $2,662.02 | $3,681.95 + $2,662.02 |
Event #19: APT Online Super High Roller
The marquee two-day $3,000 Event #19: APT Online Super High Roller ($1M GTD) logged 448 entries, making it the second-largest and second-richest iteration of the tournament in APT Online history, trailing only the record 482 entries set in 2025.
Total prize money reached $1,276,800—exceeding the guarantee by 27.6 percent—with 63 players securing a share and min-cashes starting at $6,542.62. Notable contenders in the money included poker ambassador “LexVeldhuis” (42nd) and Austrian high roller “Leon Sturm” (55th).
Following a 27 hour poker marathon (27:27:34), Brazil’s “Ciro Souza” tamed the exclusive Pewter Lion APT Online Super High Roller Trophy. Souza defeated fellow countryman “Breno Bertalia” heads-up to capture the prestigious $203,046.34 top prize—the third-largest payout of the entire festival and the seventh-richest top prize in APT Online history. Bertalia took home $156,569 for his runner-up finish, while Austria’s “Nerses Sargsian” earned $120,731 for third place.
SUPER HIGH ROLLER FINAL TABLE RESULTS
| Rank | Player | Country | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ciro Souza | Brazil | $203,046.34 |
| 2 | Breno Bertalia | Brazil | $156,569.82 |
| 3 | Nerses Sargsian | Austria | $120,731.86 |
| 4 | D Kaladjurdjevic | Montenegro | $93,096.96 |
| 5 | Y Schneider | Germany | $71,787.53 |
| 6 | HZ93 | Cyprus | $55,355.75 |
| 7 | Simon Beckmann | Germany | $42,685.09 |
| 8 | jessica03 | Panama | $32,914.76 |
| 9 | Ilya Anatski | Slovenia | $25,380.75 |
Event #20: APT Online Main Event $5M GTD
The festival reached its crescendo with the two-day $800 Event #20: APT Online Main Event $5M GTD. Across 40 Day 1 flights between October 11 and November 1, a staggering 7,173 total entries were recorded—a 26.2 percent increase year-on-year—making it the richest event in APT Online history, and largest APTO Main Event of all time.
The enormous turnout pushed the final prize pool to $5,451,480, surpassing the $5M guarantee by over 9 percent (+9.03%). A total of 713 players advanced to Day 2 to lock up a min-cash of at least $1,645.53.
Deep runs were made by notable players including APT regular “Weiran Pu” (56th for $7,734.93), Event #13 champion “Dawid Smolka” (58th for $7,734.93), Taiwan’s “Charlie Chiu” (74th for $7,734.93), Event #4 champion “Flyby” (119th for $4,129.21), Natural8 ambassadors Wai Kiat Lee (279th for $3,026.61) and Chi Wei Fan (326th for $2,226.78), and former APT host Greg Goes All In Liow (280th for $3,026.61).
After more than 26 hours of game time (26:28:45), Austria’s “Elgringo123” conquered the field to lift the iconic Black Lion Trophy. Along with the coveted title, “Elgringo123” claimed a monumental $729,241 top prize—the largest first-place payout ever awarded at an APT Online event, marking a 21.2 percent increase over 2025.
Laos’ “PeterNeverLu” secured $562,166 for a remarkable runner-up finish, while Belarus’ “Y Simanchuk” rounded out the top three for $433,512.
MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE RESULTS
| Rank | Player | Country | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elgringo123 | Austria | $729,241.85 |
| 2 | PeterNeverLu | Laos | $562,166.24 |
| 3 | Y Simanchuk | Belarus | $433,512.30 |
| 4 | Giuseppe Calio | Argentina | $334,306.91 |
| 5 | StickyMangoop | Slovenia | $257,809.24 |
| 6 | Josef Blazek | Mexico | $198,821.49 |
| 7 | Kiyopon113 | Pakistan | $153,335.33 |
| 8 | jjj515 | China | $118,260.99 |
| 9 | OilMoneyy | Mexico | $91,214.64 |
That’s All Folks!
Finally, congratulations to all 20 Trophy Event champions, each of whom etched their names into the APT Online 2026 record books — with special recognition to our Main Event winner, “Elgringo123” from Austria, who claimed the top prize and takes home the coveted Black Lion Trophy.
A warm shoutout also goes to the leaderboard winners who secured their APTC passes; we wish them the very best of luck as they take their shot in the APT Championship Main Event.
This year’s APTO series was an outstanding success, made possible by the tremendous support of every player who joined in on the action. See you all at the APTC Taiwan!
)
Shane C
Shane is a content writer with over 10 years of writing experience. He specializes in poker and casino games and has been chasing the ultimate poker dream and the excitement of hero calls for the last 15 years! Admittedly, he has yet to win any APT nor WSOP title, but he's not giving up!
)
)
)
)
)
)
)