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APT Jeju 2025 Breaks Records and Becomes Korea’s Richest Poker Festival

By Mrinal Gujare

09 Oct 2025

Mrinal Gujare 09 Oct 2025

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APT Jeju 2025 hits record with 11,821 entries & KRW 18.46B prize.
Abraham Ceesvin wins Main Event; Ngo Khoa Anh takes High Roller.
Event expanded, setting 13 new national records; highlights Korea’s poker rise.

Image Credit: Asian Poker Tour

APT Jeju 2025 made history by breaking two international records, drawing 11,821 entries and KRW 18.46 billion in prize money—the richest APT festival ever in Korea. Highlights included Abraham Ceesvin’s Main Event win and Ngo Khoa Anh’s record-setting High Roller triumph.

The Asian Poker Tour (APT) Jeju 2025 achieved a groundbreaking milestone, setting two international records and confirming its status as the richest poker festival ever held in South Korea.

The festival unfolded over ten days at LES A Casino in Jeju Shinhwa World, drawing an extraordinary 1,444 unique players from 48 countries.

Across 99 trophy events and four satellite tournaments, the series generated 11,821 total entries and distributed a monumental KRW 18,463,730,934 (≈ USD 13.19 million) in prizes.

The 2025 edition reflected remarkable growth—entries increased by 37 percent and total prize money surged by nearly 50 percent compared to APT Jeju 2024.

The schedule also expanded with six additional trophy events, and thirteen new national records were set during the series, cementing Jeju’s legacy as a global poker powerhouse.

APT Jeju 2025 Main Event (KRW 2.6 M Buy-in)

The APT Jeju 2025 Main Event was the centerpiece of the festival, attracting a record-breaking 1,693 entries, making it the largest Main Event field ever recorded in Korea.

The total prize pool reached KRW 3,803,155,200 (≈ USD 2.72 million), reinforcing APT Jeju’s standing among the most prestigious events in Asia.

Abraham Ceesvin claimed the APT Jeju 2025 Main Event title, taking home KRW 649,835,200 (≈ USD 464,170) and an APT Championship Main Event seat valued at KRW 14 million (USD 10,000).

The runner-up, Lili Tang, earned KRW 364,460,000 (≈ USD 260,330) along with an APT Championship seat. Ceesvin’s victory capped off a series defined by large-scale participation, international diversity, and the continued rise of Korean poker on the world stage.

Signature Lion Trophy Events

APT Jeju 2025 featured three signature Lion Trophy Events, each breaking records for field size and payouts. These marquee tournaments highlighted the growing strength and diversity of APT’s competitive structure:

Super High Roller (KRW 15 M buy-in): Recorded 97 entries, establishing new Korean benchmarks for field size, prize pool, and top payout. It also produced the second-largest prize pool of the entire festival.
APT High Roller (KRW 5 M buy-in): Broke both field and prize pool records, ranking as the fourth-largest event of APT Jeju 2025.
SuperStar Challenge (KRW 35 M buy-in): Generated the third-largest prize pool at KRW 1.326 billion, underscoring the growing popularity of high-stakes competition in Asia.

Collectively, the top ten events of APT Jeju 2025 accounted for KRW 12,907,716,900 of the total prize money.

Ngo Khoa Anh Triumphs in APT High Roller

Vietnam’s Ngo Khoa Anh delivered one of the standout performances of the festival in the APT High Roller (KRW 5 M buy-in), which drew a record 305 entries, making it the largest High Roller field in APT Korean history.

The event generated a total prize pool of KRW 1,317,600,000 (≈ USD 939,100). After two days of competition, Ngo Khoa Anh emerged victorious after beating Fabian Gumz heads-up. The winner took home KRW 261,400,000 (≈ USD 186,715) in prize money and an APT Championship Main Event seat valued at KRW 14 million.

Fabian Gumz secured KRW 173,770,000 (≈ USD 124,100) for second place, while Jieming Xu finished third with KRW 127,100,000 (≈ USD 90,800).

The final table also featured Chi Ngong Tang, Zhaoyi Lin, Yingjun Lu, Chengxu Hu, Tattana Pengduen, and Poseidon Ho, highlighting the event’s international depth.

This victory marked Ngo Khoa Anh’s first APT Lion Trophy and the biggest win of his career, propelling him into Vietnam’s top 10 all-time money list.

Legacy of APT Jeju 2025

The success of APT Jeju 2025 extended beyond the record figures—it represented a defining moment for Korea’s emergence as a dominant force in Asian poker.

The festival showcased the Asian Poker Tour’s ability to unite players from around the world under one banner, emphasizing fair competition, structure, and a world-class live poker experience.

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