Live poker is booming in Asia right now, and we have the Asian Poker Tour (APT) to thank for that. Coming off the back of the largest and richest poker series to take place in Taiwan, the Natural8-sponsored Asian Poker Tour heads to the beautiful South Korean island of Jeju for the APT Jeju, South Korea 2024 festival.
The APT Jeju, South Korea 2024 festival will take place over ten days between April 26 and May 5. It boasts 90 events and satellites. The top-tier Landing Hotel & Casino will be packed to the rafters throughout the series, as players from far and wide attempt to win a winner’s trophy and a bankroll-boosting cash prize.
The APT has seriously pushed the boat out regarding guarantees, with over KRW 5 billion waiting to be won; that huge figure translates to approximately $3.76 million, in case you were interested.
A significant chunk of those combined guarantees stems from the APT Main Event, which will be massive; mark our words. Featuring four flights, each costing KRW 2,500,000 ($1,903) to enter, the APT Jeju, South Korea 2024 Main Event boasts a KRW 2 billion ($1.5 million) guarantee on its prize pool. That represents an increase of over 20 times compared to the last APT Jeju Main Event, which took place in 2017!
August 2023 was the last time the APT dropped anchor in South Korea, although the festival ran at the Paradise Hotel & Resort in Incheon. Its Main Event saw 563 unique players purchase 367 re-entries (930 entrants), each paying KRW 2,300,000 and creating a KRW 1,867,347,000 ($1,410,415) prize pool.
Japan’s Shoichiro Tamaki came out on top and returned home with the equivalent of $205,025 after a three-handed deal with runner-up Tsz Wan ($159,520) and third-place finisher Chokejindachai Napat of Thailand ($167,829). Expect even larger payouts this time around.
APT Jeju, South Korea 2024 Schedule
The APT Jeju, South Korea 2024 schedule is brimming with events and satellites, as you can see from the above table. Although No-Limit Hold’em dominates proceedings, as it does on almost every live and online poker festival’s schedule, there are dozens of non-hold’em events for players to get their teeth into.
Several Pot-Limit Omaha variants, including “Big O,” feature. As do Stud, Single and Triple Draw games, while a Dealer’s Choice that has 19 possible games to choose from, will keep mixed game players on their toes.
Those who love to see poker’s biggest names in action should be delighted to learn that a Superstar Challenge is scheduled in Jeju. While the event does not guarantee its prize pool, the fact that it costs KRW 30,000,000 ($22,831) to enter means it will naturally attract some of the world’s greatest players to the Landing Hotel & Casino.
The Superstar Challenge, held in Taiwan, saw luminaries such as Steve O’Dwyer, Isaac Haxton, Espen Jorstad, Danny Tang, Biao Ding, and Roman Hrabec compete. French superstar Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier came away with the top honors, banking the equivalent of $367,770 after defeating Lester Edoc heads-up.
Stay tuned to PokerNews over the coming days as we bring you a guide about everything you need to know about the APT Jeju, South Korea 2024, followed by a detailed recap of all the juiciest results from the bustling schedule.