APT Online 2026: “Elgringo123” Wins a Record Main Event for $729,241 as the Series Closes with Big Numbers

Two weeks ago, one question hung over APT Online 2026: had the organisers pushed the guarantees too far? Early trophy events were growing more slowly than the promised prize money, and the Main Event guarantee had jumped from $3 million to $5 million. By Sunday night the question was settled. The fourth edition of the Asian Poker Tour’s online series closed with the biggest Main Event field in its history, a record first prize, and record totals across the board.

Below are the results of the final four trophy events, what the numbers mean, and a few lessons you can take into your next online series.

APT Online 2026 by the Numbers

Metric	2025	2026	Change
Trophy-event entries	61,330	70,165	+14.4%
Trophy-event prize money	$15.9M	$17,227,228	+8.2%
Main Event guarantee	$3,000,000	$5,000,000	+66.7%
Main Event entries	5,680	7,173	+26.3%
Main Event prize pool	$4,320,000	$5,451,480	+26.2%
Main Event first prize	$601,336	$729,241	+21.3%

2025 series totals are worked out from the published 2026 figures and growth rates. The 2025 Main Event figures come from earlier series coverage.

Entries grew faster than prize money: 14.4% against 8.2%. Several events cut their buy-ins this year to attract bigger fields, so more players came in at lower prices. For players, that means bigger fields and slightly softer competition, but not always bigger first prizes.

Event #20: $800 Main Event – Elgringo123 Takes the Black Lion

The Main Event was the series’ biggest gamble, and it paid off. 7,173 entries built a $5,451,480 prize pool, the largest ever in an APT Online event and 9.03% above the $5 million guarantee. Earlier coverage estimated the event needed about 16% more players than last year to cover the guarantee. It got 26% more.

$760 of every $800 buy-in went into the prize pool, so the guarantee was covered at roughly 6,580 entries. The field finished about 590 entries above that. There was no overlay, but the prize pool was much bigger than in 2025.

713 players reached Day 2, each guaranteed at least $1,645.53, just over double the buy-in. After more than 26 hours of play, Austria’s “Elgringo123” won the Black Lion trophy and $729,241, the largest prize ever awarded in an APT Online event. “PeterNeverLu” from Laos took $562,166 for second, and Belarus’s “Y Simonchuk” finished third for more than $432,000.

#	Player	Country	Prize
1	Elgringo123	Austria	$729,241
2	PeterNeverLu	Laos	$562,166
3	Y Simonchuk	Belarus	$432,000+

Notable cashes:

Place	Player	Prize
56th	Weiran Pu (APT regular)	$7,734.93
58th	Dawid Smolka (Event #13 winner)	$7,734.93
74th	Charlie Chiu (Taiwan)	$7,734.93
119th	Flyby (Event #4 winner)	$4,129.21
279th	Wai Kiat Lee	$3,026.61
280th	Greg “Goes All In” Liow (former APT host)	$3,026.61
326th	Chi Wei Fan	$2,226.78

What the numbers say

• About 10% of the field got paid. 713 of 7,173 reached Day 2, and simply surviving Day 1 doubled your money.
• First prize was 13.4% of the pool. That is a fairly flat payout structure for a field this size, so more of the money went to players who finished deep without winning.
• 911 times the buy-in. Elgringo123 turned $800 into $729,241, plus the $10,000 APT Championship seat that every trophy winner receives.
• Plan for the long haul. The final day alone ran beyond 26 hours. If you enter a big online Main Event, clear your schedule and protect your sleep.

Event #19: $3,000 Super High Roller – Ciro Souza Leads a Brazilian One-Two

The two-day Super High Roller drew 448 entries, just short of last year’s record of 482. It still built a $1,276,800 prize pool, 27.6% above the $1 million guarantee. The top 63 were paid, with a minimum cash of $6,542.62. Poker ambassador Lex Veldhuis (42nd) and Austrian high roller Leon Sturm (55th) were among those who cashed.

After 27 hours and 27 minutes, Ciro Souza beat fellow Brazilian Breno Bertalia heads-up to win the Pewter Lion trophy and $203,046.34. That was the third-largest payout of the festival and the seventh-largest first prize in APT Online history. Bertalia took $156,569, and Austria’s Nerses Sargsian finished third for $120,731.

#	Player	Country	Prize
1	Ciro Souza	Brazil	$203,046.34
2	Breno Bertalia	Brazil	$156,569
3	Nerses Sargsian	Austria	$120,731

Two quick observations. First, 14% of the field cashed, and the minimum cash was 2.2 times the buy-in, a better return than most low-stakes events offer. Second, this field shrank slightly while the Main Event grew strongly. High-stakes players are a small group that stays about the same size each year; online growth comes mainly from recreational players.

Event #18: $125 Turbo Bounty Closer – KSmoke’s Bounties Make the Difference

The Bounty Closer drew 3,399 entries, up 59.5% on last year and the strongest growth of the final four events. The prize pool reached $390,885, beating the $300,000 guarantee by 30.3%. Progressive bounties started at $30, 360 players cashed, and the minimum cash was $133.50.

After just over six hours, Taiwan’s “KSmoke” and Belarus’s Maksim Bukreev agreed a heads-up deal, and KSmoke was declared the winner.

#	Player	Country	Prize money	Bounties	Total
1	KSmoke	Taiwan	$18,411.46	$25,482.29	$43,893.75
2	Maksim Bukreev	Belarus	$18,409.77	$2,645.25	$21,055.02
3	Danny McFanny	France	$14,628.35	$948.87	$15,577.22

This pattern appeared in our report on Events #15 and #16 as well. There, traintokiev7 won a PLO bounty event where the deal split the prize money almost evenly, but bounties decided who left with more. The same happened here. KSmoke’s and Bukreev’s prize money differed by $1.69, but KSmoke’s bounties were almost ten times larger, and he took home more than double. Bounties made up 58% of his total.

The lesson for beginners: in a progressive bounty, the player who knocks out the most opponents builds the biggest bounty on their own head and collects cash along the way. In a deal, bounties a player has already won stay with that player. So a player who is short on chips but has collected a lot of bounties can still finish with the most money.

Event #17: $165 China Zodiac Classic – Olivieri Wins After a Deal

The China Zodiac Classic was priced in Chinese yuan and drew 1,851 entries. Its prize pool of 1,873,212 CNY (about $281,210) was 24.8% above the guarantee. The top 270 finished in the money, with a minimum cash of 2,239.84 CNY (about $336).

After just under nine and a half hours, Austria’s “Jacopo Olivieri” and Canada’s “kembo19” agreed a heads-up deal. Olivieri took the title and 212,471 CNY (about $31,897), and kembo19 received 197,171.40 CNY (about $29,599). China’s “Liam_LXY” finished third for 137,526.92 CNY (about $20,647).

#	Player	Country	Prize (CNY)	Approx. USD
1	Jacopo Olivieri	Austria	212,471	$31,897
2	kembo19	Canada	197,171.40	$29,599
3	Liam_LXY	China	137,526.92	$20,647

About 14.6% of the field cashed, and the winner earned roughly 193 times the $165 buy-in. Austrian players had a strong end to the series: Olivieri here, Elgringo123 in the Main Event, Sargsian’s third place in the Super High Roller, and hotshane’s earlier win in Event #15.

All Four Final Events Compared

Event	Buy-in	Entries	Over guarantee	Paid	Winner	Top prize
#17 China Zodiac Classic	$165	1,851	+24.8%	270	Jacopo Olivieri (AUT)	≈$31,897
#18 Turbo Bounty Closer	$125	3,399	+30.3%	360	KSmoke (TWN)	$43,893.75*
#19 Super High Roller	$3,000	448	+27.6%	63	Ciro Souza (BRA)	$203,046.34
#20 Main Event	$800	7,173	+9.03%	713	Elgringo123 (AUT)	$729,241

Practical Takeaways for Your Next Online Series

• Big guarantees attract big fields. All four final events beat their guarantees. A big headline number gets players talking and registering, so don’t expect easy overlays at well-run series.
• In bounty events, count bounties as well as chips. Twice in one week, a heads-up deal split the prize money almost evenly and bounties decided who earned more.
• Satellites are the smart route. If $800 is too much for your bankroll, win a seat through a satellite. Just reaching Day 2 paid $1,645, more than double the buy-in.
• Check the currency. Local-currency events like the China Zodiac Classic pay out in yuan, so what you receive in dollars or euros depends on the exchange rate.
• Budget your time. The final days of the Main Event and the Super High Roller each ran beyond 26 hours, so long online events favour players who stay fresh.

Every trophy winner now heads to the APT Championship Main Event in Taipei with a $10,000 seat. Schedules for future online series are on Natural8, and live-event details are on the official Asian Poker Tour website.

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