APT Championship 2026: Asian Poker Tour’s 20th-Anniversary Festival in Taipei
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The Asian Poker Tour is celebrating its 20th anniversary with its biggest festival yet. APT Championship 2026 runs from November 13 to 29 in Taipei, Taiwan. The 17-day series includes 209 tournaments, 23 Championship titles, more than USD 8.1 million in guarantees, and a USD 10,000 Main Event with USD 5 million guaranteed.
The tour began in 2006, when Tony G won the first APT Main Event in Singapore. Twenty years later, its flagship festival has become one of the biggest live poker events in Asia. The 2025 edition set records, and this year’s schedule is even larger.
Here’s what players need to know before the first cards are dealt.
APT Championship 2026 at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Festival | APT Championship 2026 (APTC) |
| Tour | Asian Poker Tour, 20th-anniversary season |
| Location | Taipei, Taiwan |
| Venues | Red Space and the Asia Poker Arena (APA) |
| Dates | November 13–29, 2026, with a warm-up event on November 12 |
| Total events | 209 tournaments |
| Championship events | 23, up from 20 in 2025 |
| Total guarantees | More than TWD 260 million (about USD 8.1 million) |
| Main Event | USD 10,000 freezeout, USD 5,000,000 guaranteed, November 23–27 |
| Local partner | Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Club (CTP) |
| Status | Scheduled; starts in about three weeks |
Why APT Championship 2026 Matters
The 2025 Festival Set a High Bar
The 2025 APT Championship, also held at Red Space, became the largest poker festival in Asian history. It drew 28,265 entries and paid out about TWD 1 billion, or roughly USD 34 million, in prize money.
The highlight was the Main Event. Its USD 10,000 freezeout attracted 671 entries and built a prize pool of about TWD 194 million, or USD 6.2 million. According to the tour, that made it:
- the largest and richest USD 10K tournament ever held in Asia
- the biggest USD 10K buy-in event outside Las Vegas in a decade
- the richest tournament in APT history
India’s Nishant Sharma won the title and about USD 1.18 million, the biggest Main Event payout in tour history. He defeated the Philippines’ John Costiniano heads-up and returns in 2026 as defending champion.
The 2026 Schedule Is Even Bigger
The 2026 festival has three more Championship events than last year, along with new formats for PLO and high-stakes players. The schedule also includes 20 women-only tournaments, one of the largest women’s programs in any live poker series.
APT Championship 2026 Main Event: Structure and Format
The APT Championship Main Event is the festival’s flagship tournament. Because it’s a freezeout, every player gets only one entry and can’t re-enter after busting.
| Main Event Detail | Information |
| Buy-in | USD 10,000 (about TWD 311,900) |
| Guarantee | USD 5,000,000 |
| Format | Freezeout, one entry per player |
| Starting stack | 50,000 chips |
| Days 1 and 2 | Eight 75-minute levels each |
| Days 3 and 4 | Six 90-minute levels each |
| Final day | November 27, played until a winner is decided |
| Trophy | Gold Lion APT Championship Main Event Trophy |
Our estimate: last year’s prize pool worked out to about USD 9,240 per entry. Using that figure, the USD 5 million guarantee would be covered at roughly 540 entries. Last year’s field of 671 was about 24% above that number, so the guarantee looks very safe if turnout stays close to 2025 levels.
If the field grows, the first-place prize could pass Sharma’s record of about USD 1.18 million.
How to Qualify for the Main Event
Players have been winning Main Event seats throughout the year. The APT Taipei 2026 festival, held from April 22 to May 3, alone awarded 22 seats to the Championship Main Event across its 172-event schedule. More satellites will run online and during the festival itself, giving players another chance to win a seat for less than the USD 10,000 buy-in.
APTC 2026 Schedule: All 23 Championship Events
| Dates | Championship Event | Buy-In | Guarantee |
| Nov 12 | Asia Gaming Industry Championship | TWD 13,000 (~USD 400) | — |
| Nov 13–15 | National Cup Championship | TWD 16,000 (~USD 500) | TWD 20,000,000 |
| Nov 15–16 | Mystery Bounty Championship | TWD 35,000 (~USD 1,100) | TWD 15,000,000 |
| Nov 16–18 | Ultra Stack Championship | TWD 25,000 (~USD 800) | TWD 25,000,000 |
| Nov 16–17 | 7-Max Championship | TWD 80,000 (~USD 2,500) | — |
| Nov 17–18 | PLO Championship | TWD 80,000 (~USD 2,500) | — |
| Nov 18–19 | PLO High Roller Championship (new) | TWD 150,000 (~USD 4,700) | — |
| Nov 18–21 | Cup Championship | USD 3,000 | USD 1,000,000 |
| Nov 19–21 | Micro Main Event Championship | TWD 16,000 (~USD 500) | — |
| Nov 19 | Single Day High Roller Championship (new) | USD 10,000 | — |
| Nov 20–22 | Super High Roller Championship | USD 25,000 | — |
| Nov 20–21 | Mixed Games Championship | TWD 70,000 (~USD 2,200) | — |
| Nov 20–21 | Women’s Championship | TWD 35,000 (~USD 1,100) | — |
| Nov 22–23 | Superstar Championship | USD 50,000 | — |
| Nov 23–27 | APT Championship Main Event | USD 10,000 | USD 5,000,000 |
| Nov 24–26 | Mini Main Event Championship | TWD 35,000 (~USD 1,100) | — |
| Nov 25–26 | Ultra Stack Championship (high-stakes) (new) | TWD 150,000 (~USD 4,700) | — |
| Nov 26–28 | High Roller Championship | USD 15,000 | — |
| Nov 26 | Teams Championship | TWD 30,000 (~USD 950) | — |
| Nov 27–28 | Freezeout Championship | TWD 50,000 (~USD 1,575) | — |
| Nov 27–29 | Mini High Roller Championship | USD 7,500 | — |
| Nov 28 | Turbo Championship | TWD 35,000 (~USD 1,100) | — |
| Nov 28–29 | Trip Saver Championship | TWD 35,000 (~USD 1,100) | TWD 5,000,000 |
USD amounts are approximate conversions from TWD. A dash means no guarantee had been announced. Check the official schedule for the final structures and start times before you travel.
Events for Every Bankroll
Low-Stakes Players: About USD 400–1,100
The National Cup, Micro Main Event, Mystery Bounty, Mini Main Event and Trip Saver let you win a Championship title for about USD 500 to 1,100. Several of these events have guarantees above USD 450,000.
Mid-Stakes Players: About USD 2,000–5,000
The USD 3,000 Cup Championship, with USD 1 million guaranteed, is the second-largest guarantee in the festival. Mid-stakes players can also choose the 7-Max, PLO and Mixed Games Championships.
High Rollers: USD 7,500–50,000
The festival’s high-roller lineup includes:
- the USD 50,000 Superstar Championship
- the USD 25,000 Super High Roller
- the USD 15,000 High Roller
- the new USD 10,000 Single Day High Roller
Last year, South Korea’s Calvin Lee won the Superstar Championship and USD 597,556 after beating Australia’s Daniel Neilson heads-up.
Women’s Events
There are 20 women-only tournaments on the schedule. The headline event is the TWD 35,000 Women’s Championship. France’s Rosalie Petit won the 2025 title after making a heads-up deal with Taiwan’s Yu Lun Huang.
Taipei: Asia’s Poker Capital in November
Taipei has become one of the main destinations on the Asian poker calendar. The city hosted both APT Taipei 2026 in the spring and this year’s Championship. Red Space and the Asia Poker Arena are in the city, so most players can stay in central Taipei and travel easily between the venues, restaurants and other attractions.
Travel tips:
- Book accommodation early, especially for Main Event week from November 23 to 27, when hotels near the venues fill up.
- Bring a mix of USD and TWD. Buy-ins are listed in both currencies, and the exchange rate affects the real cost of TWD events.
- If you’re playing the Main Event, plan for five possible playing days and the long 90-minute levels on Days 3 and 4.
Results and Recap (To Be Updated)
This section will be updated as Championship events finish.
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
| APT Championship Main Event | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Superstar Championship | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Super High Roller Championship | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| High Roller Championship | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Cup Championship (USD 1M GTD) | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Women’s Championship | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Our Take
APT Championship 2026 offers everything players want from a major festival: a big guarantee, more Championship titles, events for every bankroll and an important anniversary.
The Main Event’s USD 5 million guarantee should be easy to beat if turnout is similar to last year. The bigger question is whether the 2026 field can top the 671 entries from 2025. If it does, Asia will set another record at the end of the APT’s 20th-anniversary season.
Follow our poker news section for daily updates, chip counts and results. For tournament strategy before your trip, read our poker blog. If you want to win a seat online, our GGPoker review 2026 explains one of the busiest online platforms for satellites.
FAQs
When is APT Championship 2026?
APT Championship 2026 runs from November 13 to 29, 2026, in Taipei, Taiwan. A warm-up event is scheduled for November 12.
Where is APT Championship 2026 being held?
The festival will be held at Red Space and the Asia Poker Arena in Taipei, in partnership with the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Club.
How much is the APT Championship Main Event buy-in?
The Main Event costs USD 10,000. It’s a freezeout with a USD 5,000,000 guarantee and runs from November 23 to 27.
How many events are on the APTC 2026 schedule?
The schedule includes 209 tournaments, with 23 Championship events. Total guarantees are more than USD 8.1 million.
Who won the 2025 APT Championship Main Event?
India’s Nishant Sharma won the 2025 Main Event for about USD 1.18 million. He beat John Costiniano of the Philippines heads-up in a 671-entry field.
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