This content was AI generated based on the original article published on https://www.pokernews.com/news/2026/08/stephen-pang-wins-the-apt-incheon-main-event-52154.htm. All credits for the original reporting belong to them.

The Asian Poker Tour’s Incheon festival concluded with Stephen Pang claiming the Main Event title, capping a series that broke multiple records. The KRW 2,500,000 ($1,700) buy-in event drew 1,393 entrants, nearly 9% more than the previous year, marking the largest turnout ever for a mainland Korean poker tournament.

The strong turnout pushed the prize pool to KRW 3,008,880,000 ($2,148,960), surpassing the guarantee and including three $10,000 seats to the APT Championship Main Event for the top finishers. Across the entire festival, total payouts reached KRW 15,966,848,834 ($11,404,892), the highest figure recorded for an APT Incheon stop.

Pang arrived at the nine-handed final table as chip leader with 13,550,000, roughly 85 big blinds, ahead of Shoumin Zhang and Tempei Kotani. Ryo Fujita, playing his first APT Main Event, was the short stack and became the first casualty after an unsuccessful all-in with pocket nines against Kotani’s ace-jack.

Several notable eliminations followed, including Phachara Wongwichit, appearing at his 33rd APT final table, and Kazuki Koyama, who fell just after eliminating Shinichiro Kano with pocket aces. Yifu He later ousted Koyama before being eliminated himself by Zhang in three-handed play, after the trio had agreed to a deal earlier in the day.

Heads-up play between Pang and Zhang stretched to 64 hands. Zhang survived a near-elimination by doubling up four consecutive times before finally falling when his king-ten couldn’t outrun Pang’s pocket nines.

Pang’s victory earned him the APT Gold Lion Trophy, a $10,000 APT Championship seat, and the equivalent of $293,700 for his win.