Stephen Pang Wins APT Incheon Main Event for $293,700

Stephen Pang won the 2026 APT Incheon Main Event for $293,700 after surviving a dramatic heads up recovery from Shoumin Zhang. The Hong Kong player earned the biggest live tournament payout of his career and the 24K gold APT Main Event Lion Trophy at Paradise City Casino Resort in Incheon, South Korea.

Good to Know

• Pang collected $293,700 after a three way deal with Zhang and Yifu He.
• The Main Event attracted a record 1,393 entries and created a KRW 3.009 billion prize pool worth about $2.15 million.
• Pang, Zhang and He each received a $10,000 seat for the APT Championship Main Event in Taipei in November.

Pang Converts Online Preparation Into APT Title

Pang entered the nine player final table with 13.55 million chips, good for 85 big blinds and the overall lead. Zhang sat second with 10.585 million, while five of the final nine came from Japan.

The result gave Pang a career best live score after relatively limited experience on the live circuit. He credited more than a year of preparation through online poker.

“I’ve been preparing for this event for over a year, refining my strategies and fine-tuning my game by playing online poker against the best possible players,” Pang said. “I didn’t play much live, so it’s a completely different dynamic, but online games really helped with my main event preparation.”

Pang also continued a strong year for Hong Kong players on the Asian Poker Tour after Lau Chun Shing won the APT Taipei Main Event in May.

APT Incheon produced the largest Main Event ever held by the tour in Incheon. Official APT results show a KRW 2.5 million buy in and a KRW 3.00888 billion prize pool from 1,393 entries, making it the largest and richest international poker tournament held in mainland South Korea.

Zhang Nearly Completes Huge Heads Up Recovery

Zhang took the lead by the time play reached three handed, before Pang, Zhang and American Yifu He agreed an ICM deal. He then exited third for $183,570. Heads up play almost produced an extraordinary reversal. Pang rivered a flush against Zhang and celebrated with the rail, only for the chip count to show Zhang still had just over one big blind. Zhang doubled four times and cut a 78 to 1 deficit to about 3 to 1. Pang finally finished the tournament when his pocket nines held against K10 on a J8374 board. Zhang earned $261,785 as runner up.

Pang, Zhang and He also secured $10,000 entries for the APT Championship Main Event, scheduled for Taipei in November.

Final Table Results

The post Stephen Pang Wins APT Incheon Main Event for $293,700 appeared first on iGaming.org.