APT Makes Exciting Stop In Jeju

The Asian Poker Tour may be better known for its Macau and Philippines locations, but a recent stop at Jeju in South Korea shows that poker interest is not limited to these two countries. Taking place at the Royal Palace Casino, which is located in the Oriental Hotel, the island of Jeju was buzzing with plenty of local and visiting poker players looking for action. The Main Event of the Jeju series was a $1,100 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament and drew a total of 166 players to build up a prize pool of more than $30,000. While this may seem small compared to other APT stops, it certainly did not affect the high level of play.

The first day of play saw 103 players hit the rail as the large chip stacks in relation to the blinds meant that many players were able to effectively avoid all-in situations and hang on to survive. The second day was more of the same, with players grinding to try and chip up to make it to the last day and the coveted final table. After the 18 remaining players got the cards in the air on the third day, it would not take long until the final table of nine was set. Primarily filled with Asian players from China and Japan, Ryan Yu from Canada and the long-time pro Casey Kastle from Slovenia also were seated at the table.

Final Table Chip Counts

Takuya Kato – 91,000

Casey Kastle – 159,000

Li Xiang – 214,000

Chen Chao – 251,000

Uesugi Yoichi – 414,000

Liao Xiaoyong – 455,000

Ryan Yu – 823,000

Tan Zhi Xiong – 913,000

With his vast experience and nearly $1.5 million in career tournament earnings, Kastle was the odds-on favorite to take the win, but a short stack and not catching good hands meant that he would be the first to exit. With Kastle out of the way, the other players could breathe deep and focus on moving up to the top spot. One player specifically did exactly that.

Canadian player Ryan Yu comes from Korean heritage, which made a good back story for his eventual win. At the final table, Yu took control from the very beginning and managed to hold on all the way to the final hand. Holding pocket Twos, Yu managed to get it all-in against Takuya Kato on a Ad-2c-5c flop and his set held up, making him the winner of the inaugural APT Main Event at Jeju.

Final Table Payouts

1 – Ryan Yu – $36,100

2 – Takuya Kato – $29,100

3 – Zhixiong Tan – $16,700

4 – Xiang Li – $12,200

5 – Xiaoyong Liao – $10,100

6 – Yoichi Uesugi – $8,300

7 – Chen Chao – $6,800

8 – Casey Kastle – $5,700