A New Era of APT: How Innovations Are Changing Asian Poker

In 2024, the Asian Poker Tour is launching a new era: a large-scale championship in Taipei, innovative formats, and a focus on inclusivity. Find out what awaits the players.

In November 2024, Taipei will host the biggest event of the year for the Asian poker community — the APT Championship 2025 . This series is set to be the largest and most ambitious in the history of the Asian Poker Tour (APT), ushering in what organizers call the “New Era of APT.” In this article, we take an in-depth look at how APT is reshaping Asian poker, what innovations players can expect, and why this series has already caught the attention of not just regional, but also international pros. APT Championship 2025: The Largest Series in Tour History From November 14 to 30, 2024, the APT Championship 2025 will take over the Red Point Business Center in Taipei for a 17-day poker festival. Organizers have announced record-breaking guarantees — over $8.7 million across all events, including a Main Event with a $5 million guarantee. This marks the biggest guaranteed prize pool in APT’s history. The schedule features around 200 tournaments , ranging from low buy-in events to high roller showdowns. This scale is the result of years of hard work by the entire APT team — not just top management, but also dealers, bloggers, partners, and technical staff. APT CEO Fred Leung and Tour President Neil Johnson told PokerNews that in recent years, the organization has been following a clear development strategy launched back in 2022. According to Leung, every decision — from hiring staff to choosing venues and implementing new technology — has been made to realize their vision for the “New Era of APT.” Growth Strategy: Scale, Partnerships, and Technology Fred Leung explains that since 2022, APT has been following a detailed plan covering every aspect of operations: expanding the team, forging strategic partnerships, selecting venues, adopting new technologies, and optimizing processes. Leung notes that the key to success has been the alignment between ownership and top management — everyone involved knows exactly what the tour should be and uses that as a guiding principle for decision-making. Among APT’s key partners are leading online operators Natural8 / GGPoker , who, according to Leung, were the obvious choice for online collaboration. Copag has also joined as the official playing card supplier for the series. One of the most significant changes has been the transformation of the tour’s format: instead of just a handful of tournaments, each stop is now a full-fledged festival lasting 10–17 days, with massive guarantees and a packed schedule. Expanded Schedule and Diverse Formats APT President Neil Johnson emphasizes that the main goal of expanding the schedule is to give players as many opportunities to play as possible. While the host cities are interesting in their own right, most participants come first and foremost for the poker. That’s why organizers focus on a rich schedule, so players can choose from a wide variety of tournaments every day. Today’s players value format diversity, and APT is meeting that demand head-on. Special attention is given to different poker variants — not just classic No Limit Hold’em (NLH), but also mixed games . In the past, mixed game fans had to wait for the WSOP or play online, but now APT offers nearly all popular variants: Omaha , Stud , Draw poker , and more. Johnson notes: “We’re proud that our festivals offer something for everyone — Hold’em enthusiasts, fans of other disciplines, players of all bankrolls, men and women, even lovers of home game formats. That’s what sets us apart from other series: everyone has a Main Event, High Roller, Super High Roller, opening and closing events, but not everyone has daily women’s tournaments, daily mixed games, and daily high rollers alongside the marquee events.” For mixed game fans, there’s even a dedicated APT Mixed Games WhatsApp group , started by Allen Kessler , where players discuss formats, structures, and ideas for developing mixed game tournaments. Women’s Events and Inclusivity: Growing Female Participation APT is making a strong push to bring more women into poker. During the APT Championship 2025 , there will be a separate women’s event almost every day. Johnson explains: “Women are seriously underrepresented in poker. Although they make up 51% of the population, they usually account for just 5% of tournament entries, while at APT it’s about 10%. We want to grow that number by offering daily women’s events and making poker more appealing to women.” The results have been quick to show: female participation at APT has grown noticeably. Leung adds that APT will soon make an important announcement regarding support for women’s poker and is already preparing a new partnership in this area. Globalization: Rising International Interest and Player Influx Another major trend is the growing number of international participants. More and more players from Europe, the Americas, and beyond are coming to APT, and 2025 is set to break new records. Leung explains: “We’re poker fans ourselves and always look at the series from a player’s perspective. A wide range of buy-ins, diverse formats, big prize pools, top venues and operators — all of this creates a unique live poker experience at APT.” The Taipei series, with its $8.7 million guarantee and 200 events, has already attracted stars like Erik Seidel , Danny Tang , and Joseph Cheong , who have registered for the Superstar Championship with a $50,000 buy-in. At the time of writing, there were already 15 early registrations for this event. Leung notes that while the core player base is still in Asia, the new high buy-ins and prize pools are motivating players from the global poker community to attend. In his words, “the actual payouts at the end of the series will far exceed the guarantees.” Stability and Ongoing Improvement APT has undergone significant changes over the past three years. Leung emphasizes that the tour is now in a much more stable position, which is important for players — they can plan ahead and trust in the quality of the organization. But the team isn’t resting on its laurels: all processes and formats are constantly being reviewed and improved to meet players’ expectations. The high roller segment is also evolving rapidly: where the maximum buy-in used to be $5,000, there are now events with $10,000, $25,000, and even $50,000 buy-ins (Superstar Championship). Key Facts and Figures: APT Championship 2025 Dates: November 14–30, 2024 Venue: Red Point Business Center, Taipei Total guaranteed prize pool: over $8,700,000 Main Event guarantee: $5,000,000 Number of tournaments: around 200 Schedule includes: NLH, PLO, mixed games, women’s events, high rollers, super high rollers Partners: Natural8 / GGPoker, Copag Notable Superstar Championship ($50,000) entrants: Erik Seidel, Danny Tang, Joseph Cheong Number of early registrations for Superstar Championship: 15 What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, the news about APT’s growth has several practical takeaways. First, the expansion of formats and the surge in mixed and women’s events shows that interest in game variety is growing not just online, but also in live poker. This is a great reason for PPPoker clubs to develop their own mixed leagues and regular women’s tournaments, keeping pace with global trends and attracting new players. Second, the focus on inclusivity and creating a welcoming environment for all player groups is an important signal for club administrators. The more attention given to supporting newcomers and women, the more the community grows and the higher the loyalty among members. Running special promotions, bonuses, and women’s tournaments can be an effective way to boost traffic and retain players. Finally, the rising guarantees, bigger buy-ins, and influx of international stars at APT are clear signs that Asian poker is reaching a new level. For PPPoker players, this is a chance not only to hone their skills in club games, but also to plan for major live events, using the experience gained in online clubs. Keep an eye on the schedule, explore new formats, and don’t miss your chance to be part of the global poker movement!