Everything you need to know about the 2026 APT Championship

The ‘Asian Main Event’

First things first: the $5M GTD APT Championship Main Event is a big deal.

With a $10K buy-in and millions of dollars on the line, it’s a tournament with major appeal for players of all levels and nationalities. You could find yourself taking on everyone from online qualifiers to Poker Hall of Famers, and you’ll all be firing your one and only bullet.

That’s because this event is a freezeout. No rebuys, no re-entries, everyone gets one shot.

Nishant Sharma is the reigning APT Championship Main Event winner.

Last year there were 671 entries and a first prize of over $1.1M, won by Nishant Sharma of India who topped a field that included the likes of Erik Seidel, Frankie C and Dominik Nistche.

If you want to make a splash on the world stage, write your name in poker’s history books and bag a million bucks, here’s your chance. The Main Event runs November 23-27.

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The Main Event may be worthy of the headlines but don’t be sleeping on the rest of the schedule.

Love playing Omaha? There are dozens of different events to pick from, featuring everything from PLO to hi-lo, Big O, drawmaha, Courchevel and lots more.

Want to get even wilder? Try triple draw, super stud, badugi, draw poker and mixed game events, to name just some of the non-hold’em options running every day.

Looking for a women’s event? There are 20 available, with dedicated tournaments every single day of the series including turbos, bounty events, freezeouts and heads-up tourneys.

Women's events will be running every single day of the festival.

And then there are the ‘APT specials’: variants you’re unlikely to find anywhere else on Earth. Games like ‘Rivers’, ‘Stairway to Seven’, ‘3-2-1’ and ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ were invented at the APT, and all offer the chance to have some fun, play something different, and win yourself a trophy and some cash while you’re doing it.

Oh yeah, and there’s still plenty of no-limit hold’em, so if that’s your jam you’ll find everything you’re looking for.

You can view the entire APT Championship schedule here.

Getting to - and around - Taipei

Red Space is the venue for all the tournaments at the 2026 APT Championship. It’s ideally located in central Taipei, in a district filled with hotels, restaurants and great travel connections.

For flights, travellers from outside Asia should aim for Taiwan’s Taoyuan Airport as it’s the country’s primary destination for international flights. Songshan Airport is closer to the city center, and could be an option for short-haul flights if you’re traveling from countries like China, South Korea or Japan. Either way, a taxi into town is unlikely to take more than half an hour.

Taoyuan Airport is around 27 miles from Red Space in central Taipei.

Taipei is a major city and well worth exploring. Taxis are easy to find, and despite not being based in Asia I’ve been able to use my Uber account in the past with no fuss or need to switch any settings.

Public transport is also easy to use, even without any knowledge of Chinese; the Nanxing Fuxing underground station is just a few minutes from the tournament venue, allowing quick access to much of the city. Instructions for purchasing tickets and using the network are readily available in English.

It’s also worth noting that English is spoken in a lot of places you’re likely to visit, and just a few key Mandarin phrases will get you far. English is also used at the poker tables.

And when it comes to currency, at the time of writing 1,000 Taiwanese dollars (TWD) converts to around $30 USD, €27 EUR or £23 GBP, though obviously these rates are subject to change.

Eating, drinking and accommodation

Tons of restaurants and food options are available in the streets and blocks around Red Space, from local cuisine to branches of Starbucks.

7-Eleven stores are also available on pretty much every block, open late and a great source of snacks and drinks. The Fuel Cafe & Bar is right next to the venue and a handy choice for these, too.

And if you’re not able, or in the mood, to move around too much there’s always the option to use food delivery services such as Uber Eats. They’ll deliver right to the tournament room.

If you don't want to leave Red Space for food, you don't have to.

To stretch your legs and grab a bite on a break try Chinita’s Cubano, just around the corner from Red Space, for excellent Cuban sandwiches. It’s not exactly the food that Taipei is known for, but man, it certainly could be.

And speaking of international fare, the Brass Monkey bar just a block up from Red Space does a decent burger and shows live EPL matches, games from the major US leagues, and other sports events.

For high-end dining — literally — don’t miss the iconic Taipei 101: the tallest tower in Taiwan and the 11th tallest in the world. Check out the observatories on the top floors for an unforgettable view, along with luxury food options and plenty of shopping.

The iconic and imposing Taipei 101.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for places to stay you’ve got plenty of choice within walking distance of Red Space.

The Horizon Inn and Taipei Hotel B are 3-star hotels that are practically on the doorstep, with the Simple+ Hotel a 4-star option just a minute round the corner.

Personally, I can recommend the FX Hotel Taipei, another 4-star option which is an easy 5-10 minute walk away, and for 5-star accommodation try the Hotel Metropolitan Premier Taipei, again just a few minutes’ walk from the tournament room.

A major event in a major city

It’s easy to see why Taipei is the number one choice for the APT’s biggest festival of the year.

It’s a big, busy city with plenty to see and do at any time of day or night. The venue is easy to find, as is food, drink and accommodation. You can fly direct from a ton of countries, and the airport lies just a short ride from the city.

But let’s not get too distracted from the biggest draw: the poker. The players at the APT are some of the most enthusiastic I’ve ever seen, attendance is booming, prizes are big, the staff are professional and the action is guaranteed.

So, the question is not ‘why Taipei?’, it’s ‘when are you getting here?’

^{Images courtesy of the APT/Timo Volz/Vernon Raineil Cenzon/Vas/Unsplash.}