Masatoshi Minowa captures first major win in APT Incheon Zodiac Classic

Along with his six-figure prize, Minowa earned himself a ticket for the $10,000 APT Championship Main Event later this year in November. 

From short stack to champion

The final day of play saw 134 players return to the felt, with only 55 promised a return on their investment.

It was a quick run down to the money bubble and hand-for-hand play lasted only a single hand. Following an extended dinner break, 11 players retook their seats to battle for a seat at the final table. Australia's John Perry was the first to fall, followed soon after by Shun Kawakami. 

With that, the final table of nine was set. 

The APT Zodiac Classic final table finishers. Back Row L-R: Wei Zhu, Trung Hieu Tran, Renji Mao, Masatoshi Minowa, Yita Choong. Front Row L-R: Xiao Zhang, Haibo Yang, Shigeaki Okada, Xinze Li

Vietnam's Trung Hieu Tran started proceedings as the chip leader while Minowa found himself short-stacked at the bottom of the chip counts. 

China's Haibo Yang was the first player eliminated from the final table when his pocket queens were run down by Xinxe Li's suited A-T. Li rivered a flush to send his countryman to the rail in 9th place. 

Wei Zhu lost a flip against Zhang – his pocket nines versus ace-jack – to finish in 8th before Japan's Shigeaki Okada ran into Mao's well-disguised set of fours to hit the rail in 7th. 

Mao scored another knockout when he turned a flush against Yita Choong, sending the Australian packing in 6th place. With Choong's elimination, the pace of play slowed considerably and two hours elapsed with no further carnage. 

When the knockout did come, it was Li who felt the pain. After moving all-in with K-7, Li found himself up against Zhang's A-9 and couldn't pull out a win. 

Tran, the chip leader at the start, took a brutal beat from Minowa to bust in fourth. 

It was a classic race, Minowa's A-K against Tran's pocket jacks. Despite turning a set, Tran was sent to the rail by Minowa's rivered broadway straight. 

Masatoshi Minowa booked his ticket to the APTC Main Event.

With the 3:30am cutoff time approaching, the final three players agreed to an ICM deal – leaving about $5,000 and the trophy to play for. 

Mao went out right after the deal was made when his A-6 ran into Minowa's A-Q. From there, it took about 10 hands for Minowa to seal the victory. 

2026 APT Incheon Zodiac Classic - final table results

*denotes ICM deal

Note that all dollar amounts mentioned in this article have been converted from Korean Won, are approximate and correct at time of writing. 

^{Images courtesy of Asian Poker Tour}