Even those who call hold’em the ‘Cadillac of poker’ want to drive something else now and then. Others prefer a different choice of ride altogether.
When it comes to mixed poker games, ‘choice’ is certainly the word to use. Games like Omaha, stud, triple draw, badugi and many more give poker players a wide variety of options when it comes to adding spice to life.
And it’s not just about changing things up; many see an ability to excel at mixed games as a requirement for true poker greatness. After all, one of the WSOP’s most prestigious bracelets is reserved for those who have the skills to master multiple poker disciplines.
But for lovers of mixed games the Asian Poker Tour has quickly become a series of can’t-miss events on the global calendar.
And when the tour returns to Taipei, Taiwan next week, there’s a whole new twist being added.
Chess, go and Chinese chess are being fused with poker to create an exciting new series of mind sports tournaments — along with the many other fun and unusual variants of poker for which the tour is fast becoming famous.
The fastest growing poker tour on the planet also has some of the coolest trophies.Inspirations both old and new
It was only three years ago that the APT first introduced non-hold’em tournaments, at APT Hanoi in February 2023, with two mixed NLH/PLO tourneys.
Now, with APT Taipei kicking off just next week across the Asia Poker Arena and Red Space venues, the number of mixed events scheduled in Taiwan has rocketed to 26.
PLO double-board bomb pot tourneys? Check. Deuces wild? You got it. Atomic pineapple? Naturally.
And then there’s some even newer and lesser-spotted variants, such as ‘Noah’s ark’ (NLH or PLO with a 2-card flop, 2-card turn, and 2-card river), ‘Red river hold’em’ (if the river is red, keep betting and dealing until a black card comes), and even a fixed limit tourney that goes by the name of ‘Choose your own adventure’.
This one sees everyone dealt 3 cards, after which the player in the big blind chooses which of 10 different variants to play, from razz to PLO to triple draw.
The result is a rare chance to play some of the wildest and wackiest poker games out there, for real money, with professional dealers, in a legit tournament setting — not sat around the kitchen table.
Many of these are wholly original games which come from the offbeat mind of APT President Neil Johnson and his team. But with the addition of chess, go and Chinese chess, the inspiration is many centuries older.
APT President Neil Johnson is the brains behind the more unusual poker variants to be found at the APT.
Masters of the mix
Each of the three events in the APT’s ‘Mind Sports Week’ have a buy-in of TWD $5K — around USD $160 — meaning you don’t need to be a grandmaster or a high roller to take part.
Running on April 27 (Chinese chess), April 28 (chess) and April 29 (go), these special tournaments will have a capped field of 36. Everyone in the field will start by playing 5 matches of the day’s mind sport, each win adding 10,000 chips to their stack for the second phase, when the format reverts to a traditional power tournament.
Each player will begin the poker phase with a stack of at least 20,000, so everyone has a fighting chance (even if they think a gambit is just one of the X-Men).
The addition of these three games to the APT mix — all of which are Asian in origin — is just the latest move in an overall strategy that has seen mixed games bloom in popularity since those early opening moves in Hanoi.
Last November’s APT Championship, held at Red Space in Taipei, became the tour’s first stop to award over USD $1 million in mixed game prize money.
And as the number and stature of mixed games at the APT is growing, so too is the community that surrounds it. It’s got to the point where a new leaderboard is taking shape, reflecting the commitment of mixed game players to following the tour for a fix of the games they love.
Australia's Mark Furniss has won 10 APT mixed game trophies in the past three years.Featuring players from across the world, from China to Italy, Russia and the UK, it’s currently being led by Australia’s Mark Furniss with an impressive 10 APT mixed game trophies.
The APT's mixed game masters
| Position | Player | Country | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Furniss | Australia | 10 |
| 2 | Jarryd Godena | Australia | 9 |
| 3 | Wang Yu Tang | Taiwan | 9 |
| 4 | Qibang Cheung | United Kingdom | 8 |
| 5 | Craig Cooper | United Kingdom | 8 |
| 6 | Lu Yang | China | 8 |
| 7 | Li Ta Hsu | Taiwan | 7 |
| 8 | Antonio Seremet | Italy | 7 |
| 9 | Daniil Shalaev | Russia | 7 |
The APT is cementing its place in the hearts of mixed game enthusiasts from across the world. Noted devotees such as Allen Kessler have made the trip, with ‘Chainsaw’ adding three Korean flags to his Hendon Mob profile at APT Incheon last year.
If you’re looking to join him in adding some spice to your poker diet, there’s an obvious place to find it. And with APT Taipei running April 22 to May 3, now’s just the time to do so.
PokerOrg will be bringing you the latest results, news and features direct from the tournament floor at APT Taipei. Our coverage begins next week.
