It's A Wrap For APT Taipei 2026

While everyone is digitally on their phones to record the action, there's an OG reporter there still using a pen and paper, going analog. LOL

 
Hello, friends! It's been a while. I took a hiatus from poker things to focus on art the past month. As I am writing this, I have a group show opening on May 8 at the Quest Plus Hotel and Conference Center in Filinvest City, Alabang, which will run until May 31st.

I got back just in time from APT Taipei 2026, where I did my usual live reporting duties from April 25 to May 2. I got to cover the APT Super High Roller, the Mystery Bounty, the Main Event, the Superstar Challenge, the Zodiac Classic and the APT High Roller - all the major events of the APT that require a little bit more media attention.

As usual, it was great to be at work to see some familiar faces. My thanks to Ben Wilson - lead media coordinator - for getting me the gig in the last minute. He celebrated his birthday during the tour and we had a chance to have a decent drink(s) and some one-on-one time at the night the rest of the APT were getting floored in the Players' Party. We skipped it by choice since we had wrapped our work for the Zodiac Classic Day 1 at 2AM and thought it best to sneak to a better pub than to arrive there when everyone was already at chaos levels. Very good call on our part.

Nice also to get to work with my colleagues at the live reporting team - Tim, Myles, Laura and Callum. First of all, I would like to congratulate Myles, who came in a day early, sat down at one of the side events and took home a baby APT Lion trophy as the champion. Awesome, job. I am envious. Don't worry, my time will come. Thanks also to our lead writer, Tim, for all the help and assistance.

Then, of course, the media team of photogs and videographers - you guys rock. Special shout out to Christy, Maverick, Adrian, Havlin, Hema, Enzo, Gopi and Nantha. If I missed out anyone, my apologies. To be honest, I haven't memorized everyone's names yet. For example, there's the tall dude Havlin and I were drinking with in one of our first nights at the park outside the hotel. For the life of me, I cannot recall. Not because of the drinking, but because I forgot to ask. It's just the feel. You guys feel like family and I'm embarrassed to supposed to know my uncles, but I don't. 

There are the APT commentators - Kyle and Sam - whom I love spending time with. Sam may have gotten a bit obnoxiously drunk at one point, but then again who doesn't. All very good. Addy will attest, but we will not publicize. LOL.

Work Mode

Anyway, great fun as usual. Nice to see the familiar poker players of the APT. There's the Indonesian squad of Rudy, Fendy, Harry and Jimmy. So much thank to Fendy and his wife, who are always giving me snacks and food. Much appreciated, bro!

There's the Thai crew - media and players - who I really enjoy running into. Punnat, Nopparut, Sananthachat, the Shin Twins. The Thai poker team is called Team Taenaatak and I had a chance to talk with one of their video guys - Kan - I believe his name is. So I asked about the team and their vision, and their number one goal is to promote poker as a mindsport in Thailand, so it can move away from the "gambling" negative image. Thailand is against gambling and while it did treat poker - at one point - as a mindsport, the government eventually took it back and put it back on the dark light. Same thing they did with marijuana - once completely legal, and now some sort of illegal. I truly appreciate their cause and the way that it is funded from players' buyins (well, some) and then the entire media that's there to capture all the action of their players. Very organized and all for a worthy cause. Good job!

Also big shout out to Punnat - 2025 GPI Player of The Year - who was down to a 100 chip and managed to spin up to 25,000 or so during the Main Event or the Zodiac Classic... Can't remember. It would've been an amazing story, but even the best have a hard time with a short stack. 

There are the Aussie regulars - Dylan, Yita, McCully, Neilson - always a pleasure seeing these guys. Congrats to Josh McCully for his runner up finish in the APT Main Event. He should've been out ages ago, but he managed to crack aces and have a magical run all the way to the runner up. I had a chance to talk to him a bit, and he mentioned about being in the state where he didn't care. Well, not that he didn't care, but that he had nothing more to lose. Like he said, he should've busted a long time ago, but managed to survive. Everything since then was gravy. Good talk on perspectives of how the stress and tilt goes away and there is more freedom and fun when sitting at the poker table.

John Niko Constiniano & Mike Takayama

John Niko Constiniano Congratulates Mike Takayama With A Hug

Mike Takayama And Some of The Philippine Delegation

Of course, my compatriots, the Philippine players were in full force. And they hauled in some huge trophies. Mike Takayama took down the APT Super High Roller. The runner-up was John Niko Constiniano. Good moment for the Philippines. Constiniano was once again a big runner-up, having been a runner-up in the Main Event Freezeout during the APT Championship Taipei 2025. Don't worry, bro, it'll happen. Christopher "Big Time" Mateo won like three events. He won one of the last Ultra Stacks and a High Roller Single Day Mystery Bounty and something else.

My favorite players - John Matsuda and Dave Erquiaga were great to run into.

A lot of Filipino players also made some great runs and final tables - Isaac Hechanova, Edgar Asehan,  Jr Villanueva, Maxwell Rosete, Vam Magsakay, Lester Edoc, John Tech, Jose Collado, Flo Campomanes, Chase Cokaliong, James Mendoza... and so much more. The Philippines really did well to represent during the tour. Of course, one day, maybe I'll have the chance to also do the same. Have to build a bankroll first. Don't worry, my kids are on their final year of college, so it may be soon.

Big cheers also to Abraham Ceesvin, Rene von Reden, Tom Verbruggen, Andrew Ong, Kwok Chun Yip, Ren "Tony The Tiger" Lin - sometimes "Baby Tiger - and Joseph Cheong. Had a great talk with Joseph Cheong - the all-time APT money leader. To be honest, he really was my idol way back before Black Friday when I used to play at Full Tilt Poker. He was the youngest part of the FTP team and one of two Asians along with John Juanda. So they were my inspiration as an Asian poker player. Plus the FTP team with Ivey, Ferguson, Hansen, Seidel and others were just more rock stars in my opinion.

Lastly, I got to see some of my favorite female players. Hong Pham joined her first APT and did rather well with a third place finish in an event. Haven't seen her since USOP 2024 and some other event I forget. She just crushed the Main Event of the UK Poker Championships - powered by GGPoker, Nice to know she's been really successful since then. Awesome! Hazel Chui was also there, but sadly wasn't as successful. Tried to bring some luck her way since she said, "I get lucky when you come to the table." Well, I couldn't just stay there all the time. Then, of course, Fon Sananthachat Thanipatpisal of Thailand always has a bright smile to share. Proud that she made it to Day 2 of the APT High Roller and managed to min cash despite the struggling stack. 

It was a great series and thankfully without much incident. I don't know if I confessed it, but I did miss my going home flight from Jeju during APT Jeju Classic 2026 because I enjoyed the APT Staff Party too much the night before. So yes, I am thankful, that I was a bit more disciplined.

Until the next APT series! 

FYI - Won't be in Incheon, but will see you again in Jeju.