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Poker in America is booming, but that hasn’t slowed the game’s popularity abroad. In 2019, we expect to see the first Asian Poker Tour (APT) take place in Tokyo, Japan. The event is expected to draw large crowds early next year and we are here to cover the details.

APT Tokyo – A Glimpse at the Future

Japan will host its first Asian Poker Tour (APT) in the capital, Tokyo. The event is expected to last two weeks, from February 1 through February 11. With news so exciting, it’s worth mentioning that the APT will offer a new format, which will not award cash to winners.

Instead of receiving money outright, however, winners will be vying for packages that will allow them to enter the APT Philippines, which will hit a little later in 2019, from April through May.

Naturally, the individual who manages to top the APT Tokyo’s Main Event will get a quick package to the APT Philippines Main along with other goodies, including the Championship Event and High Rollers leg of the race access. Winning at Tokyo will reveal a plethora of new opportunities to the gamer that manages to top the field of contestants.

As to the winners of the other available competitions, they will have to settle for various awards that will still be part of the competitive landscape offered at the APT Philippines. With APT’s popularity surging across Asia, it’s understandable why the next stop for the event is clearly Japan.

Schedule and Spreading the World

The recently concluded Vietnam leg of the APT was a success and it dished out just shy of $258,000 in guarantee prize money. The APT is truly beginning to shape up as one of the most important events in the region. As to the schedule itself, it promises to be packed with events.

  • February 1 – 18:30 – Kickoff – JPY 10,000
  • February 2 – 11:00 – Main Event Day 1A – JPY 30,000
  • 12:00 – Kickoff Day 2
  • 15:000 – No Limit Hold ‘em 1 – JPY 12,000
  • 11:00 – Main Event Day 1B – JPY 30,0000
  • 12:00 – No Limit Hold’em Day 2
  • 15:00 – No Limit Hold’em Turbo 1 – JPY 10,000
  • February 8 – 18:00 – No Limit Hold’em Turbo – JPY 10,000
  • 18:30 – High Rollers (40 mins) – JPY 50,000
  • February 9 – 11:00 – Main Event Day 1C – JPY 30,000
  • 13:00 – High Rollers Day 2
  • 16:00 – Championships Event Day 1A – JPY 25,000
  • February 10 – 11:00 – Main Event Day 2
  • 13:00 – Championships Event Day 1B – JPY 25,000
  • 15:00 No Limit Hold’em 2 – JPY 20,000
  • February 11 – 11:00 – Main Event Final Day

The schedule seems to offer everyone interested sufficient action. While the prizes are listed as cash, they will come in the form of the aforementioned tournament packages which will allow contestants to plunge right into the thick of the APT Philippines.

The organizers haven’t organize where and if the event will be broadcast yet, but such information will become available closer to the date of the actual competition.

Organizers have prepared solid cash prizes in the follow up event, although the total amount, as usual, will depend in the overall number of participants. The good news is that the APT has been drawing out large crowds, which is likely to repeat itself in the upcoming pow-wow.