Berhanu Kassa won the APT Jeju 2026 Micro Main Event for KRW 27,980,000 (~USD 21,040), becoming the first Ethiopian player to win an Asian Poker Tour title in the tour’s 20-year history.
The Micro Main Event drew 173 entries and built a KRW 125,000,000 (~USD 93,985) prize pool. The win marked Kassa’s first live tournament title and also earned him the APT silver lion silhouette trophy.
Kassa Defeats Kwang Chung Tan Heads-Up
Twenty-six players returned for Day 2, with Kassa carrying the chip lead into the nine-handed final table. He stayed in front and eventually defeated Kwang Chung Tan heads-up to take the title.
Tan, who had finished third in the APT Jeju Main Event, earned KRW 18,880,000 (USD 14,195) for second place. It was his fourth final table of the festival, pushing his total APT Jeju 2026 earnings past KRW 251 million (USD 188,000).
China’s Ziyang Wang finished third for KRW 12,990,000 (~USD 9,765), the biggest live tournament cash of his career.
APT’s First Ethiopian Champion
Kassa’s Micro Main Event result was the second-largest score of his career. His only bigger result came earlier in the festival, when he finished sixth in the Mini Main Event.
He also cashed in the Main Event, Korea National Cup, and NL Hold’em – Single Re-Entry. With those results included, Kassa earned more than KRW 71 million (~USD 53,000) across APT Jeju 2026.
