China’s Biao Ding has triumphed in the 2025 Asian Poker Tour (APT) Taipei Superstar Challenge, clinching his first-ever APT trophy and taking home a first-place prize of $320,710.
Ding, a regular on the high-stakes circuit, entered the event fresh off his runner-up finish at the Triton Jeju SHRS $100K PLO Main Event, where he earned a staggering $1.6 million. With this latest victory in Taipei, Ding has now pushed his live tournament earnings to nearly $16 million, solidifying his position as second place on China’s all-time money list.
The TWD 800,000 (~$25,000) buy-in event attracted a star-studded field of 45 entries, creating a prize pool of $1,052,190. With such a tight field, only the top six finishers made the money, and the top four all scored six-figure payouts.
APT Taipei 2025 Superstar Challenge Final Table Recap
Punnat Punsri narrowly missed a payout, finishing as the money bubble in 7th place. Calvin Lee was the first to exit the final table, finishing 6th with a min-cash of $73,660.
Next out was James Mendoza, whose ace-ten couldn’t hold up against Ding’s pocket aces. Mendoza secured $94,690 for 5th place. In a pivotal hand, Martin Finger clashed with Alexander Wice, losing to Wice’s pocket fives. Finger earned $121,000 for 4th place.
Wice took the chip lead after that elimination but lost it shortly during exchanges with both Ding and Nicholas Go. In a critical hand, Wice moved all-in with ace-eight, only to be snap-called by Ding’s pocket kings. With no ace on the board, Wice was eliminated in 3rd place, taking home $157,825.
Heads-Up Battle
Biao Ding entered heads-up play against Nicholas Go with the chip lead. Although Go briefly pulled ahead, Ding remained steady and methodically chipped away at his opponent’s stack by winning small pots.
The final hand saw Go holding ten-seven against Ding’s ace-king. The board ran out 4♣-6♣-8♠-2♣-Q♥, giving the pot as well as the title to Ding.
Nicholas Go earned an impressive $286,210 for his runner-up finish. In addition to the trophy and $320,710 payout, Biao Ding also earned a seat to the TWD 350,000 APT Championship Main Event scheduled for the November edition.
Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Prize (TWD) | Prize (USD) |
| 1st | Biao Ding | 10,358,375 | $320,710 |
| 2nd | Nicholas Go | 9,244,000 | $286,210 |
| 3rd | Alexander Wice | 5,113,500 | $157,825 |
| 4th | Martin Finger | 3,920,500 | $121,825 |
| 5th | James Mendoza | 3,068,000 | $94,690 |
| 6th | Calvin Lee | 2,386,500 | $73,660 |
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Source: APT Blog
