Masatoshi Minowa Turns a Short Stack Into a Major APT Victory

Japan’s Masatoshi Minowa produced one of the comeback stories of APT Incheon 2026 when he won the Zodiac Classic.

The victory was Minowa’s first major poker title and his biggest tournament cash to date.

The Zodiac Classic attracted 403 entries, including 303 unique players, generating a prize pool of approximately US$746,125—more than twice its guarantee.

Minowa entered the final table as the shortest stack.

Yet he eventually became the champion.

The final three players agreed to an ICM deal involving Minowa, China’s Xiao Zhang and Renji Mao.

Minowa received US$110,850 under the deal and secured a seat to the APT Championship.

The final table featured several dramatic hands.

Minowa eliminated Trung Hieu Tran in fourth place after Tran’s pocket jacks failed to hold against Minowa’s ace-king.

The final three then agreed to a deal shortly before the scheduled 3:30 a.m. cutoff.

Mao was eliminated soon afterward.

It took only around ten more hands for Minowa to complete the victory.

From the bottom of the final-table chip counts to APT champion, Minowa delivered one of the festival’s most impressive turnaround stories.

photo credits to Asian Poker Tour