Margereson and Verbruggen Win APT Jeju

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Margereson and Verbruggen Win APT Jeju

Scott Margereson won the record APT High Roller at APT Jeju 2026, while Tom Verbruggen took the High Roller - Ultra Stack title.

Two High Rollers, Two Champions at APT Jeju 2026

The Asian Poker Tour's Jeju 2026 stop at LES A Casino produced two headline results in the festival's most expensive events. British professional Scott Margereson won the APT High Roller, and Dutch player Tom Verbruggen took down the High Roller - Ultra Stack.

Both events drew fields that reflect the growing appetite for high-stakes tournament poker in South Korea, and both finals were decided by dramatic all-in confrontations.

Margereson Rides a Comeback to the High Roller Title

The APT High Roller carried a buy-in of approximately $3,700 and attracted 295 entries, generating a prize pool of 1,274,400,000 KRW (roughly $958,195). That made it the richest APT High Roller ever held in South Korea.

Margereson's path to the title was far from smooth. Before the final table he was reduced to about nine big blinds, but he survived a critical all-in with A-K that tripled his stack. From that point he controlled the tournament.

He entered the final table as chip leader and eliminated seven of his eight opponents himself, a level of dominance rarely seen at this buy-in level. In heads-up play he faced Japan's Yoshifumi Takahashi with a large chip advantage, and the match lasted a single hand.

Takahashi moved all-in with A-9 suited and Margereson called with K-8 offsuit. The flop brought a king and a nine, giving Margereson the higher pair. The turn and river changed nothing, and the British pro secured the title.

Margereson collected 252,850,000 KRW (about $190,110), the Rose Gold Mega Lion trophy, and a $10,000 entry to the APT Championship in Taipei.

APT High Roller Final Table

    1. Scott Margereson, United Kingdom - 252,850,000 KRW (~$190,110)
    1. Yoshifumi Takahashi, Japan - 168,100,000 KRW (~$126,390)
    1. Hongsheng Zhang, China - 122,960,000 KRW (~$92,450)
    1. Kunal Patni, India - 99,250,000 KRW (~$74,625)
    1. Jiaxian Pan, China - 77,810,000 KRW (~$58,500)
    1. Martin Sedlak, Germany - 58,890,000 KRW (~$44,280)
    1. Wouter Beltz, Netherlands - 43,260,000 KRW (~$32,525)
    1. Yaoyu He, China - 31,780,000 KRW (~$23,900)
    1. Chih Wei Fan, Taiwan - 26,360,000 KRW (~$19,820)

Verbruggen Beats a Friend in the Ultra Stack

The High Roller - Ultra Stack, with a buy-in of 4,300,000 KRW (about $3,100), drew 141 entries and built a prize pool of 523,650,200 KRW (roughly $394,000). Verbruggen won the event, adding a third career APT circuit title.

He began the final table as chip leader and weathered several swings, winning the key all-in confrontations when it mattered. The heads-up match carried extra meaning: Verbruggen faced Jun Li, a long-time friend with whom he began playing poker in small Beijing clubs seven years earlier.

Verbruggen started heads-up with roughly an 8:1 chip lead. On the decisive third hand, Li moved all-in with J-5 and Verbruggen called with A-3. Li took the lead on the turn after a queen paired the board, but the river completed a straight for Verbruggen, ending the tournament.

Verbruggen earned 125,713,200 KRW (about $94,520).

High Roller - Ultra Stack Final Table

    1. Tom Verbruggen, Netherlands - 125,713,200 KRW (~$94,520)
    1. Jun Li, United Kingdom - 85,390,000 KRW (~$64,200)
    1. Chaoui Roqai Mehdi, Morocco - 56,310,000 KRW (~$42,340)
    1. Trinh Anh Tuan, Vietnam - 46,520,000 KRW (~$34,980)
    1. Hang Xu, China - 37,350,000 KRW (~$28,080)
    1. Higor Seibel, Brazil - 29,280,000 KRW (~$22,015)
    1. Pete Chen, Taiwan - 21,950,000 KRW (~$16,500)
    1. Xiubo Li, China - 16,240,000 KRW (~$12,210)
    1. Yuichi Sumida, Japan - 12,570,000 KRW (~$9,450)

What These Results Show

High roller fields in the region continue to grow, and the APT High Roller at Jeju set a new benchmark for South Korea. For players, the two finals illustrate a familiar tournament principle: survival with a short stack can turn into a dominant run, while a large heads-up chip lead still requires winning the decisive pots.

Both champions converted crucial all-in situations at the right moments, a reminder that deep runs in large-field high rollers usually combine stack management with timely luck.

FAQ

Scott Margereson of the United Kingdom won the APT High Roller, earning 252,850,000 KRW (about $190,110), the Rose Gold Mega Lion trophy, and a $10,000 entry to the APT Championship in Taipei.