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Hung Chiao Lai is an emerging tournament poker player from Taiwan who has established a consistent presence on the East Asian circuit. As of late 2025, he is recognized for his high volume of play in Taipei and South Korea, particularly within the Taiwan Millions Tournament (TMT) and Asian Poker Tour (APT) circuits.
Career Earnings & Ranking
As of December 2025, Hung Chiao Lai has solidified his reputation as a reliable mid-stakes regular:
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Total Live Earnings: $17,422 (The Hendon Mob)
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Best Live Cash: $2,375, achieved in late 2025
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Global Poker Index (GPI) Ranking: 13,382nd
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Taiwan All-Time Money List: 512th
2025 Season: The “Main Event” Specialist
The 2025 season has been the most active and successful year of Lai’s career to date, characterized by deep runs in some of the largest entry-pool tournaments in the region.
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TMT Championship II (October 2025): Recorded his career-best score in Taipei, finishing 106th out of 1,076 entries in the NT$ 35,000 Main Event for $2,375 (NT$ 73,000).
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TMT 18 Main Event (July 2025): Demonstrated exceptional resilience by navigating a massive field to record another deep “In The Money” (ITM) finish.
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Asia Poker Championship (APC) Taiwan (September 2025): Secured a 12th-place finish in the Deepstack side event, narrowly missing the final table.
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Regional Consistency: Earlier in the year, Lai recorded multiple cashes in Incheon, South Korea, during the APT series, proving his ability to adapt to the aggressive international “meta.”
Playing Style & Background
Residing in Taiwan, Lai is a prominent member of the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Club (CTP) community and a regular at the Asia Poker Arena in Taipei.
His play style is characterized by:
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Large-Field Navigation: His ability to consistently reach the top 10% of fields exceeding 1,000 entries (such as the TMT Main Event) indicates a sophisticated understanding of late-stage tournament dynamics and stack preservation.
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Main Event Resilience: While many players focus on high-variance side events, Lai’s most significant results come from flagship “Main” and “Mini-Main” structures, proving his stamina for multi-day championship play.
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Technical Discipline: His results history shows a high frequency of cashes relative to entries in No-Limit Hold’em structures, suggesting a disciplined “small-ball” approach that prioritizes value-betting and pot control.
