Tsuyoshi Ikeda Wins the First Place in the ASPT KOREA 2024 Player of the Series Leaderboard

<Player of the Series WINNER Interview>
By cashing in eight tournaments and winning one, Tsuyoshi Ikeda successfully secured the first place in the ASPT KOREA 2024 Player of the Series leaderboard.

🏆Nightly Hyper
(1st place/₩1,796,000)
🥈Daily Single
(2nd/₩3,050,000)
🥈Nightly Hyper
(2nd/₩1,550,000)
🥉Morning Turbo
(3rd/₩2,170,000)
🥉Evening Turbo-Escalating Bounty-
(3rd/₩890,000)
Morning Turbo
(5th/₩1,150,000)
Super Jam Fest-Escalating Bounty-
(6th/₩260,000)
Nightly Hyper
(9th₩360,000)

For this achievement, Ikeda receives next ASPT main event seat, as well as the brand new ASPT Player of the Series champion trophy and gold medal.

・Congratulations! How do you feel about becoming the Player of the Series winner of ASPT KOREA 2024?

Ikeda: "Wonderful. Achieving first place overall through the event is fantastic!"

・Great. You cashed in on eight different tournaments. How did you feel when you won your first ASPT trophy?

"To become a champion is definitely a great feeling! It was also satisfying since I was in third place the day before."

・What made you decide to participate in this ASPT series?

"The series took place in a three-day weekend on the Japanese calendar, and with a short travel distance and no time difference, it was very accessible. That's why I decided to participate on short notice."

・Nice. How was this series? Please tell us about the good aspects of ASPT.

"I sensed that ASPT was trying to offer tournaments with reasonable entry fees and enjoyable structures, designed with the player in mind. The enthusiasm to convey the fun of poker tournaments was evident, emphasizing accessibility and enjoyment for participants."

・What do you think about the ASPT tournament structures, which Iori Yogo meticulously designed?

"I was able to enjoy playing not only in deep stack structures but also in turbo and hyper structures without feeling the rise of unreasonable blinds. I think ideas like round-for-round were excellent, allowing for a more enjoyable and measured gaming experience."

・ Great. Please tell us about your interests outside of poker. What do you like to do on your days off?

"I work in the content industry, so I often watch movies and videos."

・Is there any person or event that had a major influence on your life?

"It's an event. I was fortunate enough to quickly earn the right to participate in the "Magic: The Gathering" world championship for the first time. As my first overseas experience, I went to New York and played against players from around the world. From that point on, I became captivated by the allure of being able to compete with players globally, and I believe it changed my life. I even established my own business in the field of card games as a result."

・Were you aiming to win the Player of the Series title? If so, at which stage did you start to aim for it?

"I noticed my high ranking in ASPT's official X post and became conscious of it while playing the tournaments. Since the player in the second position (Jun Weng) was very close, I postponed my flight back to Japan to ensure I could compete until the end of the final day without worrying about the flight. As a result, I secured the second position on the last day, which I believe was the clincher."

・Please tell us about your playing style and your strengths.

"I engage in the game by trying to guess the way of thinking and strategies of each player at the table."

・Do you have any rivals?

"I can say, my rival is Morikatsu (Katsuhiro Mori) who won the Main Event. He is my poker teacher. We both used to be professional "Magic: The Gathering" players, but I could not defeat him, not even once. I lost to him in the memorable final battle that determined the best player in Japan (which he seems to have forgotten). So, I really want to progress to the heads-up in the ASPT Main Event and win next time."

・Great to hear that. Were there any impressive situations during the series?

"On the final day, Jun Weng, who held the second place in the POTS ranking at that time, had only a 0.3 POTS point difference from me. He was participating in some mixed game tournament, and I felt disadvantaged since I couldn't play mixed games. However, I changed my mindset, thinking that I could only do my best in the situation. I shifted my focus to the tournament that I was participating in and gave it my all."

・Are you going to participate the next ASPT?

"Of course, I'll participate! I aim to become the double champion in both POTS and the Main Event next time!"

・What are your expectations for the next ASPT series?

"I look forward to continued fantastic tournaments and management from a player's perspective in the future. Thank you for the excellent event and organization this time. I am grateful to the staffs and players I competed against!"