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SOUTH KOREA’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL POKER TOURNAMENT

PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour sails into Seoul
 
SEOUL, South Korea, September 25, 2007 - PokerStars (www.PokerStars.net ), the world’s largest online poker education site, launched Asia Pacific’s first ever professional poker tour, the PokerStars.net APPT in Manila last month. This month the tour moves to Seoul, South Korea for the first international poker tournament ever held in North Asia.

More than 200 players from around the world will vie for a share of the estimated US$500,000+ tournament prize pool, competing for the chance to be crowned Korea’s first ever PokerStars.net APPT Seoul Champion.

The luxurious Paradise Walker Hill Casino will host the event, with action kicking off Friday 26th September and running through to Sunday 30th September. The PokerStars.net APPT Seoul will bring together a world-class field from around the globe, including 2005 World Poker Champion Australian Joe Hachem, 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) runner-up Vietnamese Tuan Lam and Top 10 ranked female poker player Canadian Isabelle Mercier.

There will also be strong representation from the Asian region, with some great up and coming players battling it out to take home the title. Local players such as Ron Kluber, who made his way to 29th place at this year’s WSOP and Daniel Schreiber, former gamer and Starcraft champion, now living in Seoul, South Korea, will be playing. As will a whole host of amateur poker players from across the region, and the world, who won their way to the event via Satellite tournaments played online at PokerStars.net. Anyone can win a seat in the tournament irrespective of previous poker experience.

Three more events are expected for 2007 with venues being announced later in the year. The tour’s grand final will be held in Sydney, Australia at the Star City Casino from December 13th to 16th.
 
Overseeing all PokerStars.net APPT tournaments will be the region’s most prominent Tournament Director, Danny McDonagh, under whose direction the Aussie Millions earned its reputation as one of the world’s best run and most successful tournaments.

“Joining the PokerStars.net APPT is a great opportunity to continue my work developing poker in the Asia Pacific region,” Danny said.  “Following the success of the APPT in Manila last month I look forward to bringing the same excitement and buzz to Seoul,” comments Danny.
 
In addition to tournament play, the PokerStars.net APPT is working hand in hand with local tourism boards to include a wide range of tourism experiences, designed to introduce the players and their partners to some of the incredible beauty and cultural diversity of these exotic locations.
 
“Poker is still at an early stage in many of the countries we hope to visit with the PokerStars.net APPT,” said Jeffrey Haas, President and co-founder of the PokerStars.net APPT. “But for those forward-thinking authorities that embrace the opportunities it offers, the APPT also promises to kick-start a whole new type of tourism in the region. The APPT tournament will be the first major event of its kind in Korea and we look forward to welcoming players all over the world to Seoul. This in turn will help stimulate tremendous local economic benefit - because one of our key aims is to ensure players, their friends and families enjoy the local sights and experiences. To this end, we are working closely with the local tourism board to provide all our visitors with some amazing opportunities to enjoy this beautiful destination.”
 
PokerStars will be running free tournaments for each event, where the winner will be given a seat to the Seoul event, providing every poker player across the world with the opportunity to play in the PokerStars.net APPT for free.
 
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About PokerStars APPT
PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour is Asia Pacific’s first televised poker tour. Season one kicks off with three Texas Hold'em No Limit poker tournaments in the most luxurious casinos in the Philippines, South Korea, and Australia. These championship events will be broadcast on television channels across the world, and are the first major tournaments of their kind in Manila, Seoul and Sydney.
 
Every year PokerStars sends thousands of poker players to compete in events across Europe, the US and the Caribbean. The launch of the APPT brings a new dimension to poker throughout the Asia Pacific region and marks poker's emergence into a truly global sport.
 
The first stop on the tour is Manila from August 23 to 26, being held in the Five Star Hyatt Hotel and Casino. The tour will then move to South Korea to the Sheraton Walkerhill Hotel and Casino in Seoul from September 27 to 30. There are two more events planned for the tour, with venues to be announced shortly. The Grand Final of the PokerStars APPT will be held at Sydney’s Star City Casino from December 13 to 16.
 
Satellites will be available on PokerStars.net and at selected venues across the region so that every poker player whatever their bankroll, will be able to compete in the tour. For information on the PokerStars APPT and the satellite tournaments to qualify go to www.appt.com.
 
About PokerStars:
PokerStars (www.pokerstars.net ) is the world's largest and most innovative free online poker school. PokerStars offers a no-cost, fun and user friendly way to learn or practice playing poker. Best of all, as the largest free poker site, there's always a game, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
To date, PokerStars has dealt out more than eight billion hands and run more than 35 million poker tournaments online. PokerStars currently has more than eight million registered players who enjoy the site for its intuitive interface, variety of games and tens of thousands of fellow poker lovers who come to play everyday. In February 2006, PokerStars became the first poker site ever to reach the 100,000 simultaneous player mark. That watershed achievement marked the largest poker event in history.  In addition to setting a new record for simultaneous players, PokerStars also made history by running the world’s largest free poker tournament, the $2,500,000 PokerStars Moneymaker Millionaire.

PokerStars was the first site to introduce features that became industry standard such as sophisticated multi-table tournaments, integrated game statistics, players' notes, personalised images, time bank for tournaments, and multi-table sit and go tournaments, among other features. On PokerStars.net, players can try their hand at a variety of games including Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, Stud, Razz, HORSE and Seven Card Stud, all with one easy download. It’s the ideal environment to learn a new game or perfecting winner strategies on a familiar one, with absolutely no cost.

PokerStars is the home to World Series of Poker Champions Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), and Joe Hachem (2005). Hachem has also been an active player at PokerStars since the site’s launch in 2001. These champions lead Team PokerStars, ambassadors of professional poker that include additional WSOP gold bracelet winners, WPT champions, and international poker superstars who are making their mark on the poker scene. This team fortifies the company trademark, "Practice Makes Champions." PokerStars.net is also a proud sponsor of Aston Martin Racing having enjoyed a hugely successful season at both at the Le Mans 24 Hour Race in France and winning the American Le Mans Series at Laguna Seca in California in 2006.  
For more information and to play for free, go to www.pokerstars.net .