APPT Seoul result

APPT Seoul, South Korea, $2,870 No Limit Hold’em, September 26-28th 2008

Entrants: 166
Buyin: $2,870
Prizepool: $400,777

1. Yoshihiro Tasaka, Japan, $128,250

2. Hidenari Shiono, Japan, $80,156

3. Brian Kang, USA, $44,085

4. Fam Yat, Singapore, $32,062

5. Yuri Masaki, Japan, $26,050

6. Dan Schreiber, USA, $26,050

7. David Horvath, Hungary, $16,031

8. Daniel Williams, Canada, $12,023

9. Sam Faqiryar, Canada, $8,015

Tonight 49-year-old Japanese Texas Hold’em poker tournament player Yoshihiro Tasaka from Osaka became Japan’s first ever competitor to win a PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) title, outplaying 165 rivals over three days to take home the 2008 PokerStars.net APPT Seoul Championship trophy and 148,896,000 KRW (approximately USD $128,250)!

Japanese players placed 1st, 2nd and 5th in a spectacular finish for the 35-player strong Japanese contingent that travelled across the East Japan Sea to South Korea for the three day poker tournament at Paradise Walkerhill Casino in Korea – the only tournament to be held on the Asian continent this year, with a total prize pool of 465,300,000 KRW (approximately USD $400,777).

Yoshihiro Tasaka played a tight game across the gruelling 13 hours of final day play and emerged victorious with his As-4c against 2c-9h in the final hand when he paired his 9 on the flop. With Japan taking up a fifth of the total field (35 of 166 players) the odds were good from the start that a representative from the land of the rising sun would take down the title.

“I am very happy to take home the APPT Seoul title tonight after a long game of play,” commented Yoshihiro directly following his victory. “I share this victory with my fellow countrymen who came across to South Korea to take home the title, especially Hidenari San who came second today” continued Yoshihiro.

The APPT Seoul attracted a world-class field with some of the sport’s finest talent, including Team PokerStars Pros Greg Raymer, Hevad Khan and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. Hailing from over 30 different nations, with as many as 48 players qualifying via online satellites at PokerStars, the field created a multicultural and very high-energy tournament experience.

President of the APPT, Jeffrey Haas commented on Poker in Asia: “The second season of the APPT is showcasing the phenomenal growth of Poker in Asia. Firstly to stage the biggest ever tournament in Asia just three weeks ago in Macau and now to hold the only tournament on mainland Asia this year is testament to that,” commented Jeffrey Haas.

“This year 35 Japanese players travelled across to Seoul to play in the Main Event compared to 21 in Season One last year – to me this player increase highlights the growth in poker culture and appreciation for the sport of tournament poker in this part of the world and it is very fitting to see a Japanese player return home with the title. It is very exciting for the region to see some home-grown heroes,” continued Haas.

The poker boom in Japan can be attributed to PokerStars.net and Hiroshi Shimamura’s commitment to the region, through their development of the Japan Poker league (JPL) which they started in 2007 as a ‘pub poker league’ in Tokyo. It brought awareness of the sport of texas hold’em poker tournaments to Japan, and Japanese players are now shining on the international stage.

In its second year, The Asia Pacific Poker Tour, the region’s biggest and most successful poker tour, has expanded to five markets, with the first event held in Macau September 1-9 setting records for both the largest number of participants and prize pool ever in Asia. The third stop this year will be at SKYCITY Casino in Auckland, New Zealand two weeks from now (Oct. 9-12), and many Japanese players are expected to participate. The tour then goes on to the Hyatt Hotel and Casino in Manila, Philippines (Nov. 13-16) and concludes with the APPT Grand Final at the beautiful Star City Casino in Sydney, Australia on December 2-7, 2008. Today’s winner of the APPT Seoul, Yoshihiro Tasaka, has received an entry to the tournament in Sydney.