Champions lineup in Macau

PokerStars (www.PokerStars.net), the world’s largest online poker site, today announced an unprecedented line-up of champion poker players who will be bringing world-class poker action to Macau in the People’s Republic of China on 1st September for the launch of Season 2 of the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour (PokerStars.net APPT).

Joining the field of 20 world class champions in a tournament that is destined to become the largest-ever in Asia with 500+ participants, is poker legend Johnny ‘The Orient Express’ Chan. There are few players on the planet who can rival his poker record, with 10 World Series of Poker bracelets to his name and over $6.7million in tournament earnings during his career. Johnny Chan first shot to fame in the late 1980s, winning the championship event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in two consecutive years (1987 and 1988) and was also featured as one of the greatest poker players ever in the 1998 movie “Rounders” with Matt Damon and Edward Norton. “It’s great for Poker in Asia that there’s a major tournament like this here in Macau,” says Chan. “It’s bringing in top players like myself, and letting the world know that there is real poker here, and real poker players here, and that anybody can win millions of dollars.”

Jeffrey Haas, President of the PokerStars.net APPT, said: “We are excited to have so many of the world’s top players coming to the Grand Waldo Casino in Macau this year and it’s a testament to our initial success that champions such as Johnny Chan, Joe Hachem, Scotty Nguyen, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Liz Lieu, JJ Liu, Isabelle Mercier, Elky and Barry Greenstein are eager to compete on the felt during our second season. We’re privileged to continue leading the growth of poker and poker culture in Asia, and expect local and regional player participation to at least double during this year’s events. The PokerStars.net APPT is taking poker to a new level in Asia Pacific, and when this Macau tournament is broadcast on TV around the world we expect this growth to continue.”

Joining the professionals will be a host of players from across Asia Pacific, and the world, who have won their way to the event via free online tournaments at PokerStars.net, in addition to those who will win their entries through live mega satellites still to take place throughout next week (Sunday 24th Aug – Sunday 31st Aug) at the PokerStars Macau poker room at Grand Waldo Casino. Players can also buy-in directly on-site.

The PokerStars.net APPT Season 2 in Macau from September 1-9, will include the $25,000 HKD buy-in Main Event (approximately $3,200 USD) September 1-6 and the return of the prestigious “high roller” event with a buy-in of $150,000 HKD (approximately $19,250 USD) September 7-9. Both televised events guarantee a minimum prize pool of $10M HKD and with more than 500 players expected to start in the Main Event it is likely to set a new record for poker tournaments in Asia, both in player numbers and prize pool.