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FABIAN ORTIZ BECOMES first Latin American winner oF AN POKERSTARS LAPT EVENT

Viña Del Mar, Chile – January 23, 2009: 39-year-old Fabian Ortiz, from Argentina, has become the first ever Latin American poker player to win a PokerStars.net LAPT title with his victory at the inaugural Chile event in Viña del Mar.

Ortiz, who lives in the rural province of Chaco, (pronounciation: Chako) defeated a strong field of players from 27 countries to take home the title and first prize of USD 141,426. A former disco owner he now does most of his dancing on the poker circuit where he has shown he is fearless on the felt with some success.

Latin American players dominated the starting field with almost every nation represented. 50 players were from the host country of Chile alone and every seat at the final table was taken by a player from Latin America – including Fabio Escobar, who won his seat to the event on PokerStars.

“Fabian Ortiz’s win demonstrates the growth of poker as a Latin American sport”, said LAPT President Glenn Cademartori. “This is our first event where the majority of the field was made up of Latin American players. We expect many more local champions as this sport continues to grow in popularity in the region.”

The LAPT Viña del Mar event, at the prestigious Viña del Mar Casino and Resort, attracted a host of international poker stars including Team PokerStars Pros Humberto Brenes from Costa Rica, Andre Akkari from Brazil, and the former Brazilian stock car racer and PokerStars sponsored player Gualter Salles,. Also representing Costa Rica were Max and Maria Stern, the only married couple who have both won WSOP bracelets. Ortiz bested Argentinian Veronica Dabul, who cashed three times at the WSOP in 2008.

The next event on the LAPT tour will be in Punta del Este, Uruguay in March, followed by the season finale in Mar del Plata, Argentina in April. All the LAPT events will be broadcast by ESPN in Latin America later in the year.

Visit http://www.lapt.com for more information; for LAPT Viña del Mar reports, visit the PokerStars blog at http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/ and http://www.pokerstars.tv.

THE SEARCH IS ON FOR THE NEXT POKER STAR

PokerStars.net launches Australia New Zealand Poker Tour

Sydney, Australia Wednesday 31 December 2008, PokerStars.net today announced the launch of an exciting new poker tour which will be played across Australia and New Zealand – the PokerStars.net ANZPT. The first event is in Adelaide on Wednesday 4th February 2009.

The growth of poker in Australia and New Zealand over the past few years has been astounding; with figures showing there are over 400,000 Australian’s regularly playing poker. There has also been the success of tournaments in region such as the PokerStars.net APPT events in Auckland and Sydney, as well as the upcoming Aussie Millions. Now antipodeans have their very own tour which will further develop poker talent in the region.

Searching for the next local Poker Star, the ANZPT will go to Australia and New Zealand’s leading casinos. The tour is league based which means there is a point system awarding players for every event they enter as well as for the position they finish in each tournament. The first season will run up until July.

Taking Australian poker back to its humble beginnings, the tour will kick off at Adelaide’s SKY CITY Casino – widely regarded as the ‘Home of Australian Poker,’ when the casino first introduced Texas Hold’em to our shores in 1987.

The tournament is part of the SKY CITY Adelaide Hold’em Championship which runs from the 31st January to the 7th of February.

All Aussies and Kiwis can be in the running to battle it out in this new tour, with qualifiers starting on PokerStars.com on Thursday 1 January 2009. Packages, worth over $4,500, will include:

 $3000 direct buy-in
 5 nights accommodation at the luxurious Hyatt Hotel in Adelaide
 Travel expenses

The announcement follows the huge success of the second season of the PokerStars.net APPT, which concluded in Sydney in December.

‘Following the success of the second season of the APPT earlier this year, we are excited to be expanding poker further throughout this region. The ANZPT will provide Australian and New Zealand poker players with a professionally executed tour in their own backyard’, commented ANZPT spokesperson, Danny McDonagh.

Some of the sport’s finest including PokerStars.net Team Australia members Grant Levy, Eric Assadourian, Celina Lin, Tony Hachem and Emad Tahtouh will grace the tables for the PokerStars.net ANZPT in up to six locations.

Nightly Freerolls from Monday to Saturday will take place on PokerStars.net each week in the lead up to the February kick off, with the top 20 players qualifying for a Sunday evening final. The winner of each Sunday final will receive a package to ANZPT Adelaide.

Real money satellites include nightly tournaments feeding to a weekly Sunday Evening qualifier plus a weekly Saturday afternoon re-buy direct satellite.

For more information visit the soon to be launched www.anzpt.com and test your skills at becoming Australia’s next Poker Star!

POKERSTARS LAPT SEASON TWO MOVES TO THE BEAUTIFUL GARDEN CITY OF VIA DEL MAR

The PokerStars Latin American Poker Tour Season Two is well under way with the next stop scheduled for Via del Mar, Chile. The tournament will be held at the Enjoy Via del Mar, Casino & Resort in Chile from January 20-22, 2009.

Chile is a great new addition to the PokerStars LAPT tour and promises to be a fantastic event. The three day tournament is expected to attract up to 300 players to the beautiful seaside resort, where they will be competing against some of the worlds top players including Team PokerStars pros Andre Akkari, Alexandre Gomes and Humberto Brenes.

Players can win their seat to the event on PokerStars with satellites running daily, or buy directly into the tournament for $2,700. So far this season, over 200 PokerStars qualifiers have won luxury packages to compete in the LAPT events which include travel and accommodations. Players can also qualify via live satellites that will be running at the casino the night before the main event from 9:30pm to 1:00am.

PokerStars LAPT Season One was an overwhelming success, while the second season has been defined by the growth and expansion across Latin America, says LAPT President Glenn Cademartori. Moving the tour into the high-season for Latin American tourism has proven successful as it has made it easier for players from across the globe to travel to these exotic destinations. We are very excited to have added Vina del Mar, Chile to our tour schedule this Season. he enthusiastically adds.
Via del Mar, also known as the Garden City is considered the tourist capital of Chile, due to its coastal location near the capital city. This magnificent seaside destination is 120 kilometers from Santiago. Its main tourist attractions include 13 superb beaches bathed by the crystal-clear waters of the Pacific Ocean. The resort has a beachfront panoramic vista and a pleasant spring-like climate all year round, and thousands of tourists flock here every year.

Please visit http://www.lapt.com/tournaments/vinadelmar for more information, updates on the tour dates and how to qualify.

GERMANY WINS POKERSTARS WORLD CUP OF POKER

Nine Countries compete in 2009 PokerStars World Cup of Poker Final

PARADISE ISLAND, THE BAHAMAS, JAN. 8, 2009 – PokerStars.net today announced that Team Germany has taken down the PokerStars World Cup of Poker to bag the World Champions title and $100,000 grand prize. After weeks of international online play, nine countries sent their best players to the Bahamas for a live final of the fifth PokerStars World Cup of Poker. Team Germany, lead by team captain and PokerStars Shooting Star Jan Heitmann, was the last team left standing after the one day marathon – the first event to take place during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure “Festival of Poker” at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino.

“I am very proud of my teammates and fellow countrymen,” said Jan Heitmann. “This further proves that Germany is a true force to be reckoned with in the poker world. We have some of the best players on PokerStars. This was a great event and I’m proud to be part of the tradition.”

For the past four years, Barcelona has been the home of the PokerStars World Cup of Poker, but the Bahamas made its debut as host in a very fitting upgrade for 2009. The PokerStars World Cup of Poker sees players from all around the globe compete for national pride, bragging rights, and $290,000 in cash prizes. $100,000 will go to the Champions, which equates to $20,000 per team member, 2nd receives $70,000 ($14,000 per person), 3rd: $50,000 ($10,000 per person), 4th: $30,000 ($6,000 per person), 5th-7th: $10,000 ($2,000 per person), and 8th-9th: $5,000 ($1,000 per person).

The following are the teams that fought for the $100,000 grand prize

1st – Germany – $100,000
Jan Heitmann (Captain), Georg Geissler, Malte Strothmann, Bastian Wulff, Peter Schmidt.

2nd – New Zealand – $70,000
Lee Nelson (Captain), Nicholas Webb, Richard Grace, Wayne Lo, Jordan Bryant.

3rd – Italy – $50,000
Luca Pagano (Captain), Michele Migliore, Pennisi Omar, Valeriano Bilancetti, Fabrizio Villa.

4th – USA – $30,000
Greg Raymer (Captain), Shaun Deeb, Benjamin Zamani, Jarred Gabin, Bruce Armstrong.

5th – Great Britain – $10,000
Vicky Coren (Captain), Steven Devlin, Laurence Houghton, Derek Morris, Karl Mahrenholz.

6th – Poland – $10,000
Marcin Horecki (Captain), Jerzy Slaby, Pawel Chmiel, Patryk Slusarek, Leszek Krawcynski.

7th – Latvia – $5,000
Krisjanis Jurdzs (Captain), Vjaceslavs Ivanovs, Juris Saicans, Ance Laganovska, Dmitrijs Kurchins.

8th – Mexico – $5,000
JC Alvarado (Captain), David Huber, José Francisco Muñoz Osuna, Antoine Barriere, Jorge Lozano.

9th – Canada – $5,000
Daniel Negreanu (Captain), Blair Maltby, Dennis Hamlyn, Wanda Whitlock, Tammy Bailey.

The table draws for the Finals brought an interesting mix with Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu and Greg Raymer playing on the same table alongside Mexico’s captain JC Alvarado while two more Team PokerStars Pros – Vicky Coren and Lee Nelson – were also pitted against each other..

“That’s how we do it,” said Daniel Negreanu on the rail as he cheered on a teammate who doubled up with K-J, hitting a king on the flop and turn.

“The great thing about the World Cup of Poker is that when players are eliminated they stick around to watch their teammates,” said Negreanu. “Even after you get knocked out, you still have a chance to win. And even if your team doesn’t win, you still get a great vacation in the Bahamas thanks to PokerStars.”

To get a full recap of World Cup of Poker V action, including results, and tableside reports, visit the PokerStars blog – www.pokerstarsblog.com. Video blogs are on pokerstars.tv and the event was also filmed for broadcast and will be shown as part of the European Poker Tour Season 5 series on TV channels around the world including GSN in Canada and the USA and Sky in the UK

ElkY HITS UNIQUE DOUBLE AND WINS POKERSTARS CARRIBEAN ADVENTURE $25,000 HIGH ROLLER TOURNAMENT

PARADISE ISLAND, THE BAHAMAS, January 9, 2009 – Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier has won the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25K High Roller for a first prize of $433,500. The victory cements ElkY’s status as one of the greatest poker players in the world after he won last year’s PCA for $2 million, the WPT Festa al Lago in October for $1.4 million and finished 2nd in the $25,000 PokerStars WCOOP heads-up championship for $320,000.

ElkY now stands firmly at the top of the EPT Tournament Leader Board and his EPT tournament earnings now total well over €2 million. He has also extended his lead at the top of the French all-time money list – above the likes of David Benyamine and Anthony Lellouche.

ElkY says a key moment at yesterday’s final table was when he doubled up against fellow Team PokerStars Pro Humberto Brenes with a set of 10s vs. Humberto’s set of 4s. Humberto Brenes eventually came fifth for $70,800.

ElkY said: “It feels great. Last year’s main event was bigger but this means a lot. The field was so prestigious and I played very well against good players. This will be a great memory for me.”

The two-day $25,000 High Roller tournament attracted a field of 48 players and created a total prize pool of $1.2 million. The final table featured eight extremely strong players including WSOP champions Eli Elezra, Scott Seiver and Daniel Alaei.
Among the other stars who competed in the event were EPT London High-Roller winner Jason Mercier, Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer, Dario Minieri and Joe Hachem, tennis legend Boris Becker, PokerStars Six men Ivan Demidov and Denis Phillips as well as Gus Hansen, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson and many more world class players and WSOP bracelet winners.
Name Country PokerStars status £
1st Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier France Team PokerStars Pro $433,500
2nd Will Molson Canada $228,000
3rd Scott Seiver USA $137,000
4th Liya Gerasimova Russia $91,300
5th Humberto Brenes Costa Rica Team PokerStars Pro $70,800
6th Eli Elezra USA $68,500
7th Daniel Alaei USA $57,000
8th Nick Schulman USA $45,700

As well as the High-Roller event, the PCA “Festival of Poker” was host to numerous side events including $1K, $2K and $5K tournaments, the Battleship tournament and World Cup of Poker finals. Team PokerStars Pro Hevad Khan took down the $2,000 event for $200,000 only a few hours before ElkY won the high roller.

The next stop on the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour is the €5,300 buy-in EPT Deauville event running from 20-24 January at Deauville Casino. For more information, please visit http://www.ept.com.

PokerStars is the world’s largest poker room with over 16 million members worldwide, and more free-to-play tables than any other site. At PokerStars.net players learn how to play, and practice poker skills for free. As the premier destination for the top players, with numerous tournaments running every day, PokerStars is renowned for offering the best software and security in the online poker world.

PokerStars;

 Has dealt over 23 billion hands
 Has run more than 100 million poker tournaments
 Have had over 213,000 simultaneous players, and entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the first and only poker website to reach the 160,000 simultaneous players mark

PokerStars is the official sponsor of the: European Poker Tour (www.ept.com), PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Latin American Poker Tour (www.lapt.com), Asia Pacific Poker Tour (www.appt.com) and The World Cup of Poker.

POKERSTARS SMASHES WORLD RECORD WITH 35,000 PLAYERS IN A SINGLE TOURNAMENT

ISLE OF MAN, UK, JANUARY 05, 2009 – The results are in. PokerStars – the world’s largest online poker site has shattered the Guinness World Record for the ‘ Largest Online Poker Tournament’.
As part of PokerStars’ ‘World Record Week’, 35,000 poker players – enough to fill a Premiership football stadium – took part in the special $11 buy-in tournament on Sunday 28th December 2008, with PokerStars guaranteeing a $500,000 prize pool. PokerStars had set the previous record with a field of 20,000 players in the Sunday Hundred Grand on July 29, 2007.
The tournament, which sold out well in advance, played for over 9.5 hours with a record 8,750 players reaching the money. The winner Stan34powa from France, outlasted the world’s biggest-ever field to win a $30,000 first prize.
“When I read about the PokerStars record breaking tournament, the huge field, the $500k prize pool and all for only $11 buy-in – I knew I couldn’t miss it. When I won the $30k prize after less 10 hours of play I was so happy“ said Stan34powa after his historic win.
It was a weekend of milestones during the PokerStars ‘World Record Week’. Aside from hosting the largest online tournament, PokerStars also hosted its largest ever Sunday Warm-up tournament. A record 5,836 players took part in the special event which boosted the guaranteed $1 million prize pool to an amazing $1,167,200. Eventually 855 players walked away with a slice of the money with winner Hr_Herman getting $147,067.20 for his efforts.
The world-renowned Sunday Million tournament also reached record levels – pulling in a whopping 16,260 players and creating a $3,252,000 prize pool. This easily surpassed the $2.5 million that PokerStars had guaranteed in honor of ‘World Record Week’. A remarkable 2,475 players made the money, with winner lp_SakiSaki banking an astounding $331,378.80.
To read more about World Record Week, please visit the PokerStars blog: http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/2008/12/world-record-week-stan34powa-tops-field.html
“No other site brings the level of excitement, skill, and challenge that poker players crave,” said Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu. “The Sunday tournaments on PokerStars provide an unrivaled opportunity to prove your poker prowess with a lucrative prize pool that matches the highest level of competition.”
Every month, PokerStars awards more than $400 million in cash prizes, and trips to some of the most alluring travel destinations and world-famous casinos. With tournaments like the Sunday Million and annual events such as the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), PokerStars consistently hosts some of the richest and best-renowned online tournaments. Over $39 million was awarded to players during the 33 events that comprised the 2008 WCOOP.

SALVATORE BONAVENA IS FIRST ITALIAN TO WIN EPT

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, December 14, 2008
The PokerStars.com European Poker Tour had its first ever Italian winner last night when PokerStars sponsored player Salvatore Bonavena from Cessaniti, Southern Italy, beat PokerStars qualifier Massimo Di Cicco – also from Italy – to take the EPT Prague title and a first prize of €774,000. Estate agent Salvatore is also only the sixth amateur poker player to win an EPT– out of 37 previous EPT champions.
The 44-year-old father-of-two fought his way through a 570-strong field in Prague that generated a total prize pool of more than €2.7 million. The tournament featured a wealth of international stars, including seven members of Team PokerStars Pro as well as the World Series of Poker champion Peter Eastgate.
Bonavena, who was the short stack at the start of Day 3, made an incredible recovery to reach second place at the start of the final table. He finally triumphed when his 8-7 gave him top pair which Massimo Di Cicco was unable to beat with his A-4.
Bonavena, who will also be competing at the PCA in the Bahamas next month, said: “I’m really happy but it hasn’t sunk in yet. I actually feel like crying – it’s one of the best days of my life because I have done something no other Italian has done. I feel very proud.”

The €5,250 buy-in tournament, hosted by Golden Prague Poker at the Hilton Prague Hotel, attracted a record field from 40 countries, including 88 players who won their seats online with PokerStars.
Countless stars took part in the Prague event, including Team PokerStars Pros Noah Boeken, Dario Minieri, Marcin Horecki, Luca Pagano, William Thorson, Alex Kravchenko and Katja Thater. PokerStars sponsored player Juan Maceiras, from Spain, finished 12th for €30,400 and German ShootingStar Sebastian Ruthenberg came ninth for €42,800.
The EPT founder John Duthie said: “EPT Prague has been a remarkable tournament and, as always, world class poker has been displayed by players who have travelled from all over the world to take part. It’s also been great to witness the growing number of good players coming out of Eastern Europe. Poker is really taking off in this region”

Final table/payouts:

Name Country PokerStars status €
1 Salvatore Bonavena Italy PokerStars sponsored player 774,000

2 Massimo Di Cicco Italy PokerStars qualifier 445,000

3 Andrew Chen Canada 257,000

4 Konstantinos Alexiou Greece 199,000

5 Francesco Cirianni Italy 166,000

6 Fredrik Nygard Finland 130,000

7 Nasr El Nasr Germany 99,500

8 Raul Mestre Spain 71,800

The next stop on the EPT is in the Bahamas for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. This spectacular Festival of Poker which will include the $10,000 buy-in main event, a string of side events, the Battleship of Online Poker, the World Cup of Poker Final and a special $25,000 high roller event. The PCA takes place January 5-10, 2009, at the stunning 5* Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island. For more information on the European Poker Tour, please visit www.ept.com.

Holt sich Deutschland den Weltmeistertitel?

Zum fünften Mal präsentiert PokerStars.de den internationalen “World Cup of Poker“: Neun Nationen haben sich für die Endrunde qualifiziert und kämpfen vom 5. – 10. Januar 2009 auf den Bahamas um den begehrten Weltmeistertitel. Neben Ruhm und Ehre winken den Gewinnern auch Preisgelder im Wert von über 200.000 EUR.

München, 15. Dezember 2008: Schon zum fünften Mal organisiert PokerStars.de, der größte Online-Pokerraum der Welt, das Treffen der besten Pokernationen. Neben Deutschland haben sich dieses Jahr auch die Pokerteams der USA, Neuschottland, Mexiko, Italien, Polen, Lettland, Neuseeland und der UK für den großen “World Cup of Poker V“ (WCP) qualifiziert. Die jeweils fünfköpfigen Teams werden Anfang Januar 2009 gegeneinander antreten, um die beste Pokernation zu ermitteln und zu küren.

Letztes Jahr konnte sich das Team der USA – inklusive Team-Captain Greg Raymer – den Sieg sichern: Mit aggressivem Spiel und einer guten Portion Patriotismus setzte sich das amerikanische Team gegen seine Mitstreiter durch und nahm die WCP-Trophäe stolz mit über den Atlantik. Nach dem überaus erfolgreichen Pokerjahr der deutschen Spieler bei großen Events wie beispielsweise der EPT wird dieses Jahr auch einiges vom Team Deutschland erwartet. Zudem geht es nicht nur um Ruhm und Ehre, sondern auch um ein Preisgeld von über 200.000 EUR ($290.000). Die besten acht Teams kommen ins Geld, allein $100.000 sind für die Champions reserviert – also $20.000 pro Teammitglied.

Die Mitglieder der einzelnen WCP-Länderteams mussten sich in mehrstufigen Qualifikationsturnieren ihre Teilnahme schwer erkämpfen. Die Spieler pokerten zunächst in einer Reihe von Freeroll-Turnieren um eine Mitgliedschaft im jeweiligen National- oder Regionalteam. Sobald die Teammitglieder feststanden, kämpften die Teams in einer Serie von Divisions- und Nationalausscheidungen um die Teilnahme am Live-Finale auf den Bahamas.

Die neun Finalteams erhalten Komplettpakete für Anreise, Unterkunft und das Live-Event, das im Januar 2009 im Rahmen des PCA im Atlantis Resort and Casino ausgespielt wird.

Alle aktuellen Informationen zum “World Cup of Poker V“ inklusive Vorstellung der Teammitglieder, Vorschau, Ergebnisse und Berichte von allen Qualifikationsturnieren finden Sie im PokerStars Blog. Videos vom “World Cup of Poker V“ und dem Finaltisch finden Sie zeitnah auf www.pokerstars.tv.

POKERSTARS CARIBBEAN ADVENTURE – A TROPICAL FESTIVAL OF POKER

High Roller Event, Poker Camp and National TV to Make PCA Top Tournament of the Year

Isle of Man (UK), December 09, 2008 – The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) will begin on January 5, 2009 at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino in The Bahamas. This year’s event will bring some of the world’s top players together for a “festival” of poker which will run from January 5-10.
The 2008 PCA Champion & Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier will return in January to defend his title, alongside other members of Team PokerStars Pros, seasoned pros and amateurs from around the world. Last year’s event attracted more than 1,000 players, most of whom qualified on PokerStars, and it was one of the largest ever fields outside of the US, generating a massive prize pool of more than $8.5 million. Grospellier took home $2 million for the win after five days of action in the sun.
The Fifth annual PCA Main Event has a $9,300 + $300 buy-in and looks set to be the biggest ever PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in terms of players and prize pool, with record numbers of PokerStars qualifiers and players attending.
“At PCA, you are among the best players in the game at one of the world’s most exotic and luxurious locations to play poker,” said Team PokerStars Pro and 2008 PCA Champion ElkY. “You really couldn’t ask for a better place to learn more about the game and I can’t wait to go back and defend my title.” Hear more from ElkY on PokerStars.tv: http://www.pokerstars.tv/movies/346/pca-how-to-win-2m.html?canonical=true
For the first time, the fifth annual PCA tournament will become a ‘Festival of Poker’, featuring a string of side events with buy-ins of $1,000, $2,000 and $5,000 – all No Limit Hold’Em events. It will also include the ever popular Battleship of Online Poker and the new addition of the World Cup of Poker Final to be played out in the beautiful surroundings. Following on from the huge success of the Season Five EPT London High Roller, PokerStars will also run a special $25,000 high roller event in the Bahamas, taking place January 8 and 9.
Following the huge success of the first PokerStars Poker Camp at the Barcelona EPT earlier this season, they are running their second camp in the Bahamas – taking place January 7-9 with an even better schedule. The PCA Poker Camp will give PCA qualifiers and the public a chance to improve their game with hands-on training from the sharpest minds in the game. Team PokerStars Pro members such as Greg Raymer, Daniel Negreanu, Chris Moneymaker and Vanessa Rousso will be on hand to provide invaluable coaching at one of the biggest poker tournaments in the world. For more information please see http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/promotions/poker-camp-bahamas/.
The Festival of Poker will be filmed and broadcast on major networks across North and Latin America, Europe and Russia. The PCA Main Event, High Roller event and World Cup of Poker final will all be broadcast live on www.PokerStars.tv as well as being broadcast as part of the European Poker Tour Season Five TV Series.
The PCA will run over the course of 6 days, from January 5-10; for more information please visit http://www.pokerstars.com/caribbean-adventure.

SYDNEYSIDER TAKES OUT SYDNEY’S BIGGEST POKER TOURNAMENT

Sunday 7th December 2008, Sydney, Australia; Tonight 34 year old Sydneysider Martin Rowe pocketed a massive $1 million to become the newest PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Grand Final champion, outplaying 476 rivals over the past five days.

Cheered on in front of his by family, friends and a home crowd, Martin, a father of (almost) two from North Sydney commented directly following his win: “I cannot believe I have won tonight. I felt on edge but not out of control the entire tournament and now to have the title I am just ecstatic – this will be life changing for my family.”

The Final Table began with nine players from an impressive starting field of 477, including the current 22 year old World Champion Peter Eastgate and past champions Joe Hachem and Chris Moneymaker, competing for a prize pool of over $2.8 million.

With the final table made up of seven Aussies, it was fitting the title remained in Australia (a Pole and Canadian made up the remainder). Final table play lasted a gruelling nine and a half hours. In the final hand of the tournament Martin raised and Jason went all in before the community cards were laid out – Martin called and tabled A Q and Gray showed 9 5 suited. The board played out and Martin was crowned the champion of the PokerStars.net APPT Sydney Grand Final with two pair.

“It is fantastic to see an Australian champion in the APPT Grand Final for the second year in a row. Amongst a great international lineup it represents the calibre of poker in this country,” commented APPT President Jeffrey Haas.

This tournament ends the second season of the PokerStars.net APPT. Season 3 of APPT will be announced shortly.

The final standings and monies earned in Australian dollars are as follows:
1. Martin Rowe AUD 1,000,000
2. Jason Gray AUD 476,000
3. Tony Basile AUD 266,000
4. Antonio Fazzolari AUD 182,000
5. Timothy English AUD 140,000
6. Frank Saffioti AUD 100,800
7. Daniel Kowalski AUD 72,800
8. Hai Bo Chu AUD 53,200
9. Tom Rafferty AUD 39,200

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