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FINNISH PRO VILLE WAHLBECK JOINS TEAM POKERSTARS PRO

Ville Wahlbeck, one of Europe’s best players, is joining PokerStars, the world’s biggest poker room.
Wahlbeck is the first Finnish member of Team PokerStars Pro and will be joining a team of worldfamous
poker stars such as Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Rousso and the current world champion
Joe Cada.
Wahlbeck’s first appearance as a Team PokerStars Pro will be at the PokerStars Baltic Festival in
Tallinn, Estonia, which runs from June 16 -19, 2010. Last year, Wahlbeck won the Festival’s High
Roller event for a first prize of $52,000.
The 34-year-old from Helsinki has been a professional poker player for six years but first caught the
world’s attention last summer when he became the first Finnish player to earn a World Series Of
Poker bracelet. He beat 193 players to take down the $10,000 Mixed Game event for a $492,384
first prize. In total, he cashed six times during last year’s Series – an achievement that earned him
more than a million dollars. He was one of only three players to cash six times and was runner-up
for the WSOP Player of the Year title.
Wahlbeck’s other 2009 WSOP cashes included three further final tables. He finished sixth in the
$50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event for $200,000, second in the $10,000 World Championship 2-7 Lowball
event for $170,000 and third in the $10,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud event for more
than $100,000.
Given his phenomenal achievements in Vegas, few were surprised when he snagged two trophies
at this year’s PokerStars Nordic Poker Awards in Copenhagen – “Best Live Tournament Player” and
“Best Performance”.
During his highly successful career, Wahlbeck hasn’t avoided risk-taking. His strength is his ability
to excel at several different poker variations and he is fascinated by the diversity of the game. “Each
situation and each opponent is different and you have to modify your own game to adapt to each
situation”, Wahlbeck observes.
“PokerStars is the leading name in this field”, he adds. “Not only because it is the world’s biggest
poker site but also for other reasons: PokerStars has always taken good care of its players and has
made an effort to ensure that all the players are treated equally and honestly. Due to these things,
PokerStars has been the avant-garde of the whole game and it’s both trusted and appreciated – a
reputation which is well-deserved. I am really proud to be part of Team PokerStars Pro.”

THE POKERSTARS.NET LATIN AMERICAN POKER TOUR MAKES A CELEBRATED RETURN TO BRAZIL

In just a couple of months, the PokerStars.net Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) will be
making a historic return to Brazil. From August 4-8, 2010, the next LAPT Season 3 stop will
be held in the beautiful city of Florianopolis, the capital of Santa Catarina State in Brazil. Top
Brazilian weekly news magazine, Veja, named it ‘the best city to live in Brazil’ and for players
visiting there this August it could be the most lucrative too.
“I am so happy that the LAPT will return to Brazil again this season, said Brazilian Team
PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari. “It’s got everything; players can enjoy the amazing
surroundings whilst playing some of the best poker in Latin America!”
The event takes place at the all-inclusive Costão do Santinho resort on the north side of
Santa Catarina Island, alongside the stunning Santinho beach, beloved of sunbathers,
surfers, and fishermen alike. The resort boasts a golf course, sports and sailing complex, as
well as the largest complex of indoor/outdoor thermal pools in Brazil.
Ringed by historic archaeological sites, lush dunes, and adventure trails, the resort sits on
185 acres of Atlantic rainforest and offers some of the best luxury service in the world. And
amid it all will be the LAPT’s US$2,500 +$200 Main Event.
This is a great opportunity for poker players to enjoy a unique experience, competing for the
next LAPT title in a stunning setting. Poker players from across Latin America and the world
have already confirmed their attendance including Brazilian Team PokerStars Pros Andre
Akkari, Alexandre Gomes, Maridu Mayrinck and Gualter Salles.
“We are very pleased that the LAPT will return to Brazil for the penultimate Season 3 stop
and anticipate this event to be one of the biggest in LAPT history,” said LAPT President
David Carrion. “The support from the government and the outstanding resort make for a
combination that will help provide a one of a kind experience for players and their guests.”
The easiest way to get there will be to qualify for the Main Event by winning a free package
on PokerStars.net – to include the US $2,700 entry into the Main Event, accommodation in
Florianopolis and a contribution towards travel expenses.
Players should keep an eye on the PokerStars LAPT tab in the tournament lobby, as
satellites will be starting soon. The latest schedule updates will be available on
www.lapt.com.
There will be full coverage of the event on the PokerStars Blog at

http://www.pokerstarsblog.com.

Katja Thater wins EPT Mixed Games Player of the Year Award

German Team PokerStars Pro Katja Thater has won the EPT Season 6 Mixed Games Player of
the Year title after the final was played out online on PokerStars yesterday (May 24).
The EPT Mixed Games Award acknowledges the achievement of players who thrive in the world of
the more obscure poker variations such as Deuce to Seven, Badugi and Triple Stud.

At yesterdays final, a Deep Stack 8-Game tourney which lasted just over four hours, Thater had to
fight off competition from some of the best mixed games players in the world including EPT Berlin
runner-up Ilari Tahkokallio who came second and fellow Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem, the
2005 World Champion, who came third.

As well as the EPT Mixed Games Player of the Year trophy, Thater wins a trip to beautiful Tallinn,
the capital of Estonia, where the first EPT of Season
7 is taking place. She will be presented with her trophy on the first day of the EPT Tallinn Main
Event on August 11. Satellites for the event start on PokerStars on June 28.
Mixed games have become very popular in recent years and PokerStars has been offering 8-
Game online for more than 18 months. There are now numerous daily tourneys as well as cash
games ranging from play money right up to $400/$800.

The other finalists for the EPT Award were Team PokerStars Pros Benjamin Kang from Germany,
Alex Kravchenko from Russia, Americans Scott Clements and Mike Gorodinsky and Matthias
Kuerschner from Germany. The eight games played during the final were: Limit Triple Draw 2-7,
Limit Holdem, Limit Omaha H/L, Limit Razz, Limit Stud, Limit Stud H/L, No Limit Holdem and Pot
Limit Omha, with the game changing every level.

RECORD-BREAKING POKERSTARS BALTIC FESTIVAL RETURNS TO TALLINN

PokerStars announces the return of the region’s largest poker tournament, the PokerStars Baltic
Festival, to be held at the luxurious Swissôtel in Tallinn, Estonia from 16-19 June 2010.
Team PokerStars Pro Peter Eastgate from Denmark, the 2008 world champion, said: “It was a
great event last year and I will definitely recommend it to all the players I know.” Eastgate’s fellow
teammate William Thorson from Sweden added: “Swissôtel in Tallinn is one of the best venues I
have seen during my poker career.”

Following last October’s record-breaking inaugural event, this year’s PokerStars Baltic Festival will
have an increased buy-in of €1,500, up from €1,100. The bigger buy-in will appeal to the large
number of celebrated poker pros in the region and help ensure new regional records are set with
this year’s event.
PokerStars Baltic Festival 2010, held in conjunction with Olympic Casino, will take place from June
16-19 and players will be able to qualify for the event online with PokerStars. In addition to the
Main Event, a range of side events, cash games and Sit and Gos are planned. The exact festival
programme – and schedule for the online satellites – will be announced shortly.
The first PokerStars Baltic Festival in October 2009 brought together 307 players from 24 countries
to create a prize pool of more than €300,000. The winner of the main event was Thomas Partridge
from the UK, who cashed more than €75,000. The €10,600 High Roller event was won by the
Finnish high stakes player Ville Wahlbeck; American PokerStars Passport winner Shaun Deeb was
second.

A wealth of other big poker names also attended the event from all over the world, including Team
PokerStars Pros Peter Eastgate, Johnny Lodden and William Thorson, JC Alvarado and the
legendary Tony G. Taking part among the celebrities and sportstars were NHL legend Mats Sundin
and Formula 1 Powerboat champion Sami Selio, both members of Team PokerStars SportStar, as
well as celebrated Norwegian actor Aksel Hennie, Olympic canoe champion Alvydas Duonela from
Lithuania, Danish tennis champion Kenneth Carlsen, the Finnish ski-jump coach Tommi Nikunen
and former NBA player Martin Müürsepp from Estonia.

THE STAKES JUST GOT HIGHER WITH POKERSTARS.COM

PokerStars has helped thousands of players tackle the theoretical mountain that is the World Series of
Poker* main event or a leg of one of the world’s most prestigious poker tours, like the PokerStars.com
European Poker Tour.

But this week, PokerStars are going further. Or rather higher. Much higher.
PokerStars announced they will be sending one lucky player on an all expenses paid trip to a real
mountain – and not just any mountain, but the highest mountain in the world – Mount Everest.
The ascent to the summit of Mount Everest has always stood as one of mankind’s greatest feats, a
brutal test of endurance achieved by only a handful of experienced climbers.
PokerStars has announced it is sponsoring the ascent of Mount Everest by the Patagonian Brothers

Damien and Willie Benegas, as well as a winning PokerStars player who will accompany the pair to the
base camp in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Not only that, but the two brothers intend to play poker along the way and even when they reach the top.
Which would make it the highest poker game anywhere in the world. Talk about a big deal and high
stakes.
They will also be playing for charity, raising money for a foundation that works to keep Everest free from
the rubbish that accumulates on the ascent. PokerStars will be donating $5,000 to the foundation.
We may not be able to send anyone right to the top of Everest with them, but one lucky PokerStars
player will be able to meet up with the brothers at their base camp before they make their epic ascent.
PokerStars will be holding a single $1.10 tournament at 18.00 ET on 30 May 2010 on PokerStars.com.
The winner** will be off to the Everest base camp to see the sheer scale of the mountain themselves,
and to play a few hands of poker with the Patagonian Brothers.
For more information players can visit http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/promotions/conquer-everest/ or
register for this unique event on the PokerStars client under Tournaments > All.

Damien and Willie are two of the most experienced climbers in the world, with more than 20 years of
climbing between them. They have also taught many others to climb safely and well. For Willie, this will
be his tenth journey to the Everest summit – and he and his brother are the perfect guides for the
PokerStars player heading for the adventure of a lifetime.

Players can also follow the build-up to the climb and the team’s progress along the way on the
PokerStars Blog at www.pokerstarsblog.com

POKERSTARS ANNOUNCES NEW SPORTS AMBASSADOR ‘GIGI’ BUFFON

PokerStars is pleased to welcome a new member to its team of International Ambassadors – Italian
national goalkeeper Gianluigi ‘Gigi’ Buffon.
Buffon, the current Juventus FC goalkeeper and a member of the Italian World Cup winning team in 2006,
will head a new PokerStars.it advertising campaign aimed at Italian players.
Buffon is familiar with taking centre stage. He has been named ‘Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year’ a record
nine times and has captained the national team. He will also be part of the Italian squad at this year’s World
Cup in South Africa.
“It’s a union that combines the qualities often found in both sport and poker – those of skill, hard work and
mental concentration. It also highlights that the very best players relish the challenge, whether it’s on the
football pitch or at the poker table – a passionate pursuit of victory,” stated Barbara Beltrami, PokerStars’
Italian Country Manager.
Buffon can’t wait to get stuck in to his new role. “I love living life to the full,” he said. “I know there will be
many commitments, but I love playing poker and the opportunity to join Italy’s (and the worlds) largest
poker site is an honour and a great challenge. I can’t wait to play against Team PokerStars Pros and I’m
ready to have lots of fun playing against everyone who wants to take me on.”
“It is truly a pleasure for us to have Gigi Buffon as an Ambassador for PokerStars.it,” said Beltrami. “His
sporting and competitive spirit embodies the values of our brand and we feel very proud that the number
one goalkeeper in the world decided to represent the number one poker site in Italy.”
For photos from Buffon’s PokerStars launch, please click

http://www.yousendit.com/download/dXFWOU1kQ1IwZ2xFQlE9PQ

Please note that the link will only be active for 7 days or 100 downloads.
Players can find and play against Buffon on www.pokerstars.it under his user name ‘gigibuffon’

POKERSTARS CONFIRMS DATES FOR SEASON 7 OF THE EUROPEAN POKER TOUR

PokerStars.com, the world’s largest poker room, today confirmed most dates and destinations for
Season 7 of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour (EPT).
The new season launches with a €4,250 debut event in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, from August 11-
16. Tallinn has already proved a hit with poker players; more than 300 took part in the first PokerStars
Baltic Festival last October. The advent of an EPT event at the luxurious Swissotel will delight players
across the Baltic and Nordic regions, as well as the rest of Europe and beyond. A summer-time visit to
this stunning city is likely to have widespread appeal.
As well as this new destination, Season 7 will also see the EPT make return visits to the golf haven of
Vilamoura in Portugal (August 28-September 2), ‘EPT Snowfest’ in the stunning ski resort of Saalbach-
Hinterglemm in Austria (March 20-25) and Germany’s capital city of Berlin (April 5-10). All these events
debuted in Season 6 and proved very popular.
The new season is set to include many events which are now considered ‘staples’ of the tour, such as
Barcelona, Prague, Deauville, San Remo and Copenhagen, not to mention the flagship ’Festival of
Poker’ events in London and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
John Duthie, CEO and EPT Founder, said: “The EPT just gets bigger and better every season and it
shows the passion and enthusiasm players feel for our events. Season 6 had a thousand more players
than in Season 5 and we expect the numbers to keep on growing. The prize pool last season was well
over €56 million – a €4 million increase on the previous year. Side events also proved a major attraction
in Season 6 and we expect participation in these to increase even more next season.”
EPT, sponsored by PokerStars.com, is now the world’s richest poker tour in terms of both players and
prize pools. PokerStars.com is the world’s largest online poker site, with over 35 million registered
players worldwide.
Online satellites for EPT Tallinn, the first event of Season 7, are set to launch on PokerStars.com in
mid-June with buy-ins from just a few dollars.
The PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Season 7 schedule is as follows, EPT Grand Final details
will be released shortly:

EVENT MAIN EVENT DATES VENUE BUY-IN CAP
EPT TALLINN AUG 11-16 2010 SWISSOTEL €4,000 + 250*** 600
EPT VILAMOURA AUG 28– SEP 2, 2010 SOLVERDE €5,000 + 300* 700
EPT LONDON SEP 29 – OCT 4, 2010 METROPOLE £5,000 + 250* 1000
EPT BARCELONA NOV 22-27, 2010 THE ARTS €5,000 + 300 1000
EPT PRAGUE DEC 13-18, 2010 HILTON €5,000 + 300* 700
PCA JAN 8- 14 2011 ATLANTIS $10,000 + 300* 1600
EPT DEAUVILLE JAN 26-31, 2011 CASINO BARRIERE €5,000 + 300** TBC
EPT COPENHAGEN FEB 17-22, 2011 CASINO COPENHAGEN
35,000 + 2,250
DKK**
600
EPT SNOWFEST MAR 20-25, 2011 ALPINE PALACE €3,500 + 250* 500
EPT BERLIN APR 5-10, 2011 GRAND HYATT €5,000+ 300 1000
EPT SAN REMO TBC TBC €5,000 + 300* TBC
TBC TBC TBC €10,000 + 600 TBC
* 3% of tournament prize-pool will be withheld to cover the costs of floor staff and dealers.
** 4% of tournament prize-pool withheld for government taxation
*** 5% of tournament prize-pool withheld for government taxation
Currency conversions used herein are approximate and may change. See www.ept.com for further details.

MAX LYKOV WINS EPT PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Monte Carlo, Monaco, May 1, 2010: Russian pro Max Lykov, 22, who won the very first
event of Season 6 of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour in Kyiv, has won Player of
the Year at the EPT Awards in Monte Carlo.
The Awards ceremony was hosted by Team PokerStars Pro Vicky Coren and EPT founder
John Duthie and took place at the stylish Karement Club at the start of the EPT Grand Final
wrap party on April 30.
Lykov was already leading the race to be Player of the Year before the Grand Final started.
As well as Kyiv, he made the money in two side events and finishing 13th at EPT Snowfest.
However his cash in the very first event of the Grand Final – the €5,250 heads-up
tournament – gave him an extra 19 points and put him well ahead of his opponents.
He said: “This is awesome. I worked very hard to win this. I played almost all the EPT Main
Events, I played a lot of side events. I am very pleased. This is great for my profile as a
player.”
The EPT Achievement of the Year, voted for by Season 6 Main Event players, was won by
Danish pro Allan Baekke who took down EPT Snowfest in March and followed it up with a
12th place finish at San Remo a few weeks later.
The Players’ Choice Award was won by EPT Berlin champion Kevin MacPhee who said: “I
feel awesome about winning this because I’m American and this is the European Poker
Tour. I’ve made a lot of friends in every single place I’ve gone and I feel like I have friends in
every single country in the world now. To be voted by them is really special.”
Team PokerStars Pro William Thorson was thrilled to win the Omaha Award. He dominated
these events in Season 6, winning two of them.
Pierre Neuville, the 68-year-old retired businessman from Belgium won Online Qualifier of
the Year. Neuville qualified for ten of the 13 Season 6 events and had several cashes
including runner-up at EPT Vilamoura. He said: “I’m simply the happiest poker player in the
world. It couldn’t be better. It’s my best poker day in my life. With this award, I don’t mind if I
have a bad beat forever. “
The Mixed Game Player of the Year award was an eight-way tie which will be decided with
an online Deep Stack Sit and Go on PokerStars in May. They are: Matthias Kuerschner,
Team PokerStars Pro Katja Thater and Benjamin Kang from Germany, Americans Scott
Clements and Mike Gorodinsky, Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem from Australia, Ilari
Tahkokallio from Finland and Russian Team PokerStars Pro Alex Kravchenko.
Largely due to stunning performances from Jan Skampa, winner of EPT Prague, and Martin
Kabrhel who won three side events in Season 6, the Country of the Year award goes to the
Czech Republic. All Czech players who cashed this season are now invited to take part in a
special free roll during EPT Prague in December 2010 with a €10,000 prize pool.
All the individual award winners receive a prize package – hotel accommodation and Main
Event buy-in – for the first event of EPT Season 7 in Tallinn, Estonia from August 11-16. The
full Season 7 schedule will be published on www.ept.com shortly.

TOBIAS REINKEMEIER WINS EPT GRAND FINAL HIGH ROLLER EVENT

Le Sporting, Monte Carlo Bay Resort, May 1, 2010: German pro Tobias Reinkemeier has followed up
his sixth place finish at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January by winning the EPT Grand Final
High Roller in Monte Carlo for nearly €1 million.
The 22-year-old from Cuxhaven won €956,000 with a career-best victory against some of the best
players in the world. The €25,0000 event attracted a record 113 entrants including Team PokerStars
Pros Jason Mercier, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Rousso and Daniel
Negreanu.
Other stars who competed included Team PokerStars SportStar Boris Becker, Gus Hansen, Viktor
Blom, Tony G, Erik Seidel and John Juanda. The High Roller tournament was the last of 24 events played at the
EPT Grand Final, which ran from April 25 to May 1 in Le Sporting of the Monte Carlo Bay Resort and Hotel.
Reinkemeier, the only German to win an EPT title in Season 6, won the tournament after beating
American pro Olivier Busquet heads-up. He said: “It’s an overwhelming feeling. The field was definitely
tough but what do you expect for a €25,000 event? There were a lot of good players but I had a really
good run and everything went in my favour.”
As a supporter of the All4Kids charity started by Team PokerStars Pro Sandra Naujoks and Austrian pro
Markus Golser, Reinkemeier plans to donate two per cent of his winnings. He has had a great EPT
season cashing in four events, including 11th place at EPT London and 46th in the PCA Main Event. He
took home $108,000 for his sixth place finish at the PCA High Roller event but his win here in Monte
Carlo is more than double his total live tournament winnings to date.
A host of good players made the High Roller final including NAPT Venetian winner Tom Marchese who
came fourth for €263,000, Canadian pro Sorel Mizzi who finished sixth and American Allen Bari who
came seventh. Dutch pro Paul Berende, who late registered just minutes after finishing 24th in the Grand
Final Main Event came fifth for €191,200. A total of 11 players were paid.
The three day High Roller event was filmed for television and the final table was covered by the celebrated
EPTLive webcast. For blog reports, please see the PokerStars Blog and video blogs on PokerStars.tv.

Season 7 of the European Poker Tour kicks off at a brand new destination – Tallinn, Estonia from August
11-16, 2010. Full details will be published shortly http://www.ept.com.

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