Macau to Host China's First Ever Live Poker Tournament- The PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau: Asian Poker Open

The PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau: Asian Poker Open brings many firsts when it debuts from 22 - 27 November 2007 at the luxury Grand Waldo Casino on the historic Chinese island of Macau; it will be the first No-Limit Texas Hold'em poker tournament held in Macau, and the very first time ever that No Limit Texas Hold'em poker will be played live in in the People's Republic of China.

The Asian Poker Open is a key stop on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), an annual series of televised No Limit Texas Hold'em poker tournaments held across the region.

The Asia Poker Open is a thrilling six-day poker event featuring a USD $2,500 (HKD 19,500) buy-in main event, and a USD $15,000 (HKD 117,000) "High Roller" buy-in, as well as other special side events. The estimated prize pool for the USD $2,500 (HKD 19,500) main event is USD $600,000 (HKD 4,680,000), with the champion walking away with a potential first prize of USD $170,000 (HKD 1,326,000).

The estimated prize pool for all events exceeds USD $1,290,000 (HKD 10,000,000, which is 900,000 Euros, or 629,000 GBP).

A MOST INTERESTING LOCATION

The luxurious Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino is one of Macau's newest five-star hotel resorts and will offer APPT players, their friends and families, an opportunity to explore one of Asia's most fascinating locations.

In addition to now being the most successful gaming destination in the world, Macau also offers a wealth of cultural and historical attractions with its many Chinese temples, Portuguese monuments and beautiful gardens. Macau's historic centre has been designated a World Heritage site.

The APPT launched this August in Manila, Philippines, with a second event in Seoul, Korea in September. Season 1 will conclude in December with the Grand Final in Sydney, Australia. All APPT events are filmed for television with the programmes distributed globally.

"The Asia Pacific Poker Tour is honoured to be bringing the sport of tournament poker to Macau", said Jeffrey Haas, President of the APPT. "Macau is already the world's gaming capital and this historic event diversifies its global attraction by including the APPT's unique brand of poker tourism. It's a significant step forward, not only for the APPT, but for the growth of poker in Asia."

EVENT BRINGS MANY FIRSTS TO MACAU

"Poker is enjoying tremendous growth in Asia and we are very excited to be a part of this and to be the first casino to host this event," said Mr. Gary Woollard, Casino General Manager of Grand Waldo Casino. "We are very honoured to have this prime opportunity of working with First Impression Ltd and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour to make this a major event on the Macau gaming calendar," he added.

Founder of First Impression, Mr. Elton Tsang, said, "Bringing the sport of poker to Macau has always been my vision because we're convinced that Texas Hold'em Poker will be the next big hit in Macau. We are going to show people how thrilling it is to play and even just watch a poker tournament, and demonstrate that poker is a game involving real skill rather than just luck."

MATT SAVAGE IS TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

Mr. Matt Savage, one of the world's foremost and well-respected tournament directors, will direct all poker tournaments during the week. Mr. Savage is a founder of the Tournament Directors Association (TDA), the developer of a set of standardized poker-tournament rules used in major tournaments around the world. Mr. Savage has hosted and appeared on more than 300 televised poker shows and has directed poker events around the globe.

The event is presented by Pokerstars, the largest online poker room (www.pokerstars.net), in conjunction with First Impression Ltd and Grand Waldo Casino/Galaxy Entertainment Group, who, through its subsidiary Galaxy Casino SA, is one of only three Macau companies licensed to carry on the gaming business in Macau. Notably, Macau is the only legal gaming location within China.

Players wishing to sign up for the tournament may register online at www.asianpokeropen.com; www.appt.com, or come in person to the cashier in Grand Waldo Casino during the week of the event. There will also be free online qualifiers running daily on www.PokerStars.net. A special discounted room rate at Grand Waldo Hotel will be offered to all participants on a first-come, first-served basis.

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