|
PokerPages > Poker News > Poker News
Poker News - Poker News
Search News:
Poker Craze is Ramping Up in AsiaWed, Sep 3rd, 2008 @ 12:00am The recent successful Asian Poker Tour (APT) in Macau, and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) underway at Macau's Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino both reflect how Texas Hold'em poker is set to take the Asian region by storm, according to Timothy Chui of the Hong Kong Standard. Describing the growth of poker in the territory as purely organic, Kelly Flynn, president of the Hong Kong Poker League, said he hopes to steer what he called a viral but untapped market. "There are some very talented poker players from Hong Kong but not many as of yet," Asia Pacific Poker Tour president Jeffrey Haas said. Poker's popularity has been on the rise since expatriates and returning overseas students introduced the game to the region four years ago. Flynn and the APPT eventually coordinated what began as a collection of home games for poker players without an outlet was by into the fledgling homegrown league, where cash is replaced with points, prizes and the chance to compete in international tournaments. "I've got over 3,000 players in my database for Hong Kong and that number will easily double or triple in the next 12 months," Flynn said. Among those competing in the APPT Macau is Shanghai-born poker pro Celina Lin Pei-fei, 25, who said the game would appeal to mahjong and big- deuce players because of the similarities with mathematical odds and strategy. "I think Asians can be great contenders in the game because of their fearlessness and math skills," Sydney's first ever poker millionairess said. Another entry, Johnny Chan, a former Hong Kong resident and back-to- back World Series Poker main event champion, said: "You can make a living playing poker. You can't make a living playing any other casino games." With over HK$32 million in winnings from tournaments, Chan, also known as the "Oriental Express," believes the game has a huge potential to become the region's most popular sport. Read Related Articles:
More Poker News Articles
Fabrice Soulier Joins Everest Poker's Pro Roster To further strengthen its support for French poker in anticipation of the opening of that market, Everest Poker has signed renowned French poker pro Fabrice Soulier as its latest ambassador.
HHPT Co-Sponsors Bayou Poker Challenge Ladies Event Dec. 20 The HighHeelsPokerTour (HHPT), the first all women's poker tour launched on the East coast, will wrap up their 2009 schedule at Harrah's New Orleans on December 20th where they will co-sponsor the Ladies Event #14 no-limit Hold'em at 12 pm.
OPPAGA Reports on Florida's Online Poker Options Given that UIGEA permits individual states to regulate online poker, the Florida Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) published a report this week presenting three options available to Florida State lawmakers in order to protect consumers from unlawful internet poker: regulate it, prohibit it, or carry on with the status quo pending federal legislation.
BC Poker Champion Arrested, Charged with Manslaughter Just two days after taking down the BC Poker Championships Main Event, Sophon Sek of Cloverdale, BC, was arrested in connection with one of the most storied crimes in the Province's history.
Local Businessman Bags European Poker Tour Vilamoura Bling The European Poker Tour rolled into the Casino Vilamoura last week, instantly generating the richest poker prize pool in the nation of Portugal's history.
Keikoan Captures Harvey's Lake Tahoe WSOPC Championship This week marked the finale of the biggest annual tournament series in Northern Nevada, the WSOP Circuit championship at Harvey's Lake Tahoe. While the Main Event saw only a modest turnout, it did boast of a tough final table, and a WSOP bracelet owner as the eventual champion.
WSOP Main Event Champ Joe Cada to Appear on Letterman The poker world will receive some late night attention tonight as "The Kid" Joe Cada, the youngest champion in the four decade history of the World Series of Poker Main Event, takes a seat next to embattled talk show host David Letterman.
First Korean Champ of Asia Pacific Poker Tour Crowned in Cebu Another stop on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour is in the books, this time it's the APPT Cebu in the Philippines, and for the very first time a Korean player has come out on top.
Pollack Done as Commish of World Series of Poker Just three days after crowning Joe Cada as the 2009 Main Event champion, officially closing the special 40th anniversary run of the World Series of Poker, Jeffrey Pollack has resigned his post as Commissioner of the WSOP.
Durrrr Signs as Team Full Tilt's Youngest Member Tom "durrrr" Dwan is the newest member of Team Full Tilt, the online site's highest level of affiliation. At 23, Dwan is the youngest of the now 14-person team. The high stakes cash phenomenon was nominated for induction this year into the Poker Hall of Fame until the Hall of Fame Governing Council decided he was too young to meet the "has stood the test of time" qualification. |
 Online Poker »
Poker News »
Blog Coverage
Top News
Fabrice Soulier Joins Everest Poker's...
HHPT Co-Sponsors Bayou Poker Challenge... BC Poker Champion Arrested, Charged with... Top Tournaments
|
Discuss this article in our forum
Print this article
All Poker and free play poker content ©2009 Advanced Global Applications, LLC. All rights reserved.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, visit either: National Council on Problem Gambling or Gamblers Anonymous International Service