pokerstars w$ Sell Pokerstars W$ for 91% or buy W$ for 97.5%. Pokerstars W$ are gained by winning satellites to the WCOOP, EPT, APPT, LAPT and the WSOP.
Sell Pokerstars W$
pokerstars t$ Sell Pokerstars T$ for 97% or buy T$ for 99.7%. Pokerstars T$ are gained buy winning satellites to the weekly and daily Pokerstars tournaments.
Sell Pokerstars T$
Trade Pokerstars W$ Use our trade calculator to find out how much your tournament dollars are worth or to find out how much you can save by buying tournament dollars.
Trade Pokerstars W$ T$
pokerstars Checkout the Official PokerStars Blog for the latest Pokerstars news.

 

pokerstars blog

Archive for the ‘Tournaments’ Category


McDonagh the Master

Friday, August 26th, 2011

He goes by many names. President of the APPT. ANZPT Commissioner. His official title is Director of Live Operations (Asia Pacific) and as of next year, he'll be also known as an Australian Poker Hall of Famer, but to those who know him best, he's just Danny.

Back in 2004 though, this reporter only knew Danny McDonagh as a pit boss whilst employed as a croupier at Crown Casino in Melbourne. Seven years later, we now find ourselves relaxing fireside at a casino in Queenstown, New Zealand, discussing his poker career, but it's clear that when he talks about his role in the industry, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I get a kick out of managing events," he said. "I've got a real interest in poker, but would I class myself as a great player? Definitely not. I think to be a good administrator, you've got to be a little bit removed from the love of playing the game to focus on running it."

Danny McDonagh solving the problem between Milan Gurung and his opponent

Danny McDonagh in action at PokerStars Macau

Working in finance before starting as a croupier at Crown in 1994, McDonagh's career in the gaming industry has seen him rise rapidly through the ranks. By 1997 he was promoted to Poker Tournament Director, running regular games in the original Crown Poker Room, which compared to how it looks today, was miniscule.

"We originally had 20 tables and went as low as 12, but now there's over 60 permanent tables at the moment," McDonagh recalls. "It was June 30 when we opened up and we started tournaments in September, which at that stage, was just a $50 tournament on a Sunday and a Manila tournament on a Monday night."

Over the next 10 years, McDonagh was a key player in not just Crown's poker operations, but the entire "Great Australian Poker Boom", after a former chiropractor from Melbourne by the name of Joseph Hachem won USD$7.5 million in the 2005 WSOP Main Event. McDonagh, however, doesn't credit the Team PokerStars Pro's victory as the sole reason for the new Aussie love affair with America's favourite card game.

"In 2003, the World Poker Tour started on television and we had all these young guys coming in, desperately wanting to play the game that they saw on TV [No Limit Hold'em]," he said. "And then Joe went in a year-and-a-half-later to the World Series and that was that second explosion."

The effect that Hachem's victory had on the country was profound: from just 74 players in a $1000 buy-in Main Event in the Crown Australasian Poker Championships in 1998, the series evolved into the multi-million dollar extravaganza that we know today as the Aussie Millions. And in 2008, a record field of 780 players took part in the $10,000 Main Event - something which McDonagh considers "his proudest achievement". That's not to say that there's been just as many challenges.

"It took something like the Aussie Millions for Crown to realise and begin to appreciate true the value of poker. With these major events, you're getting all the cross-over action - food and beverage, hotel bookings, shopping and playing the other offerings that they have in the casino. And poker is always pro-press."

anzptm37.jpg

Danny McDonagh (far right) as Commissioner during the 2009 ANZPT Melbourne event

Now based in Macau, McDonagh is once again playing a role in the development of the burgeoning Asian poker market, which includes the day-to-day operations of PokerStars Macau, PokerStars' live poker room at the Grand Lisboa Hotel & Casino. While McDonagh admits that they've only begun to "scratch the surface" of poker in Asia, the popularity of the game is beginning to take off, with reports of 60-70% increases in their special events like the Macau Millions, the Macau Poker Cup Championship and the APPT Macau series every year.

However, some concepts that were developed for the Australian poker market haven't been so well received in Macau: "It's interesting ... the three stages of satellites that they run for the Aussie Millions Main Event ... players in Asia aren't interested in satellites until the week of the event," he said. "We've also found that we've had to start tournaments later in the day. Early starts in the morning doesn't work here in Asia, except if it's for a championship event. It's just a different mindset, I guess."

Danny.jpg

Nevertheless, McDonagh's contribution to the Australasian poker industry has been profound, so much so that it's earned him a place in the Australian Poker Hall of Fame, and he'll be inducted alongside one of his lifelong friends next year - 2011 APPT Melbourne Main Event champion, Leo Boxell.

"I'm happy that I'm being inducted at the same time as Leo," he said. "He goes back to my early days and he had a huge run back in 2000 and 2001 with the Australian Championships, the Aussie Millions and the New Zealand Poker Championships, but he went missing for a few years after that. Now, he's come back and confirmed his place as a Hall of Famer. Still, it's something that I'm obviously very proud of."

The 2011 PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event from November 23-29 at the Grand Lisboa Hotel & Casino. For more information on this or other events at the PokerStars Macau poker room, visit their website: www.pokerstarsmacau.com.


APPT Queenstown: Marcel Marvellous as Koray Capitulates

Friday, August 26th, 2011

Since having first arrived in Queenstown, we knew that we were going to be in for one helluva tournament, and considering the new trend of hyper-aggression to have come out of this year's World Series of Poker Main Event, we were expecting some of the craziest action ever seen in this side of the world.

Day 2 of the PokerStars.net APPT Queenstown Snowfest Main Event delivered that craziness in spades. Right from the starter's orders, the 71 players remaining in the field went hammer-and-tongs, with Australia's Tom Grigg chipping up early from a double KO before Kiwi maverick Koray Turker took out fellow New Zealander Richard Docherty and Canadian PokerStars Qualifier Amichai Barer to move to almost 150,000 in chips.

Dale Philip_APPT Queenstown S5 Main Event_Joe Giron_GIR1387.jpg

Dale Philip's Main Event may be over, but it was still a fruitful trip to Queenstown

Australian PokerStars Qualifier Jonathan Karamalikis then shot up past the 100,000-chip mark when he took a sizeable pot from PokerStars Team Online's Dale Philip. It marked the beginning of the end for the Thailand-based Scott, who was eliminated late in the day when he moved the last of his chips in with [Ks][2s] but lost out to New Zealand PokerStars Qualifier Jackson Zheng, who made two pair on the board of [8c][2h][5d][6h][6d]. Philip's time here in Queenstown hasn't been all bad though, as he took down the NZD$550 Pot Limit Omaha event the night before, defeating 11 players to a tidy sum of cash and a brand new PokerStars snowboard!

Alicia Sale_APPT Queenstown S5 Main Event_Joe Giron_GIR1514.jpg

Alicia Sale heater turned ice cold, busting out late in the day

Speaking of side events and snowboards, we can't forget about Alicia Sale, who took the overall chip lead into Day 2 after a stunning performance on Day 1c. Having said that, today might have been a day she would rather forget. Unable to continue her form from yesterday, she was eventually , taken out by Jonathan Karamalikis when his [Qs][Jc] improved to a flush on the [Ts][9s][8s][Qd][7s] board against Sale's [Ad][Jd].

Koray Turker_APPT Queenstown S5 Main Event_Joe Giron_GIR1522.jpg

Another spectacular fall from grace for Koray Turker

Which leads us to fellow New Zealander, Koray Turker. As was the case in the APPT Melbourne Main Event a month ago, Turker's relentless aggression and bravado brought him undone. This time, he surrendered most of his chips to Tom Grigg, six-bet-shoving and trash-talking with [Ac][5s], but ran straight into Grigg's [Kh][Kc], which improved to a set on the turn, crippling Turker down to just 60,000 in chips, most of which went the way of Marcel Schreiner before being eliminated at the hands of Jamie Lunt.

Marcel Schreiner_APPT Queenstown S5 Main Event_Joe Giron_GIR1660.jpg

Marcel Schreiner finshes Day 2 on a high

It would then lead up to the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny between Grigg and Schreiner in one of the final hands of the night. Schreiner called Grigg's four-bet before the flop then called him after the flop of [Kc][4h][5d], then both players checked the turn of the [6h] before Grigg opened again on the river of the [7c] and after what seemed like forever and a day in hell, Schreiner made the call of his life; his [As][Qh] best against Grigg's [Ad][9h] to take the chip lead into Day 3, bagging up a whopping 453,800 in chips.

Grigg is still nipping at his heels though, returning second overall with 220,500, while Jonathan Karamalikis (192,800) is not far behind. Ben Paurini (180,100) and Carl Knox (148,100) were the best for the locals, finishing in fourth and fifth in chips respectively, but we'll also be keeping a close eye out on Australian PokerStars Qualifier Hugh Cohen, who could well emulate his brother Julian's efforts in the same event last year, returning to Day 3 with 143,900.

In all, 21 players will continue tomorrow from 4pm local time (GMT +12), which gives them (and us) a much-needed opportunity to rest up and recharge the batteries in the fresh mountain air - assuming this rain holds off.

Click here for the Day 3 seating draw.

Be sure to join myself and my esteemed blogging partner Heath "TassieDevil" Chick once again when we bring you all the action of Day 3 of the PokerStars.net APPT Queenstown Snowfest Main Event from the SKYCITY Queenstown Casino. Until then, remember to check out the Final Four video with PokerStars.tv's Lynn Gilmartin. And of course, ciao for now!


Photography © Joe Giron | Joe Giron Photography | PokerStars.net


ANZPT finalizes changes to Player of the Year system

Friday, January 28th, 2011

australia_poker_tour.jpgThe poker landscape in Australia has been re-fashioned in the last two years with the appearance of the PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT). The tour now has eight events crossing the world's largest island and its nearest neighbour. All the best and brightest players in Australasia have taken their seats at an ANZPT table in the first two seasons. There have been some great winners and future is looking bright for a tour which has already stamped itself on the local poker scene.

In the first season the tour saw 1,309 players take part with 25% qualifying on PokerStars and it awarded $2,982,196 AUD. Season Two attracted 1,901 players from 37 countries awarding $4,318,979 AUD.

There were three events added in season two: Perth, Canberra and Darwin. The Perth event saw Team PokerStars PRO Australia's Tony Hachem win his first event of the ANZPT, after winning the inaugural ANZPT Player of the Year, Tony came out of the gates firing, final tabling the first event and then winning the second. He looked set to take down back to back Player of the Year titles. That was before John Maklouf made three consecutive final tables (plus a deep run in the following event) and Andrew Scarf continued to consistently cash in the events. The race for Player of the Year has kept interest in the tour at the highest level; the final event in Darwin had any of six players still able to win Player of the Year.

Tony Hachem however, was able to cash to overtake both John and Andrew and win his second consecutive ANZPT Player of Year title. This achievement puts him at the very pinnacle of the Australian and New Zealand poker scene and cements his place as one the countries all time great players.

tony_hachem_poy.jpg

Season 3 of the ANZPT is back at Adelaide Casino from February 2-6, 2011. The venue is part of Australian poker's humble beginnings; Adelaide Casino is widely regarded as the 'Original home of Australian Poker,' when the casino first introduced Texas Hold'em to the Australian shores in 1987. All stops will be returning to the tour and there is a strong chance there will be one more event added to the schedule.

The tour continues to allow poker players from across the world to see the best parts of Australia and New Zealand. Queenstown is the adventure capital of the Southern Hemisphere where players can enjoy skiing, snowboarding, bungee jumping, jet boating, fine wines and beautiful scenery. The Gold Coast is a beachside paradise and haven for anyone trying to escape to colder southern states in the middle of winter. The other great addition to the tour is Darwin, Australia's most northern capital city, where heritage listed national parks are on the doorstep as well as some of Australia's most terrifying reptiles this provides an amazing backdrop for poker players. The tour really offers much more than poker as so many are discovering.

We look forward to seeing you down under!


APPT Macau: Lin rides poker’s new wave in Asia

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

By Landon Blackhall and Sean Callander

Amid the rapid growth of poker in Asia, Taiwan counts as a newcomer on the scene. However, it's widely recognised as one of the boom markets in Asian poker, as reflected by a sizeable delegation from the island, which lies off the south-east coast of mainland China.

One of the chip leaders in the early going today is Jonathan Lin (holding just under 50,000). He started playing poker while studying abroad - small stakes to start before moving on to more serious money.

apptmacau1alin.jpg

Jonathan Lin, waving the PokerStars.net Team Asia flag

Lin has been a regular tournament and cash game player at the PokerStars Macau Poker Room, since it launched in 2008. Besides crushing the cash games regularly at the Macau poker rooms he has made his mark as a talented tournament player, featuring in the celebrity poker TV show Let's All-in in Taiwan as a celebrity player and tournament director.

Other Taiwanese players in today's field include Lin's PokerStars.net teammate Raymond Wu, PokerStars qualifier Carlos Chang, Jung Chou Lee and Peter Wang.

Lin's tournament is off to a promising start, but it's already over for Australian online young gun Jay SEABEAST Kinkade. On a board that read [8s] [6c] [9s] [2h] [9h], the all-in plaque was in front of French player Bernard Vu who had tabled [ah] [ac] for the winning hand. After all the chips were cut down, it was Kinkade that came up short.

Kinkade looked clearly miffed as he picked up his bag to exit the poker room - it didn't help that Vu was showing off to a nearby cameraman, happily waving and smiling as he stacked up his newly acquired chips.

But his celebratory mood didn't last long. Holding pocket eights, Aussie Sean Keeton was in a race against Vu's A-K and found himself behind on the flop and turn of [10d] [2h] [kh] [7s]. However, as Chinese luck would have it, the [8h] sailed down the river!

Nearby on table two, Charles Lam came unstuck in a big hand against PokerStars Macau satellite winner Jao Tin. Lam called Tin's raise of 700 to see a flop of [ad] [ks] [kh]. Tin checked to Lam who fired out 1,500. Tin called, then led out for 2,300 on the turn of the [as].

Lam flat-called and checked after Tin on the river [qh]. Tin turned up [ac] [10h] for a full house; Lam slammed the table with his hand and flashed a king before throwing his cards into the muck. Tin moved back up to around 18,500 in chips whilst Lam went back down to 47,500.

apptmacau1asteicke.jpg

The typhoon that is David Steicke is yet to make too many waves - yet

It's also been a tough day at the office for David Steicke, but he managed to double up to 26,500 after moving all-in preflop holding [kh] [kc]. He found himself ahead of the [as] [qd] of Swedish PokerStars Qualifier Rasmus Åkerblom. The flop of [6h] [ks] [10h] put Steicke further ahead and the turn and river would run out [9d] [qs].

We're coming up to the second break of the day, with 93 of the 119 starters set to return for level five. Japan's Kazuki Ikeuchi (52,000) holds a narrow chip lead from US PokerStars Player Brandon Demes (50,000) with Jonathan Lin, Mike Kim, James Akenhead and Wally Sombero all close behind.


APPT Macau: Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Poker players who travel the world become accustomed to the quirks of playing in different countries, where the rules are mostly the same with the odd local variant. Here at the Grand Lisboa, players are warned to be extremely careful about betting out of turn, as any chips that are placed in the pot at any point (even out of turn) must remain in the pot.

There's also one other aspect of playing here to which westerners must readjust - smoking is permitted in the casino, well, basically anywhere. During the APPT Macau Main Event, it has been deemed that smoking is only allowed outside the tournament area, but the haze inside is reminiscent of the smog outside. Note to self: check tobacco shares on Hang Seng Index!

apptmacau1aroom.jpg

PokerStars Macau, one of the few poker rooms in the world where ashtrays are still part of the table furniture

The internationals are also having a hard time adjusting to a local contingent that have an extra 12 months of experience thanks to the regular events at PokerStars Macau. Normally a tournament is tight for the first two or three levels - that's not the case here and it's caught the foreigners off guard.

One of those local players, Hong Kong's Charles "Spring" Lam, is dominating on table two after increasing to 55,000 in chips by eliminating well-known local player (and Late Night Poker pioneer) Jin Cailin, who finished 10th in the APPT Macau Main Event last year.

The money was all-in the middle on a flop that read [ah] [qs] [4s] - Jin was severely short stacked and was in bad shape, holding [as] [8s] against Lam's [ac] [jc]. There would be no hope for Jin when the turn and river bricked out [5h] [2h], sending Jin to the bar (he'll need something strong).

The Asian contingent isn't limited to those from Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Representing Japan is Kazuki Ikeuchi, from Tokyo. Two years ago he made an appearance at the first ever APPT Macau and finished seventh in a side event.

Months later he went on to cash in four events in the 2008 World Series of Poker, including 36th place in the $10,000 Pot Limit Hold'em World Championship. As the only Japanese player in Day 1A and with such an impressive career so far, he's only too happy to shoulder the nation's hopes today.


APPT Macau: Steicke v Chan, a clash for the ages

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

By Landon Blackhall, level 1 update

Though the locals have come out in force this year for the PokerStars.net APPT day one flight, the internationals are getting involved in some heavy action in the early going.

In particular, table seven is bound to offer some of the best play today, which sees Hong Kong-based Australian poker icon David Steicke (fresh from his APT High Roller triumph), PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Grant Levy and two-time WSOP Main Event champion Johnny Chan. Forget Ali versus Frazier, this is the ultimate battle of poker heavyweights.

apptmacau1alevy.jpg

Grant Levy: "Hang on these guys look familiar!"

In one hand we encountered, Levy raised it up pre-flop to 275 from under the gun. The action folded around to young online poker pro Joel Dodds who called from the button.
On a flop of [8h] [7c] [6s], Levy opened for 525 and Dodds called, then check-called Dodds' bet of 1,025 on the turn of the [4h]. Both players checked the river [10c]; Levy rolled up [10s] [8s] for two pair and Dodds nodded at him to signify that it was good enough as he mucked his hand.

The Australians are already off to a flying start, but Sydneysider Mark Cornwall has had a little bit of Chinese luck fall his way; we caught him turning over [2s] [2c] after the action was complete on a board that read [2h] [as] [qc] [2d] [3c]. Two multiplied by four is eight, which is considered a very lucky number in Eastern culture. As a result he's up to 43,000 in chips.

Some of the other notables we've spotted include Emad Tahtouh, who arrived late but according to the PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro: "I'm looking forward to getting in on the action!"

apptmacau1atahtouh.jpg

Fifth in the APPT Macau High Roller here two years ago, Emad Tahtouh is out for another big result

ANZPT Melbourne final table participant Ben Savage and 2005 WSOP Six-handed bracelet winner Isaac Galazan, Will Ma (sixth in the 2008 APPT Macau High Roller event) and Sean Keeton, who was fourth in the $5000 WSOP six-handed event at the 2009 WSOP, are also in action today.

The atmosphere is tense in the Grand Lisboa Poker Room. With 119 starters confirmed in today's day one flight, the action has been extremely tight; as such, we have only lost one player in the first level: PokerStars Qualifier Aleksei Rostunov.

The "all-in" disc was pointing from Rostunov towards his opponent, PokerStars Player Stephen Costello. He could only shrug his shoulders and watch as the chips were shipped in Costello's direction. Midway through level two, six players have already been eliminated.


APPT Macau: Mask unveiled on tour’s third season

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

The ceremonial duties have been completed, the mask has been changed, handshakes have been exchanged and the cards are in the air for season three of the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour.

The buzz is electric in the PokerStars Macau room at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino where more than 100 players have taken their seats for the first of three day one flights in the HKD $40,000 buy-in APPT Macau Main Event.

The day started with the official media conference, with dignitaries including Grand Lisboa Director of Table Games Michael Au, Grand Lisboa Vice-president of Table Games Timothy Gilbert, APPT President Jeffrey Haas, PokerStars Asia Regional Director David Jung, Team PokerStars Pros and former world champions Chris Moneymaker and Joe Hachem, PokerStars.net Team Asia Pros Celina Lin and Bryan Huang plus Bertrand ElkY Grospellier, who spoke fondly of his time living in Asia.

apptmacau1aconf.jpg

The official word: PokerStars players, tour management join casino officials to discuss the 2009 APPT Macau Festival of Poker

After some words of thanks for the Grand Lisboa and the people of Macau who've embraced the arrival of poker, it was down to the poker room for the official opening, with Bryan Huang giving the order to "shuffle up and deal".

It's become tradition for each APPT event to start with a slice of local culture - here, players were treated to a mask changing ceremony or "Bian Lian". Originally part of the Sichuan Opera, it is considered one of China's most elusive performing arts. In fact, it was even considered by the Chinese government as a national secret.

apptmacau1amask.jpg

Who is that masked man? A slice of Chinese culture adds to the spectacular opening of the APPT Macau Main Event

But it's no secret that we'll be playing a maximum of eight 60-minute levels today, with all players starting with 20,000 in chips and a pile of PokerStars merchandise. APPT tournament director Danny McDonagh has also announced that players with holding the top 10 chip stacks after day one will be placed on separate tables for day two.

Players in action today include PokerStars.net Team Australia pros Eric Assadourian (High Roller champ here two years ago), 2007 APPT Grand Final winner Grant Levy, WSOP Main Event winners Johnny Chan and Mansour Matloubi, 2009 Aussie Millions Main Event winner Stewart Scott, 2008 WPT Championship winner David Chiu, member of the 2009 "November Nine" James Akenhead, number one ranked Australian online player Jay SEABEAST Kinkade, 2008 WPT Borgata Open winner Vivek psyduck Rajkumar and Filipino poker icon Wally Sombero.

PokerStars.net Team Asia trio Dan Schreiber, Jonathan Lin and Raymond Wu are also in action today, as is Joel strongplay Dodds, who is chasing the unusual record of three successive 14th-place finishes in the APPT Macau Main Event.

The structure for today's play is:

Level 1: 50/100
Level 2: 100/200
Level 3: 100/200 (ante 25)
Level 4: 150/300 (ante 25)
Level 5: 200/400 (ante 50)
Level 6: 300/600 (ante 75)
Level 7: 400/800 (ante 75)
Level 8: 500/1000 (ante 100)


APPT Macau: Poker on the menu at world’s biggest gaming buffet

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Less than four years, it was almost unthinkable to envisage an international poker calendar that included stops such as Kyiv and Macau.

But just days after the opening event on season six of the PokerStars.net EPT wrapped up in the Ukrainian capital, the eyes of the poker world turn east for the first tournament on season three of the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour.

Welcome to the world's gaming capital, Macau and the stunning Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino for the next gripping chapter in the growth of poker in this fledgling poker region.
Macau is one of the two special administrative regions in the People's Republic of China - the other, Hong Kong, is about a 40km trip on one of the many high-speed ferry services that operate across this expanse of the South China Sea.

grandlisboa1.jpg

The Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino; venue for the 2009 APPT Macau

Home to 550,000 people, Macau is the world's most densely populated enclave and among the wealthiest cities on the planet, thanks to its 30 casinos which generate a staggering USD $17 billion each year.

So much has changed since we were here last year. This year's tournament is being held in the new "PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa" live poker room, right in the heart of Macau's casino row.

The design of the stunning 58-floor Grand Lisboa building is based on a bright yellow lotus leaf, making it the instantly identifiable in Macau and one of the most striking buildings anywhere in the world.

PokerStars Macau is the largest poker room in continental Asia with 33 tables and 24-hour cash games. The room has been packed to capacity every night throughout the APPT Macau Poker Festival, which started on August 15.

grandlisboa2.jpg

PokerStars.net Team Asia's Celina Lin has been tearing it up in the Macau Poker Cup series at PokerStars Macau

Last year's tournament was played against the backdrop of the global financial crisis, with Macau, and its heavy reliance on gaming revenue, in the direct firing line. Twelve months on, and the signs of recovery are everywhere. The cranes are again on the move across the city's skyline while the casinos are turning over more patacas/dollars/yuan than ever.

The first and last European colony in China, Macau returned to Chinese control on December 20, 1999 after more than 110 years under Portuguese control. Preparations are well underway for 10th birthday celebrations, which are already creating a buzz around town.

Three years since poker arrived in Macau thanks to the APPT, the game is establishing a firm foothold with terrific cash action at PokerStars Macau along with great fields in the preliminary events played last weekend, which included the first Limit Hold'em tournament ever played in Asia (and hosted by PokerStars Player Terrence Chan).

Players had a chance to let off some steam before the APPT Macau Main Event starts with hundreds packing The Grand Buffet at the Grand Lisboa for the traditional Welcome Party.

apptmacau1aparty.jpg

Party time at the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino

After an introduction from APPT President Jeffrey Haas, PokerStars qualifiers and scores of other players swarmed the buffet for a taste of the region's finest cuisine before rubbing shoulders with Team PokerStars Pros Joe Hachem and Bertrand ElkY Grospellier, members of PokerStars Team Australia and Team Asia and a gaggle of glamourous girls from FTV, who were in great demand for a quick pic.

But the last glass of champagne has been drained, the last piece of dim sum consumed and it's down to business - day 1A of the 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event starts at 12.15pm (GMT +8hrs) at PokerStars Macau in the Grand Lisboa Hotel and Casino.

And don't forget that you call follow all the APPT action at our Chinese (click here) and Japanese (click here) language blogs.


The Online Poker Show (5-12-09)

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Client-News-Thumbnail-dottv.jpgEver looked at the PokerStars Sunday Million results and thought: "I wonder what it takes to win one of those things?" Well, thanks to the wonders of modern technology - and no little amount of hard work from our friends over at pokerstars.tv (we keep them locked up in a room until they produce the goods) - you can see for yourself.

Each week they put together The Online Poker Show, allowing you to watch the thrills and spills of the Sunday Million final table, complete with hole cards showing and expert commentary so you can see just how the winner plays on his way to the best weekly online poker prize on the planet.

This week that prize - a rather pleasant $163,430.56 - went to NORCALonica after a four-way deal. Now settle back in your chair and watch the action below by clicking on the little white triangle thingy in the video. If you'd like to read about his victory first, then by all means take a look back at our Sunday Million final table report.


Watch Online Poker Show: Sunday Million - May 10, 2009 on PokerStars.tv

The Online Poker Show (3-29-09)

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Client-News-Thumbnail-dottv.jpgThe last Sunday of the month is always a blowout at PokerStars. Between the regular Sunday majors, the Turbo Takedown, and the Battle of the Planets triple shootout, it's hard to keep up with it all. Add to it that this weekend saw Team PokerStars Pro win the first All Star Week, and we'd understand if you weren't able to catch all the action.

Well, that's where we and the good folks at PokerStars.tv come in. Once again, we're happy to bring you another two episodes of The Online Poker Show

We're not going to spoil the outcome for you, but if you'd like to read along with the action, you can do it at either of the reports below.

3-29-09 Sunday Million final table report
3-29-09 Sunday Warm-Up final table report

Or, if you'd prefer to jump right in, we've got the videos right here for you.

Enjoy!


Watch Online Poker Show P1: Sunday Million - Mar 29, 2009 on PokerStars.tv



Watch Online Poker Show P2: Sunday WarmUp - Mar 29, 2009 on PokerStars.tv