PokerStars Macau Opens With Charity Tournament

PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, announced the opening of Macau’s first live poker room – PokerStars Macau. Housed in Macau’s prestigious Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino in Cotai, it will have a 250 person capacity and offer cash games as well as a robust weekly tournament calendar.

The newly appointed poker room will launch on May 23 with a No-Limit Texas Hold’em Charity Poker Tournament to raise money for the victims of the recent earthquake in Western China. Participants will compete for $150,000 HKD in prizes, including entries to the $25,000 HKD buy-in September 2008 APPT Macau, after making a charitable donation to participate. The suggested minimum donation is $2,000 HKD.

“PokerStars is committed to the development of poker in Asia” said Joe Hachem, Poker World Champion and member of Team PokerStars Pro. “Although Macau has overtaken Las Vegas as the gaming capital of the world, it was only with the incredible success of the Asia Pacific Poker tour last November that Texas Hold’em poker started growing there. PokerStars planted the seeds and now this beautiful Poker room is going to be the garden where future champions learn to play. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next World Champion comes from Macau or elsewhere in China.”

The charity event will be the first event of the “Macau Poker Cup” – a series of poker tournaments scheduled during the May 23-25 weekend, including a $1,000 HKD buy-in Deep-Stack event, the $10,000 buy-in Red Dragon event and the first of many satellites to the Asia Pacific Poker Tour’s second season’s events.

The full schedule for the Asia Pacific Poker Tour’s second season will be announced shortly, but will kick-off at Grand Waldo Casino with the September 1-6 APPT Macau Main Event, a $25,000 HKD buy-in No-Limit Hold’em poker tournament with a guarantee of $10,000,000 HKD.