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PokerStars Breaks Records, Named Among “Best Workplace in the UK”

PokerStars has come a long way from the setbacks that rocked the online poker network following last year’s Black Friday legal indictments. 2012 has seen the company rebounding from its troubles in a major way, breaking records and even earning the honour of being named one of the “Best Workplaces in the UK.”

The first achievement comes following the conclusion of the latest edition of PokerStars’ Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP). This year’s SCOOP paid out a total prize pool of $65,332,179 (topping 2010’s $64.2 million) across its 120 tournaments and 40 events, setting the record for the largest online poker tournament series to date. Broken into three bankroll levels, the 20120 SCOOP Main Event recorded 517 members at the High level ($10,300 buy-in), 3, 567 at Medium ($1,050 buy-in) and 22,128 players at Low ($109). These type of numbers — a total of more than 526,000 players overall — helped to break PokerStars’ SCOOP registrant numbers and establish the landmark record.

Adding to the massive success of this year’s SCOOP was the Great Place to Work Institute, a workplace assessment consulting firm, awarding PokerStars as one of the United Kingdom’s best workplaces. The Institute surveyed employees and performs “cultural audits”, scoring company results in credibility, pride, fairness and other factors against other businesses in their nation. PokerStars’ high rank came from the many developmental opportunities it offers employees, its diverse workforce and the generous number of employee benefits and perks it offers.

Team PokerStars Pro’s Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom Wins Big at 2012 SCOOP Tournament

Sweden’s Viktor Blom (who plays under the handle ‘Isildur1&rsquoWinking has been making a big name for himself in recent years. With his victory at the 2012 PokerStars’ Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) his career looks to be continuing on an upswing.

Blom took part in this year’s SCOOP as a member of Team PokerStars Pro, making good on his endorsement by winning two events and cashing out more than $407,000 in the process. This year’s edition of the massive online tournament series (which continues to run until Sunday, 20th May) features a total of forty tournament events that allows players of all bankroll sizes to compete — and win big prizes — according to their budget. Blom sat in on a Monday night medium buy-in (Event 2) and beat out more than 8,000 players throughout the $215 No Limit Hold ‘Em event. After cashing $247,200 from his first place win he went on to take down 485 competitors, winning $160,000, at the following evening’s high stakes buy-in (Event 3) No Limit Hold ‘Em 6 Max (with rebuys) event.

The 21 year-old Swedish player, now living in London, England, has had a great year at the tables. Earlier in 2012 Blom won $100,000 in the PCA High Roller tournament series. His recent wins have marked his current 2012 earnings at roughly $1.3 million. Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom plans to continue his meteoric rise to poker stardom by competing in his first World Series of Poker this summer where he is sure to be carefully watched by competitors and spectators alike.

PokerStars Reveals Plans to Launch New, Zoom Poker Style This Month

Fans of popular online poker network, PokerStars, will soon be able to enjoy a brand new way to play their favourite game as the network readies the launch of Zoom Poker. By emphasizing speed, Zoom lets players get the most out of their gaming team through a smart twist on traditional multi-table poker.

Zoom Poker has been heavily refined during the last few weeks through the PokerStars’ test server, but now it will be taking its next step toward coming to the main platform proper: allowing for real-money play. The new style takes notes from Full Tilt Poker’s Rush Poker mode, stressing fast, multi-table play that allows for more hands to be played per hour than any other poker variant. Zoom sees competitors joining a table and playing as much or as little of the ongoing game as they wish. If they choose to fold a hand, they’re moved to another table with an entirely new set of players. The extremely fast playstyle averages 200 hands per hour or more and is currently available in 6 max No Limit Hold ‘Em format (with future variations expected in the near future).

PokerStars currently plans to move Zoom Poker to the next stage of its beta testing sometime in the remaining weeks of March, a change that will let players to compete with real money. After further refinement, it seems likely that the new playstyle will find its way to the main site so it can be enjoyed by as many online poker players as possible.

PokerStars Reveals MicroMillions Tournament Series

Popular online poker network, PokerStars has just announced a brand new tournament series set to play out over the latter half of this month. MicroMillions, the series in question, comes complete with a guaranteed $5 million in cash and a huge number of exciting games for players to compete in.

Buy-ins to MicroMillions start from eleven cents and are offered alongside one dollar buy-in daily tournaments that come complete with $100,000 prize pools. Aside from these events, players are also able to compete in a large number of additional games with buy-ins set at amounts ranging from two to twenty two dollars. In all, PokerStars has prepared an enormous set of 100 events created to accommodate site members of all levels of skill and bankroll. With such a large number of tournaments to enter, games will be running non-stop throughout the promotional period. Regardless of their time-zone, players will be able to enter into Omaha, hold ‘em, stud and other varieties of poker whenever they wish.

Team PokerStars player Lex Veldhuis released a statement praising MicroMillions, describing how the events “actually [offer] players [with low bankrolls] the chance to be a part of a great tournament series” and provide a great complement to “all the different tournament festivals that PokerStars offers.” PokerStars’ MicroMillions tournament series will begin on Thursday, 15th March and end on Sunday, 25th March with a $22 buy-in $1 million guaranteed main event.

PokerStars Launches Mobile App, Secures New License for European Sites

Playing online poker has just become a lot more convenient with the UK introduction of PokerStars mobile application. British poker fans will now be able to download a version of the popular virtual poker network that allows them to experience the same access to a wide suite of games that was previously only available via computer.

PokerStars Mobile has already launched and can be downloaded by owners of either Android or iOS devices. The app comes complete with portable versions of fan favourites like Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Texas Hold ‘Em and a variety of sit-and-go and multi-table tournaments. Players can choose to compete in either fake or real money games as well, the Director of New Platforms for PokerStars’ UK division stating that PokerStars Mobile is “the best, authentic poker experience available for mobile devices today.” Each feature has been carefully optimized for handheld gadgets (like smartphones, tablets and more) so that players can enjoy a traditional PokerStars experience without any slowdown or navigation issues.

In other exciting European news, PokerStars has also revealed that it will soon be able to launch revised domains in both Sweden and Finland. After being given a Malta Lotteries and Gaming Commission license, PokerStars will be able to add to its recently improved Belgian site with updated software that lets Swedish and Finnish poker fans enter into untaxed online poker games. A statement detailing the licensing change assured players from these nations that their accounts will transfer without the loss of loyalty points, cash balances or any other valuable information.

PokerStars Announces the 5th Edition of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour

Online poker network PokerStars has just announced the return of its prestigious Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT). Now in its fifth year, the APPT has become a massive success, well-regarded by professionals as a worthwhile showcase and by amateurs one of the most exciting series to watch.

PokerStars has produced one of the poker world’s biggest events with their yearly Asia Pacific Poker Tour and the upcoming edition looks to continue the series’ trend of attracting talented players, eager to make their name in the industry. The details released for the 2012 APPT thus far have revealed that it will consist of five events (taking place from 7th to 11th March) across Asia, with Seoul, South Korea confirmed as one of the stops. The APPT will feature a $2,600 buy-in main event and the return of 2008’s winner, Yoshihiro Tasaka of Japan — a player who has helped to build poker’s popularity in his home country and Korea..

A PokerStars statement detailed how “poker in Korea and Asia overall has grown immensely since Tasaka’s victory” and forecasted a “record field” for this year’s events. The press release also promised the launch of APPT prize packages and satellite games set to come to PokerStars in the near future. The 2012 Asia Pacific Poker Tour will be held at international locations including Seoul, South Korea’s Paradise Walkerhill Casino and will run from 7th to 11th March, 2012.

PokerStars Announces Upcoming Record Breaking Attempt

PokerStars, not content with its current status as one of the best known names in the online poker industry, is looking to drum up a little extra publicity by attempting a new world record. It’s currently preparing to host a massive set of tournaments that will surpass the scale of anything yet carried out by a virtual poker provider.

The company has already set impressive records in the past: in 2009 PokerStars made its mark by holding the world’s largest online poker tournament. This event attracted 149,196 players through a $1 buy-in and rewarded a German competitor with $50,000 for taking first place. Now PokerStars wants to one-up its previous best with an enormous no-limit hold’em tournament meant to help celebrate its tenth anniversary as a digital poker network. In order to attract as many players as possible, PokerStars is offering up a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool and an additional $50,000 in reserve for the event’s first place winner.

PokerStars’ no-limit hold’em tournament is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 4th December, starting in the late afternoon and featuring another $1 buy-in. Team PokerStars Pro member, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier told press that he was excited to take place in the site’s previous record breaking tournament and is “looking forward to doing it again on December 4 . . . and [seeing] so many players come together to make history once again.”

PokerStars Launches Multi-Table “Time Tourney” Tournaments

It’s always great to see a well known online poker network work to innovate its line-up of play styles and PokerStars, with its new tournament style, is looking to do just that. Time Tourneys, a line-up of multi-table tournament offerings, brings members of the site a new range of options for every level of bankroll.

Fans of multi-table play will be excited to find the new tournament style, only just launched through PokerStars. Time Tourneys are set up much like standard multi-table tournaments but feature a crucial difference: a set time period. PokerStars hopes to encourage faster play by limiting the time available in the tournament style, splitting the available prize pool at the end of a session (with amounts being paid out in proportion to stack size). Game lengths currently range from 15 to 180 minutes in order to give players as brief or as lengthy of an experience as they desire. In the press release detailing Time Tourneys, PokerStars described their aim to let “players [fit] in a Time Tourney over breakfast, in a lunch over or over the course of an evening.” The new format is also meant to be inclusive for every level of player, buy-ins starting from as low as one dollar.

To help promote its new tournament style, PokerStars has also announced the addition of Time Tourney to its Saturday Line-Up. The Saturday edition of the multi-tables have a $10,000 prize guarantee, $22 buy-in and a 120 minute time limit. Time Tourneys are available now and can be found through PokerStars’ lobby.

PokerStars Team Online Signs Denmark’s Mikey “mement_mori” Petersen

PokerStars has just bulked up its roster of sponsored poker professionals by signing a new player to its PokerStars Team Online line-up. The latest addition to the team, Mickey Petersen, adds some serious talent to the company and should help PokerStars to grab some more notoriety in the future.

Mickey Petersen (who plays as ‘mement_mori’ on PokerStars) is well known by Denmark’s poker community — the nation he calls home — due to the fact that he currently holds the title of “top-ranked multi-table tournament player” in the nation. The sponsored competitor, who first became interested in card-based games through a love for playing Magic: The Gathering, has banked an enormous sum of money throughout his career (reportedly an amount in excess of four million dollars) and is best known for his proficiency at online-based poker. One of his most noteworthy accomplishments has been Petersen’s performance at the 2010 Spring Championship of Online Poker, a series wherein he netted roughly $300,000 over 16 cashes.

It isn’t surprising that Petersen was signed by PokerStars, given how impressive his career to date has been. Mickey “mement_mori” Petersen’s incredible talent at online poker play should help to boost the reputation of PokerStars Team Online throughout the length of his sponsorship. As Petersen himself says, “hopefully I’ll be able to build on my resume and promote both PokerStars.com and the game in a positive light.”

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PokerStars Signs on as Poker in the Park V Sponsor

The upcoming, fifth instalment of England’s Poker in the Park celebration is fast approaching and, now, a new sponsorship deal has been announced by online poker network, PokerStars. The UK arm of the popular company has told press that it will be acting as a key sponsor to the early autumn event.

Poker in the Park V has signed on as the official sponsor behind the festival’s main stage event, perhaps the most highly anticipated part of the gathering. The main stage line-up plans to have a little something for everyone, from a swing band performance to exhibition matches from renowned chess players (like the current Master and Grand Master, Malcolm Pein and Simon Williams respectively) and the chance for audience members to take on celebrities in games of heads-up poker. PokerStars will also be sponsoring the British Poker Awards, a ceremony set to be awarded through online ballot taking. Aside from the main stage, Poker in the Park V will also see the return of numerous heads-up and sit and go tournaments for attendees to compete in. The event it also expected to be filled with brand new electronic tables to play on and great deals on branded poker merchandise.

Poker in the Park V will take place at Hanover Square (in London) on Friday, 2nd and Saturday, 3rd September. The event, organized and promoted by Lyceum Events, is currently predicted to pull in roughly 20,000 poker enthusiasts, all ready to celebrate their favourite game.

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PokerStars Celebrates Dealing its 65 Billionth Hand

Despite a troublesome summer, massive online poker network, PokerStars, has just given its staff and fans something positive to celebrate. The good news comes in the form of the company just achieving a milestone business record — more than 65 billion hands dealt.

The landmark, 65 billionth hand was dealt on Sunday, 24th July and provided a lucky player with an unexpected reward. 24-year old New Zealander, Christopher “yllams” Small is just another PokerStars member that was fortunate enough to be sitting down to play at the game wherein the 65 billionth hand was dealt. Small received $68,420 while competing in a six-maximum, no limit game (with $0.10/$0.25 stakes) and winning the landmark hand. He had begun playing earlier in the day, hoping that his timing would pay off when, after several hours, Small received a message explaining that he was currently sitting at the 65 billionth hand table. The good luck continued as Small currently held an ace/king and the flop revealed two more aces, giving him the chance he needed to come out triumphant at the five person table.

PokerStars has been in business for close to ten years and has always sought to give back to its players when history-making landmarks have been reached. Last March, when the network achieved 60 billion hands, it rewarded the winning hand’s player with more than $102,000 in cash.

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PokerStars Details American Player Refunds

The legal scandals that rocked the online poker world over the previous months continue to bring vast ramifications to both affected players and businesses. Most recently PokerStars, one of the industry’s most popular gaming networks, has begun to release details of its plans to reimburse members of its site impacted by its decision to halt American operations.

PokerStars’ most notable action to come is in refunding more than $100 million to United States-based players. After the scandal first hit the company, PokerStars abruptly pulled out of its American operations on 20th April, leaving a vast number of site members to wonder what would become of any money bankrolled at the site during this time. Although many of PokerStars’ non-American sites are still in operation, the company was forced to stop service after the United States FBI indicted founder Isai Scheinberg on money laundering, gambling and bank fraud charges. These legal actions lead to a domain name seizure and, ultimately, a corporate decision to shut down American servers. Now PokerStars is working to navigate the legal red tape that previously made player refunds possible, all in an effort to get its business back on track.

PokerStars isn’t the only American poker site reeling from legal troubles either. Full Tilt Poker has also been greatly affected and is working to address customers in a similar manner to PokerStars, recently announcing its ongoing work toward refunding player funds. While Full Tilt has been unable to offer money back to its customers yet, it has released statements detailing its work at doing so.

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PokerStars Announces Changes to 2011 Spring Championship of Online Poker

PokerStars, now getting close to the launch of its massive Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) tournament series, has just announced a few new details regarding the upcoming event. Due to the legal indictments currently being handled by the website’s American operations, some substantial changes have been planned.

The biggest news surrounding PokerStars throughout the last several weeks has been its United States legal troubles, something that is having a bearing on the company’s upcoming SCOOP. While British and Irish players will still be able to compete in SCOOP, the loss of American competitors has forced PokerStars to drop the previous $45 million guaranteed prize pool to $25 million. In another move meant to shift the focus of the SCOOP to European players event times have also been moved back by three hours. Aside from these changes, SCOOP will still be running as previously planned. PokerStars’ SCOOP Leaderboard is going to be available, as detailed before, and will award top competitors with 2011 World Championship of Online Poker, 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure or Grand Final of the European Poker Tour prize packages.

PokerStars’ 2011 Spring Championship of Online Poker is scheduled to take place beginning Sunday, 8th May at 3pm and ending on Sunday, 22nd May through a $10,300 high level buy-in no-limit hold ‘em main event (with $5 million prize pool). The tournament series’ $25 million will be awarded throughout a total of 38, three-set events throughout this month.

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PokerStars Debuts Game of Your Life Freeroll Promotion

A brand new freeroll has just been launched at PokerStars, giving talented players an ideal avenue for bulking up their bankroll without dropping a penny for entry. Game of Your Life has already started and will go on for most of the spring with regular daily and weekly freerolls up for offer.

Game of Your Life is set to run throughout the majority of April and May and has promised to provide a total of one million dollars in cash prizes. Aside from fantastic monetary rewards, the promo will also award its final two winners with prize packages that send them to a sports event of their choice anywhere in the world (a trip valued at roughly $100,000). Talented competitors will be able to enter daily tournaments and freeroll finals every Sunday evening (with the first taking place on 17th April) and battle it out for the chance at their share of $100,000. The final promo events will be held on 22nd May and, in order to bring the entire series to an appropriate conclusion, winners are set to receive $10,000 along with further sports event packages.

Those players that are lucky enough to win a sports package will receive seats to their event of choice along with free accommodations, travel expenses and the ability to invite as many of their friends as they wish. PokerStars’ Game of Your Life is divided by region but the massive cash rewards and sports event trips are all up for grabs by skilled players from any of the nations supported by the website.

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PokerStars Gets Ready to Celebrate Its 60 Billionth Hand

The immensely popular online poker network, PokerStars, is almost about to make internet history as it gears up to mark a landmark 60 billion hands dealt. A huge number of active members have made PokerStars the web’s biggest online gaming success and now it’s just about to reach an incredible achievement that will set a new record for its industry.

All of the poker site’s players will be able to share in the celebration as the 60 billionth hand looms on the horizon. PokerStars is giving back to the community that has made its accomplishment possible through the Road to 60 Billion promotion, set to begin once hand number 59.7 billion is hit. The Road to 60 Billion will award $50 in cash to each player that participates in every 100 millionth Milestone Hand after the 59.7 billion mark is reached. PokerStars will also be giving an additional $50 for every VIP point that members have earned over their previous 50 hands. Even better yet, the player that wins the cash hand will have their awarded prize money doubled.

PokerStars marked its 50 billionth hands dealt roughly half a year ago and is expected to go on to hit 60 billion in the near future. Fans of the online poker network that want to help their favourite site celebrate — and try their luck at winning some great cash prizes — should log on immediately for their chance to win at the Road to 60 Billion promo.

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PokerStars Offers Qualifiers for the Greek Poker Cup

PokerStars intends to give its members a great opportunity to compete in the upcoming Greek Poker Cup (GPC) through a series of online qualifiers. The free qualifiers, now on offer at PokerStars, are open for registered players at the site and provide the chance to win seats into the GPC’s main event.

The Greek Poker Cup’s historic venue and PokerStars have recently become business partners and members of the popular poker platform will benefit, most noticeably, with the chance to compete at the GPC for free. PokerStars has announced that it penned a deal with Club Hotel Casino Loutraki that sees both parties organizing the Greek Poker Cup, the largest live tournament series ever to take place in Greece, for this spring.

The GPC is a no-limit Texas hold’em event that will give some 200 players the opportunity to duke it out for fantastic prizes and a greater level of exposure in the international poker community. The series will feature a €1,100 buy-in and is expected to draw the Greek poker world’s top players, giving them the leverage they need to become better known outside of the nation.

The Greek Poker Cup is scheduled to take place from 24th March through to 27th March at the Club Hotel Casino Loutraki and has been developed in partnership between the casino and PokerStars. Club Hotel Casino Loutraki, located just outside of Athens, is equipped with 14 tables and is one of the most influential (and scenic) gaming hubs in Greece, being the first Greek casino to offer Texas hold’em to its visitors.

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PokerStars Reveals Brand New Live Poker Series — the Eureka Poker Tour

PokerStars has enjoyed incredible success with its sponsorship and creation of live and online poker events and now, with its announcement of a brand new tour — the Eureka Poker Tour (EPT — it looks to continue this focus of its business.

The Eureka Poker Tour will begin in Prague, Czech Republic on 16 March. The EPT Prague stop will take place over four days of tournaments and feature a main prize pool that is estimated at roughly €250,000. Further stops of the EPT will include locations in countries including Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia, demonstrating a focus on Eastern Europe that should help to provide popularity in a region of the continent that lacks similar events. Buy-ins to the EPT will start from as low as €800 and fields for each of the tour’s events will be limited to roughly 500 players. PokerStars has confirmed that each leg will be comprised of several tournaments that include a full range of side events.

Online qualifiers (with buy-ins from as low as €2) have also been announced that will give PokerStars members a chance to gain access to any of the EPT’s stops. The Eureka Poker Tour begins at the Card Casino in Prague before moving on to Nova Gorica in Slovenia (11 May), Varna’s Golden Sands in Bulgaria (22 June), an unspecified venue in Croatia (7 September) and a leg in Romania at an as-of-yet unscheduled time and place.

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PokerStars Reveals the Identity of ‘Isildur1’, Signs New Team PokerStars Pro Members

For some time now, ‘Isildur1’ has been a mysterious presence in the professional poker world, winning events and defeating major competitors in heads-up games without ever revealing his real identity. After he signed to Team PokerStars Pro last month and played a recent, live game, however, PokerStars finally lifted the veil and published his true name along with news of its most recent Team acquisitions.

PokerStars, in an announcement of its newest signings, revealed that ‘Isildur1’ is actually a 20 year-old Swedish man named Viktor Blom. As Blom arrived to play at the recent PokerStars.com Caribbean Adventure $10,000 Buy-In Main Event he was immediately identified as the mysterious ‘Isildur1’. PokerStars later confirmed. Not to be overshadowed by Blom’s big reveal, PokerStars also announced that recent World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event winner, Jonathan Duhamel, has been added to the Team PokerStars Pro roster. 23 year-old Duhamel hails from Quebec, Canada and joined the Team alongside Blom after his incredible WSOP performance caught the site’s eye. Duhamel took home roughly $8.9 million after beating out America’s John Racener, becoming the first Canadian to win the event in WSOP history.

Both Jonathan Duhamel and Viktor Blom are serious forces to be reckoned with and their signing is sure to add to the success of Team PokerStars Pro as the season continues. It’s been a big week for PokerStars and the excitement looks to continue as Blom and Duhamel, two of the most promising young players in poker, begin to play games under the website’s sponsorship.

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Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer Announces Departure from Team PokerStars Pro

Team PokerStars Pro is the home of some of the poker world’s finest players but now, with the departure of Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer, the site’s collection of professionals has lost one of its best.

Raymer, a 46 year-old American, recently announced his decision to leave PokerStars’ sponsorship on a poker forum, surprising many industry observers and fans. He was one of the founding members of the popular website’s team of pros and has achieved more than $6.8 million in live earnings throughout his career. One of his most recent victories saw Raymer finishing third out of 201 competitors at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) and finishing the series with $774,927 in earnings. Trouble became apparent when Greg Raymer’s profile was found missing from the PokerStars team site. He later made a forum thread announcing his departure and went on to confirm his split through a Twitter post. Fellow poker pro, Kathy Liebert, has alleged that Raymer’s decision came about after PokerStars offered to renew his existing contract but with a lower rate (as part of an overall move to reduce spending on sponsorship deals for Team PokerStars Pro).

Greg Raymer is a former lawyer that became a successful poker player after he competed in the 2001 WSOP’s $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Split event. Three years later he attended the World Series of Poker again, taking down David Williams in the main event and bringing home approximately five million dollars.

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PokerStars Releases First Details for Upcoming Latin American and Australia and New Zealand Poker Tours

Pokerstars, one of the online poker industry’s leading gaming platforms, has just announced preliminary details that outline its forthcoming Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT). The fourth edition of its much-anticipated tournament series is also accompanied by the third season of the Australia and New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT).

The latest LAPT is set to kick-off on 16th February, 2011 with its first leg being scheduled to take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The series will continue on through Peru, Chile and Argentina before coming to a conclusion in Bogota on 7th August, marking the first time that the tournament has made a stop in Columbia’s capital city. Each of these legs features $1,000 buy-ins and will be joined by the LAPT Awards (which recognizes the best player performances).

Alongside the first look at the upcoming Latin American Poker Tour, PokerStars also accompanied its announcement by providing details for the third season of its Australia and New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT). ANZPT will get started from 2nd-6th February in Adelaide and then move through locations that include Perth, Canberra, Queenstown, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney. The ANZPT will also feature a Player of the Year competition that rewards PokerStars players with the highest-points scored throughout the tournament period with sponsorship packages for games at the Asia Pacific Poker Tour and either the PokerStars.com Caribbean Adventure or Aussie Millions Main Event.

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PokerStars Announces Restrictions on Chinese Player’s Accounts

PokerStars, being one of the world’s most successful online poker networks, has had to deal with its share of cheaters over the years. Now, with its recent move to restrict the activity of Chinese players at its tables, it has taken some of its most drastic steps to date to protect its players — and itself.

The new restriction at PokerStars has put a limit on tables, allowing only one player from China to compete at any single ring game table. This step, a fairly drastic one that is sure to draw criticism, was come to by PokerStars due to their fear of the site being the victim of collusion — a term that refers to the creation of secret fraudulent conspiracies. PokerStars is not acting entirely without warrant; in late August of this year illegal activity was being conducted at double or nothing games by several China-based players and, in response to this, PokerStars paid out $2.1 million in damages to affected players. This discovery (and financial hit) lead to PokerStars placing a similar player restriction on sit and go tournaments.

PokerStars has been steadfast about its decision to restrict the number of Chinese players at tables thus far but public criticism could sway the new policy in time. Spokespeople from PokerStars have stated that the new policy is the most effective method for maintaining the site’s integrity.
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PokerStars Hosts the Seventh Annual World Cup of Poker

PokerStars’ sixth World Cup of Poker (WCOP) was a massive success, bringing in poker competitors from across the globe and drumming up plenty of publicity for the organizing company. Now PokerStars has enjoyed yet another highly profitable event with the conclusion of last weekend’s seventh annual WCOP preliminaries.

The latest edition of the WCOP saw participation from players in 56 different nations and tough competition fuelled by a $290,000 cash prize pool. Each region was given the opportunity to advance in teams of four to the top spots in the tournament series. The best seven teams played a divisional qualifying round then were chosen for advancement to an upcoming live finale. Along with being financially rewarded for their success, these lucky seven teams were invited to the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas with PokerStars handling their expenses and accommodation costs. This last step will establish the winner of the 2010 WCOP, providing them with $100,000 and, of course, serious bragging rights.

With PokerStars’ World Cup of Poker continuing to gain steam with each and every instalment, we can look forward to yet another grand tournament next year. For now, the live finale events in the Bahamas is exciting enough; the winners of the 9th to 16th January’s World Cup of Poker VII Main Event will take home $100,000, glory for their nation and the Champion title.

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PokerStars Releases Full Schedule for British and Irish Regional Championships of Online Poker

PokerStars’ Regional Championships of Online Poker (RCOOP) continues to heat up around the world with the announcement of the international tournament series’ upcoming UK and Ireland leg. Details of the British and Irish RCOOP edition have been released from PokerStars and they’re sure to impress prospective players.

The upcoming RCOOP stop has been scheduled for early December and will come with a minimum $512,500 guaranteed prize pool. PokerStars has set up a total of eleven events that begin on 5th December via a $55 buy-in no-limit re-buy six max tournament (with a $40,000 guaranteed prize pool). The kick-off day will also feature a $215 buy-in pot-limit Omaha hi-lo event (with a $10,000 guaranteed prize pool) and continue on with a 6th December no-limit double chance set (with a $25,000 prize pool). PokerStars’ RCOOP stays in Britain and Ireland through until 12th December’s main events: a massive, $320 buy-in pot-limit Omaha tournament ($25,000 guaranteed) and $520 buy-in no-limit event ($150,000). Every one of the days, from kick-off to finale, also comes packed with great tournament games and enormous prize pools.

As with all other legs of the event, the UK and Ireland RCOOP will be open only to legal residents of the host nations. British and Irish players should be sure to enter now for a chance at taking home some of the prize money on offer from PokerStars’ Regional Championships of Online Poker.

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PokerStars Announces Its Upcoming, International Poker Tournament

Inspired by the success of its recent World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), PokerStars is at it again with another massive event that looks to get the whole world playing online. The Regional Championships of Online Poker has just been announced by PokerStars and it features a grand scope that is sure to drum up excitement for the international online poker community.

PokerStars’ Regional Championships of Online Poker (RCOOP) will consist of 13 tournaments that will play out across the globe (with full multi-lingual chat room support) and an enormous guaranteed prize pool of seven million dollars total. Each of the tournaments will consist of eleven events that are open to players within set international regions. The first leg of the RCOOP will kick off on 31st October and be available to residents of nations such as Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and more. Events continue in Nordic and Baltic countries on 4th November and will move to Germany, Spain, the UK and North America throughout the rest of the year.

Buy-ins will be set to accommodate a wide variety of bankrolls and PokerStars has also announced that a satellite series will accompany the tournament series. With such a large cash guarantee and comprehensive entry guidelines the RCOOP looks to be a great way to bring lucrative online poker play to audiences that are often overlooked in virtual series.

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PokerStars Signs Liv Boeree as Newest Member of Its Pro Team

One of the fastest growing stars in the professional poker world, Liv Boeree, is now the newest member of Team PokerStars Pro. PokerStars has just announced the addition of Boeree to their roster of professional players, taking her on as a team member fresh off her latest victory at the European Poker Tour’s San Remo leg.

Throughout the last several years Liv “The Iron Maiden” Boeree has become one of the most recognizable faces in the poker world. A 26 year old former model and actress, Boeree was previously working under the sponsorship of Ultimate Bet and has enjoyed the bulk of her success during her affiliation with the online casino and poker network. Now Boeree belongs to Team PokerStars Pro and will make her first appearance as a member of the team at the upcoming £5,000 buy-in European Poker Tour London stop. Boeree is a graduate of the University of Manchester, a heavy metal guitarist and a noted player with over €2.3 million in career earnings and cashes over 26 major tournaments.

PokerStars has likely made a great decision by signing Liv Boeree as one of its players and brand representatives. Last April, Boeree emerged triumphant at the European Poker Tour’s San Remo tournament, cashing €1.25 million and furthering her reputation as one of the most watched young female players in the game.

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PokerStars Deals 50 Billionth Hand, Celebrates by Giving Back to Players

PokerStars , one of the internet’s most successful poker networks, recently dealt its 50,000,000,000th hand and celebrated the occasion by rewarding a number of players with cash prizes. One lucky member, the winner of the 50 billionth hand, stands out from the rest, taking home over $56,000 in cash and a place in PokerStars history.

The celebrations at PokerStars gave online poker players a great incentive to log onto the popular website and vie for their chance at hitting the jackpot. As part of its 50 billionth hand promotion, PokerStars had detailed plans to provide the winner of the benchmark turn with an enormous cash prize. The lucky winner, ‘tbvle’, played at a micro-stakes no-limit hold’em table against five competitors and ultimately won with pocket queens. tbvle was only playing in a $0.02/$0.05 hand but ended up ending the game with a $50,500 reward last Wednesday, 22nd September. Aside from the preliminary prize, tbvle was also awarded with an additional $5,640 (an amount based on the points he had earned throughout his previous 50 hands) to make for a total of more than $56,186.

PokerStars spread the love to the rest of the site members at tbvle’s table as well, providing $500 in cash and an extra $500/points gained in their last 50 hands to each. All winners were also gifted free entry to PokerStars’ upcoming World Championship of Online Poker (a $5,200 value).

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PokerStars and Partners Unveil Details of First Ever National Mexican Poker Tournament

PokerStars has partnered with other leading industry corporations to bring Mexico its first ever nation-wide poker tournament. Along with equipment manufacturer, PokerTek Incorporated and Spanish gaming company, Cirsa Gaming Corporation SA, PokerStars has organized a fantastic event that will bring plenty of excitement to the nation when the tournament launches late this summer.

The Life Poker Championship is set to take place at the end of the month at Cirsa’s CasinoLife Del Valle in Mexico City and it will feature a celebrity charity event (hosted by Mexican TV star, Monika Sanchez) and a number of great cash tables and enormous prizes. The tournament will make use of ten PokerPro tables (donated by PokerTek), feature software from PokerTek and will be lead up to by a series of PokerStars.net qualifier tournaments. PokerStars currently projects that the tournament will draw over 300 players and provide exceptional exposure for PokerTek, PokerStars and Cirsa. It is planned for live television broadcast throughout Mexico and will see Mexican Team PokerStars Pro player, Angel Guillen making a presence at the tables and around the casino.

Aside from great poker play, the aforementioned celebrity charity event at Life Poker also aims to raise $8,000 for the Mayan Sanchez Foundation, a group that provides assistance for special needs children. PokerStars, Cirsa and PokerTek will host the Life Poker Championship from Mexico City from 18 August to 22 August, 2010.

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Women’s League Poker Announced by PokerStars

Female poker players make up a large presence in the sport— taking titles at some of the industry’s biggest events and acting as important sponsors for various  websites, teams and competitions. With the launch of PokerStars Women’s Poker League female players are being given another great venue for enjoying competition against their colleagues in the game.

The PokerStars Women’s Poker League gives amateur and professional female players the ability to enter into ladies-only competitions that provide great rewards. The renowned poker website has already begun to announce some of the prizes that will be available through the Women’s Poker League schedule, detailing the launch of new daily tournaments and a lucrative points system. PokerStars will feature twice-daily tournaments (at 1.10pm and 9.10pm) with low buy-ins (starting at $5.50) and regular cash and point prize pools. All League entrants receive one point just for playing, an additional five points for cashing and upwards of 20 points for reaching the final table. The woman with the most points at the end of each month will receive either $300 or €200 and the top 50 players will also receive an unspecified monetary reward.

PokerStars has made the Women’s Poker League available to both North American and European players by breaking the new league into US dollar and Euro divisions. The PokerStars Women’s Poker League also gives members access to a yearly competition and satellite tournaments that grant entry to PokerStars numerous live events.

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PokerStars’ Peter Eastgate, Youngest Ever WSOP Champion, Quits Poker

Poker fans were amazed by 22 year old Peter Eastgate’s performance at the 2008 World Series of Poker when he took not only the title of Main Event champion but also became the youngest player to do so. Now, less than two years after setting the record, Eastgate is shocking industry spectators again by announcing that he’s retiring from professional poker.

Eastgate hails from Denmark and became an instant star after defeating Russia’s Ivan Demidov at the 2008 WSOP and cashing over nine million dollars. His win broke the previous record for youngest WSOP champion held by Phil Hellmuth (who triumphed in 1989 when he was only 24 years old) and also gave Eastgate access to the lucrative sponsorship opportunities that led to his signing with Team PokerStars Pro. Despite a career that continued to demonstrate a profound level of talent, Eastgate recently announced that he has lost his motivation for playing professional poker. Stating that his goal was always just to become financially independent, Eastgate now feels that the poker world has little left for him.

Neither PokerStars nor Eastgate have spoken to press as to the young player’s future plans but, for better or worse, they won’t include the world of professional poker. Peter Eastgate has only commented that he wants to “. . . try to focus on Peter Eastgate the person” rather than on his career in cards.

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Two New Players Join the Team PokerStars Pro Roster

Team PokerStars Pro has added two new members to its prestigious line-up of players. David Williams and Vanessa Selbst mark the two most recent professionals to sign on with PokerStars , both players bringing years of experience and talent to the team.  

Selbst, a Brooklyn, New York native and current Yale Law School student, is only 25 years old and comes to the PokerStars line-up with an impressive resume. Her credentials include roughly $1.5 million in live tournament wins, a World Series of Poker bracelet and impressive showings at various other international events.

Williams, 30 years old and a Texas native, entered the poker world in earnest in 2004 when he made a splash at that year’s World Series of Poker by fighting his way all the way through PokerStars online satellites and to the main event where he nearly won against Greg Raymer. Williams has raked millions of dollars, a bracelet at the 2006 WSOP and titles from high profile events including the World Championship of Online Poker and the 2010 World Poker Tour’s $25,000 Championship.

The roster of professionals at Team PokerStars Pro is sure to benefit from the addition of Williams and Selbst’s combined skill. The website has revealed that David Williams will play under the handle “Dwilliams” and that Vanessa Selbst will use “V.Selbst” for her online sessions.

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PokerStars Opens Satellite Series for the Upcoming EPT Tallinn

Amateur poker players looking to break into a professional event will be happy to learn that PokerStars has just revealed its newest satellite series— and a great prize package for its winners. By providing entry to the upcoming EPT Tallinn premier, PokerStars are giving many hopefuls the chance to compete in one of the largest (and most lucrative) poker events to hit the Baltic region.

The satellite qualifying tournaments for EPT Tallinn have already kicked off with PokerStars recently accepting new entries (at as little as €5.45/250 Frequent Player Points) and outlining prize packages. Just under 50 players have already won their way to EPT Tallinn through PokerStars ’ satellites and the recent PokerStars Baltic Adventure but there are still spots for determined players. Those that are able to triumph in the EPT Tallinn satellite will win a €6,000 value prize package that includes Main Event buy-in, a full week of accommodations and a further €770 in spending cash.

Those that win the satellite will still have to face some tough opponents if they want to make a mark in Estonia however. Team PokerStars Pro members and notable professionals (including Katja Thater, Carter Phillips, Max Lykov, Kevin MacPhee and more) have already signed up to take part in the event.

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PokerStars North American Poker Tour Adds Scheduling Details

The PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) has already made waves throughout the continent with its massive prize pools and fierce competition. Now the next event in the series has been announced, bringing the tournament to California and giving PokerStars site members another chance to gain entry.

PokerStars has started to reveal details of the next stop scheduled in its NAPT series, outlining information for this fall’s Los Angeles tour leg. The industry giant has announced that Southern California’s The Bicycle Casino will act as the venue for the fourth event in the NAPT. From 12 November through to 17 November, 2010, poker players will flock to the city to compete in either the $5,000 Buy-In Main Event or a wide variety of side events that have been designed to accommodate any size of bankroll. Team PokerStars Pro, Daniel Negreanu told press of his excitement to compete against California’s local players and the thrill that comes with being part of an event that draws in undiscovered talent from the LA poker community.

As always, PokerStars will be giving its fans the chance to get in on the NAPT excitement through a series of qualifiers and other site-hosted events. The PokerStars North American Poker Tour has previously enjoyed successful events this year as tournaments took place during January (at the Atlantis in Bahamas), February (at Las Vegas’ The Venetian) and, most recently, in April (at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut).

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Finnish Poker Player, Ville Wahlbeck, Signs to Team PokerStars Pro

The prestigious Team PokerStars Pro has just gained its newest member with the signing of Finnish player, Ville Wahlbeck. PokerStars, one of the most popular online poker websites in the gaming industry, officially announced the addition of Wahlbeck to the team recently and will be promoting him at the upcoming PokerStars.com Baltic Festival.

Wahlbeck is thirty-four years old and has become the first Finnish poker player to join PokerStars’ famous team of professional competitors. Hailing from Helsinki, Wahlbeck has made a name for himself through six outstanding years of professional level play. He finally caught the notice of PokerStars when he took down 193 competitors to win a World Series of Poker bracelet, becoming Finland’s first player to do so, and earning a $492,384 cash prize. His performance at the WSOP also saw Wahlbeck cashing six times, receiving over a million dollars, and becoming the runner-up for the title of WSOP Player of the Year.

Team PokerStars Pro is composed of some of the biggest names in the poker world and Wahlbeck now stands alongside celebrities such as Joe Cada, Daniel Negreanu and Vanessa Rousso. Ville Wahlbeck’s first appearance under PokerStars’ sponsorship will be at upcoming the PokerStars.com Baltic Festival in Tallinn, Estonia. In the 2009 edition of the same event, Wahlbeck won $52,000 at the high roller event.

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WCOOP Schedule Announced by PokerStars

It’s getting close again to that time of year when online poker players get ready for the biggest virtual event of the season, the World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP). Now the WCOOP schedule has been announced with tentative dates and outlines for the events and timeline players and fans can expect for this year.

The current schedule will see the WCOOP adding twelve brand new events to the line-up, bringing the prize money guarantee to a formidable $40 million. A total of 45 events will kick off with the $215 Buy-in No Limit Hold ‘Em Six-Max event ($1.25 guarantee) on September 3
rd at 2.30pm EST. Later that day the schedule continues with a $215 Razz tournament ($200,000 guarantee) before September 4th hosts a $215 Pot-Limit Omaha Six-Max game ($500,000 guarantee), a No-Limit Single Draw 2-7 tournament and a $109 Buy-in Eight Game competition ($50,000 guarantee).

With the 2009 World Championships of Online Poker bringing in over 20,000 players, the added events (and prize money) should help to guarantee an even greater showing for PokerStars and co.. The decision for PokerStars to accept fan suggestions and comments before the September 16
th, 19th and 20th final events will also play a large part in keeping the monumental Championship viable for years to come, showing a commitment to improvement and player interaction not yet demonstrated in other tournaments.

Justin Bonomo Secures Win in PokerStars Super Tuesday

PokerStars Super Tuesday is one of the biggest recurring tournaments in online poker and is consistently filled with talented and ambitious players. The second last week of July saw one of these determined contestants rise to the top of the pack, winning plenty of cash (and bragging rights) thanks to some excellent playing and a few spots of good fortune.

Justin Bonomo (who goes by the handle, “ZeeJustin&rdquoWinking went up against a number of other PokerStars members in order to secure a stunning victory at the tables. Of the 389 entrants to the Super Tuesday event Bonomo managed to emerge triumphant, making his way to the final table as chip leader (with 344,256 to the second highest player’s 256,900 chips) and holding the position through until the end of the game. With a 3-1 chip lead, Bonomo went heads up against contender, Mumtum23 and clinched a win with a bit of luck and a decent helping of bravado. Bonomo held a K and 7 of hearts while Mumtum23 was facing a jack of spades and 4 and 9 of hearts with a K of clubs and 4 of diamonds.

Bonomo finished the game with a total of $75,855.00, a considerable lead over second place winner “Mumtum23” (with $57,377.50) and third place entrant, “Opperstoof69” (with $42,790.00). The cash winnings are sure to help finance the PokerStars member as he continues to advance in the game both in online and real-world tournaments.

PokerStars Holds on to Guinness World Record for another Year

PokerStars Holds on to Guinness World Record for another Year

After battling it out with another of the world’s most notable
internet poker platforms, fan favourite, PokerStars managed to hold on to its Guinness World Record title for yet another year. The record in question was previously awarded to PokerStars for the site’s ability to hold the largest-ever online poker tournament in 2008, and now, they have been confirmed as the winner of the position for 2009 as well.

PokerStars had to hold off attempts at the record by another enormously popular online poker network,
Full Tilt Poker in the weeks leading up to the award. Earlier in the year PokerStars held an $11 buy-in tournament that attracted a total of 35,000 players to the game.

While this was certainly a difficult milestone to top,
Full Tilt Poker recently announced their plans to top the record as part of their fifth birthday celebrations. Full Tilt’s “The Record Breaker” hosted a 50,000 player cap and a $5 buy-in, all but ensuring the win until PokerStars retaliated with a 60,000 player cap, $1 buy-in event that managed to draw in the full number of players, securing the record for another year.

The site’s ability to provide such an enormous series of games is sure to help drum up publicity for
poker fans and Guinness readers alike. Although Full Tilt Poker failed to wrest the title from PokerStars this year it would still not come as much of a surprise if yet another attempt was made at the record in the time leading up to the Guinness World Records for 2010.

Jesper Hougaard Wins PokerStars Sunday Million

Jesper Hougaard Wins PokerStars Sunday Million

Jesper Hougaard has been making quite a splash throughout the
poker world during the last few years, racking up high-profile wins and quite a reputation in the process. Now the Danish pro has done it again at the recent PokerStars Sunday Million event, taking home a massive cash prize and yet another title to add to his constantly improving reputation.

Hougaard is no stranger to the Sunday Million having won the title of tournament champion once before in April of last year. Although his recent win in this Sunday Million came at one of the few PokerStars events that failed to reach the $1.5 million prize pool, Hougaard did manage to take home a considerable reward for his stellar performance. He finished ahead of users with the handles “philipoo” and “praetoriancz”, ending up at the final table without having actually eliminated any other players throughout the rest of the game. Despite his cautious play, Hougaard entered into the final hands as the chip leader and beat philipoo after forcing his competitor into an all-in push for the victory.

For his troubles Hougaard walked away with
$206,834.57 from the overall pot provided by PokerStars for the venerable tournament event. philipoo finished second with $174,580.93 and praetoriancz came in third with a still impressive $129,139.50. Hougaard made his mark against some 7,177 opponents registered at the Sunday Million, emerging as the champion after coming up through the daunting task of fighting off six other players with higher chip counts.

PokerStars Launches the UK and Irish Poker League

PokerStars Launches the UK and Irish Poker League

PokerStars has provided some good news for
British Isles poker fans with the announcement of the brand new UK and Irish Poker League. The league has been set up to provide incentive and reward for frequent play at the site, giving members the goal of reaching for the top of the heap and becoming part of a select group of winners.

The UK and Irish Poker League will be determined based on a leaderboard now active on the PokerStars client. Members of the popular PokerStars site will have their table time recorded for entry into the competition ladder, tracking accumulated points and exactly how they stack up against other British and Irish players. The more events that members enter, the higher their win and the larger their point earnings, the better they will fare on the leaderboard which rewards $300 to the top one hundred players on a monthly basis.

PokerStars players can choose to compete within all or any one of the three league divisions. Division One requires a $1 buy-in while Division Two allows free play (2,000 play money chips equal one buy-in). Division Three (or the FPP Division) allows the exchange of 25 Frequent Player Points for one buy-in. There are new opportunities for substantial rewards every month, a system that should help encourage stiff competition and busy tables at the PokerStars network.

PokerStars Offers up the UK Poker Open

After the success enjoyed by PokerStars with its UK and Irish Poker League leaderboards the site has continued to branch out with the announcement of an upcoming tournament series. The UK Poker Open is set to kick off soon in order to provide a little more excitement for the spring before tournament season starts off in earnest this summer.

The Open is a No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em tournament that gives players from all across the United Kingdom and Ireland the opportunity to win out against stiff competition and take home the guaranteed $50,000 prize pool. The tournament begins on Sunday, March 24th at 7.30pm GMT (3.30pm EST) with the chance to take home the considerable pot.

PokerStars has made the UK Poker Open available for essentially any poker player with the determination to enter and compete in the games regardless of the size of their bankroll. Even without much money to their name, would-be competitors can still prove their worthiness by testing their skills against others in qualifying satellites leading up to the event.

Interested players can buy-in or register to the UK Poker Open through a few different methods. The most up-front manner of gaining Open entrance is via the $111 direct buy-in but poker fans can also get into the tournament by qualifying through the daily cash ($2.20 required) or Frequent Player Point (10 FPP required) satellites.

Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Launched by PokerStars in Adelaide

This week sees the launch of the first leg of PokerStars’ latest event offering, the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT). The series kicks off in Adelaide, Australia on February 4th and ushers in a new geographical location for established and hopeful professional players alike to compete for recognition.

The ANZPT has its first stop in Adelaide, Australia from February 4th to the 7th and is set to continue on throughout five further locations from now through to the planned conclusion in July of this summer. Adelaide events are hosting a AUD $3,000 buy-in Main Event alongside several other, smaller buy-in No-Limit Hold ‘Em tournaments and some Omaha games. The series will take place at the Adelaide Sky Casino and is meant to serve as a testing ground for the potential of an interested, Australian and New Zealand market for large-scale gaming series.

PokerStars has seen success with the relatively recent Asian Pacific Poker Tour, a series that saw entries into Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand. The finish of the 2009 Aussie Millions should guarantee the presence of many noted poker professionals eager to try their hand at the fresh tournament offerings while still within the region. Familiar names already rumoured for attendance include Australian pros, Grant Levy, Eric Assadourian and Emad Tahtouh.

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PokerStars Break World Record with Enormous Poker Game

PokerStars has made industry history with their recent offering of the largest ever online poker tournament to date. Last year’s colossal game saw the internet gaming service garner the unofficial title but now the site is able to boast their status after having verified the unbelievable figures achieved by there immensely popular games.

The main event saw PokerStars offering up a massive,
$500,000 prize pool and a low, $11 buy-in which attracted an enormous number of players to the record-breaking tournament. From the 35,000 competitors, French player, Stan34powa emerged triumphant after ten hours of tough play with a $30K reward and a place guaranteed to forever cement his name in online poker history. PokerStars’ also broke previous attendance records through their Sunday Million (16,260 players) and Sunday Warm-Up (5,836 players) games alongside the additional titles of largest sit-and-go (10,000 players) and largest simultaneous cash games (at an incredible 240,540 players).

Team PokerStars Pro,
Dan Negreanu told press that he was delighted to be affiliated with such a massive event. No word has been given yet as to whether PokerStars will attempt to beat their own records with an even larger Sunday night tournament series but it’s safe to say that the publicity from the notable $500K event will highlight the company’s place within the industry for some time to come.

PokerStars Advertisement Banned by UK Committee

Pokerstars
The British Advertising Standards Authority has banned yet another gambling ad which they deem irresponsible. This time the removed ad was the product of Isle of Man based company, PokerStars and featured only the picture of a player and a quote regarding his stance on how to succeed in the game.

PokerStars launched their ‘Play Mind Games’ advertising campaign a short while before having one of the posters removed. The material in question may seem tame but the ASA’s verdict found it inappropriate enough to level the charges set against it. The PokerStars poster features card playing professional, Daniel Negreanu holding a hockey stick with the quote, “Poker is a sport of courage, conviction and confidence” placed underneath his image. The ASA argued that the advertisement likened poker to sexual conquest and self-improvement, traits that the committee decided shouldn’t be seen by impressionable children and young adults. PokerStar’s spot was criticized as offering a path to personal growth through gambling even though the company replied that this was not, in any manner their intention.

The popular poker business maintained that the quote on Negreanu’s poster referred only to the game itself and aspects of it that players view as valuable characteristics. Despite PokerStar’s seemingly appropriate rebuttal the ASA still managed to ban the poster so it will not be available for public use again.

World Championships of Online Poker Scheduling Announced

World Championship Online Poker
As the WSOP begins to disappear from fan’s memories a new event is set to take place just in time through PokerStar’s 2008 World Championships of Online Poker. Beginning with a set of July 1st satellites on the popular website the tournaments have also been fully revealed in order to entice competitors with enormous jackpots and lots of excitement.

The WCOOP schedule was released through
PokerStars recently and unveiled some extremely high-stakes action for serious players to get into. Among the listed events are a $25,000 Heads Up game, $10,300 HORSE and No-Limit Hold ‘Em tournaments and a $5,200 Main Event. The attached guarantees are seriously impressive with PokerStars promoting money pools up to $30 million for the entire WCOOP events. Although some smaller fare has been made available to appeal to all demographics, the large buy-ins and tournament guarantees should mean that a lot of attention gets focused on the events.

Players interested in the substantial listings should be polishing their skills now as satellite events are already underway. PokerStars has promised two events a day for the entire duration of their games, ensuring that their online version of the WSOP should get the publicity it deserves The 2008 WCOOP kicks into full swing on
September 5th with a one million dollar guaranteed tournament and will continue through to the 21st.

Natalie Teltscher Backs Out of Pokerstars Lawsuit

The 2007 World Championship of Online Poker saw industry giant, Pokerstars enter into a high-stakes lawsuit with alleged winner, Natalie Teltscher over the $1.2 million reward. Natalie, sister of poker professional, Mark Teltscher recently decided to drop the case in light of mounting evidence which would make her win impossible to legally ratify.

Teltscher’s lawsuit claim was spurred by Pokerstars refusal to issue the million dollar prize money due to her having won the tournament through someone else playing the series under her account. Pokerstars considered this a breach of agreement as Teltscher herself didn’t win the prize but rather another player who did not match the identity registered to her account name, “TheV0id”. After this information was discovered, the company moved the 2007 WCOOP second-place finalist up one position as the rightful winner of the enormous standing jackpot. Teltscher planned to contest the decision by entering into a legal dispute which would assert that she had actually played the entire tournament and was owed the sum.

Natalie Teltscher withdrew her lawsuit when faced with the investigative reports prepared by Pokerstars for the trial. The court at the Isle of Man was prepared to judge proceedings in the case but Teltscher’s removal from the dispute has dropped the issue and effectively ended the scandal with no damage done to Pokerstars reputation before the beginning of their 2008 World Championships of Online Poker.

Pokerstars Sued by Upset Winning Player

Natalie Teltscher, one of the winners of PokerStars 2007 World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) has filed a lawsuit against the company which has refused to issue a $1.2 million prize over an alleged breach of tournament conditions. The case is currently proceeding at the Isle of Man between the enormous company and the angry plaintiff.

The basis of PokerStar’s case against Teltscher stems from her decision to have a third-party play the entire tournament through her account. The company claims that this alone constitutes a failure to abide by the terms and conditions of the event thereby forcing a forfeit of the prize money. Teltscher plays under the screen name “the VOid” and this account was one of two left at the end of the 2008 WCOOP’s No Limits Hold ‘Em Main Event. The final contestants agreed to split the jackpot and ceased play which would have left the money in Teltscher’s hands had she actually been the one at the computer all along.

PokerStars lawyers contest that Teltscher never actually legally entered or played in the tournament and sees this as suitable grounds for dismissing the monetary reward outright. The most recent development in the lawsuit saw Deemster David Doyle adjourn the case stating that the matter needed to be fully addressed via contractual evidence before any verdict could be leveled.

PokerStars Poker Room Review


We have just released our review of the
PokerStars Poker Room here at Findabet.co.uk.

PokerStars is billed as the worlds largest online Poker Site so as you would imagine, the quality of the client and gameplay are second to none. The tournaments as well as the sit and go's at PokerStars draw huge crowds and also huge payouts.

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PokerStars.com or read our review on PokerStars here at Findabet.co.uk.