Justin Chan Wins Inaugural Macau Millions at PokerStars Macau

After five days of poker and a record-setting player entry field, Justin Chan emerged to become the champion of the inaugural Macau Millions at PokerStars Macau!

The Hong Kong player, who was playing in just his first-ever live tournament in Asia, outlasted many of Asia's top players in a rarely-seen tournament format to take home the championship and HK $275,000 in prize money.

Chan entered the final day, which saw the remaining 54 players from the five Day 1 heats come together, with 110,000 in chips -- just a little below average. However, he stayed aggressive throughout the day, making sure to raise often to steal the blinds and pick chips off players looking to survive.

It worked, as he built up momentum during the second half of the day, eliminating a handful of players before heading into the final table as the chip leader. Eventually, after surviving a long, two-and-a-half hour stretch of three-handed play between Tom Chou, Lei "Alex" Long, and himself, he found himself heads-up with Chou.

Considering how long it took for a player to bust out of the final three, everybody thought that the final two players would take a while to decide the champion. The exact opposite happened, as the two got all-in on the very first hand of their one-on-one match-up.

With a chip stack of 5.8 million compared to Chou's 1.5 million, Chan decided to test his opponent and declared all-in. Chou made the call and the cards were tabled, with Chan showing {8-Hearts}{9-Clubs} against Chou's {k-Clubs}{7-Spades}. Just like most of the all-in moments during the last few levels of play, this one would be a virtual coin-flip with Chou slightly ahead with king-high.

However, it was Chan's time to shine as the flop came {3-Clubs}{2-Spades}{8-Diamonds} to give him top pair and leaving Chou with just two more chances to hit a king and survive. It did not happen as the turn and river blanked out, pushing all the chips Chan's way and making him the first-ever Macau Millions winner. Chou, who is a floor manager for the World Series of Poker, won HK $200,000 for his runner-up finish.

A total of 741 entries registered for the Macau Millions, which broke the record for most ever for a tournament in the region and surpassing the guaranteed prize pool of HK $1,000,000. Unlike most of the tournaments held at PokerStars Macau as well as poker rooms in Asia, this one was unique because eliminated players were able to re-enter at any time during the five starting days.

Each starting day played on until the top seven percent for the day was reached. The remaining players then advanced to Day 2, where they were guaranteed to be in the money.

The Macau Millions main event was held from August 4 to 8 at the Grand Lisboa Casino's PokerStars Macau poker room. It featured a HK $2,200 buy-in and featured top Asian players such as PokerStars Team Asia Pro members Celina Lin, Bryan Huang, and Raymond Wu.

Asia PokerNews was at the Macau Millions doing live updates, chip counts, interviews, and more. To read about what happened during the tournament, visit the live reporting section by clicking here.

FINAL TABLE RESULTS:

1st - Justin Chan (HK $275,000)
2nd - Tom Chou (HK $200,000)
3rd - Lei "Alex" Long (HK $130,000)
4th - Jimmy King (HK $100,000)
5th - Jonathan Azoulay (HK $75,000)
6th - David Pan (HK $57,680)
7th - Richard Hu (HK $45,000)
8th - Li Jin Hua (HK $37,500)
9th - Victor Chen (HK $30,000)
10th - Jun Chen (HK $25,000)

PokerStars Macau is located at the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. For more information, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the poker room by clicking here.

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Flight 1 of Asian Poker King Tournament Complete

Flight 1 of the Asian Poker King Tournament took place today with 44 players playing 10 rounds in six hours, leaving 13 players remaining to enter Sunday’s final. This HK$6,000+HK$500 freezeout tournament with a guaranteed prize pool of HK$880K, has two more flights open for entry, both taking place tomorrow (Saturday 7th August) one starting at 1pm the other at 7pm at the StarWorld Hotel and Casino .

“We are very happy with this entry number for a weekday event. With so much going on this weekend in Macau in terms of poker action , we wanted to ensure our schedule was as flexible as possible and we will be very happy, as will the players, if we can get an average of 50 players for each of our three flights” said Winfred Yu, Director of Operations , Poker King Club.

In addition to the prizepool guarantee which will include 3 seats to APT Philippines, the Poker King Club has added two additional seats to the prestigious APT event that starts in Manila on 23rd of this month. The top five players will receive an APT seat each valued at US$2,700 and it is expected that the final 18 players will all receive cash. The winner of this tournament will walk away with not only an APT seat but also some spending money to the tune of HK$266,800!

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Star Studded Opening for Macau Millions

The much awaited Macau Millions at the Grand Lisboa’s PokerStars Macau kicked off with a bang today as the poker room officially marked the start of the tournament with a glamorous opening ceremony.

PokerStars Macau officials, including operations head Danny McDonagh and marketing manager Fred Leung, were joined by PokerStars Team Asia Pros and some of Hong Kong’s top celebrities and models in opening the Macau Millions.

A large throng of onlookers and media personnel crowded the stage to try to catch a glimpse of the celebrities, giving the event a red-carpet feeling.

The media was well represented.

Of course, the main focus was the ground-breaking Macau Millions main event, which is looking to break the region’s record for entries in a tournament.

Want to follow the action live? Get live blogs, chip counts, photos, and more straight from the Macau Millions by clicking here!

PokerStars Team Asia Pros Bryan Huang, Celina Lin, and Raymond Wu were on hand to mark the opening of the event, and each will be looking to win the event to help their bids to win the Asian Player of the Year at PokerStars Macau.

PokerStars Team Asia Pro Bryan Huang shows the ladies how to go all-in.

"The Asia Player of the Year race will be prominent as both the Macau Millions and $5,000 NLH 350K Guarantee event (August 7-8) will count towards the APOY Leaderboard," said Mr. Leung.

A big HK $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool will be up for grabs with a buy-in of only HK $2,200. Unlike most of the tournaments held at PokerStars Macau, this one will be unique because eliminated players will be able to re-enter at any time during the five starting days.

The schedule is made up of Days 1A to 1E. The starting days will then be followed by Day 2, where the winner will ultimately be decided.

Each starting day will play on until the top 7 percent for the day is reached. The remaining players will then advance to Day 2, where they are guaranteed to be in the money.

PokerStars Macau is located at the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. For more information, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the poker room by clicking here.

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Macau Millions Kicks Off This Week

The tournament tables at the Grand Lisboa Casino's PokerStars Macau poker room are sure to be filled with plenty of action this week as the unique Macau Millions event kicks off on Wednesday.

Top players from all over Asia, including PokerStars Team Asia Pros Bryan Huang, Celina Lin, Raymond Wu, and Tae Jun Noh, will be looking to win big in this event, which will require a lot more aggressiveness than your usual poker tournament.

It will be a whole different ballgame for the participants as the format to be used for the Macau Millions will probably be unlike anything they've seen in the past. Only the top seven percent of each Day 1 field will advance to the final day.

That rule will surely make for some huge pots towards the end of each day as players scramble to make it into the upper echelon of the chip counts.

Asia PokerNews will be covering all the poker action from PokerStars Macau as the live reporting team will be there to provide live blogging, chip counts, photos, video interviews, and more.

The schedule is made up of Days 1A to 1E. The starting days will then be followed by Day 2, where the winner will ultimately be decided.

Here is the full schedule of the Macau Millions main event:

Wednesday, August 4 - Day 1A (8:10 pm)
Thursday, August 5 - Day 1B (8:10 pm)
Friday, August 6 - Day 1C (2:10 pm), Day 1D (7:10 pm)
Saturday, August 7 - Day 1E (2:10 pm)
Sunday, August 8 - Final Day (12:10 pm)

Players who make their way to PokerStars Macau for the event will have a big chance of making a big impact on the poker room's Asia Player of the Year leaderboard. Aside from the Macau Millions main event, the scheduled HK $5,000 No Limit Hold 'em 300K Guaranteed tournament will also have a bearing on player points.

The Macau Millions comes less than a month after the last Macau Poker Cup (MPC), which was won by Kenichi Takarabe for a cash prize of HK $620,100.

PokerStars Macau is located at the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. For more information, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the poker room by clicking here.

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TPC Motherboard's First Leg Finishes Strong Despite Storm

Despite torrential rains beating down on Cebu during the first two starting days, The Poker Circuit Motherboard's first leg finished strong with eighteen qualifiers moving on to the finals at APT Philippines 2010.

Players from Cebu and the surrounding areas braved the storm to play in the leg, which was guaranteeing at least 18 players moving on to the TPC Motherboard's final round.

Only a total of 66 entries were registered for the first two starting days. The third starting day, however, saw 80 entries to boost the total to 143 entries.

"We're very pleased with the outcome considering the bad weather," said TPC founder and tournament director Lloyd Fontillas. "There was a substantial overlay but we guaranteed eighteen players in the finals from this leg and that's exactly the number that will be moving on to RWM in late August."

It was fast and furious all throughout as only 39 players made it to the second day. Finally, with 19 players left, Bong Santos decided to move in with his short stack holding {a-}{4-} and Connie Tan made the call with {k-}{10-}. It looked like Bong was ready to double up as the flop and turn did not bring anything. However, luck would not be on his side as a king landed on the river to give Connie the pair and making him the bubble boy.

Leading the way is Rolando Paredes, who proved that one can never be too old to play the game he loves. A 66-year-old retired doctor, Paredes won a handful of big pots throughout the first two days and ended with 449,000. In second place is John Rodger Ruiz, who is more than a 100,000 in chips behind with a stack of 310,000.

Three more TPC Motherboard qualifying legs are scheduled to take place before the finals on August 23 at Resorts World Manila: Poker Royale in Pasay City (August 6 to 9), The Midas Touch in Pasig City (August 13 to 16), and Kings Poker Sports Club in Pampanga (August 19 to 22).

Buy-in for each TPC Motherboard event is set at Php 5,000 + Php 400. With the prize pool at Php 3,000,000, it looks like at least twelve seats to the APT Philippines 2010 main event will be given away in the finals.

APT Philippines 2010 will be held from August 23 to 29 at the Resorts World Manila complex in Manila, Philippines. Buy-in is set at approximately US $2,500 + US $200.

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Davao City’s First Eagle Cup Slated for Mid August

Poker players in the Philippines are all familiar with the Metro Card Club’s tournaments, but this August, it will be the poker room’s branch in Davao City grabbing the headlines.

To celebrate an annual local festival, Metro Card Club Davao will be holding the first-ever Eagle Cup poker tournament. The event will take place from August 19 to 22 with a guaranteed prize pool of Php 2,000,000. Buy-in is set at Php 10,000 + Php 1,000.

“This tournament will become the benchmark for all succeeding major tournaments to be held in the City and through this we hope that Davao finally finds its place in the poker map,” said a spokesperson for the Metro Card Club Davao.

The Eagle Cup was held in line with the celebration of Davao City’s Kadayawan festival. Kadayawan is an annual festival of thanksgiving that traces its roots back to Davao’s ethnic tribes from the past.

It hopes to showcase Davao City, which is best known for the beautiful Waling-Waling orchid, the durian, and of course, the mighty Philippine Eagle, hence the name “Eagle Cup”.

Day 1A is on August 19, Day 1B on August 20, Day 2 on August 21, and Day 3 will be on Sunday, August 22.

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Fourth and Fifth Tournaments of RWM Satellite Series Officially Announced

Resorts World Manila and the Asian Poker Tour have officially announced two more Php 500,000 guaranteed RWM Satellite Series events.

According to the APT's website, the fourth in the series of APT Philippines 2010 satellite events at the resort complex will be held on Sunday, August 8. The next weekend, RWM Satellite Series Event 5 will be held on Sunday, August 15.

Players will be able to join for Php 5,000 while RWM regulars can exchange 5,000 player points for entry.

Mega satellites to the two RWM Satellite Series events will be held on Saturdays starting on July 31 at a buy-in of Php 500 (with optional one rebuy and one add-on) and no registration fee.

The RWM Satellite Series' first three winners were Ray Serion, Win Carlos, and Michael Cua, who all won APT Philippines main event seats and cash for topping their respective tournaments.

Php 25/50 cash games will be available to all players during the Sundays that the Satellite Series events will be held. The minimum cash game stakes at the Resorts World Manila poker room are typically Php 50/100.

Eighteen winners will be receiving cash prizes, with the winner of the tournament receiving an APT Philippines 2010 main event seat and at least Php 40,000 in cash.

In addition, players who finish second all the way to fifth will be awarded seats to the final event of the Satellite Series.

The final event, entitled the RWM Satellite Series Finale, will take place on August 21 at RWM for a buy-in of Php 10,000 + Php 1,000.

APT Philippines 2010 will be held from August 23 to 29 at the Resorts World Manila complex in Manila, Philippines. Buy-in is set at approximately US $2,500 + US $200.

Last year’s main event in Manila was won by local poker pro Neil Arce, who was awarded US $185,000 for finishing first.

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Follow the Macau Poker Cup's Red Dragon Main Event Live on Asia PokerNews!

Want to get the latest on the Macau Poker Cup (MPC) Red Dragon main event, which starts this Friday in Macau? Then log on to Asia PokerNews, which will be providing live reporting and other updates straight from the tournament venue!

The Red Dragon tournament will take place from July 9 to 11 at the PokerStars Macau poker room at the Grand Lisboa Casino. Up for grabs is a guaranteed a HK $2,000,000 prize pool, with buy-in set at HK $10,000.

The Asia PokerNews crew will be there to give regular updates as well as post chip counts, news stories, photos, and more. To follow all of our posts, visit the Asia PokerNews live reporting page!


Follow defending champion Raymond Wu as he defends his title against a tough field, including fellow PokerStars Team Asia pros Celina Lin, Bryan Huang, and Tae Jun Noh. Coverage starts on Friday, July 9, at 8:00 pm.

Aside from the Asia PokerNews live reporting pages, updates will be posted directly on the Asia PokerNews pages on Facebook and Twitter!

PokerStars Macau is located at the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. For more information, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the poker room by clicking here.

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Macau Poker Cup Brings Big Week of Tournament Action to PokerStars Macau

It will be a week full of action-packed tournament poker at the Grand Lisboa Casino’s PokerStars Macau poker room as the Macau Poker Cup (MPC) gets underway again.

From July 7 to 11, players from all over Asia and around the world will be heading to the poker room to compete in the MPC’s various events.

The main focus, of course, will be the HK $10,000 Red Dragon event, which will be guaranteeing a HK $2,000,000 prize pool. PokerStars Team Asia Pro Raymond Wu will be there to defend his MPC title, but it won’t be easy.

Aside from Wu’s fellow PokerStars Team Asia Pro members Celina Lin, Bryan Huang, and Tae Jun Noh, players such as Elton Tsang, Devan Tang, Daoxing “Bobo” Chen, and Ricky Foo will be also be vying for top honors at the main event.


The side events will also be full of action. The HK $5,000 No-Limit event with a HK $400,000 guaranteed prize pool is a new addition to the schedule, which will also include the return of popular tournaments like the HK $1,500 Deep Stack, the HK $2,000 KO Bounty, and Charity event.

PokerStars Macau is located at the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. For more information, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the poker room by clicking here.

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Tony Chang Wins Poker King's Summer Challenge

Tony Chang was this past weekend’s big tournament winner, ruling the Summer Challenge event at the Poker King Club in Macau.

Chang bested a field of 64 players from Macau and other parts of the world to take home the HK $110,720 winner’s cash prize.

It was not an easy feat for Chang as he faced some tough players at the final table, including Ricky Foo. A consistent in-the-money finisher in Asian tournaments, the Singaporean pro finished third and went home with HK $63,000.

In the end, Chang would seal the deal against King Man “Kenny” Wong, who finished as the runner-up. For his second place finish, Chang was awarded HK $76,000 in prize money.


The Summer Challenge event was held at the Poker King Club from July 3 to 4 and guaranteed a prize pool of HK $388,000. Buy-in was set at HK $4,500.

A small, heads-up tournament was also held on Sunday afternoon, with Ngok Mei winning it all for a cash prize of HK $19,500.

For more information about the Poker King Club, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the Poker King Club. You may also visit their web site by clicking here.

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Macau Heads for Big Week of Tournament Poker

Fans of tournament poker in Macau will have plenty to talk about in the next week with both the Macau Poker Cup (MPC) and the Poker King Club’s Summer Challenge taking place in the coming days.

The Poker King Summer Challenge will be a two-day event featuring a HK $388,000 guaranteed prize pool. Buy-in is set at HK $4,500.

The first day will take place on Saturday, July 3, at 1:00 pm. Play will continue until the final table is reached. The remaining players will then return on Sunday afternoon to duke it out for the top prize.

In addition to the Summer Challenge, the Poker King Club will also be holding a small 32-max Heads-Up event on Sunday afternoon.


Three blocks away, the Grand Lisboa’s PokerStars Macau poker room will be holding its next Macau Poker Cup from July 7 to 11. All eyes will be on the Red Dragon main event, which is guaranteeing a prize pool of HK $2,000,000 for a buy-in of HK $10,000.

There will also be several side events for players to participate in, including a charity tournament and a knockout bounty tournament.

Some of Asia’s best players, including top pros such as Bryan Huang and Celina Lin will be looking to dethrone reigning MPC winner Raymond Wu, who won the event last March.

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Johnny Tan Emerges as Champion of Filipino Poker Tour's Php 5M Tournament

Local player Johnson “Johnny” Tan bested a big field of 658 to win Php 2,000,000 at the Filipino Poker Tour (FPT) Php 5 Million Guaranteed tournament this week.

Tan was fourth in chips heading into the final day of the tournament, which started with a total of fourteen players. After losing some big pots, though, he fell all the way down to seventh in chips with 837,000 by the time the final nine were announced.

He did not give up, staying aggressive and getting a large portion of his chips by eliminating three players at the final table, including popular pro Derrick Hernandez, before finding himself one-on-one against Vic Catalan.

With the two starting heads-up play almost dead even in chips, it looked like the winner would be decided by who could make the most plays and outlast the other player. That was exactly what happened, as the two battled for a record seven hours in the longest heads-up match in Philippine tournament poker history.


Finally, at almost 10 am of the next morning, both players got their stacks all-in with Johnny having Vic covered. On a flop of {q-Spades}{10-Hearts}{2-Diamonds}, Johnny Tan bet out 1,000,000. Vic Catalan then declared he was all-in and everybody got up as Johnny made the instant call. Johnny flipped over {q-Diamonds}{2-Hearts} while Vic tabled {j-Spades}{10-Diamonds}.

Johnny was way ahead with the two-pair and Vic would need a lot of help to stay alive. That help never came as the turn {8-Diamonds} and river {j-Clubs} were of no use, sending Vic to the rail as Johnny's fourth and last final-table victim. He won Php 1,100,000 for finishing as the runner-up.

One of the biggest highlights from the final table was the hand in which Tess Datu, who was playing while eight months pregnant, was eliminated.

Pre-flop, Derrick Hernandez raised to 200,000 and Tess Datu made the call. The flop came {10-Clubs}{6-Clubs}{8-Diamonds} and Tess bet out 300,000, getting a call from Derrick. On the turn {4-Diamonds}, Tess fired out another 300,000 in chips, and Derrick decided to make the call. Finally, the river card of {2-Hearts} was dealt. Tess then declared she was all-in for her last 867,000. Derrick tanked for a long time, agonizing over his decision, and finally declared, "Call."

Everybody in the room was in shock as Derrick showed {a-Clubs}{k-Diamonds} for ace-high, while Tess could only reveal {5-Hearts}{9-Clubs} for the gutsy bluff attempt. Despite being eliminated after that hand, Tess certainly earned respect from opponents and spectators alike for her fearless play all throughout the event.

The FPT tournament was held at the Metro Card Club in Pasig City from July 25 to 28 and featured a guaranteed prize pool of Php 5 million. A total of 658 players showed up, boosting the prize pool to well over Php 6.5 million.

Here are the results from the final table:

1st - Johnson Tan (Php 2,000,000)
2nd - Vic Catalan (Php 1,100,000)
3rd - Derrick Hernandez (Php 600,000)
4th - Tess Datu (Php 400,000)
5th - Ramil Tandoc (Php 260,000)
6th - Ronald Dimaano (Php 220,000)
7th - Percy Shy (Php 180,000)
8th - Michael Boling (Php 140,000)
9th - Oliver Buquiran (Php 100,000)

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Second Leg of RWM Satellite Series Announced

Resorts World Manila has announced the second event of its RWM Satellite Series, giving players another shot at winning a seat to the APT Philippines 2010 main event in August.

The RWM Satellite Series Event #2 will be held at Resorts World Manila’s poker room on Sunday, July 11 at 2:00 pm, with two mega satellites to be conducted beforehand.

According to RWM’s Mr. Hakan Dagtas, the buy-in is set at only Php 5,000 but there will be no registration fee. RWM regulars can also exchange 5000 player points for entry into the RWM Satellite Series Event #2.

Meanwhile, the mega satellites to the RWM Satellite Series #2 will be held at 2:00 pm on July 3 and 10. Both will have a buy-in at only Php 500 (with optional one rebuy and one add-on) and no registration fee.


To celebrate the start of its satellites to the APT main event, Resorts World Manila also announced that Php 25/50 cash games will be available to all players on Sunday.

The minimum cash game stakes at the Resorts World Manila poker room are typically Php 50/100.

Eighteen winners will be receiving cash prizes, with the winner of the tournament receiving an APT Philippines 2010 main event seat and at least Php 40,000 in cash.

In addition, players who finish second all the way to fifth will be awarded seats to the final event of the Satellite Series.

The final event, entitled the RWM Satellite Series Finale, will take place on August 21 at RWM for a buy-in of Php 10,000 + Php 1,000.

APT Philippines 2010 will be held from August 23 to 29 at the Resorts World Manila complex in Manila, Philippines. Buy-in is set at approximately US $2,500 + US $200.

Last year’s main event in Manila was won by local poker pro Neil Arce, who was awarded US $185,000 for finishing first.

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Hard Rock Poker Lounge Opens at Macau's City of Dreams

Macau's City of Dreams hosted a media launch event yesterday to mark the official opening of its highly anticipated Hard Rock Poker Lounge.

Located on Level Two of City of Dreams Casino, Hard Rock Poker Lounge boasts full integrated bar and lounge facilities and is perfect for private parties and special events. The Hard Rock Poker Lounge offers 9 tables, plays great music, and combines the excitement of the Hard Rock experience with the thrill and suspense of Texas Hold’em Poker.

“With the increasing development of poker rooms and large-scale tournaments held in 2009, Macau has already established as the go-to place for Texas Hold’em poker in Asia,” said Mr. Greg Hawkins, President of City of Dreams.


“Hard Rock Poker Lounge at City of Dreams provides a sophisticated yet fun atmosphere designed with the players’ comfort in mind to attract the world’s top poker players as well as high-end bachelor parties and private events. We believe our Hard Rock Poker Lounge will significantly enhance the face of the Macau Poker scene.”

Players and patrons of Hard Rock Poker Lounge will be able to enjoy their Hard Rock Poker gaming experience whilst listening to great music and sampling a wide range of stylish and sophisticated drinks.

The main table area consists of 7 tables, including two VIP ‘High Stakes’ tables for hard-core Texas Hold’em Poker fans. Two special party tables are available for use by groups of friends or colleagues, ideal for rock star style partying fun.


An Art Wall defines the lounge area, with framed images of rock ‘n’ roll instruments and TVs showing Poker player action. The atmosphere is certainly stimulated further with the very own Poker Lounge Hard Rock Babes who will help to make the rock star atmosphere really rock.

As part of the launch event, Hong Kong celebrity model Ms. Ankie Beilke was invited as a special guest and dressed in Hard Rock Poker Lounge Babe style to charm the audience and introduce City of Dreams’ coolest and most exciting Hard Rock gaming experience.


For more information, visit City of Dreams online by clicking here.

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Tokyo Poker Tour Holds Successful Inaugural Event

The newly-created Tokyo Poker Tour (TPT) held its debut tournament this past weekend and it was a success as poker players and even celebrities from all over Japan were in attendance.

A total of 150 players, many with APT, APPT, and WSOP experience, came to the Japanese capital for the TPT’s very first tournament.

In the end, it would be Takeshi "JAYRO" Shioji who would win the tournament and the coveted title of being the TPT’s first champion.

The Osaka-based poker player took home a prize package of US $3,000, which included a WSOP side event prize package and Everest Poker merchandise.

“I am so happy to get prize at the first TPT event. I came all the way from Osaka with my friends to come and play poker here,” said Mr. Shioji. “Hopefully next time, there will also be an event in Osaka.”

The second and third placers in the tournament both received merchandise prize packages, including gift pack bundles from Everest Poker. In Japan, government regulations prohibit the handing out monetary prize packages.

Even with no prize money at stake, it was fun all around for everybody in attendance. Two of Japan’s most popular professional wrestlers, DDT’s Sanshiro Takagi and Muscle Sakai, played in the tournament and left with a positive impression of poker.

In addition, there was a surprise guest at the final table. Tokio, the twelve-year-old son of TPT tournament director and promoter Itaru Kaneko, was the dealer, drawing raves from the crowd and making him a lock to be the youngest dealer at a Japanese poker tournament.


The TPT tournament was held this past June 19 at the Tokyo Women’s Plaza at Omotesando. Buy-in for the event was 4,500 yen.

According to Mr. Kaneko, the next TPT events will be held on August 7 and August 14. The prizes for those events will include a Spanish Poker Tour (SPT) package tour and a 7 Luck Casino prize package for two.

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Filipino Poker Tour Returns with Php 5 Million Guaranteed Tournament

The Filipino Poker Tour (FPT) will be looking for the next local poker champion as it holds its next featured event this weekend.

"Who's Next?" is the tagline of the FPT's latest event, which will be held at the Metro Card Club in Pasig City. Buy-in is set at Php 10,000. A Php 1,000 fee will be added for those who register on or after June 25.

Up for grabs is a big prize pool, which is guaranteeing Php 5,000,000. Included is a seat to the next Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) main event in the Philippines, which is said to be happening during late 2010.

The FPT tournament will be held from July 25-28 and will have two starting days, a Day 2, and a final table day. Each day will start at 3:00 pm.


The event comes a week after the Metro Card Club's last tournament, the Php 2,000,000 guaranteed Independence Day Weekend Special.

Local player Christian Aaron Lee was the winner of that tournament, pocketing a total of Php 636,000 in winnings.

For more information, visit the FPT by clicking here.

The Metro Card Club is located at the Metrowalk complex in Pasig City, Philippines. For more information, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the poker room by clicking here.

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Poker King Club Announces Summer Challenge

The Poker King Club in Macau has announced that its next tournament, the Poker King Summer Challenge, will be taking place on the first weekend of July.

The Poker King Summer Challenge will be a two-day event featuring a HK $388,000 guaranteed prize pool. Buy-in is set at HK $4,500.

The first day will take place on Saturday, July 3, at 1:00 pm. Play will continue until the final table is reached. The remaining players will then return on Sunday afternoon to duke it out for the top prize.

In addition to the Summer Challenge, the Poker King Club will also be holding a small 32-max Heads-Up event on Sunday afternoon.

The Poker King Club is located on the third floor of the StarWorld Casino in Macau. The poker room's last big tournament was the second-ever Macau Poker Challenge, which was won by Australian player Michael Marvanek for HK $89,000 in prize money.


For more information about the Poker King Club, read the Asia PokerNews feature on the Poker King Club. You may also visit their web site by clicking here.

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