The Asian Poker Tour (APT) will once again head to Macau this August, as the Galaxy Star World Hotel plays host to the festivities from August 12th to 23rd. Satellites to the HKD 34,400 event are now open on some of the world’s largest online poker sites.
PartyPoker, BetFriends.com, and a variety of rooms on the iPoker and Ongame Networks are busy ramping up satellites to send players to Macau. Among those outlets specifically listed on the APT home page include Titan Poker, bwin, Dafa Poker, PartyPoker, PKR, BetFriends.com, Red Poker Room, and JBET. Land-based satellites are also running at the Pocket Aces Poker Club in Parañaque City, the Wild Aces Card Club in Angeles City, and TI Vegas in Mauritius.
Online qualifiers can also be found on Bet 24, Poker Loco, Hey Poker, Betsafe, Eurobet, Betsson, Coral, Fonbet, Prime Poker, PAF, Tower Gaming, Gala Casinos, RedKings, Scandic Bookmakers, Winamax, and Casino Euro. The APT is fresh off a tournament in the Philippines that panned out in January and February, with Neil Arce banking $185,000 for his win in its Main Event. Following the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was APT Macau, which propelled Yevgeniy “atimos” Timoshenko into the spotlight. Timoshenko, one of the online poker world’s top players, went on to win the Season VII World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship in April, besting a final table that included Team PokerStars Pro member Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier and Expekt Poker pro Scotty Nguyen.
In addition to the 2009 APT Macau Main Event, a total of 14 side events will play out. Among the preliminary tournaments to be held are a Welcome Event, a Greed Event, a 32 player Heads-Up Survival Event, a Head Hunter Event, a High Rollers Event with a HKD 160,000 buy-in, an Invitational Battle of the Poker Industry Giants, an Eight-Handed Event, a Battle of the Nations tournament, a Tag Team Event, a Shootout Event, and a Six-Handed contest. The APT is sponsored by Ray-Ban, FHM, and MastersPoker.com.
Players begin with 10,000 chips in the APT Macau Main Event and the price of poker goes up every hour. The final nine-handed table will be televised and redraws take place when the field reaches 40, 24, and nine runners. A 15 minute break takes place every two hours and the blinds begin at 25-50. The No Limit Hold’em Main Event has a minimum age requirement of 18 years-old and tournament officials are expecting a field of 400 runners to turn out. Registration is available via bank wire through August 7th. After that date, players must sign up at the Galaxy Star World Hotel in Macau.
Last year, the APT made waves by inviting U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps to compete after the American told his hometown newspaper, the Baltimore Sun, that he wanted to play in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. The APT invitation sparked a similar move by the Betfair-sponsored WSOP Europe; however, Phelps did not turn up to either. He shattered seven world records during the 2008 Olympic Games and was also scheduled to be a part of the Venetian’s “Real Deal” poker stage show before it closed in December; the spectacle debuted in October.
Cash games during APT Macau will once again be available at the casino for players ousted from the tournament series or those searching for side action. A variety of buy-ins was available last year, ranging from HKD $10-$20 to a high-stakes HKD $1,000-$2,000 competition. The APT will also be showcasing its roster of featured players that includes J.C. Tran, Nam Le, Quinn Do, 2008 WSOP November Nine member David “Chino” Rheem, bracelet winner Steve Sung, and Kwang Soo Lee.
Sites on the iPoker and Ongame Networks do not accept players from the United States.
