2007 WSOP champ to play for PokerStars in China

PokerStars, the world's largest online poker site, announced that Jerry Yang, poker's reigning world champion, will join almost 200 of its online qualifiers at the first ever live poker tournament to be held in the People's Republic of China.

Yang, winner of this year's World Series of Poker Main Event, will be a PokerStars sponsored player in the 'PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau: Asian Poker Open', which takes place from November 22-27 at the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino on the historic Chinese island of Macau.

Yang burst onto the poker scene earlier this year with a dazzling display of aggressive poker to take down the 2007 WSOP Main Event and a first prize of more than $8million – propelling him to worldwide recognition and establishing himself in the top ten all-time tournament money winners.

PokerStars also announced that huge numbers of poker players from all over the world will be joining Yang at the APPT Macau with 179 players from the U.S., Europe, Australia, Korea and Japan having already qualified online via satellite tournaments on www.PokerStars.com.

"The level of interest in the APPT Macau has been incredible, in less than three weeks we have satellited in almost 200 of the thousands trying to qualify from across the world," said Sarne Lightman, Director of Marketing for PokerStars Asia Pacific. "With Jerry Yang now confirmed to play, alongside Scotty Nguyen and Team PokerStars players including Joe Hachem, Daniel Negreanu and Barry Greenstein, the APPT Macau will be the perfect showcase to introduce the sport of poker to a whole new audience in China."

The APPT launched this August in Manila, Philippines, with a second event in Seoul, Korea in September. Season 1 will conclude in December with the Grand Final in Sydney, Australia. All APPT events are filmed for television and the programs will be televised internationally in 2008.