PokerStars opens live room in Macau

MACAU -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- PokerStars, the world's largest poker company, is pleased to announce the grand opening of the new "PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa" live poker room at the Grand Lisboa Casino on 19 March 2009. Located on the 2nd floor of the famous Grand Lisboa in the heart of Macau, PokerStars Macau will be the largest poker room in continental Asia with 22 tables for exciting Texas Hold'em poker tournament action and 24-hour cash games.

PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa will host the largest regular weekly poker tournaments in Asia, the premiere "Macau Poker Cup" series every other month, and the annual Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Macau Poker Festival.

Freeroll tournaments, with no entrance fees for new poker players, will be available every week, as well as exciting events for poker players of all skill levels – from amateur to professional. Players can register or qualify online for all events, or live within the poker room.

The opening on the weekend of 19-22 March will celebrate the return of the "Macau Poker Cup" and its signature HKD 10,000 buy-in "Red Dragon" event. For the first time ever, the Red Dragon will have a guaranteed minimum prize pool of HKD 500,000. Numerous other events will be held during the Macau Poker Cup, including a HKD 1,000 buy-in charity event the proceeds of which will be donated to Caritas Macau.

"PokerStars is committed to the development of poker across Asia, and this new room will be its heart," said Joe Hachem, Poker World Champion and member of Team PokerStars Pro. "It has been extraordinary for me to watch the growth of poker culture in the eighteen months since the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour first brought poker to Macau, and I'm so excited about playing in my third APPT there in August."

PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa invites poker players from the Pearl River Delta, to across Asia and around the world to come to compete in the wide range of exciting tournaments held every week in Asia's gaming capital.

To find out more about PokerStars Macau at the Grand Lisboa, visit www.pokerstarsmacau.com.