PokerWorks

The only place you would expect to play in a PokerStars room would be on your computer.

Not anymore.

PokerStars is bringing live poker to Macau by opening its first brick and mortar poker room.

The room, located in the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino in Cotai, is the first for the Web site as well. This is probably the first time any online poker site is branching out to brick and mortar.

It will have a 250-person capacity and will offer cash games as well as a fat tournament schedule.



The poker room launched Friday, the 24th of May, with a No-Limit Texas Hold'em charity poker tournament to raise money for victims of the earthquake in western China. The quake was so large that it if it had happened in the U.S., everyone from California to New York would have felt the tremors.

“PokerStars is committed to the development of poker in Asia” said Joe Hachem, Poker World Champion and member of Team PokerStars Pro, in a press release. “Although Macau has become a gaming powerhouse, it was only with the incredible success of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour last November that Texas Hold’em poker started growing there. PokerStars planted the seeds and now this beautiful Poker room is going to be the garden where future champions learn to play. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next World Champion comes from Macau or elsewhere in China.”

The charity event was the first of the "Macau Poker Cup," a series of tournaments scheduled for the weekend, including a $10,000 "Red Dragon" buy-in event and the first of many satellites to the Asia Pacific Poker Tour's second season events.

The full schedule of that tour will be announced shortly. It will kick off at the Grand Waldo with Main Event that begins Sept. 1, 08.

To find out more about the PokerStars Macau poker room visit www.pokerstarsmacau.com.

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