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| Second Annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Awards More Than $3.4 Million in Prize Money |
Online Poker Site Raises Over $400,000 for Tsunami Relief
Winner Turns $27 Buy-In Tournament on PokerStars.com Into $865,000 First Prize
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- While the cold of winter
was setting in across North America, the poker action was heating up this week
in the Bahamas as 461 players competed for more than $3.4 million in prize
money in the second annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
John Gale, an amateur poker player from England, qualified through a
$27 satellite tournament on PokerStars.com, and emerged victorious taking home
$865,000 and a seat in the World Poker Tour season-ending series championship
finals in April 2005.
Three of the six players who survived to the tournament's final table
qualified through satellites on PokerStars.com. The 461 participants in this
year's $8,000 No Limit Texas Hold 'em event marks more than double the
219 players from last year's inaugural PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
"The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure demonstrates the tremendous growth of
the game of poker online and around the world," said Lee Jones, PokerStars
Cardroom Manager. "Players from PokerStars are able to compete and win
against the best in the world."
Gale outlasted many of the world's top poker professionals including: 2004
World Series of Poker Champion Greg Raymer; 2003 World Series of Poker
Champion Chris Moneymaker; 2004 World Poker Tour Ladies Night Champion
Isabelle Mercier; 2004 World Series of Poker Runner-Up David Williams, Daniel
Negreanu, Phil Ivey, John Juanda and many others.
PokerStars transformed the ballroom of the Atlantis into one of the
world's largest poker rooms for the tournament, hosting the first live poker
play in the history of the Bahamas. Throughout the week players enjoyed
luxurious accommodations while taking part in a variety of poker events.
Coverage of the tournament's final table will be shown later this year on The
Travel Channel as part of the network's hit show -- the World Poker Tour.
PokerStars.com also raised more than $200,000 in player donations for the
tsunami relief effort. The money was raised on the poker website and at the
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure tournament at Atlantis. Many players were
eager to donate to the relief effort. PokerStars agreed to match the
contributions dollar for dollar, making the total charitable donation over
$400,000 -- one of the largest single donations ever given by any poker entity
to any charity in history. The check presentation from PokerStars to the
relief effort is due to be announced and will take place soon.
About PokerStars
PokerStars (http://www.pokerstars.com), an official member of the World Poker
Tour, is the world's most innovative online poker site. PokerStars was the
first site to introduce advanced multi-table tournaments, integrated game
statistics, players' notes, personalized images, time bank for tournaments and
ring big bet games, satellite tournaments, multi-table sit and go tournaments,
and much more. PokerStars' support team is truly unique, as help and support
is available around the clock from people who know and understand both the
game of poker, and the importance of impeccable customer service.
To date, PokerStars has dealt more than one billion hands and run more
than four million poker tournaments. PokerStars utilizes industry-leading
security software to ensure the integrity of the system, including encryption,
card shuffle randomness and preventative measures against cheating and
collusion. Money covering player's balances is held in segregated accounts
managed by the Royal Bank of Scotland, ensuring PokerStars can fulfill its
obligations towards players at all times.
PokerStars is the site where the 2003 and 2004 World Champions of Poker
won their entries into the World Series of Poker, thus earning the trademark
-- "Where poker players become World Champions."
For more information, please contact:
Nolan Dalla -- Director of Communications, PokerStars.com at:
nolan@pokerstars.com
Michele Sturdivant: Michele.sturdivant@edelman.com, 323/202-1022, or,
Devin Parr: Devin.parr@edelman.com, 323/202-1072
SOURCE PokerStars.com
back to topRelated links:
CONTACT:
Nolan Dalla, Director of Communications of
PokerStars.com, nolan@pokerstars.com; or Michele Sturdivant,
+1-323-202-1022, Michele.sturdivant@edelman.com, or Devin Parr,
+1-323-202-1072, Devin.parr@edelman.com, both for PokerStars.com
