The renowned PokerStars online poker room is believed to be one of the most classic and finest poker rooms in the industry. Apart from the diverse variety of poker games it offers, the Poker Stars is also appealing due to its regular bonuses and tournaments, whether they are offered at land based casinos or online. Be it the Asia Pacific Poker tour to the European poker tour, the poker room continues to cater to its players.

Yet again the PokerStars.com has started a poker tournament titled the America’s Cup of Poker. The 2009 America’s cup of poker will comprise sixteen teams from 16 different countries. These teams will compete to reach the live final which is going to be held in Patagonia, Argentina at the Cerro Catedral Ski resort. The player’s are basically fighting for am amount of $250,000 out of which $100,000 will be split amongst the winning team’s players. More information!

To take part in the America’s cup of poker the players can compete online at the daily free rolls or the regular qualifiers. The free rolls give all types of players a chance to play since they start at as low as $0.20.

The teams will be divided into 4 groups and they will be representing 13 nations from the American continent, out of which three will be wild card entries. The first group has the U.S, Ecuador and Mexico. The second group has Canada, Columbia and Uruguay. The third group has Chile, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Peru and the last group has Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

The top 8 teams will reach the live final over a three week competition. The top 5 players from each team will represent their group in Argentina and this will be determined through the points earned. There will also be a poker star pro competing at the live final to make things more interesting.

Click here to play in the America’s Cup of Poker!

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Tournaments | No Comments » July 30th, 2009

Not very long ago the American Government froze $33 Million in player transactions coming from poker sites accepting US players. This activity seemed harsh on the online poker community. Poker Star is amongst the hardest hit as a result of this freeze. On the other hand other poker rooms like Full Tilt Poker and Cake Poker seemed to take this as an opportunity to build their player base.

The freeze tended to impact the online traffic at PokerStars which went down by 7% during the month of June according to PokerScout.com. The fact that triggered this sudden freeze was that the US players started having trouble making a deposit using eChecks which is the most popular deposit option for US players.

Not all poker rooms have suffered however. Unlike ‘PokerStars’ poker room, ‘FullTilt’ and ‘Cake Poker’ have taken advantage of the current situation and they have seen their traffic rise by 3% each during the month of June.

For certain poker rooms, alternative solutions to the freeze have been arranged. Poker players at Full Tilt Poker also suffered from these problems in the beginning but the people in charge at FullTilt have been able to set up alternative options for player transactions very quickly. The fan following and critics seems to notice that one poker room has not been able to recover as expected. On poker forums around the internet the public opinion seems to be, that PokerStars have been taking a very long time to solve this issue and the players are not satisfied with this.

It will be interesting to see how the site traffic is going to be affected over the coming weeks due to the difficulty that the freeze is causing. Unless PokerStars can find a solid solution to this issue soon they are likely to lose even more of their market share to FullTilt and CakePoker.com most have problems regaining they players confidence for future online poker.

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News | No Comments » July 5th, 2009

On June 14 at 16:30 ET, PokerStars will be holding a World Series mega Main Event Qualifier satellite that will guarantee at least 200 prize packages to the WSOP 2009 Main Event; and since the Main Event is rapidly approaching, this just may be the best and last chance to see what it takes to be the next WSOP World Champ.

This special Main Event Qualifier will be held in place of the normally scheduled Sunday Million on June 14th, with a direct buy-in available for just $370. But why not try to get in cheap by playing in the full range of qualifier satellites? These satellites provide the chance to win seats in the mega Main Event Qualifier, starting at only $2.20 or 460 FPPs (Frequent Player Points). PokerStars will award an extra bonus when someone plays in the Mega Satellite Main Event Qualifier; thus, doubling VIP points.

The World Championship Main Event prize package is worth $12,000 that includes; the Main Event buy- in, hotel accommodations and $1,000 cash for travel and expenses. The Main Event party starts on July 3rd at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The freebies, however, do not end at just winning the WSOP Main Event seat because once there, PokerStars.com will give a shot at winning $1 Million Dollars for free. Click here to read more!

At Las Vegas, PokerStars will be hosting a series of live FreeRoll Sit n’ Go Satellites and every one of them will have a cash prize pool with the top finisher being awarded a ticket to play in the online final. These FreeRolls will give away a total of $1 Million Dollars in prizes. These events and the cash to be won will be only for those players who won their seat through PokerStars and played in the Main Event. Moreover, by wearing PokerStars logo gear while playing in the WSOP Main Event, anyone can automatically be a PokerStars SuperNova VIP when credited 100,000 FPPs.

Team PokerStars Pro Peter Eastgate who is the reigning WSOP Champion said; “The World Series is the tournament to play if you are going to take a shot at fame and fortune and there is no better place to take that shot than by winning your PokerStars WSOP package in the biggest online qualifier to be found.”

Even if someone misses the $370 Mega Satellite, they can still jump in the daily FreeRolls which gives a shot at winning the chair in the World Series for free. Until June 20th, every day there will be 14 quadruple shootout FreeRoll tournaments on PokerStars which will award 10 players a ticket to play in the Weekly Final.

The Weekly Final takes place every Sunday at 19:00 ET.  Each of the Weekly Final winners will receive a World Series Main Event package worth $12,000.

Click here to Win your Seat at the WSOP 2009 Main Event!

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Tournaments, WSOP | No Comments » June 12th, 2009

Recently announcing the finalists of its most up-to-date casting auditions Team PokerStars Pro has confirmed that the two young and renowned celebrities Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov who carved their names in Poker history are now going to be found among the stars of PokerStars pro.

In the recent year Danish professional poker player Peter Eastgate made his way through the 6,843 player field to achieve the title of becoming the youngest ever World series main event champion at the tender and meek age of 22 earning himself not only unparallel fame but also a jaw dropping prize pool worth $9 million, not to mention the very shiny and enticing gold bracelet, the mark of a champion.

Smashing a record that has stood for a staggering period of 19 years Eastgate surpassed 24 year old Phil Hellmuth’s win in the main event of 19898. Before Eastgate was ever seen at the respected World Series of Poker events he had just finished high school but what he didn’t know was that another world of skill and dexterity awaited him and in 2007 Eastgate made some noteworthy wins in the Irish Poker Open 2007 and 2008 European Poker Tour. One of his recent grabs was the European Poker Tour that featured the Caribbean Adventure Main event. Eastgate won the $5000 NL Hold’em side event.

Ivan Demidov who belongs to Moscow, Russia made his mark in the poker history books was when he became the first player to reach the final tables of the World Series of Poker and World Series of Poker Europe Main events and that too in the same year. Though Demidov didn’t win the title his name still made headline when he was eliminated in third place at the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe in 2008 winning himself an awe inspiring $608,995, and just a few weeks after this astounding win he pocketed $5,809,595 for coming in second place at the 2008 World Series of Poker main event.

Both Eastgate and Demidov were thrilled for making it into the legendary PokerStars.com Professional team featuring ardent gamblers much like themselves. Both players signed on with PokerStars at a time when they were rivaled against one another in the 2008 World Series of Poker events where they battled each other for a grueling period of four hours and now they are going to be working together under the same brand.

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Pro Players | No Comments » April 4th, 2009

World Series Of Poker

Once again, it’s the time of year when all serious poker players begin to turn their attention towards Las Vegas. We are of course talking about the Big Dance -the 2009 World Series Of Poker!

Continuing their proud tradition of qualifying more players to the Main Event than any other poker site, Poker Stars WSOP satellites will be available from April 13, starting from as little as $1 or 40 FPP, giving you the chance to win your seat in poker’s premiere event.  Watch your PokerStars.com lobby for updates on their availability.

European Poker Tour (EPT)

With just one stop remaining on the EPT schedule before the Season 5 Grand Final in Monte Carlo, there is still time for a highly anticipated return to Italy for EPT San Remo from April 18-23.

A hugely successful debut last year saw 701 players compete for a share of the €3.1 million prize pool, and this year you could join us by qualifying through our online satellites. Cash and FPP qualifiers are available from $2.22 or 111 FPP, find them under the Events > EPT tab.

Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT)

The Grand Final of the Latin American Poker Tour’s second season is quickly approaching, as the action prepares to head to Argentina for LAPT Mar del Plata.

The final event will run from April 16-19, and qualifiers giving you the chance to win a seat at the event are running now. Satellites are available from as little as $0.25 or 250 FPPs and are located under the Events > LAPT tab in your PokerStars.com lobby.

Posted by Diana Sterling in EPT, LAPT, Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Tournaments, WSOP | No Comments » April 1st, 2009

(PRESS RELEASE) — Blandino Gines’ first job in the United States was picking grapes in the vineyards of Modesto, California; thirty-four years later, he will play poker on national television for a chance at $500,000 thanks to PokerStars.net. Gines, a 52-year-old welder from San Jose, California, won a free satellite on PokerStars for a chance to compete head-to-head with the world’s top celebrities, athletes and poker pros at the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas from March 6-8. The championship will be televised nationally on NBC and CNBC.

“I didn’t think it was real when they first called me,” Gines said. “I thought I just won $1,000. I didn’t know that they were going to send me to Vegas to play in NBC Heads-Up. This is unbelievable. I am still in shock.”

In 1975, Gines emigrated from The Phillipines when his father petitioned for him to come to the U.S. For three years, the 19-year-old Gines made a living picking grapes in the vineyards of Modesto and Stockton, CA. He then moved to Alaska where got a job canning salmon with Trident Seafood Corp. After 11 years in Alaska, Gines taught himself how to weld, and took a fabrication job at Trident’s factory in Seattle, WA.

The current economic downturn forced Trident to make cutbacks and Gines was let go from the company. For the past three months, Gines has lived in his sister’s apartment with his wife and 7-year-old daughter. To earn extra money he works part-time on construction jobs with his brother-in-law and plays poker on PokerStars.

“PokerStars builds champions and make dreams come true,” said 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event champion and Team PokerStars Pro Greg Raymer. “PokerStars com offers the most tournaments and unique promotions out of any poker site in the world. I wish Gines the best of luck and hope to see him in the finals.”

In early February, Gines entered PokerStars’ National Heads-Up Poker Championship promotion and survived 590,000 players through three rounds to win his seat. Gines first started playing poker two and a half years ago after watching poker on TV. He immediately created an account on PokerStars, and has been playing online ever since.

PokerStars.net, the world’s largest online poker site, will cover Gines’ $20,000 entry fee into the tournament along with four nights of hotel accommodations in Las Vegas and $1,000 cash for travel and expenses.

“I can’t believe I might have the chance to play against Daniel Negreanu and Greg Raymer. I am going to start practicing on PokerStars right away. I’m very excited and so grateful to PokerStars for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

In the past, the tournament was primarily reserved for world-class players and celebrities, on an invitation-only basis. This is the second time in the history of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship that an online qualifier from a poker site was allowed entry to compete for a share of $1.5 million on TV’s highest-rated poker broadcast.

Last February, PokerStars qualifier Alisha Kunze won a chance to compete in the event for free. The 23-year-old from Indiana played a solid game and held her own against the pro players. Kunze eventually busted out when her pocket Kings ran into pocket Aces.

The event is bracketed much like the college basketball championship: play head-to-head, win and move on to the next bracket. The “national champion” takes home $500,000.

For more information about PokerStars free satellites, visit pokerstars.com

Posted by Diana Sterling in Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Pro Players, Poker Tournaments | No Comments » March 3rd, 2009

The first ever event on the brand new PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) took place in February at ANZPT Adelaide. A field of 215 players descended on Australia’s city of churches to create a total prize pool of AUD $586,950. Victory was claimed by PokerStars qualifier Karl Krautschneder who swept aside the competition to turn his $33 satellite entry in to $170,215 prize money and was crowned as the first ever ANZPT Champion. Now, we’re giving you the chance to repeat this success as the tour moves on to its next stop – ANZPT Sydney!

The ANZPT will roll in to Sydney on April 30 before moving on around Australia and New Zealand taking in some of the most vibrant and exciting cities the region has to offer, where the beauty of the landscape will be matched only by the intensity of the poker, and YOU could be at ANZPT Sydney by qualifying through our online satellites.

Win a $2,935 prize package, including event buy-in, hotel accommodation and $500 expense money, through ANZPT – Sydney qualifying satellites. Qualifying is already underway with freeroll satellites available now under the Tourney > Regional tab in your PokerStars lobby. For an even better chance of winning your seat, our real money qualifiers start from as little as $2 or 500 Frequent Player Points (FPP), and are located under the Events > Special tab in your PokerStars lobby.

Posted by Diana Sterling in ANZPT, Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Tournaments | No Comments » February 25th, 2009