PokerStars has a plan

While sponsoring two of the most expansive on going tournaments, PokerStars has devised a method of strategically placing their team in the events, this week splitting them up between 2 simultaneously. Being the primary sponsor, they are feeling a certain need to hold a solid presence on the felt for both the European Poker Tour and the Asian Pacific Poker Tour.

The EPT London is holding the 5400 GBP event at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino, playing September 25th continuing through the 29th. The APPT is holding the Seoul, South Korea Tournament starting on September 28th continuing until the 30th. This poses a unique situation for Team Poker Stars.

PokerStars has earnestly promoted these events online and regionally by encouraging users to try to qualify for them, and the site is sending several members of its Team PokerStars to both Korea and the U.K.

Joe Hachem, 2005 WSOP champion, is confirmed for APPT Seoul, South Korea, and no doubt be other members of Team PokerStars are being schedule to be in competition. Hachem is particularly important to PokerStars in Asia because, as an Australian, his home is closest to the Asian Market. Daniel Negreanu and Vanessa Rousso attended the first APPT event in Manila in August. They proved to be significant players bringing the Poker Stars Team deep into the events. Local newspapers in Seoul have already begun to run articles on Hachem.

The Asian Pacific Poker Tour is in it’s first year, thus they could use as much of the Poker Stars Team as they can get, in the effort to generate further interest in poker through out Asia. Regardless of the rising number of professional poker players who are Asian born, poker is still in the earliest stages of development in the region. Proving this, there are only 3 events in this year’s APPT. Manila, Seoul, this week, and Sydney, Australia in December.

The European Poker Tour (EPT) is a whole other story. As one of the major poker events in Europe, London, England is only the second event in the fourth season for the tournament series. There will be 10 events in all, and each one will be taped for broadcast on European Television.

Much of Europe takes notice when the events are being played, and later aired. Over the last four seasons, attendance at the events have been on a steady rise. To prove this, EPT Barcelona, the first stop on the tour for the season, brought 543 players, with 74 of them qualifying through PokerStars. This was the second largest playing field the tour has brought in; the highest was season 3 championship in which 706 players competed for the title.

After London, the EPT heads to Baden, Austria, and qualifiers for sponsored seats are now running at PokerStars, and other online poker rooms.