World Series of Poker Record Satellite Qualifers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press/Analyst contact
Craig Sinel
The Bohle Group
310.785.0515
craig@bohle.com
PokerStars.com Players Shatter Record; More than 1,000 Qualify for World Series of Poker Championship
World's Largest Online Poker Tournament Site is Training Ground for Best Players, Including The Last Two Champions
LOS ANGELES - June 27, 2005 - PokerStars.com, home of the last two World Series of Poker (WSOP) champions, announced today that the online poker site's satellite tournaments have qualified over 1,000 players to play in WSOP Championship beginning July 7. The WSOP Championship is the world's largest poker event, generating the largest purse and attracting more than 6,000 players. This year's top players will share a prize pool expected to be in excess of $60 million.
PokerStars.com gained worldwide attention in 2003 as the site that launched the meteoric rise of Chris Moneymaker. An unknown playing in his first land-based tournament, Moneymaker became the first online qualifier to win the prestigious WSOP Championship bracelet, earning a then-record $2.5 million first place prize. Moneymaker had won a $39 satellite tournament on PokerStars.com to qualify and then went on to defeat the 839 player WSOP field to capture the championship title. Moneymaker was one of 33 players to qualify for the WSOP on PokerStars.com in 2003.
The online poker site followed up this historic feat by qualifying 316 players for the WSOP championship event in 2004, which had grown by more than 200 percent in terms of players, and lightning struck once again - Greg Raymer, who won his WSOP entry in a $160 PokerStars.com satellite tournament, took home the record $5 million first place. This time, Greg defeated 2,575 players.
And that was not all. Four of the nine final table players, including runner-up David Williams, qualified on PokerStars.com. In all, the 2004 WSOP paid out more than $11 million in prize money to PokerStars.com players.
Greg Raymer, 2004 World Series of Poker champion, attributes the huge numbers of WSOP qualifiers on the site to the variety and frequency of tournaments and the high quality of support that PokerStars players receive.
"The World Series of Poker is the biggest and most prestigious tournament in poker, and it's the one everyone wants to play. PokerStars players can win the poker dream of a lifetime for as little as $3 - in fact, PokerStars has two players this year who won $10,000 WSOP entries, cash and hotel stays for an investment of $6. And when players have questions or need help, they know PokerStars is there for them around the clock, with speedy and correct information."
With more than 1,000 players who qualified through the site for this year's main event, PokerStars.com gave away over $2 million in WSOP entry packages to 125 of its players via the site's innovative Frequent Player Point system (a system similar to airline frequent flyer points in which players can use their points as a substitute for real money to enter preliminary WSOP events.) An additional 900 players have qualified via the site's satellite tournament system. The number of players who have won 2005 WSOP entries on PokerStars.com exceeds the total number of players who played in the WSOP in 2003.
About PokerStars
PokerStars (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.
PokerStars is the world's leading tournament site. To date, PokerStars has dealt nearly two billion hands and run more than nine million poker tournaments, awarding over $1 billion in prize money. 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 that PokerStars can fulfill its obligations towards players at all times.
PokerStars is the title sponsor of the European Poker Tour and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. PokerStars.com also hosts the World Championship of Online Poker, the world's largest online poker tournament, with a prize pool of over $6 million in 2004. PokerStars is the site where the 2003 and 2004 World Champions of Poker won entries into the World Series of Poker, thus earning the trademark -- "Where poker players become World Champions."
