World Series of Poker Super Satellite Tournament
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press/Analyst contact
Kerry Johnson/Susan Lindner
Lotus Public Relations
kerry.johnson@lotus-pr.com / susan.lindner@lotus-pr.com
212-922-5885
Nolan Dalla
Pokerstars.com
nolan@pokerstars.com
PokerStars.com Hosts the Largest WSOP Super Satellite in History
Online Tournament Produces More Than $2.5 Million in World Series of Poker Entries
ISLE OF MAN (UK) – JULY 20, 2006 – On Sunday July 16, PokerStars.com, the world’s largest poker tournament Web site, lived up to its reputation by hosting a massive World Series of Poker Super Satellite tournament. In just one night PokerStars.com awarded a whopping 255 seats to the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP); representing more players than the entire playing field of the 1993 Main Event.
An astonishing 7,377 players entered the online tournament seeking poker glory and a chance to be immortalized at the 2006 World Series of Poker. Players from around the world battled for a guaranteed 150 seats, but when the virtual cards were in the air, 234 seats were up for grabs. Later the same evening, the company ran a Second Chance satellite tournament that sent another 21 players to the WSOP with the chance to win an estimated first prize of $10 million,
The 255 winners were all awarded a $12,000 prize package that includes a coveted $10,000 buy-in to the 2006 WSOP Main Event, $1,000 in spending money, round-trip airfare to Las Vegas, and hotel accommodations for the two-week event.
The WSOP is the richest sporting event on the planet, with an estimated prize pool of more than $80 million and 8,000 players for the Main Event alone. Last year, every person who made the final table became an instant millionaire. The 2003 and 2004 World Champions, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, both won their WSOP entries on PokerStars.com, and the 2005 champ, Joe Hachem, has been a regular player on the site since 2002. The PokerStars.com Web site has established itself as the place “where poker players become world champions.”
“PokerStars.com has clearly become the place where poker players expect the biggest and best tournaments,” said Raymer. “They started the idea of online satellites, and now provide more WSOP players than anyone else in the world except for the WSOP itself.”
PokerStars.com is expected to provide about 20% of the estimated 8,000-player field for this year’s WSOP Main Event.
Go to http://www.pokerstars.com to learn more.
About PokerStars
PokerStars (www.pokerstars.com) is the world's most innovative online poker site. PokerStars was the first site to introduce features that became industry standard such as sophisticated multi-table tournaments, integrated game statistics, players' notes, personalized images, time bank for tournaments and big bet ring games, satellite tournaments, multi-table sit and go tournaments, and much more.
To date, PokerStars has dealt out over five-billion hands and run more than 25 million poker tournaments, awarding well over $5 billion in prize money. PokerStars is the world's largest poker tournament room, with over 5 million registered player accounts. PokerStars' support team is truly unique, as help and assistance is available around the clock from people who know and understand the game of poker and the importance of impeccable customer service.
The PokerStars.com site is also one of the most secure. PokerStars uses 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 to players at all times.
In February 2006, PokerStars.com became the first poker website ever to reach the 100,000 simultaneous player mark. That watershed achievement marked the largest poker event in history. Every week, the PokerStars.com "Sunday Million" is played, which the largest weekly tournament on the planet with a $1 million guaranteed tournament prize pool.
PokerStars is an official member of the World Poker Tour, and the title sponsor of the European Poker Tour (EPT) and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. In the fall, PokerStars hosts the world's largest online tournament, the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). PokerStars also sponsors major events around the globe, such as the World Cup of Poker and other exciting tournaments.
During the last three years, PokerStars.com sent more players to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) than any other source or website. A whopping 1,116 entrants (19 percent of the field) qualified to play in the 2005 WSOP via PokerStars satellites. PokerStars is the site where the 2003 and 2004 World Series of Poker champions won their entries into the WSOP. The reigning world poker champion, Joe Hachem, has also been an active player at PokerStars since 2002. He joined Moneymaker and Raymer as official representatives of PokerStars.com, thus fortifying the company trademark, "Where Poker Players Become World Champions."
