PokerStars has big plans for Australian and New Zealand poker action

With this year's Aussie Millions still attracting the attention of players to the region, PokerStars.net has announced the launch of a major new poker tour which will be played across Australia and New Zealand - the PokerStars.net ANZPT. The first event is planned for Adelaide on February 4, 2009.

"The growth of poker in Australia and New Zealand over the past few years has been astounding; with figures showing there are over 400 000 Australians regularly playing poker," said a company spokesman this week. "There has also been the success of tournaments in region such as the PokerStars.net APPT events in Auckland and Sydney, as well as the Aussie Millions. Now antipodeans have their very own tour which will further develop poker talent in the region."

Searching for the next local Poker Star, the ANZPT will go to Australia and New Zealand's leading casinos. The tour is league based which means there is a point system awarding players for every event they enter as well as for the position they finish in each tournament. The first season will run up until July.

The ANZPT will kick off at Adelaide's Sky City Casino - widely regarded as the 'Home of Australian Poker,' where Texas Hold'em was first introduced to Aussies in 1987. It will form part of the casino's Adelaide Hold'em Championship, which runs from January 31st to the February 7th.

Online qualifiers started running on PokerStars at the beginning of January, with packages worth over $4 500 available to winning players.

Some of poker's finest including PokerStars.net Team Australia members Grant Levy, Eric Assadourian, Celina Lin, Tony Hachem and Emad Tahtouh will participate in the PokerStars.net ANZPT in up to six locations, said ANZPT spokesperson, Danny McDonagh.

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