The Asian Poker Tour has released its full schedule dates for the up and coming Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival, which will take place in Macau, China from August 12th -23rd (Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino).
The tour, which was the progenitor of the Asian Poker Tour phenomenon that has exploded in recent times, provides an eclectic range of 20 events, with 14 other official events to run alongside it. Exciting events include the HK$2,500 (minimum guarantees of HK$100,000, as well as the less intense $1,150 event that provides half the prize pool of the latter. Ultimately, the prestigious Asian epicenter of gambling will provide enough enticing and ebullient events to span 23 days, with the four starting and finishing before the 16th August.
As well as the main events however, there are a vast number of corollary games to operate alongside, which all draw inveterate high stake gamblers from the Far East to the Far West. Included in the events are invitational and celebrity tournaments to add intensity, as well as headhunter and 6/8 handed events. Indeed, the first woman-only events to be held this year, including heads-up tourneys, show how far the game has developed on the other side of the world. Interestingly, the APT Macau will also provide the scene for the first Chinese poker film ‘Poker King’, set to star some of China’s most prominent A-list stars and actresses.

Matt Savage, the world‚Äôs forefront Tournament Director, speaking of all the anticipated action and build up stated "This is an ambitious tournament schedule and there is something for everybody within it, there’s no doubt it is player friendly. Macau’s poker scene is booming and some of the formats will certainly be firsts for the region. The guarantees are great and it is exciting to see the heads-up and ladies event on the schedule. What shouldn’t be forgotten as well though is that The Asian Poker Tour hosts the most legendary parties ‚Äì the one in Macau even won awards last year!"
Tom Hall, the man behind the company who own the APT also extolled his admiralty if the massive 12 day event saying "We’re delighted with this schedule – it really shows just how far the game has come in this part of the world. Our objective was to put player’s interests first in all scheduling as Macau will be a poker heaven in August!"
Online networks who have aleady committed to sending their sponsored players to the event include the iPoker Network (operators include CD Poker, Titan and BetFred) and PartyPoker. Other well known Poker Rooms involved in the Macau action and providing tournament access for their users include PKR, 888, Bwin and 32Red.
The last Asian Poke Tour event, which was hosted in the Philippines this year in January, was won by Neil Arce who managed to take home $US$185,000 for the Main Event HK$34,400 buy in. 262 players from across the worl originally entered into the prodigious event, with the Republic of Korea’s Steve Yea coming 2nd ironically for the 2nd time in a row (came 2nd in the 2008 event in Macau).