PokerStars APPT Season Five to End in Cebu

The final stop of the fifth season of the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) will take place in the always-popular Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino in Philippines city Cebu.

The APPT Cebu has just been announced as the fifth and last leg of the tour, and follows stops in Melbourne, Queenstown, New Zealand, and Macau, with the Seoul event still to be played next month.

The Cebu City stop will take place from April 24 to 30, with the seven-day series highlight undoubtedly the PHP 100,000 ($2,350) buy-in main event – particularly as it has now been selected as a qualifying tournament for the Asia Player of the Year award.

Incredibly, Singapore’s Tan Tai Zheng has only just won the Asian Poker Tour (APT) Asian Series Cebu main event for $85,914 at the very same hotel, so poker players throughout the region – and beyond – will once more have the chance to enjoy the famed Philippines hospitality in a few months’ time.

History-Maker Vivian Im Back to Defend Title

One of biggest attractions in Cebu will be the return of South Korean Vivian Im – a Team PokerStars Pro who created history by becoming the first woman to win an APPT main event in last year’s season four stop.

Im collected PHP 5,810,000 ($132,700) for outlasting 235 other competitors then – and in the process became only the second female to make an APPT main event final table after American Liz Lieu finished in seventh for $32,384 at the $2,500 buy-in Macau tournament back in late November of 2007.

So all you budding young female poker players have a lot to live up to, although there are also, of course, numerous side events to also attract attention as they provide a variety of poker games with buy-ins starting at PHP 10,000 all the way up to PHP 250,000.

However, if you’re determined to make it to the main event, then it’s probably best if you get over to PokerStars from next Monday (February 13) as that’s when the world’s biggest poker room kicks off their series of satellites that will reward players with APPT packages.

PokerStars Satellites Kick Off Next Week

As always, PokerStars will provide all of their qualifiers with accommodation at the sumptuous Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa – one of Cebu’s top hotels – as well as spending money and, of course, the main event buy-in.

Also, don’t forget, if you’re a novice poker player, then you can take full advantage of PokerStars’ 100% first-deposit bonus for up to $600.

If you want to know more about this burgeoning Asian tour, go take a look at APPT.com, where you can find all you want about future events, hotel accommodation and much more.

APPT Cebu Tournament Schedule (all times local):

Tuesday, April 24:

16:00, PHP 10,000 buy-in Cebu Cup (event 1)

19:00, PHP 11,000 buy-in Mega Satellite to Main Event

21:00, PHP 11,000 buy-in Mega Satellite to Main Event

Wednesday, April 25:

12:15, PHP 100,000 buy-in APPT Cebu main event Day 1a (20,000 starting chips, 60-minute blind levels, event 2)

14:00, Cebu Cup final table

16:00, PHP 11,000 buy-in Mega Satellite to Main Event

19:00, PHP 11,000 buy-in Mega Satellite to Main Event

Thursday, April 26:

12:15, PHP 100,000 buy-in APPT Cebu main event Day 1b (20,000 starting chips, 60-minute blind levels)

16:00, PHP 11,000 buy-in Mega Satellite to Main Event

19:00, PHP 16,500 buy-in Last Chance Main Event Mega Satellite

Friday, April 27:

12:15, PHP 100,000 buy-in APPT Cebu main event Day 1c (20,000 starting chips, 60-minute blind levels)

16:00, PHP 25,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha (event 3)

Saturday, April 28:

12:15, APPT Cebu main event Day 2

15:00, PHP 30,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Knockout Bounty (event 4)

18:00, PHP 10,000 buy-in Ladies No-Limit Hold’em (event 5)

Sunday, April 29:

12:15, APPT Cebu main event Day 3

14:00, PHP 20,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em

17:00, PHP 50,000 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em (event 6)

Monday, April 30:

12:15, APPT Cebu main event final table

12:30, PHP 250,000 buy-in High Rollers Event (event 7)

14:00, PHP 25,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (event 8)