Thursday, February 15, 2007

Five Stars Sign Up for Asian Poker Classic

Top names announced for the guaranteed $1million tournament in India

Five of the world’s top poker stars will play in the Asian Poker Classic, the largest poker tournament ever staged in India, taking place in beautiful coastal resort of Goa from March 1-5, 2007. The $1 Million guaranteed jackpot combined with a minimum $250,000 overlay makes this tournament one of the richest in the world.

Ram Vaswani, Arshad Hussain, Surinder Sunar, Lee Nelson and Mel Judah have announced that they will compete for a share of the guaranteed US $1million prize pool and £250,000 add-in in this televised poker event!

The Asian Poker Classic is sponsored by online gaming site Maharajah Club and the five players who have signed up have huge profiles in the game thanks to their formidable achievements:

Ram Vaswani – a member of the London-based Hendon Mob, Vaswani’s live tournament winnings exceed $2.3 million. The 36-year-old is the only player to have made three final tables on the European Poker Tour (EPT).

Arshad Hussain – Hussain topped the European Rankings in 2006 after a series of remarkable performances. The 33-year-old from Accrington in Lancashire came second in the EPT Grand Final Event at Monte Carlo, winning $644,825.

Surinder Sunar – The Wolverhampton-based player earned $822,631 when he won the Paris Grand Prix on the World Poker Tour (WPT) in 2004. Sunar is famed for his poker face – he has an inner calm and shows absolutely no emotion at the table.

Lee Nelson – New Zealander Nelson has been the top-rated player in Australia and New Zealand for the past seven years. He was 2006 Aussie Millions champion, earning him more than $1 million.

Mel Judah – UK-based Aussie player Judah won bracelets at the WSOP in 1989 and 1997 and was 2003 Legends of Poker winner, collecting $579,375. He made the final table of the main event at the WSOP in 1997.

Sachin Pawa, CEO of sponsor Maharajah Club (http://www.maharajahclub.com/), said: “It is fantastic to see such high-profile players participate in India’s first poker tournament and I’m looking forwarded to hosting them and Europe’s top Asian poker players. The surroundings in Goa and huge prizes on offer mean the Asian Poker Classic will be one of the most exciting and eagerly-awaited events on the poker calendar.”

150 players are expected at the event, which will be held at the five-star Intercontinental hotel at Grand Resort Goa. Register to play in the tournament at http://www.asianpokerclassic.com/qualify.html or email team@asianpokerclassic.com for further information.