Asian Poker Open under way

The Asian Poker Open gets under way today (November 22) with qualifying games taking place at the Grand Waldo Casino on Cotai. Tomorrow is the start of the main event, with a few big names in attendance, including Joe Hachem, the 2005 World Series of Poker Champion.

The event is a key stop on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour, an annual series of televised No Limit Texas Hold'em poker tournaments held across the region. It will take place over six days, featuring several events. The main event involves a US$2,500 (HK$19,500) buy-in, with an estimated prize pool of US$600,000 (HKD$4,680,000), and a potential first prize of US$170,000 (HKD1,326,000). There is also a US$15,000 (HK$117,000) “High Roller” buy-in event.” Total prize pool is estimated at well over HK$10 million.

Matt Savage, one of the world’s foremost tournament directors, will direct all poker tournaments during the week. Savage is a founder of the Tournament Directors Association (TDA), the developer of a set of standardized poker-tournament rules used in major tournaments around the world. He has hosted and appeared on more than 300 televised poker shows and has directed poker events around the globe.