CASINO GRAND LISBOA, MACAU, May 23, 2010 :: PokerStars qualifier

Victorino Torres just gave a whole new meaning to the phrase, “V for Victory.” The 33-year-old attorney from the Northern Mariana Islands won the 4th annual PokerStars.net APPT Macau Main Event, turning a victory in a $22 rebuy satellite on PokerStars into more than **$3.2 million HKD** (approx. $416,000 USD).

Torres entered the final table as its second-shortest chip stack and quietly worked his way up the leaderboard as other players hit the rail. Torres stole the chip lead from runner-up Chong Wing Cheong once play became four-handed and from there, he never looked back.

“My whole experience here in Macau has been exceptional to say the least,” Torres said. “PokerStars ran this tournament beyond belief. To every player, if you have the opportunity, come out here and play.”

A trial lawyer by trade, a jubilant Torres said he expects to spend a little more time enjoying one of his other hobbies – farming – upon returning home: “I think I’ll spend a little more time on the farm now that I won. I love farming. I find it soothing, it’s relaxing, and it’s beneficial. I love it.”

Cheong’s runner-up finish is notable, as it makes him the **highest-placing Chinese player in the event’s four-year history**. Cheong earned HKD $2,088,000 (approx. $267,600 USD) in prize money for his efforts.

Photo used with permission of PokerStars.net

Click here to view tournament photos.

Steve Wynn unveils Encore, his new, all-suites boutique hotel this afternoon at 5pm. Adjacent to sister resort Wynn Macau, Encore is a unique destination with its own repertoire of suites, dining and shopping.

“Our goal with Encore was to broaden the appeal of Macau as a tourist destination and open the most beautiful hotel in the world. I am grateful to the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Macau who gave us this opportunity. As a result, the loveliest hotel in the world is not in London , Paris , Tokyo , New York or San Francisco . It is here in Macau . Encore at Wynn will bring the highest level of service and accommodations to the hospitality industry and will be enjoyed by our employees and guests forever,” said Steve Wynn, Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer – Wynn Resorts, Limited.

Accommodations at Encore include 414 suites and villas that offer tasteful elegance in a comfortable, residential setting. Encore introduces two new restaurants to the Wynn dining family, and Bar Cristal’s jewel-box décor turns a classic lobby bar into a work of art. The serene Spa at Encore offers treatments in eight private therapy suites, each with its own steam room, sauna and aroma-hydrotherapy bath and shower. The Shopping Esplanade is home to three signature stores—Cartier, Chanel and Piaget—showcasing the finest selections, including limited-edition pieces unique to Encore.

Encore suite reservations may be made by calling (853) 8986 9966.

As the nation mourns the victims of the earthquake in Yushu county, Qinghai province, China , Wynn Macau expresses its deepest condolences. As such, the celebratory activities for the opening of Encore at Wynn Macau have been cancelled. The fireworks display planned for this evening at 8:08pm has been postponed to Thursday, April 22 at 8:08 p.m.

Photos used with permission & copyright Wynn Macau

MACAU, CHINA, APRIL 18 2010 – PokerStars Macau at Casino Grand Lisboa began their new Macau Poker Cup (MPC) spinoff of monthly tournaments with the MPC April Special from April 16-18. The weekend featured the HKD $4,000 No Limit Holdem event with a HKD $250,000 Guarantee which produced a field of 115 players and prize pool of HKD $414,000.

Max Wu from Hong Kong claimed the MPC April Special trophy along with HKD $107,500 in prize money. It was a surprise result from a player coming into only his second live poker tournament. Even more amazing is the fact that Max would have missed the tournament altogether had his friend, PokerStars sponsored Percy Yung, not registered him into the $4,000 NLH 2 minutes before registration closed.

The $4,000 NLH event counted towards the Asia Player of the Year (APOY) Leaderboard and that brought the likes of Team PokerStars PRO Asia Celina Lin and Bryan Huang, PokerStars sponsored and MPCC Winner Devan Tang from Hong Kong. Max was aggressive the entire night as the All-in button frequently sat in front of his chip stack.

With the victory, Max now moves into 12th on the APOY Leaderboard. Team PokerStars PRO Asia Raymond Wu from Taipei retains his number one rank and Celina Lin’s fourth place finish moved her to 24th where she sits just ahead of Bryan Huang who ranked 25th.

PokerStars Macau now gets ready for the most anticipated tournament of the year as the APPT Macau begins preliminary events May 3 with the Main Event taking place from May 18-23. Players can qualify online at PokerStars.net or live in the PokerStars Macau poker room.

APPT Macau, May 18-23, 2010
Main Event Entry Fee: HKD $40,000
Qualify for FREE online at PokerStars.net

Macau Poker Cup, July 7-11, 2010
Red Dragon (Main Event) Entry Fee: HKD $10,000
Guaranteed Prize Pool: HKD $2 Million

Qualify for FREE online at PokerStars.net

Photos used with permission of PokerStars Macau

You can start your invasion as the Maps are ready! They are both zoomable image files of feature Macau peninsula and the Cotai region. Cheers!

APPT Macau Spring Poker Festival. Click here to read more.

Was at City of Dreams last week to catch The Bubble show and COD is running the “Let’s Get Lucky” Promotion. I’ve won a free spin at the Lucky Spin Wheel and a chance to particupate in City of Dream’s 1st Anniversary Grand Draw this coming 5th June 2010.

And yes, I’m excited to see their world premiere of The House of Dancing Water later this year.

Scorecard copyright City of Dreams Macau

Macau Baccarat video report used with permission & copyrighted to CNN.com

The Winter Olympics may have finished in Vancouver but there was certainly an Olympic feel in PokerStars Macau at Casino Grand Lisboa as players from 34 countries came to participate in the record breaking Macau Poker Cup (MPC) from March 3-7.

PokerStars Team Asia Pro Raymond Wu from Taipei owned the podium as he won the Red Dragon trophy and first prize of HKD $664,000 (USD $85,677). The Red Dragon event is MPC’s main event and both the field size of 321 players and prize pool of nearly HKD $3 million shattered the previous October 2009 record of 247 and HKD $2.3 million respectively.

The Red Dragon final table had players from Japan, France, Norway, Korea, Australia and Hong Kong but it proved to be a Taipei battle zone for Raymond and fellow countryman Wei-En Shih. Wei-En built his chip lead early and knocked out most of the players early on. As the day went on, Raymond got increasingly more aggressive with 75% of the tournament’s chips divided amongst him and Wei-En. Raymond and Wei-En started to fight for each other’s chips and players that got in the way would quickly find themselves on the rail. Fittingly, the two Taipei nationals would play heads up where Raymond dominated most of the play. Wei-En decided to employ an all-in pre-flop strategy to counter. The final hand saw Wei-En move all-in with suited Q2 and Raymond would quickly call with pocket sevens that would hold and bring him to the winner’s circle.

Raymond now sits on top of the Asia Player of the Year (APOY) Leaderboard after his Red Dragon victory and final table placing in the MPC Charity event. The 2010 APOY will win a 1-year sponsorship with PokerStars Macau for the following year. Raymond’s reputation on the world stage is growing as he captained Team Chinese Taipei to World Cup of Poker glory earlier in the year at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

The March 2010 MPC featured 6 events over five days and had 986 players competing for HKD $4,074,600 (USD $525,755) in total prize money. Notables include PokerStars Team Asia Pro Bryan Huang, and PokerStars sponsored players Kitty Kuo from Taipei (2009 APOY), Devan Tang from Hong Kong (2009 Macau Poker Cup Championship winner) and Neil Arce from Philippines (3rd, 2009 APPT Macau High Roller’s Event).

The Red Dragon has recently been dominated by fellow PokerStars Team Asia Pros with Celina Lin from China winning the event in July 2009 and Korea’s Tae Joon Noh runner up finish in October 2009. Each one of those Red Dragon events had surpassed the previous one in both field size and prize money and it’s expected to do the same when the Macau Poker Cup returns in July 7-11, 2010 with a HKD $2,000,000 Guarantee for the Red Dragon event.

Upcoming 2 Tournaments:

May 18-23, 2010 : APPT Macau – Main Event Entry Fee : HKD $40,000

July 7-11, 2010 : Macau Poker Cup – Red Dragon (Main Event) Entry Fee : HKD $10,000/ Guarantedd Prize Pool: HKD $2 Million

Photos used with permission of PokerStars Macau & Poker Media Asia

Alex Ho – Champion of 2nd World Series of Mahjong

Video report copyrighted to Aomen.TV

World Series of Mahjong (WSOM) will return to Macau again this summer after the amazing success of the last two events. The third-annual WSOM will be held from August 19-22, 2010 at the prestigious The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel. WSOM continues to be the world’s largest mahjong tournament in terms of player participation and prize money