Asia Pacific Poker Tour to be held in Seoul

Seoul will host the first ever world-class poker tournament in the Asia Pacific region at the end of this month. The televised three-day tournament will not be broadcast in Korea because the government bans the broadcast of gambling activities. In addition, Korean nationals, with the exception of those who hold passports proving that they are landed residents of other countries, will be unable to play. This exception was necessary for the host venue, Paradise Walker Hill Casino, to acquire a license for the event.

PokerStars.net sponsors the yearly international poker competition, and has chosen Seoul after seeing “an opportunity to promote Seoul as a unique tourist destination for international poker players who wanted a great poker tournament experience,” said Jeffrey Haas, president of APPT, in an e-mail interview with The Korea Times.

The pan-Asia poker tour started off in August in the Philippines, with 255 players coming from 35 countries around the world. The finalists from the Seoul and Manila tournaments will join the APPT Grand Final in Sydney, Australia, in December.

The event runs Sept. 28-30. More information is available at the APPT website.