Poker's top asian pros eye top plum at APT manila

The top professional poker players with Asian heritage are aiming for nothing less than the top prize at the upcoming Asian Poker Tour Philippines leg this coming May 27 to June 1.

Korean-born Steve Sung, Vietnam-native Quinn Do and Vietnamese-American Nam Le are all hoping to be the last man standing at the finals table of the first leg of the 2008 Asian Poker Tour to be held at the Dusit Thani Manila Hotel. The three poker pros of Asian-descent will duke it out with over 400 other pros for a chance to win the first prize chunk of the guaranteed prize pool of US$ 1 million.

Korean-born Steve Sung has been playing in major live tournaments for several years now since turning pro. While still lacking a major tournament title, he has been a top placer in several WPT and WSOP events, his best finish being second place in the recent 2008 Bay 101 Shooting Star WPT Championship. Before playing live tournaments, Sung has been an avid online poker player under the moniker 'MuGGyLiCiOuS'. To date, his total poker winnings amount to over $1.4 million.

Quinn Do decided to play poker full time in 2004 after his time at the University of Washington and after dabbling in the restaurant business. Since turning pro, Do has been a regular at major live poker events and has won a WSOP Gold Bracelet at the 2005 WSOP Limit Hold'em Event. Other notable finishes by the Vietnam-born Do include a 2nd place finish at the Bellagio Challenge Cup Championship in 2005 and most recently, a 2nd place finish at the 2008 LA Poker Classic WPT Championship where he went home with $909,400.00. Quinn Do's total poker winnings to date are close to $2 million.

Vietnamese-American Nam Le is only twenty-five years old but is already considered by many to be a major threat at live tournaments. He already has a couple of first place finishes under his belt – the 2006 Bay 101 Shooting Star WPT Championship and the 2006 Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge II, as well top place finishes in several WSOP and WPT events. His most recent finish was 4th place at the 2008 LA Poker Classic WPT Championship where he earned $411,770.00. Le’s total winnings to date exceed $4.3 million.

While Sung, Do and Le are favorites to win the top plum at the APT, they will face stiff competition from other poker pros, most notably, Filipino poker players who are expected to perform well on their native soil. Filipino poker players are expected to make up a third of the total number of entrants to the biggest poker event to hit Manila.

If neither Sung, Do and Le take home the APT Championship title in Manila, they will have three other chances to try this year as the APT moves to Macau in August, Seoul in October and Singapore in December with each event still guaranteeing a prize pool of US$1 million.

Poker players joining the APT Manila leg can register online at www.asianpt.com or at the venue until May 28 before the start of the day’s games.

ABOUT ASIAN POKER TOUR
The Asian Poker Tour (APT) is Asia's biggest and original poker tour. The brand was recently acquired by AsianLogic (AIM:ALOG). As part of the new organization of the APT, four events will be held across Asia in 2008. Next year, the Tour plans to increase this to a total of six events. Each tournament is set to attract live players as well as internet players who will qualify via online satellites. Each main event will offer a guaranteed US$1 million prize pool, with buy-ins of US$2,500.

ABOUT ESL-ASIA
Established in 2002, ESL, a subsidiary of AsianLogic, provides a broad range of gaming products and services, encompassing the development, management and marketing of Online Casino Gaming, Online Poker, Multiplayer Games, Asian-Themed Games, Online Sports Betting/Land-based Sports Betting, Live Videostream Casino Gaming, Land-based Slot Machines, Mobile Gaming and Gaming Consulting. ESL is headquartered in Manila, Philippines and employs staff throughout the Asia-Pacific region, maintaining a presence in all key Asian markets.

ESL is a regulated gaming operator, holding licenses from recognized gaming jurisdictions. ESL's subsidiaries operate on Tier 1 licenses issued by Alderney, one of the world's leading gambling jurisdictions. It is a pioneer licensee of CEZA/First Cagayan in the Philippines and its sports betting operation is regulated by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). In addition, the company also holds a Curacao license.

ABOUT ASIAN LOGIC (ALL)
AsianLogic is a leading online and land-based gaming company focusing on the Asia-Pacific markets. The Company is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM: ALOG). AsianLogic owns and operates eight online casino brands and two online poker rooms as well as land-based sportsbook operations through its MegaSportsWorld brand. It is a specialist in Asia-specific games such as Mahjong, Cho-Da-Di, Do-Di-Zhu and 13 Card Poker.

The Company also maintains a corporate advisory team specialising in the gaming sector which is an active investor in gaming-related businesses as well as providing consultancy and analytical services. AsianLogic enjoys strong commercial relationships with leading gaming providers including Playtech, ID Games and LVS. Founded as ESL in 2002, AsianLogic employs over 300 employees, the majority of whom are based in the Philippines.

Poker News: Poker's top asian pros eye top plum at APT manila

Poker's top asian pros eye top plum at APT manila