LONDON, UK – John Duthie and PokerStars have agreed to part ways, with Duthie resigning as CEO of the European Poker Tour and as a member of Team PokerStars Pro. Duthie’s successor is the recently appointed EPT President Edgar Stuchly.

Duthie has been one of the poker world’s most well known players since he won the inaugural Poker Million for £1 million on the Isle of Man in 2000. In January 2004 Duthie founded the European Poker Tour and formed a partnership with PokerStars a few months later. The tour has grown to become the richest and largest in Europe. Duthie also joined the ranks of Team PokerStars Pro and remained a popular player on the global poker circuit.

“It is time to move on and leave the EPT in the capable hands of the existing management team,” Duthie said. “It has been a fascinating and challenging seven years and I have watched the EPT grow phenomenally in that time, thanks to the support of the players and the professionalism of a great team on the ground.”

“PokerStars is the largest online poker site in the world and its dominance of the European market is in many ways thanks to the success of the European Poker Tour and the resultant massive exposure on European TV channels.”

Duthie added: “I wish the new President, Mr Edgar Stuchly, the best of luck in his position and trust that he will oversee the continued growth of the largest poker tour in the world.”

Edgar Stuchly has almost 20 years’ experience in the poker industry, most recently with Casinos Austria, where he was Head of Poker for four years. In his time there he managed the European Poker Championships and founded the Casinos Austria Poker Tour (CAPT). In 2009 he was also recognised as the ‘Poker Staff Person of the Year’ for his contributions to the live poker industry in Europe.  

Stuchly said: “We thank John for his commitment to the brand, for the positive impact he has had on the poker world, and wish him all the best in the future. I am excited to take over the lead of the richest and most prestigious poker tour in Europe, and I am looking forward to taking the EPT to another level in terms of improving the experience for players, to provide them with the best poker on the planet.”

LONDON, UK – DECEMBER 23 – Three more European Poker Tour stops have been added to the Season 8 calendar, PokerStars announced today. The new stops will take in the Spanish capital of Madrid, the German capital Berlin, and a first time visit to Campione in Italy – a beautiful and exclusive enclave situated in the Lugano-Como-Milan region.

EPT Madrid will be first up, the capital city returning for a second successive year after a fantastic finale at the end of Season 7. The Casino Gran Madrid Torrelodones will play host from March 12-17.

Then follows the EPT debut for Campione, a tiny area nestled on the shore of Lake Lugano, which is Italian territory despite being within the Swiss border. This highly desirable destination has been a regular stop on the PokerStars.it Italian Poker Tour in recent years, and the action will be located in the Casino di Campione from March 26-31.

Finally, there is a return to Berlin from April 16-21. The German capital has become one of the biggest EPT stops since it was introduced two years ago. With field sizes of 945 and 773, and notable winners in Ben Wilinofsky and Kevin MacPhee in 2009 and 2010, Berlin will be another big draw for the poker elite in 2012.

All three stops will incorporate €5,000 + €300 main events and a wide range of side events.

EPT President Edgar Stuchly said: “We’re delighted that the EPT will be returning to two major capital cities in Europe, both of which have proved to be highly popular locations in recent years. We’re also very excited that the tour is for the first time heading to the highly exclusive region of Campione in Italy, further extending the reach of the EPT. ”

2012 EPT schedule

Other stops already scheduled to take place in 2012 include the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure from January 5-15, EPT Deauville from January 31 to February 6, and EPT Copenhagen from February 20-25.

For more information about the new stops and schedules for Season 8, go to www.pokerstarsblog.com andwww.ept.com. 

LONDON, UK – December 20 – PokerStars is excited to announce the launch of another major online tournament festival – the Turbo Championship of Online Poker (TCOOP) – which will take place from January 19-29, 2012.

The inaugural TCOOP will incorporate 50 different events across 11 days and guarantee $10 million in prizes. TCOOP buy-ins range from $5.50 to $2,100 and the series features a $700 main event, which has a guarantee of $1.5 million.

Team PokerStars Pro and self-confessed turbo tournament fan, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier, was ecstatic about the announcement. “This is going to be so great. I love fast-paced online tourneys because there’s so much action, and there’s going to be several different events every day. It’s going to be perfect to come home from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and then get straight back into action online. Hopefully I can add a TCOOP title to my SCOOP and WCOOP ones.”

TCOOP is a fast-paced version of the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) tournament series, which have been running since 2002 and 2009 respectively. The new tournament festival complements WCOOP and SCOOP perfectly by catering for players who want a quicker playing experience coupled with big prize pools.

With a significant amount of buy-ins below the $100 mark, and between four to six tournaments set to take place each day that will take no longer than a few hours to complete, TCOOP is expected to appeal to a wide spectrum of players, including many recreational ones.

Qualify for TCOOP

Satellites are running now at PokerStars.com, with qualifiers starting from just $1. For more information on how to register for the main events or satellites, click on ‘Events’ > ‘TCOOP’ > ‘All’ tabs in the PokerStars client, or check out the dedicated web page: www.pokerstars.com/tcoop.  

As PokerStars players have come to expect, there will be a wide range of games available, including No Limit Hold’em, Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, No Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, Pot Limit Draw, Triple Stud, Razz, Stud Hi/Lo, HORSE and 8-Game, along with several different tournament formats, including 6-Max, Knockout, 4-Max, Rebuy, Shootout, Big Antes, Heads-Up, 2x Chance, Hyper Turbo and more.

For more info, check out the full story on the PokerStars Blog and see below for the schedule of events:

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – December 16 – PokerStars was yesterday awarded a license to operate in Denmark and will launch www.PokerStars.dk on January 1, 2012 when the license takes effect. It will enable Danes to access the largest number of online poker tournaments and compete against poker players from all over the world.

Obtaining a license to operate in Denmark underlines PokerStars’ commitment to be among the first companies to enter regulated markets when licenses become available. PokerStars operates the leading online poker site in the world and has developed the largest community of poker players through its online sites, sponsorship of live poker tournaments and production of poker television programming.

“Danish regulation is an important positive milestone for the development and respect of poker worldwide,” said Theo Jorgensen, a Danish member of Team PokerStars Pro.  “I’m looking forward to playing onwww.PokerStars.dk and competing against players from around the world.”

PokerStars adds Denmark to its growing list of licenses that currently includes France, Italy, Estonia, Belgium and the Isle of Man.  As an industry leader, PokerStars provides a safe and secure environment for players and fans to compete in an array of innovative and traditional poker games and tournaments.

LONDON, UK – DECEMBER 16 – PokerStars and veteran pro player Joe Hachem have agreed to part ways following the recent expiration of their PokerStars Team Pro contract. Hachem, one of poker’s best-known players, joined Team Pro immediately after his life-changing 2005 win. Ever since, he has been instrumental in promoting PokerStars and the sport to a world of poker-hungry fans.

“It’s been a great run with PokerStars and I’m proud of my association with the people and the company,” Hachem said. “But it’s time for me to pursue other career opportunities and it will be fun to have some down time to spend with my family. I look forward to the future with much excitement and anticipation and will always have fond memories of my time at PokerStars.”

“Joe has been a terrific endorser for PokerStars over the years, and while we are sad to see him leave the Team we are looking forward to continuing to watch him play,” commented Eric Hollreiser, Head of Corporate Communications for PokerStars. “We thank him for all he’s done for our brand and for poker and we wish him all the best at the poker table and in life.”  

Joe Hachem is one of the biggest names in poker, with an incredible list of achievements that includes winning the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2005 for $7.5 million. Proving to be no fluke, Joe came close to winning a second bracelet in 2006, and rounded off the year with another huge win, this time at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, good for $2.2 million. He’s continued to win big since and is now one of the highest-earning poker players of all time with over $11 million in tournament earnings. 

LONDON, UK – NOVEMBER 1 – PokerStars.com celebrates its 10th anniversary in December and is marking the milestone with a series of promotions and tournaments that will award more than $10 million in prizes, including 100 dream vacations to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas.

PokerStars today announced two events and promised more promotions will be announced in the coming weeks. The PokerStars 10th Anniversary Celebration will incorporate a series of different events and promotions (the majority of which take place December 1-18), with players participating in ring games and tournaments ranging from micro levels right up to high stakes.

"Amazing that it’s been 10 years! I'm very proud of my association with PokerStars, and this December's 10th Anniversary Celebration is going to be a doozy!” said Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu. “There will be tons of cash prizes for bankrolls of all sizes, plus giveaways and a $10 million Sunday Million event.”

PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Giveaway

The festivities get under way today with the “10th Anniversary Giveaway”, a series of freerolls that will enable players to qualify for the PCA Weekly Final and win one of 100 packages (each worth more than $15,000) to the ninth annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, which takes place from January 5-14, 2012 in Paradise Island, Bahamas. There are also 10,000 other cash prizes to win along the way.

Freerolls take place every ten minutes at PokerStars.com, with players allowed to participate in one freeroll per day, and the top ten players in each tournament qualifying directly into a weekly final. Players can also take part in the hourly FPP (Frequent Player Points) qualifying tournaments, and cash satellite tourneys from just $1.

$10 million Sunday Million!  

The second major announcement at this time is for the final event, which will be a 10th Anniversary $10,000,000 Sunday Million – the biggest guaranteed prize pool ever for the weekly flagship online event – and still with its usual $215 buy-in. There will be a number of different ways for players to qualify for this record-breaking event, including satellites starting from just $1, which could see someone turn $1 into a first prize worth well in excess of $1 million.

Throughout the following weeks, PokerStars will be revealing details of other amazing promotions and events for players to get excited about. In the meantime, check outwww.PokerStars.com/ten for more information about the 10th Anniversary Celebration.

About PokerStars:

PokerStars operates PokerStars.com, the world’s most popular online poker site, and serves the world’s largest poker community, with more than 49 million registered members since it launched in December 2001. It’s the first choice of the world’s top players, with more daily tournaments than anywhere else, and with the best security online. More hands have been dealt on PokerStars.com than any other site; that’s over 69 billion hands and more than 445 million tournaments played.

PokerStars.com operates worldwide under license from the Isle of Man government. Recent additions to the PokerStars family include PokerStars.fr, which operates in France under the French government license, as well as PokerStars.it, which operates in Italy under the Italian government license, and PokerStars.ee, which operates in Estonia under the Estonian government license.

PokerStars.com stages some of the biggest online poker tournaments in the world, including the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), and is the official sponsor of some of the biggest live poker tournaments in the world, including the European Poker Tour (EPT), the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) and the UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT).

PokerStars.com is also home to a team of sponsored players known as Team PokerStars Pro. This elite group of players travel the world competing in international tournaments. For a complete list, visit the Team PokerStars.com Pro home page.

LONDON, UK – NOVEMBER 4 – World Series of Poker* November Nine player Pius Heinz today became the latest member of Team PokerStars. The German player, who this coming Sunday returns to Las Vegas in a bid to become WSOP* World Champion and win the first prize of $8,711,956, joins the likes of Sandra Naujoks, Sebastian Ruthenberg and Boris Becker as a Team PokerStars member from Germany.

Heinz goes into Sunday’s WSOP final table in seventh place, and at age 22, is one of the youngest members of the November Nine. He’s the first German player ever to make the Main Event final table but he’s not just there to make up the numbers. Heinz said: “I’m pretty relaxed about the game. There are a lot of tough players left but I’m confident I can win it. Joining PokerStars has given me an extra lift, too. I’m looking forward to being part of the team.”Fellow German Team Pro Sandra Naujoks said: “Pius has all the qualities needed to be a great poker player, and he has played a tough and intelligent game to get to the WSOP final table. We’ll be rooting for him to win on Sunday and I’m excited to see another top player join the ranks of Team PokerStars.”
The WSOP Main Event is only Heinz’s second ever live cash, but before his run in the World Championship, he finished seventh for $83,286 in a WSOP $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event back in June and has since continued his hot streak with a first place in a €1,000 Turbo Bounty event at EPT Barcelona in August for another €17,450.
After the WSOP experience is over, Heinz will play his first event wearing the PokerStars patch at EPT Prague, which takes place from December 5-10.