Seven.
There's something special about the number. Seven Elevens, Seven Dwarfs, seven minute abs, and for the purposes of this blog...
...seven weeks.
That's the time-span between now and the beginning of the 2014 Asia Championship of Poker which takes place at the 'PokerStars LIVE at the City of Dreams' poker room in Macau from October 24 to November 9.
The countdown begins!
Staying in line with the theme let's take a look at the Top 7 stories as we approach the upcoming 2014 ACOP:
1. Past Seven Months
Okay, it's September so it's probably a little closer to eight months but bear with me.
PokerStars LIVE Macau has always been the unquestioned No. 1 poker room for tournaments in Asia. But the 2014 season has shattered record after record through four major tournaments - namely the two Macau Poker Cup series, APPT Macau Season 8, and the 2014 Macau Millions.
The ACOP trophies on displayIn those four poker festivals, the poker room has served over 11,000 players and awarded more than HK$73 million (USD $9.5 million) in prize money.
Amazingly, that HK$73m figure may be exceeded in the 2014 ACOP alone meaning that if you're only going to visit Macau once a year, then THIS IS IT.
2. ACOP Title Events (aka 'Spadies')
For those who are new to the series, the 2014 iteration has 22 cash tournaments over the 17-day poker festival.
14 of those tourneys are known as ACOP Title Events or, more recently nicknamed, Spadies for the trophies resemblance to the PokerStars logo. Buy-ins for these events are generally no less than USD $1,000.
The Spadies are what's bringing the best-of-the-best to Macau and whether you're seeking big dollars, an ego boost, or a sexy piece of hardware then these are for you.
Here's the schedule: http://psta.rs/2014ACOP-schedule
3. ACOP Main Event (aka 'Gold Spadie')
The 2014 ACOP Main Event has a buy-in of HK$100,000 (USD $13,000) and comes with a HK$15 million prize pool guarantee. It's a deep, slow structure with 90-minute levels and a 30,000-chip start bank that will take five grueling days (Nov. 4-8) of concentration to win.
If you're up for the challenge and find yourself alive on the Day 5 Final Table then that means you have a shot at taking home some serious money and the prestigious Gold Spadie.
4. 2m Spadie
One of the great new additions to the schedule is the 2m GTD Spadie which, of course, has a HK$2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.
The HK$8,800 buy-in event kicks off on Oct. 30 and is a perfect starting point for those looking for a condensed poker trip.
You might say it's the warm-up to the warm-up as the official HK$25,000 ACOP Warm-up event takes place just a few days after.
Word around the campfire is that this will be one of the biggest turnouts for the ACOP and organizers have already prepared two Day 1 flights in anticipation of a massive field.
5. High Roller and Super High Roller
The HK$250,000 (USD $32,000) High Roller is returning as a freezeout this year. The high stakes challenge has previously attracted the likes of Phil Ivey, Jeff Rossiter, Jonathan 'Monster Dong' Karamalikis, and Team PokerStars Pro Eugene Katchalov.
The 2014 ACOP has added a Super High Roller event and the buy-in is set at HK$500,000 (USD $65,000) with the option for two rebuys. Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier and 2012 World Champion Greg Merson have confirmed their attendance and that list is expected to grow substantially as the event approaches.
6. More Satellites
Whether it's a 10k tourney or 100k tourney, there are simply more ways for you to play this year.
Online - Looking through the PokerStars Client, there are satellites and feeders running every day to the 2m Spadie and Main Event. Having trouble finding them? Go to the 'Events' tab, then click 'PSLIVE' and 'Macau'
Live - If you didn't check the 2014 ACOP schedule before then take another look. There's a satellite, qualifier, or mega satellite running nearly every day at PokerStars LIVE Macau.
And that's not just for the Main Event but for many of the Side Events -- including the HK$250,000 High Roller for as little as HK$2,500.
7. Beer Pong Championship
Are you sick of going to PokerStars Welcome Parties with loud music, free flowing alcohol, women dancing provocatively, and watching your buddies doing stupid things?
Anyone for beer pong?No, neither am I.
That's all still on the menu. But wait, there's more.
The Beer Pong tournament is back!
Last year, what started off as an idea in hopes of bringing more interaction between players from all walks of life, ended up becoming one of most talked about post-party topics - namely, "Why wasn't it bigger?"
And that's how the likely-to-be-annual ACOP Beer Bong Championship came to life.
So get your best table tennis gear on and start practicing your toss while intoxicated because this time it's official!
Okay, that's it for now but stay tuned for more goodies as we approach the 2014 ACOP. I'll be back with more in about...seven days.
For more info please visit www.appt.com or email info@appt.com