The Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) has announced the full schedule for Season 9 and includes the dates for all major poker festivals in the Asia-Pacific region.
Season 9 kicks off on January 14 with the 2015 Aussie Millions Poker Championship in Melbourne, Australia. The 11-month season concludes with the 2015 Asia Championship of Poker held at the 'PokerStars LIVE Macau' poker room where the ACOP is tentatively scheduled for October 30 to November 15.
APPT SEASON 9 SCHEDULE
The following poker festivals have been confirmed for the Season 9 with more events expected to be added at a later date:
• 2015 Aussie Millions Poker Championship: January 14 - February 2, 2015
• ANZPT Perth: February 5-15, 2015
• Macau Poker Cup 22*: February 27 - March 15, 2015
• ANZPT Sydney: March 11-23, 2015
• APPT Seoul: April 7-12, 2015
• APPT Macau*: May 13-24, 2015
• APPT Manila: July 31 - August 9, 2015
• Macau Poker Cup 23*: August 28 - September 13, 2015
• ANZPT Melbourne: October 8-20, 2015
• 2015 Asia Championship of Poker*: October 30 - November 15, 2015 (TBC)
*Tournaments are subject to regulatory approval
GPI ASIA-PACIFIC RANKINGS
2015 will also see the launch of the GPI Asia-Pacific Rankings. Players will earn points according to the Global Poker Index (GPI) which will administer points based on the GPI formula - an independent points scoring system that ranks live tournament poker players, and will be applied throughout the course of the Season 9 of the APPT.
All PokerStars events in the Asia-Pacific listed at www.appt.com will qualify for the GPI Asia-Pacific Rankings. However, invitational events and other events with restricted entry requirements will be excluded in order to ensure that every player is able to compete on a level playing field.
The top ranked player at the end of the season will receive a specially made trophy in recognition of his achievement.
"It's the ideal time to integrate a ranking system for all of the Asia Pacific," said APPT President Danny McDonagh. "The key has always been to have a balance in buy-ins, player fields, prize money, and number of events between Asia and Australia-New Zealand. The tour has that balance now and it's another feature to add to the ultimate player experience."
"We are excited that APPT is going to use the Global Poker Index ranking system. It will help to increase our reach and brand awareness in Asia. Working with the largest Asian poker initiative will definitively drive new opportunities for us and will help to build a worldwide industry standard. It will support our vision of promoting poker like a sport, globally." said Alex Dreyfus, GPI President.