True Poker made a splash in the tournament circuit, organizing what many hold to be the next big Caribbean poker tournament: the vastly successful Punta Cana Poker Classic.

Held in the decadently luxurious Punta Cana Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.  The non-branded tournament called Punta Cana Poker Classic was a smashing success, bringing players from 9 different countries – including a large contingent of Swedish pros – together in a luxurious setting to toss some chips about. Canadian Peter Cross emerged the victor, with a paycheck of $65,000 and the added bragging rights of beating a field that included Doyle Brunson, Mike Caro, Hoyt Corkins and five of the Brunson Ten pros.

True Poker Marketing Director Ivonne Brath was delighted with the results of the first Punta Cana Poker Classic, and hinted at greater things to come: “Our venture with Hard Rock allowed us to create a top of the line poker tournament in the most exuberant location in the Caribbean, combining unparalleled luxury with poker playing of the highest caliber.” Brath also pointed out the marketing opportunities the Punta Cana Poker Classic creates for operators and affiliates: “Several top sites sent in many qualifiers to the Classic, which is an excellent tool for affiliates who want to spice things up for their high rollers.” Some of the sites and networks that sent qualifiers to Punta Cana are Pointpoker, Truepoker, DSI, Bodog Network and BetCRIS, along with Doyle’s Room, which also sent its top pros.

Brath emphasized the human aspect of the event: “To me personally the event was a success because each of our visitors had a fabulous time. Our players had a blast, especially those coming from cold Sweden, and some of our most loyal customers had the opportunity to relax and enjoy the beach with their companions.”

The Punta Cana Poker Classic exceeded the organizer’s expectations by a wide margin: while the tournament had a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000, the actual prize pool came to $203,000 – over twice the estimate. Brath hinted that there might be a larger prize pool next year, and the huge success of the event has prompted predictions that it might double in size for next year.

About True Poker:

Launched in 2002, True Poker was among the first poker sites to use 3D graphics, and it remains at the forefront of online poker technology, with its intuitive and technically sound interface. True Poker accepts players from the US market and the rest of the world, offering outstanding Customer Service and a friendly environment for poker players from all over the globe to play all kinds of poker games; from ring games to tournaments and satellites. True Poker also offers packages to live poker events all around the world.

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For more information please contact Ivonne Brath at 1-800-527-3502 or email Ivonne at info@puntacanapokerclassic.com

A Canadian has won the 2010 Punta Cana Poker Classic and the nearly $63,000 that came with it.  Peter Cross took home the first place prize Saturday evening.

Coming to us from Waterloo, Ontario, Cross had previously won just over $25,000 in live tournaments.  His highest place finish was 4th at the 2009 Deep Stack Extravaganza IV.

Prior to the Punta Cana Poker Classic, Cross has had five cashouts.

Phil Nagy, who had been the chip leader earlier, came in 3rd.

“The Punta Cana Poker Classic was the most successful poker tournament ever held here (at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino,” said organizer Ivonne Brath.  “They are very happy.  Everyone involved with this tournament was so cohesive in making this happen.  It was an absolutely great networking tool for our industry.”

Brath and others involved with the tournament suggest it could double in size by next year.

The event is a deep stack freeze out where you buy in once.  There are no rebuys.

One of the most multi-national final tables ever assembled, the 2010 Punta Cana Poker Classic had a total of nine different nationalities represented among the top 10 finalists.  Here were your last ten standing in no particular order.

Alberto Garcia:  Spain

Fabrizio Mattiachi:  Italy

Anton Bertelsson:  Sweden

John Romero:  Ecuador

Gino Guidi:  Costa Rica

Jamie Harvey: Canada

Thomas Johanides:  USA

Riku Anttonen:  Finland

Peter Cross:  Canada

Phil Nagy :  USA

A legendary lineup of pro poker players from DoylesRoom are playing in the tournament including Doyle Brunson, Pam Brunson, Todd Brunson, Anjela Brunson, Mike Caro, Hoyt Corkins, Steve Gross, Dani Stern, Zach Clark and Amit Makhija.

The Punta Cana Poker Classic takes place from November 10 to 14 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. With Doyle Brunson, The Brunson 10 and DoylesRoom’s top pros already signed up to play, the tournament offers an incredible opportunity to play poker and vacation with the biggest poker legend of all time and his team of legends-in-the-making.

Accompanying the DoylesRoom.com pro lineup are several online poker qualifiers who won Punta Cana prize packages through DoylesRoom.com. Most recently, CACOB of New York won a $3,100 Punta Cana Poker Classic package via a $22 semi-final at DoylesRoom.com. He is joining three other DoylesRoom online poker players in the Dominican, including Raider696969 from Quebec, Canada, Virginia player RvrMonster and stackindonks from the Dominican Republic.

Brunson also elaborated a bit more on the success of the first ever Punta Cana Classic.

“We were having a great time in a great resort. What a big place, over 130 acres of 2,800 rooms, 13 swimming pools, eight restaurants and 10 or 12 bars. It was an all inclusive resort and there were lots of poker players there including Hoyt Corkins and five members of the Brunson 10. The tournament had 200 entries and should be a major tournament next year.”

Coming to us from Waterloo, Ontario, Cross had previously won just over $25,000 in live poker tournaments. His highest place finish was 4th at the 2009 Deep Stack Extravaganza IV.

Prior to the Punta Cana Poker Classic, Cross has had five cashouts.

Phil Nagy, who had been the chip leader earlier, came in 3rd.

Mike Caro is one of the biggest names at the event, taking place all this week at the fabulous Punta Cana Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Caro is a professional poker player, pioneer poker theorist, author of poker books, and casino executive.

In 1978 he contributed 50 statistical tables to Doyle Brunson’s Super/System and wrote that book’s chapter on draw poker. He acts as a consultant to many casinos, providing odds, and he helped develop the Poker Probe, the first serious commercial PC program for analyzing poker situations.

In 1984 at the World Series of Poker he demonstrated Orac (Caro backwards), a poker-playing computer program that he had written. Orac was the world’s first serious attempt at an AI poker player, and most poker professionals were surprised at how well it played.

San José, Costa Rica – True Poker announced a series of growth indicators that only reaffirm the success the brand has experienced in recent months. Company’s records show a 30 per cent liquidity increase that reflects the strong investment of resources in marketing.

“We have emphasized in not only establishing a close community of players among our customer base but in acquiring new members that join us to enjoy our top-of-the-line poker experience,” explained Ivonne Montealegre- Bråth, Marketing Director of True Poker.

Another area of development has been the poker affiliates program which has heavily focused on scouting. “We are offering very lucrative deals based on customer base increase and, with our new and improved technologic platform, we have a solid product to sell in the market,” Montealegre- Bråth added.

The recently revamped poker lobby differs from all the others in the industry as it allows a great degree of personalization options for the user and makes tournaments easy to locate.

True Poker also announced that the US$ 100,000 guaranteed prize has been covered for the Punta Cana Poker Classic. “The tournament will be joined by a diverse group of players from all over the world and we hope the beautiful Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, the organization, and overall ambiance will exceed attendants’ expectations.”

About True Poker

Launched in 2002, True Poker was among the first poker site to use 3D graphics, and it remains at the forefront of online poker technology, with its intuitive and technically sound interface. True Poker accepts players from the US market and the rest of the world, offering outstanding Customer Service and a friendly environment for poker players from all over the globe to play all kinds of poker games; from ring games to tournaments and satellites. True Poker also offers packages to live poker events all around the world.

For more information please contact True Poker’s Marketing Director Ivonne Montealegre-Bråth at marketing@truepoker.eu

Poker and Rock’n’Roll meet at the 2010 Punta Cana Poker Classic at the Punta Cana Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

The transition is complete: the Punta Cana Moon Palace is no more, and in its place stands the newly refurbished Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The spectacular Punta Cana Hard Rock Hotel & Casino combines Rock’n’Roll with the Moon Palace’s signature “uncompromising luxury,” for an all-round unforgettable experience, and it will host the inaugural Punta Cana Poker Classic in rocking style.

Guests at the Punta Cana Hard Rock Hotel & Casino can opt for the Hard Rock’s signature “Rock Star” suites, with double Jacuzzis and double showers. Guests can also browse the exciting Hard Rock collection of music memorabilia, which will feature local and international artists through various music genres. The luxurious beachfront property also has 11 pools with 4 swim-up bars, a 15,000 square-foot Body Rock fitness center, a rock climbing wall, two tennis courts, mini-golf, billiards and many other games, as well as the Hard Rock’s celebrated signature “Rock Spa”, 60,000 square-feet of pure indulgence including 48 spa suites and one of the world’s most complete hydrotherapy circuits.

As if this were not enough, the Punta Cana Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has the Dominican Republic’s largest Vegas style casino, and its 45,000 square feet of gambling luxury will be put to good use when poker players from around the world flock into the 2010 Punta Cana Poker Classic to rock the felts for their share of over a quarter million dollars.

With Doyle Brunson and the Brunson 10 already confirmed and an expected prize pool of over $300,000, the Punta Cana Poker Classic is the hottest Caribbean poker destination this year. Besides a guaranteed prize pool and all the poker action a player could wish for, the Poker Classic will also lavish players with generous sweepstakes and surprise bonuses.

You can enjoy the experience of playing against Doyle Brunson and feeling like Rock’n’Roll royalty at one of the most beautiful beaches in the world! Packages for the inaugural Punta Cana Poker Classic cost only $2000 and include the $1000 + $100 buy-in for the tournament along with 4 nights at the Punta Cana Hard Rock Hotel. Players with $2,000 at hand who wish to buy-in directly into the hottest beach tournament of this year can do so at PuntaCanaPokerClassic.com. But that is not the only way: players can also buy into the Punta Cana classic using their bet points from their favorite sports book. Those who want a shot at playing in paradise, but are not ready to fork out the $2,000 package price, can join the many satellites and qualifiers for the Punta Cana Poker Classic that will be hosted at all major poker rooms.

Poker and Rock’n’Roll, what could be better? Release your inner rock star and don’t miss this chance to join the hottest poker event of this summer: the 2010 Punta Cana Poker Classic.

For more info check: PuntaCanaPokerClassic.com

For more information please contact: info@Puntacanapokerclassic.com

NEW SOFTWARE FEATURES AND THE BEST AFFILIATE DEALS

After a period of hibernation, True Poker makes its much-awaited comeback, complete with new software features, a stylish new look, and an exciting tournament in one of the hottest poker destinations in the world.

The thoroughly revamped True Poker software has seen the addition of many attractive new features. One of the biggest improvements in the software is the new, fully customizable lobby, where players can select from a number of options to get to their favorite tables in a matter of seconds. True Poker’s updated poker client also has an improved note-taking system to keep track of betting patterns and other important info, along with a streamlined friend list option for locating pals and foes quickly. True Poker’s software continues to set the bar high for stability and security, and the quick and personalized Customer Service keeps its place among the best in the industry.

About True Poker:

Launched in 2002, True Poker was among the first poker site to use 3D graphics, and it remains at the forefront of online poker technology, with its intuitive and technically sound interface. True Poker accepts players from the US market and the rest of the world, offering outstanding Customer Service and a friendly environment for poker players from all over the globe to play all kinds of poker games; from ring games to tournaments and satellites. True Poker also offers packages to live poker events all around the world.