World Championship of Online Poker on PokerStars.com Begins With Largest Online Tournament in History!

Press Release

First of 15 Scheduled Events Attracts a Record 3,062 Players, Doubling Participation From 2004

LOS ANGELES, If anything can be compared to the hugely-successful World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour, it is certainly the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) at PokerStars.com. Now entering its fourth consecutive year, the WCOOP attracts poker players from more than 50 countries around the globe, making this the most accessible and international of all poker competitions.

The first event of the 2005 WCOOP kicked off with a $500 buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament. An all-time record 3,062 players entered the event, making the event the largest major online poker tournament ever. In fact, the staggering number of entries makes the WCOOP one of only two major poker events which has attracted more than 3,000 players. The main event of the 2005 World Series of Poker remains as the other.

"I am thrilled with the response to this year's WCOOP," said Nolan Dalla, Director of Communications for PokerStars.com. "Poker continues to boom and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. This is especially true for online poker. WCOOP gives all players a unique opportunity to compete for a world championship title from any computer in the world. With so many players and so many different tournaments -- this is the Olympic Games of poker. "

Until now, the previous record turnout for a major online poker tournament was 1,642 participants, which was set by the same PokerStars event last year. By nearly doubling in size, the total prize pool amounted to a whopping $1,531,000. First prize paid $306,200. In all, 324 players received prize money -- second in number only to the 2005 World Series of Poker.

The 2005 WCOOP will continue to run through September 18 at http://www.pokerstars.com. The guaranteed $8 million dollar prize pool offers the single-largest guaranteed prize in online poker history, making the tournament one of the richest sporting events in the world. Poker fans everywhere can watch the excitement of each final table from their personal computers simply by logging in. PokerStars.com also offers live radio coverage of all final tables at: http://www.pokertalkshow.com/html/wcoop.html. Guest commentators will include former World Series of Poker champions Greg Raymer (2004), Chris Moneymaker (2003), and Tom McEvoy (1983). Other popular guests will join the broadcast during the two week run of the WCOOP.

The WCOOP concludes with the main event on September 18, a No-Limit Texas Hold'em Tournament with a $2,500 entry fee and a guaranteed minimum $2.5 million dollar prize pool.
For more information, visit the 2005 WCOOP Information Page at:
http://www.pokerstars.com/2005wcoop/main.html

About PokerStars
PokerStars (http://www.pokerstars.com), is the world's most innovative online poker site. PokerStars was the first site to introduce features that became industry standard such as sophisticated multi-table tournaments, integrated game statistics, players' notes, personalized images, time bank for tournaments and big bet ring games, satellite tournaments, multi-table sit and go tournaments, and much more.

To date, PokerStars has dealt over two billion hands and run more than twelve million poker tournaments, awarding over $1 billion in prize money. PokerStars' support team is truly unique, as help and assistance is available around the clock from people who know and understand the game of poker and the importance of impeccable customer service.

The PokerStars.com site is also one of the most secure. PokerStars uses industry-leading security software to ensure the integrity of the system, including encryption, card shuffle randomness and preventative measures against cheating and collusion. Money covering player's balances is held in segregated accounts managed by the Royal Bank of Scotland, ensuring that PokerStars can fulfill its obligations to players at all times.

PokerStars is an official member of the World Poker Tour, and the title sponsor of the European Poker Tour (EPT) and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. PokerStars is the site where the 2003 and 2004 World Champions of Poker won entries into the World Series of Poker, thus earning the trademark, "Where Poker Players Become World Champions."

SOURCE PokerStars

Web Site: http://www.pokerstars.com