In April, Korea will host the ATOP (Asian Tournament of Poker) on Jeju Island. The poker festival will take place between the 12th and 18th of the month. The tournament is organized by J&P Entertainment inside the Paradise Casino which is located within the Grand Jeju Korea hotel.
The tournament will feature familiar faces, in the form of JJ Liu and Joseph Cheong who are already registered. JJ Liu has been a professional player for many years and finished 2nd place at a WPT event in 2007, a result which hasn’t been bettered by a female player in WPT history. Joseph Cheong has been well known in the online world for some time, and has many large cashes to his name, but without doubt the moment he is most remembered for is his huge attempted bluff against Jonathan Duhamel when three handed at the WSOP main event final table in 2010.
Buying directly into the tournament will cost USD$1,500.
Hotel packages that include a 6 night stay between the 12th and 18th are available for USD$950. If players enrol before April 2nd they receive a USD$240 rebate too.
The festival will take place on Jeju island
There will also be numerous cash games running at the Paradise Casino during this time, at $5/10, $10/20, $20/40, $50/100 levels. Rake for these games stands at a 5% rate with caps in place for rake on larger pots. These caps are 30,40,50,60 for the four levels listed above. The ATOP Korea should ensure that the Hotel, Casino and surrounding area are vibrant and filled with night life, and that the cash tables are particularly busy throughout this time. The tournament itself can expect a very good turnout also, with a good mix of big name players and recreational poker enthusiasts.