INAUGURAL SEASON OF WPT CHINA NATIONAL TRAKTOR POKER TOUR KICKS OFF!
Source: WPT Enterprises, Inc.
Oct 16, 2007 - 5:50:54 AM
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First Provincial Champions Crowned at Regional Preliminary Event in Historic
Lanzhou, Which Welcomed over 400 Competitors
BEIJING (October 15, 2007)
– In a historic day that marked the evolution of Traktor Poker, or Tuo La Ji,
from traditional folk game to an officially recognized Sport by the China
Leisure Sports Administrative Center (CLSAC), the World Poker Tour (WPT) China
National Traktor™ Poker Tour crowned its first Provincial Champions yesterday in
Lanzhou, Gansu.
The tournament welcomed the Province’s best players for
the Tour’s inaugural event, which is sanctioned under the CLSAC—the national
Sports Federation governing Leisure Sports under the China State Sports
Administration—and sponsored by WPT Enterprises (WPTE), the exclusive marketing
partner of the Tour.
The Sports Center in Lanzhou, a city famous for its
ancient culture and key position on the Silk Road, was filled to capacity with
418 competitors who battled for three days to determine the teams which will
represent the Gansu Province in the National Tour Grand Final. The winning team,
led by Zhu An Men and Chen Haili—both residents of Lanzhou City—posted a score
of 5,090 to take the Gansu Provincial Title in the hard fought battle of
seasoned competitors. (Photographs, results and highlights will be posted on
www.wptpoker.cn)
Mr. Xing Xiao Quan, Secretary General of the CLSAC
said, “October 12th will be remembered as a historic day for poker in China, as
the beloved folk game of Traktor poker has been elevated to the position of an
official National Sport.”
The tournament was the first of 15 Regional
Preliminary tournaments to be held each weekend throughout China during the
inaugural Season, which will run October 2007 through April 2008. Tour play is
based on a team structure where teams in each tour city compete to qualify for
the Grand Final.
“We are proud to recognize these first Provincial
Champions. The Gansu tournament has demonstrated that this innovative concept
can be successfully executed in China,“ said Peter Hughes, Chief Operating
Officer of the WPTE who attended the competition in Lanzhou. “This inaugural
event is a strong sign of the success we anticipate for this Tour. Traktor Poker
is a tradition and sport rich with history, and will only grow and build
momentum from here.”
The WPT China National Traktor Poker Tour 2007-2008
Season schedule is as follows.
WPT CHINA TRAKTOR™ POKER TOUR 2007 – 2008
SCHEDULE*
REGIONAL RELIMINARY/ DATES/ LOCATION
Week 1 Oct. 12, 2007 (Fri.)
- Oct. 14, 2007(Sun.) Lanzhou, Gansu
Week 2 Oct. 19, 2007 (Fri.) - Oct. 21,
2007(Sun.) Taiyuan, Shanxi
Week 3 Oct. 26, 2007 (Fri.) - Oct. 28, 2007(Sun.)
Xi'an, Shaanxi
Week 4 Nov. 02, 2007 (Fri.) - Nov. 04, 2007(Sun.) Zhengzhou,
Henan
Week 5 Nov. 09, 2007 (Fri.) - Nov. 11, 2007(Sun.) Shenyang,
Liaoning
Week 6 Nov. 16, 2007 (Fri.) - Nov. 18, 2007(Sun.) Beijing /
Tianjin
Week 7 Nov. 23, 2007 (Fri.) - Nov. 25, 2007(Sun.) Nanchang,
Jiangxi
Week 8 Nov. 30, 2007 (Fri.) - Dec. 02, 2007(Sun.) Nanjing,
Jiangsu
Week 9 Dec. 07, 2007 (Fri.) - Dec. 09, 2007(Sun.) Shanghai
Week 10
Dec. 14, 2007 (Fri.) - Dec. 16, 2007(Sun.) Fuzhou, Fujian
Week 11 Dec. 21,
2007 (Fri.) - Dec. 23, 2007(Sun.) Hefei, Anhui
Week 12 Dec. 28, 2007 (Fri.) -
Dec. 30, 2007(Sun.) Wuhan, Hube
Week 13 Jan. 11, 2008 (Fri.) - Jan. 13,
2008(Sun.) Changsha, Hunan
Week 14 Jan. 18, 2008 (Fri.) - Jan. 20, 2008(Sun.)
Guiyang, Guizhou
Week 15 Jan. 25, 2008 (Fri.) - Jan. 27, 2008 (Sun.)
Guangzhou, Guangdong
Online Open Preliminary October 2007 - January 2008
Ourgame.com
Grand Final end of March - early April 2008 TBD
*Schedule
subject to change
To join the official WPT China Community, receive updates,
or to find more information regarding the WPT China National Traktor Poker Tour,
please visit www.wptpoker.cn
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