Anticipation is building for the upcoming finale to the sixth season of the European Poker Tour (EPT). The Grand Final will be held from April 25th to 30th in the glamorous Mediterranean resort city of Monte Carlo. In addition to the tournament, PokerStars will be hosting a prestigious Women’s Championship Event, which should draw some of the top female players in the game. Recently, PokerStars announced an alliance with a top online poker magazine to offer a chance for a lucky lady to attend the festivities in Monaco.
On Monday, PokerStars joined forces with Woman Poker Player Magazine to offer a seat for a woman to attend the five days of poker held to commemorate the end of the EPT season. Woman Poker Player Magazine was re-launched this year as an e-magazine with extensive interactivity and content designed to encourage and promote women in poker around the globe. As a part of that goal, Woman Poker Player Magazine will hold an exclusive freeroll on PokerStars that will be held on April 10th.
The top prize will be a special prize package that contains the €1,100 buy-in to the Women’s Championship, five days’ accommodation at one of the most exclusive hotels in Monte Carlo, an entry into Vanessa Rousso’s Big Slick Boot Camp, and funds to cover airfare. The complete prize package is estimated at €3,500. All women are invited to try to win their trip by signing up at the Woman Poker Player Community, where they will be given instructions on how to pre-register for the freeroll. Women must pre-register by April 6th in order to participate.
In an exclusive interview with Poker News Daily, Maryann Morrison, the editor of Woman Poker Player Magazine, said that the combination of PokerStars and her magazine was a natural one. “The reason we are partnering on this promotion with PokerStars is because Woman Poker Player Magazine has an international reach and welcomes all women,” Morrison remarked. “PokerStars, through the start of their Luxury Ladies Poker Club, the women’s tournaments at their EPT stops, and their international reach, is paving the way to market to women and bring women into the game. It is a model that I hope others in the industry will follow.”
PokerStars has certainly been at the forefront of the online poker industry in offering special events geared towards women. With the advent of the Luxury Ladies Poker Club, PokerStars continually offers events that are “women only” tournaments, allowing ladies to learn the game and – for the more advanced players – to hone their skills in a pleasant environment. By adding the live tournaments at EPT stops, PokerStars has only extended the invitation for more women to enjoy the game of poker.
The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure event featured a Women’s Championship that was won by Rousso. In October 2009, the first Women’s Championship held at an EPT stop was played out in London, with Dagmara Aleksandrowicz outlasting a field of 119 women to win the inaugural championship.
Woman Poker Player Magazine continues to offer information with a leaning towards the female players in the game, but the information on its website is useful for anyone who plays the game. Recently, the magazine accepted nominations for its first ever Maven Awards, highlighting the accomplishments of women in poker throughout the industry. With this latest partnership, both Woman Poker Player Magazine and PokerStars demonstrate their commitment to the sport of poker and the continuing drive to bring more women into the game.
