The Amateur Poker Association & Tour (“APAT”), in association with PokerStars.com and PokerPlayer Magazine, announces the launch of the APAT Online Series.

APAT Online is a series of 30 International tournaments hosted exclusively at PokerStars.com. The inaugural APAT Online Series event will be the English Amateur Poker Open, to be held on August 19.

Tournaments, including the Australian, European and North American Amateur Poker Opens', will be played every second Saturday throughout Season One, which will culminate with the five day “World Series of Amateur Poker” , which will include H.O.R.S.E., Omaha, Stud and Razz events in addition to a No Limit Hold Em Championship finale.

APAT Online Series tournaments are open to APAT members of every nationality. Each event will see players beginning with 5,000 chips. These deep stack tournaments will encourage creative play throughout and will represent excellent value for a $20 +$2 buy-in.

Players finishing in the top nine places of each APAT Online Series event will win tournament ranking points, with the overall highest point scorer from APAT Live and Online Series events winning a PokerStars.com Caribbean Adventure World Poker Tour entry package, and the prestigious title of APAT Player of the Year.

Details of the full APAT Online Series schedule can be found on www.apat.com or in the “Special” section of the “Tourney” Lobby at PokerStars.com.

Online membership of the APAT can be purchased for £5 per annum through www.apat.com. Within its first two weeks of launch, the APAT has attracted overwhelming demand for live tournament entry and already has a membership drawn from 12 different countries.