The Asian Poker Tour (APT) is proud to announce that Matt Savage has signed on as tournament director for the APT's Manila Main Event next month.

Few men are as qualified for the position. Matt was appointed tournament director for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) - the world's blue ribbon poker event - in 2002 after working his way up the poker ladder. He oversaw a boom in prize money at the tournament from £6 million to £25 million. He has worked on more than 300 televised poker shows and in 2003 was awarded the inaugural Benny Binion award for outstanding service in the poker industry.

As the tournament director for the Asian Poker Tour Manila leg, Matt Savage will oversee six days of all-out poker action which is expected to attract around 400 players from all over the world. A third of the participants are expected to come from the Philippines, which has seen poker's popularity surge in recent years.

With Matt Savage on board to lend his expertise, the APT is sure to be a much-anticipated series of events by poker aficionados across the globe.

There's more good news - the ultra modern Dusit Thani Manila Hotel has been announced as the luxury venue that will stage the first leg of the 2008 APT. The exclusive venue in the Philippines' central business district will provide a fitting backdrop to launch this year's APT. The Dusit Thani Manila Hotel is the perfect venue for the event as it gives easy access to accommodations, shopping malls, tourist spots and transport services.

After the Philippine leg, the tour moves on to events in Macau, South Korea and Singapore. The buy-in at all four events is $2,500 and the prize pool will be a guaranteed $1 million -- which means the turn-out will be absolutely top-class in each of the cities.

Alongside some of the world's best players will be a host of internet qualifiers competing for the money at all the venues. These qualifiers will be making their way to the main event by way of online satellite tournaments. The prize packages awarded from these satellites, which are worth $6,000 and cover hotel and travel expenses, will make a magnificent prize for any internet player.

For the APT Manila event, online satellites are currently being held on most iPoker-powered poker rooms like DafaPoker, Tila Poker, ChiliPoker, Titan Poker, Betfred and VC Poker. In addition, some of the world's biggest and most popular poker rooms, including PartyPoker.com and PKR, will be running satellites for seats into the tournament.

These announcements underline what a top-quality event the APT will be. Further details about dates for the next three APT tournaments will follow shortly. The first leg of the APT 2008 runs from May 27 to June 1.