DOUGLAS, Isle of Man, Jan. 4, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) (PRIMEZONE) -- PokerStars, the world's largest poker website, announces the grand finale of the largest, free online poker tournament in history, the Moneymaker Millionaire. The conclusion of the Moneymaker Millionaire will take place on January 6th at the Atlantis Resort and Casino where 27 qualifiers will descend on the Bahamas' Paradise Island to vie for a $2 million prize pool including a 2007 Aston Martin DB9, and the Moneymaker legacy.

A press conference with Chris Moneymaker will be held at 10:00am in the Water's Edge Room of the Atlantis Resort just prior to the beginning of play.

The tournament was inspired by the historic victory of Chris Moneymaker, who at age 27, revolutionized the poker world by winning $2.5 million at the 2003 World Series of Poker main event after gaining entry through a $39 satellite tournament on Poker Stars.com. Ever since, Moneymaker has been the name and face of poker's unprecedented worldwide growth.

"I can't wait to shake hands with the winner and see the look in his eyes, as he experiences that incredible joy of winning one of the biggest poker news tournaments in history," said Chris Moneymaker. "That exhilaration is unlike anything else, and it's really what PokerStars does best -- amazing online tournaments coupled with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. You can't get that anywhere else."

Over 830,000 poker players representing nearly every country on the planet have participated in the Moneymaker Millionaire, more than one hundred times the size of the 2006 World Series of Poker. The record breaking field was narrowed down over the course of roughly five months and three grueling rounds of fast paced online poker action. Twenty-seven talented players have won an all expense paid trip for two to the Bahamas and a chance at the one million dollar first prize.

At the final table sit fifteen Americans, ten Canadians, one German and one Slovenian player, all ready to shuffle up and deal. Surprisingly, Canadians comprised 33% of the field of over 2.5 million entries into the tournament. They came from big cities and tiny towns such as Niagara Falls and Ottawa and St. Johns.

Live coverage of the Moneymaker Millionaire will be available on the PokerStars blog (www.pokerstarsblog.com) until a winner is crowned. The tournament will also be filmed for both the Canadian and German markets to be broadcast at a later date.

John 'Hafe' Haefele, a Canadian player in the Moneymaker Millionaire grand finale said, "I think Chris Moneymaker has captured the imagination of audiences around the world. The idea that someone besides an athlete whose physical gifts preclude comparison with most 'ordinary people' could compete and win huge money prizes against a field of thousands is the type story that is very easy to enjoy."

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