Amsterdam, October 9th 2003 – For the twelfth year running, Holland Casino Amsterdam is organizing Europe’s biggest poker tournament, the Master Classics of Poker from 2nd through to 10th November 2003. Around 220 participants, the cream of the world’s poker players will be arriving from countries such as the U.S.A., France, Great Britain, Austria and Germany, in the attempt to outplay their rivals during the seven-day tournament. Last year the total paid out in prize monies amounted to more than EUR 1.4 million. Holland Casino will again be giving an extra EUR 60,000, as they did last year.

The Master Classics of Poker comprises six different tournaments in which the types of poker played are Texas Hold’em and Omaha. The entry fee with buy-in for each tournament varies from EUR 220 to EUR 3,000. Each day the tournaments start at 3 in the afternoon and the number of players participating in a tournament determines the amount of the prize fund. One percent of the total prize fund is first deducted from the prize money for the „high hand of the day“, which is the highest combination at the end of a tournament. This year Holland Casino has again made EUR 60,000 available for the prize fund for players ending from the 19th to the 30th places.

The „main“ tournament of the week, the Lido Poker Tournament will be held on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th November. No entry fee is charged for the Lido Poker Tournament and the buy-in is EUR 3,000 per person. The winner takes the total of the buy-ins as prize money and last year the 1st prize for the Lido Poker Tournament amounted to EUR 235.224.