FREEROLL QUALIFIERS GET ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE AT POKERSTARS FESTIVAL ROZVADOV

ONCHAN, Isle of Man – March 17, 2017 – Two online poker players received an unforgettable poker experience in their journey to their first live event, and all for free, with PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand. The biggest online poker site in the world provided a memorable poker education for two freeroll qualifiers at PokerStars Festival Rozvadov, and, now with some live strategy and experience under their belts, both intend to make an appearance very soon at an upcoming PokerStars sponsored event.

Team PokerStars Pros Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier and Marcin Horecki both hosted special freerolls online at PokerStars, with the winner each getting the chance to attend the finest poker event in the Czech Republic with a full package for their live poker debut. The fun did not end there; the qualifiers had the opportunity to meet with Team Pro for poker training, tips and mentoring throughout the tournament as well as the opportunity to snap some photos with them too.

ELKY’S STUDENT COMES BACK FOR MORE 

Mongolian Damdin Enkhtuya had never attended a live event before and saw the freeroll as an opportunity to play with some of the world’s best poker players. The business owner met with ElkY to take photos and discuss tournament tips, as well as their shared passion for poker.

Enkhtuya confidently jumped straight into Day 1A of the Main Event, but unfortunately busted the same day. “It is my first time playing live and I really enjoyed the whole experience,” he said. “The field is tough and it is a big challenge for me to adapt to live playing but I enjoy the sociable part of it.”

The 31-year-old thanked ElkY for the special opportunity with a bottle of Polish vodka and in return ElkY gave Enkhtuya a bag full of PokerStars memorabilia to remember his first live event by. Enkhtuya enjoyed his experience so much that he jumped into another satellite to have another attempt at the Main Event.

HORECKI’S MENTEE EARNS FIRST LIVE CASH

Twenty-year-old university student Krystian Michalski entered Marcin Horecki’s freeroll online at PokerStars after seeing the opportunity on Facebook. Michalski, an online poker player of two years, has never played live, never mind in a major live tournament. Horecki sat down for a poker training session with Michalski, who claims to have a skill for calling bluffs. Horecki visited Michalski at the table to offer some extra encouragement which paid off; he finished 151^st in the Main Event, bringing home his first ever live event cash of €1,852. The Polish student plans to continue playing online satellites to hopefully secure another package for a PokerStars live event in the near future. 

LOVE FOR LIVE EVENTS

Both online players have now tested their poker faces and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of live events. They both aim to qualify for future PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival events to develop their live poker skills further.

After PokerStars Championship Panama, which is currently in full swing, the next Championship tour stops in Macau (March 30 – April 9), before PokerStars returns to Monte Carlo for its first Championship along the iconic French Riviera.

Players can satellite into the PokerStars Championship Macau Main Event and the National Championship, for as little as $1.10 online at PokerStars until March 26. Players can also satellite into the PokerStars Championship presented by Monte-Carlo Casino Main Event and the National Championship until April 23 from $2.20. In addition, players have the opportunity to turn €10 into a PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo package worth over €8,500 by playing fast-paced, special edition Spin & Go tournaments on PokerStars until April 10.

For further information, please contact: press@pokerstars.com

About PokerStars

PokerStars operates the world’s most popular online poker sites, serving the global poker community. Since it launched in 2001, PokerStars has become the first choice of players all over the world, with more daily tournaments than anywhere else and with the best online security. More than 165 billion hands have been dealt on PokerStars, which is more than any other site.

PokerStars is the flagship brand of Rational Group, which is ultimately owned by Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) and operates gaming-related businesses and brands, including PokerStars, PokerStars Casino, BetStars, Full Tilt, StarsDraft, and the PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival live poker tour brands (incorporating the European Poker Tour, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Latin American Poker Tour and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour). Amaya, through certain subsidiaries, is licensed, approved to offer, or offers under third party licenses or approvals, its products and services in various jurisdictions throughout the world, including in Europe, both within and outside of the European Union, the Americas and elsewhere. In particular, PokerStars is the world’s most licensed online gaming brand, holding licenses or related operating approvals in 17 jurisdictions. PokerStars.com and PokerStars.eu operate globally under licenses from the Isle of Man and Malta governments, respectively.

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