PokerStars Signs Two More Players From Asia

Asia’s emerging poker market offers an attractive growth potential for poker operators, and PokerStars has been capitalizing on the situation through its many efforts to promote the brand on the continent. This include opening the PokerStars LIVE Macau poker room, and sponsoring major events, such as the Asian Pacific Poker Tour (APPT). PokerStars has also added a number of Asian players to its roster of sponsored pros, including Celina Lin (China), Bryan Huang (Singapore), Vivian Im (South Korea), Aditya Agarwal (India), Yuiko Matsukawa (Japan), Kosei Ichinose (Japan), and Naoya Kihara (Japan).
This week, PokerStars has also announced the addition of two more players to Team PokerStars Pro, namely Taiwan’s Chen-An Lin and China’s Yaxi Zhu (photo), both of whom have enjoyed success on the tournament circuit. Yaxi Zhu has earned $252,280 since 2014, including winning last year’s EPT 11 Prague for $147,980, while Chen-An Lin has won $217,473 since 2009.
Both respected players, Lin and Zhu will now wear the PokerStars patch at various tournaments across the region, and be tasked with helping raise the profile of poker and their sponsor in Asia. Commenting on its latest signings, the company said:
“PokerStars has played a key role in the growth of online and live poker, first in the United States, then Western Europe, and more recently in Eastern Europe and Latin America. The popularity and appeal of local professional players and celebrity enthusiasts help to inspire new audiences around the world, as they seek to learn from and then play against their poker heroes.”
The approach recently paid dividends following PokerStars’ “Dream Team Collection” campaign involving Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., and Ronaldo Nazario. According to tracking site PokerScout, PokerStars has seen its online traffic increase by 9% since the campaign began, and is currently showing 15,500 cash game players over a 7-day period.