upntoday-2010-2-5-14-taipei news-「2010 World Series of Mahjong」

「2010 World Series of Mahjong」
Mahjong Masters battle in The Venetian® Macao

During the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday many people will be playing mahjong and trying to win some money. Later this year the annual World Series of Mahjong will play host to the world’s best mahjong players competing for the title of World Champion at The Venetian® Macao where the 2010 tournament was announced on January 20th at a press conference co-hosted by WSOM and The Venetian Macao.

The third-annual WSOM will be held from August 19-22, 2010 at the prestigious The Venetian® Macao. The World Series of Mahjong continues to be the world’s largest mahjong tournament in terms of player participation and prize money.

The Venetian® Macao will work hand in hand with World Mahjong Limited to promote and support the annual World Series of Mahjong. In addition, The Venetian® Macao will sponsor a new qualifying series of tournaments this year, “The Venetian® Macao Mahjong Tour”, which includes events in Taipei, Tokyo and Sydney. The Taipei tournament will be on March 20, 2010 with the final dates for Sydney and Tokyo to be confirmed. The top ten finishers in the Taipei qualifier and the eight top finishers in the Tokyo and Sydney qualifiers will be entitled to free seats to the 2010 WSOM Main Event, plus complimentary travel and accommodation at The Venetian® Macao.

In addition to inviting the best mahjong players in Taiwan, “The Venetian® Macao Mahjong Tour’s” Taipei tournament will work hand in hand with MUCH TV’s 『CASINO TV program』and celebrity host Mr. Hsu Nai-lin to lead a team of entertainers from Taiwan to compete in the 2010 WSOM in Macau. “After two years competing in the competition we are well poised for our team of celebrities to win the competition this year!” said Mr. Hsu, the king of Asia’s gaming. After Taiwan’s Miss Sabrina Yu Xiao-ping won the second runner-up of 2007 WSOM, the Taiwan team is hoping to produce a champion of the World Series of Mahjong in 2010.

The 2010 WSOM will include three separate tournaments, namely the 3-day single-elimination Main Event World Championship, a US$5,000 buy-in High Rollers Event and the US$1,000 buy-in Reach (Riichi Rules) Event. The buy-in for the Main Event is HK$5,000 (US$650), plus HK$500 registration fee. Prize money will be based on the number of participants in each tournament. The total maximum prize pool for the combined 2010 WSOM events is US$1,000,000, and prize money will be paid to the top 32 places in the Main Event. All tournaments are open to any mahjong player who is at least 21 years of age.

The WSOM features the world’s best mahjong players from around the world competing for cash prizes in the exciting tournaments being held annually in Asia’s gaming capital. Given the diversity of mahjong rules as played in Asia and other parts of the world, the WSOM employs a simplified rule and scoring system that is fair to all, simply and easy to learn, systematic and consistent, and emphasizes the playability of the game as a competition of skill. A detailed description of The World Series of Mahjong
Rules® is available at www.wsom168.com.
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【Media Contacts】
Sue Wang, World Mahjong Limited Marketing Director
T: 02-27771725 / M: 0932923803 / e-mail : sue@world-series-mahjong.com
Illy Chen JEDI Marketing PR. Co. Ltd Marketing Manager
T:02-27920979 ext:11 / M: 0968116594 / e-mail : illy@jedi.net.tw
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2010 WORLD SERIES OF MAHJONG
EVENT SCHEDULE

Saturday, March 20: “The Venetian® Macao Mahjong Tour”
Taipei tournament
Thursday, August 19: Player check-in and practice day.
Thursday, August 19: Riichi Rules Tournament
Friday, August 20: Main Event World Championship Day One.
Saturday, August 21: Main Event. Day Two.
Sunday, August 22: Main Event. Day Three. Final Round
Sunday, August 22: High Rollers Event
Sunday, August 22: Awards Ceremony and Check Presentation

Riichi Rules Tournament
Player Cap: 100 players
Buy-In: US$1,000
Prize Pool: US$100,000

Main Event World Championship
Player Cap: 1,000 players
Buy-In: US$650
Prize Pool: US$650,000

High Rollers Event
Player Cap: 50 players
Buy-In: US$5,000
Prize Pool: US$250,000*