“Online poker is so popular because it allows anyone to compete in the same tournaments with the best players in the world, and gives them the opportunity to become champion poker stars,” said Fatima Moreira de Melo, Olympic Gold Medalist in Hockey and a member of Team PokerStars who plays online poker under the screen name “FatimaDeMelo”.

Fatima celebrated the World Record during a crowded celebration at the Hilton Prague, site of the latest stop on the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour, which kicks-off today.  She was joined by Gaz Deaves, Guinness World Record Adjudicator, who certified that PokerStars has established an official new World Record.

“sokoluk1991” from Russia became a tournament champion and walked away with the first prize after just over seven hours of play and an exciting final table – not bad for a $1 buy-in. Players from around the world came together for this historic tournament, underscoring the global popularity of online poker and demonstrating how the game transcends language and culture barriers.

Throughout the tournament, the PokerStars World Record Tournament Radio Show ran its special live broadcast, hosted by the PokerStars.com WCOOP Radio duo Nick Wealthall and Joe Stapleton, which captured the excitement of the tournament, and gave away hundreds of prizes to listeners.

The world record tournament formed a fitting official launch of the PokerStars 10^th Anniversary celebrations, which continue right up until 18 December, and include an amazing $10 Million Sunday Million tournament, and a chance to win one of 100 trips to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure taking place in January, in the 10th Anniversary Giveaway. Check out www.PokerStars.com/ten for details of all the 10th Anniversary Celebration promotions.