The Asian Poker Tour kicks off this month on the 27th of May in Manila, with the $1M Guaranteed main event. Buy-in is $2500, and satellites are already running. Matt Savage has signed on as tournament director, so the event should be big success. The rest of the Asian Poker Tour will take place in Seoul, Macau and Singapore.

The dates for the other events have not been announced yet. It appears that Manila will be the litmus test for the tour, so a lot is depending on how much action enters. I don’t think that there’s anything to worry about; the region is ready for its own tour, even if the game isn’t baccarat.

There is sure to be some big-name Asian players who will make the trip and help promote the tour over there. There’s no shortage of gaming money in the region, so the tour should continue to grow.