The Asian Poker Tour (APT) is set to combine forces with World Champion boxer and Philippine hero Manny Pacquiao to stage the Manny Pacquiao World Poker Event on December 7-12, 2011 at the Pan Pacific Hotel's Asia Poker Sports Club in Malate, Philippines. In a deal signed last week, the tournament will become an official APT Accredited Event and be run with all the standards and practices of a regular APT event.

The Honourable Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao, better known as Manny Pacquiao, is a ten-time world boxing title holder, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and also a great supporter of poker in the region. This will be the very first staging of the Manny Pacquiao World Poker Event and is another example of a poker venue looking to ensure its tournament is professionally run through an APT accreditation.

Featuring a PHP 500,000 buy-in High Rollers, PHP 11,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha event and a PHP 50,000 buy-in Main Event, the large amount of money on offer over the six-day inaugural tournament looks set to attract a high-calibre field of players. Those wanting to secure a seat cheaply will be able to satellite their way in but will have to wait for further details on satellite tournaments to be posted on the APT website in the future.

Asian Poker Tour Tournament Director, Lloyd Fontillas, who will be running the tournament, said, "The APT is obviously proud to be ensuring its popular and trusted protocol is followed at the Manny Pacquiao World Poker Event. I'm sure it will be a pleasure working with such a respected personality as Manny and we're looking forward to seeing a large turnout come December 7."

Jeff Mann added: "The APT Asian Series tournament was conceived as a response to player requests for smaller buy-in tournaments in addition to the big APT events and the popularity of the Cebu event reflected this fact. The Manila tournament is expected to build upon this success and will provide the right events and structures catering to players of all levels."

Click here for a full list of the event schedule and stay tuned for more APT Asian Series updates as they come to hand, including information on how players will be able qualify for seats by entering satellites leading up to the tournament.