There's one more big poker tournament before this year's World Series, but it's a bit off the beaten path. The Asian Poker Tour (not related to the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour) is set to kick off their first big event, a $2,500 buy-in tournament to be held at the Dusit Thanai Manilla Hotel, in Manilla, Philippines.

The event begins on May 27th and is scheduled to run til June 1st. Already many well known pros are expected to attend. A small sampling of the pros planning to attend include Brandon Cantu, Roy "The Oracle" Winston, Tex Barch, Layne Flack, Evelyn Ng, Paul Darden, Steve Sung, Huck Seed, and the Jetts, Karina and Chip.

This Manila, Philippines event is just the first of four major tournaments that the APT has scheduled. The events are intended to cater to the poker boom that the Pacific Rim is currently enjoying. The next three APT events will take place in Seoul, Macau, and Singapore.

For story in it's entirety, please visit the Independent Online Poker Authority, PokerNews.com