Online Poker Press

At one point, Russia might have been the, um, Siberia of poker.

But thanks to Glasnost, a game that remains hot around the globe and a flock of players from Russia who are now some of the best in the game, poker is hot in the former Iron Curtain.

And now it's even hotter thanks to PokerStars.

Just as it did in Asia and Latin America, PokerStars is bringing a poker tour to Russia. And just like the other tours, PokerStars has your ticket to get there.

Starting Jan. 25, PokerStars will host its first Russian Poker Tour event in St. Petersburg, and a few weeks after that, it's on to Moscow.

Satellites are already running for the first event, so download PokerStars now and you'll get an exclusive PokerWorks bonus of $25 free in addition to a 100 percent matching bonus up to $50. You must enter the marketing code of POKERWORKS upon registration and the bonus code of FIRST2008 upon your first deposit.

Winners of the RPT tournament satellites get an $8,000 prize package that covers the buy-in, hotel and cash for traveling. You can qualify for as little as $2.22 or 111 Frequent Player Points.

Notable Russian players include Team PokerStars Pro Alexander Kravchenko and World Series runner up Ivan Demidov. Both are considered two of the top players in the world right now.

Satellites will run until Dec. 30 so try for your seat at PokerStars' first-ever foray into Russia.