- Regular tables started to disappear from the PokerStars Asia client last week.
- On September 1, PokerStars confirmed to PRO it was exiting a small number of jurisdictions, including China.
- The client itself offered no account services, cashier functionality, or rewards program.
- It remains to be seen whether further market withdrawals are on the cards.
It appears that PokerStars has ended its relationship with 6UP, a third party that provided access to the real money poker tables of PokerStars’ global player pool.
If accurate, it means that the operator has shut the last remaining access to the Chinese market, completing a withdrawal that it started at the beginning of the month.
Last Wednesday, September 16, PRO spotted that daily exclusive freeroll tournaments on PokerStars Asia, a PokerStars-powered client used by third party 6UP/Red Dragon Poker, normally listed in a special “6UP Exclusive” tab in the lobby, had been removed.
By the end of the day, a new message—“our platform is no longer available in your region”—was displayed throughout the client. Regular tables and tournaments also started to disappear from the lobby.
At the time of writing, there are a few heads up Zoom pools still listed. All other tournaments, games, and Zoom pools have been removed.
PokerStars had no comment on any changed relationship with 6UP Poker, nor whether there would also be an impact on the operator’s continued sponsorship of the live Red Dragon Poker Tour.
