Ohio gozaimasu pokaa! Hold'em hits Japan

It'll be Hold'em, Texas-style, that much is for sure. But that's likely the last hint of Texas you'll find at the inaugural All-Japan Poker Championship (AJPC), set for June 2-3 in Tokyo.

This much is for certain: The winner at the end of the two-day event will get a package for the 2007 WSOP Main Event including buy-in, round-trip air ticket and accommodation.

In between, the details are difficult to pin down. By the looks of it, there will be three qualifying tournaments, on May 13, 20 and 27 - the first and last in Tokyo, the middle in Osaka - with 100 participants.

Top nine it looks like qualify for the 70-player June 2 final, to run over two days at "Corporation Sega head office 1 mansion."

For any information beyond that, you'll have to get to the All Japan Poker Championship Web site and hope your translation skills are up to snuff, or email Hideo Chijiwa at: chijiwa@globalmix.co.jp.