Williams greets the crowd at the PokerStars Champions Reception

PokerStars has a knack for throwing a heck of a party and they have added yet another social gathering to their list of must-attend events. This year marked the launch of the first ever PokerStars Champions reception, in which the site honors the big winners on their roster of sponsored pros. This year, the honored guests include reigning WSOP Main Event champion Joe Cada as well as two new additions to Team PokerStars Pro, recent WPT Championship winner David Williams and NAPT Mohegan Sun Champion Vanessa Selbst.

The soiree served as the big debut for the two pros, considered by many to be two of the hottest unsigned commodities in poker. Both pros will be sporting Stars gear when they play in this year’s Main Event and will also be making more frequent appearances on the various PokerStars.net-sponsored tours such as the European Poker Tour (EPT) and the North American Poker Tour (NAPT).

“I was already going to about three EPTs a year, London, Barcelona, and Monte Carlo,” Williams told BLUFF. “I’m definitely going to make sure I continue to hit those and maybe a few more…As far as the NAPT here in America, I’m going to try to go to every stop they have. I want to support them. I’ve played a few already and they’re great events and I had a really good time.”

Despite still attending law school, Selbst is also planning to have a bigger presence on the circuit this year, joking that she is coming out of her, “first of many retirements.”

“I’ll definitely be travelling a lot more,” Selbst said. “I’m also going to be spending a lot of time doing the things I was doing like writing my papers and finishing law school while I am on the road. It’s very much fly by the seat of my pants right now, which is the way this industry works.”

Selbst is one of the Season 1 NAPT winners

Williams will be taking his shot in the Main Event on Day 1C and, even though he is an old pro when it comes to the biggest tournament of them all, he still gets a little first day jitters. “I think back to my first time in the Main Event and I was really nervous. I think the key to remember is that probably everybody there is…I’m still nervous to this day and this is my seventh time.”

Williams even offered a little advice to those taking their seats in the Amazon Room for the first time:

“Just relax, don’t be nervous, and take your time. Even though it is a big deal, don’t think about how big a deal it is.”

Selbst has also yet to take her shot in the Main Event, but she isn’t letting any of the pressure from media to make 2010 the “Year of the Woman” get to her.

“It’s obviously a huge marketing tactic,” Selbst said with a smile. “That being said, there are three women that won major tournaments this year. Women in the last two or three years have really stepped up and started learning the game and playing poker.”

Stay tuned to BluffMagazine.com for updates on the two new PokerStars pros as they take their shot in the Main Event and try to add yet another major title to their list of poker achievements.

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