Category: Live Poker Tournaments

This may be the weekend when poker finally comes to Wembley Stadium but this is not the only major poker event that this taking place in the UK this weekend. Not everyone is too bothered about heading to Wembley to play and this is especially true for Scottish people. Many poker players up North would jump at the chance of playing poker in Hampden or Murrayfield but when it comes to heading down to “that London”, there is no great appeal for them. The Scottish hordes of the Tartan Army will be descending upon Wembley in August when the two football teams clash but it is unlikely the size of numbers of even the frenzied nature of fun of previous jaunts in the 60s and 70s will happen this time around.

So, if Scottish poker players are not too bothered about the idea of rolling down Wembley Way and leaving with the goal-posts, where are they intending on playing poker this weekend? The venue is the Grosvenor Maybury Casino in Edinburgh but for anyone who is concerned about having to spend too much time in Edinburgh, don’t worry, it is close to the main road that takes you to the motorway that gets you through to Glasgow. In less than an hour you can be back in the main city of Scotland where there is a lot more fun to be had!

However, if poker is your game, it is the Nuts Poker League national final weekend and there is a lot on offer. Players from all around the country will be taking part in the event and it seems as though there are 150 players lined to take part. Each regional division and group of the Nuts Poker League is strongly represented with the Dumfries and Galloway section having 17 players playing! There may not even be 17 people in Dumfries and Galloway who have an internet connection so this indicates the strength of poker in many local areas. Online poker is a big thing around the world but the Nuts Poker League is definitely a great way for people to get out of the house and pit their wits against fellow poker players.

Hopefully the winner takes a big amount of cash away

The total prize money on offer at the Maybury Casino will be £7,000 and there is a treat in store for the big winner. This is because they will be taking home more than £2,000 of this prize money, which is going to be a big incentive to keep playing to the death. You know how these things pan out, there may end up being a final table agreement put in place so that players 1 through 3 or 5 all get a nice cut of the total fund but at times you want to see the winner go all out for glory! Have some courage and strength in your conviction and play for the big money, it is the Nuts Poker League after all; show that you have some nuts!

The league has been building up nicely to this grand final with weekly games taking place in pubs all across Scotland. You may be shocked at the news that some Scottish people spend their time in pubs. This style of venue is rarely popular across the country but with the introduction of poker, it has started to pick up in popularity and there have been one or two poker indulging in an alcoholic beverage or two. Who knows, if the popularity of poker maintains, Scottish people may actually start to drink on a fairly regular basis, which could be a boon for the local economy.

With Scottish Independence on the agenda for next year, there is a lot of excitement going on and rumours that Alex Salmond is set to crown the winner of the Nuts Poker League as the new King or Queen of Scotland have yet to be confirmed. This is because the rumours have just been made up and don’t have any chance of coming to fruition but that would certainly make the voting process for an independent Scotland slightly more exciting!

Nottingham Welcomes A New Poker Playing Option

When you think of poker and Nottingham, it is understandable that you will instantly think of the Dusk Till Dawn club. This venue is known across the United Kingdom as being one of the best places to play poker in the country and the people behind it are well known on the poker circuit. The fact that a large number of the doubts that surrounded the ISPT event at Wembley were washed away when DTD stepped in to back the event says a lot about the reputation that this club holds.

However, this weekend, while the Wembley tournament kicks off and the DTD reputation will be on the line in London as opposed to Nottingham, poker players are going to be given a new poker option in the city.

This is down to the fact that there is a new casino VIP area opening up on Friday in the city and it promises to provide poker players with somewhere else to go. The Alea Casino, which is located in Upper Parliament Street is providing players with poker tables alongside American roulette and blackjack tables in their new private bar area. There is also going to be a waitress service available and this continues the work the venue has carried out in recent times to provide something for more stylish guests.

The more poker venues the better

The Alea were behind the opening of the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar and Grill which opened in 2012 and this new poker venture continues this theme.

Mark Hands, the director of the new venue said;

The VIP lounge will be invitation only for people who want a little more privacy to fully enjoy their visit. Our new Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill has gone down well with the city’s foodies and we felt it was time to extend our ‘affordable glamour’ offer by adding a VIP area to appeal to people who wouldn’t necessarily have been to the venue before.

While the Dusk Till Dawn club is the natural choice for poker players, there is no doubt that some poker players will feel intimidated by this sort of venue. There is a big difference from playing poker online in the comfort of your own home to playing poker in one of the most respected venues in the country. Although Alea claim that they are aiming for a higher class of crowd, you’ll likely find that the poker tables become open for most players. After all, poker tables are no use if you don’t have poker tables! This venue could be one that is slightly more welcoming for players looking to find some real live poker experience.

The Dusk Till Dawn Club has nothing to worry about just yet but there is no doubt that Nottingham is definitely becoming a force to be reckoned with when it comes to poker options.

The clock is starting to tick down to the International Stadiums Poker Tour (ISPT) Event at Wembley Stadium in London and the focus is turning back to how many people are going to turn up to this event. There was a lot of criticism at the start for the over the top prize pool, with €1m going directly to the winner and many felt that this tournament would fade away long before it arrived at Wembley.

The appearance of the Dusk Till Dawn company on the scene changed all that though. DTD is a highly respected name in the UK poker industry with a lot of sensible and driven people at the top of it. With the owner Rob Young guaranteeing that the event would go ahead and the money would be as stated, there was a lot more confidence behind the event and the publicity and promotion has been building ever since. With a top name like Red Bull getting in touch for some corporate sponsorship, there has definitely been a feeling that the event is heading in the right direction. However, now that we are mere days away, it is inevitable that people are now starting to question just how popular the event is going to be.

Poker fans have a lot of questions to ask

On the Dusk Till Dawn website, Young was fairly open about the upcoming Wembley event, no doubt deciding that honesty was the best way to go. He answered a number of questions relating to the event and it was his response to the question of “how many players have you got and how many do you think you will get?” that will grab a lot of the attention. Young replied;

At the time of writing this (4.22am Tuesday morning) we have 373 player names – this equates to a prize pool of just over €1 million euros, with more guaranteed seats over the next 4 days. But how many players will buy-in directly for €3000 on Day 2a Friday and Day 2b Saturday – this is the million dollar question – literally!

I heard 700-800 players bought in for €5K at this year’s EPT Berlin – but the EPT’s are established, prestigious events so maybe it’s not correct to compare? When we partnered with ISPT they had around 30 players in Day 2 with only 12 weeks to go. At the time I said to the press that 500 runners would be a disaster, 1000 would be okay, 1500 a job well done and 2000 a miracle from the poker gods, so I am just praying that all the of hard work done by the ISPT team in promoting the event in so many different countries will pay off.

ISPT is a new organisation, a new event, a new concept, a new format, is brave attempt to challenge ‘the norm’ by allowing players to buy directly into Day 2 for an average stack, taking all this into consideration, it’s not easy to predict the number of €3k buy-ins, but we have a €1M prize pool to build on.

With the winning prize amount guaranteed, it could be a costly few days for DTD and the ISPT but poker players should be viewing this as an excellent opportunity to make some big money. The chance to play at Wembley Stadium is going to be something you will never forget but if not too many poker players are involved with the tournament, there has to be a genuine chance to win some big money at this event.

This should be an incentive for people to come along, which could of course boost the number of players that attend. There is no doubt that Young in his interview was aiming to drive home the incentives so that even more poker players attend the big event but it remains to be see whether there will be enough demand to cover the prize pool promises or whether the businesses behind the event will need to shell out.

It has already been announced that final table deals will be allowed so there is going to be a chance for the huge prize at the top of the pile to be filtered around the final table if players and the organisers agree to the figure. If poker players play their cards right, this could be a rather lucrative few days at Wembley Stadium.

The GUKPT is one of the biggest things in poker at the moment and Portsmouth poker players are getting all of the benefit at the moment. This is because Leg 4 of the 2013 tournament is currently in poker and the excitement and tempo is building as the week progresses. The action started on Sunday and as there was a Bank Holiday Monday in the UK this week, there was an additional chance for players to get involved properly. The majority of the country may be back at work now but this doesn’t mean that the poker excitement or drama is fading out just yet.

There is a Re-Buy Turbo Satellite game starting at 4pm on Tuesday and this has a £30 buy-in. If you are working on Tuesday and can’t get across until a little bit later on, you will hopefully find the 7.30 pm start time for the NLH Re-entry game to be of benefit. There is a £70 fee for this poker game and unlike the Re-Buy Turbo Satellite game; there is a registration fee involved which is £8.

There is even more poker fun lined up for Wednesday with a NLH 6 Max game taking place at 7.30pm while the NLH Re-entry Super Satellite starts at 8.30pm on Wednesday night.

The Main Event is what people are looking for

However, there is no doubt that things won’t start to properly warm up at the event until Thursday the 30th of May. This is because it is Day 1A of the Main Event and we all that know that poker players love to focus on the Main Event. Having the chance to play for big money and take on the better players is always something that will be the focus. Players getting involved with the satellite events now will be hoping that they manage to secure their progress to the big stages but if not, there is the chance to buy in directly. This is the more expensive option but if you are unable to play in the build-up events or you have no luck in these events, it may be that this is the option that is right for you. Thursday also sees an Omaha game take place so if this is more your thing, you will be able to take advantage of what the tournament provides.

There is no doubt that these GUKPT events have been a big success and it looks as though the Portsmouth leg is shaping up rather nicely. There is still a bit of time until the main poker action starts but if you are looking to play your way into the tournament or you just want to capture the drama and excitement, make sure you make your way to Portsmouth.

With Crystal Palace triumphing at Wembley in the Championship playoff final, the serious football events at the famous stadium are finished for the summer. There is a friendly between England and Ireland this midweek but there will not be too much importance placed on that which means that the upcoming International Stadiums Poker Tour event which takes place at the weekend is going to be the most important Wembley event for the rest of the summer. It is still not too late to get involved with the event and even if you don’t want to pay too much money to be able to play, you’ll be able to get to Wembley.

Dusk Till Dawn are fully behind this event and their website has a number of satellite events running this week. Being able to book your place from the comfort of your own home is definitely something that will appeal to a lot of poker players and there is going to be a lot of interest in these events. Thankfully there are a number of opportunities to play in a satellite event this week. This site is hosting satellite events at 8.30pm every night this week so you can try for Day 1D on Monday the 27th of May, Tuesday the 28th of May is 1E, Wednesday the 29th of May is Day 1F and Thursday the 30th of May is Day 1G. The final chance to qualify for the event via the online satellite is Day 1H, which takes place on Friday the 31st of May.

Get around and then get to Wembley

There are also a number of physical Day 1 events taking place around the country which can see you gain entry to Day 2 of the prestigious poker event. The Mint Casino London is serving up a number of Day 1 events and this is the place to be between Monday the 27th of May and Thursday the 30th of May.

Genting Casino are also getting involved and there is a chance to play your way to Wembley at a number of these casinos this week. On Tuesday the 28th of May, the Sheffield Genting Casino is the place to be whereas it is the Genting Casino in Luton that is the place to be on Wednesday. On Thursday the 30th of May, the Westcliff Genting Casino is your number one option and on Friday, the physical Day 1 takes place at Wembley Stadium itself.

Things are starting to really get exciting for the International Stadiums Poker Tour event at Wembley Stadium and all of the people that said that the event would never happen are now starting to doubt their words. The involvement of Dusk Till Dawn really helped the event to get some prominence in the poker community and this involved inspired many people to start taking the event more seriously.

The serious nature of the ISPT event can be seen in the fact that there has been another major name announced as a sponsor for the big event. Big name sponsors are crucial for events like this and when it comes to major European events, there is one company that knows all about marketing and promotion. The story of Red Bull is a highly interesting one from a business viewpoint and if you ever find yourself with some time to kill, it is well worth checking out.

Poker players often need an energy boost

In brief though, the European distributors of Red Bull don’t concern themselves with making their product, all they are interested in is the promotion and marketing of the company. This is different from a lot of firms and it has certainly freed up the company to promote itself in innovative ways. The sponsorship of the ISPT event at Wembley is another in the long line of Red Bull flexing their muscle and shoving their weight behind such a major sporting event.

Red Bull is now the official drink of the event and they will be running a number of different promotions during this poker festival! Given the events sponsored by the company in the past, such as the Red Bull Soap-box Race, the MotoGP Rookie Cup and the Red Bull X-Fighter, there is no doubt that Red Bull knows all about creating focus and attention on to an event and this time, poker will be the beneficiary of their talent and skill.

Red Bull will be made available at Wembley Stadium for the event which runs between the 31st of May and the 5th of June but there may be one or two other tricks up their sleeve. The ISPT released a statement announcing the partnership, saying;

Red Bull has always supported extreme sports events and the ISPT is making history by bringing together thousands of players from all over the world for the first ever live poker tournament in Wembley Stadium. Boldness, bravery and the will to collectively raise the bar and succeed have united Red Bull and ISPT for this unique event.

Any poker player that is in need of a pick-me-up at Wembley Stadium now knows that help will be at hand!

There is going to be a lot of money placed on action at Wembley with the Champions League final this week and then the Championship Play Off final on Monday but the final whistle in the play-off does not signify the end of the Wembley betting opportunities. Poker players and fans should know that the big Wembley poker event is looming and if you fancy a flutter on the outcome, you will be happy to know that there is going to be an opportunity to do so.

There is an official betting partner of the ISPT and it is TonyBet who are providing the betting opportunities for players. The odds for the Main Event have been released and you can find odds on top name players like Sam Trickett, David Benyamine, Marcel Luske and even The Grinder, Michael Mizrachi. Of course, there is also the chance to bet on Tony G, the man behind the betting site and there are a few special bets lined up for him if you feel so bold. You have to wonder about taking the odds from a betting site on a man that has the ability to impact on the success or failure of his own betting site!

Some of the special bets for Tony G may be worth a punt. The odds on him reaching the final table have been placed at 50-1 and with respect to winning the tournament outright; you can get odds of 500-1!

A seat at Wembley can be quite expensive

While the event comes to life on Friday the 31st of May, the champion will not be crowned until the 5th of June. The event has been building up nicely online but if you would rather not bother with the hassle of playing in satellite events, there is still a chance to directly buy a seat at Wembley Stadium! The tickets for the Champions League final are expensive but at least they don’t cost €3,000! However, this fee not only gets you a direct seat into one of the biggest poker tournaments in the world, it provides players with a chance to play for €1,000,000. Yes, there will be one million euros heading to the winner of the ISPT and this is guaranteed, no matter how many players turn and play in the event!

The excitement is really starting to build for Wembley… but once the Germans leave and then we know who is heading to the Premier League, poker fans will be able to start getting really excited about the fiesta of poker that is heading to North West London down Wembley Way! With the betting opportunities provided by TonyBet, you don’t need to be there to be a winner.

With this being a Bank Holiday weekend in the United Kingdom, there may be plenty of people looking to get away and have some fun. There are plenty of different options available to people but there is no doubt that Dublin is able to offer a lot of benefits to folk. It is not too far away and there is always a big party atmosphere going on in the city. There is plenty of history and stunning views to take in too so no matter what element of Dublin you want to focus on, it will be there for you.

There is also a lot to be said for heading to Dublin this weekend if you love poker. There are regular poker tournaments and events taking place in Dublin, you would think that the organisers of these events are trying to suggest that the good folk of Dublin and the people who visit it love to party! There is a real chance to have a poker party this weekend and who knows, you could find yourself being able to pick up a cash prize that will more than pay for the weekend.

You can party and play poker in Dublin

The Citywest International Events Centre is the place to be this weekend as this is the host for the IrishEyesBet.com Legends Poker Cup. The title may be a bit of a mouth-full but the weekend of poker action is sure to be a smash hit. The main focus is going to be a €150 buy-in No Limit Hold ‘Em event and there will likely be plenty of players getting involved with the event. The nature of this event is a re-entry and accumulator style, which means that there will be a lot of jostling and action before the Day 2 event starts properly on Saturday.

Day 1A of the Main Event started at 7pm on Thursday the 23rd of May and there was an early start to the action on Friday the 24th of May. This is because Day 1B and Day 1C was taking place on Friday, with the first event starting at 10am. If this sounds like being far too early for you to get your poker magic flowing, the 7pm start for Day 1C may be the better event for you.

While Saturday sees the Day 2 event start at 7pm, there is one final chance to play your way to success in the morning because Day 1D begins at 10am.

The Grand Final of the weekend starts on Sunday the 26th of May at 1pm; so again, it may be an earlier start for some poker players than what they would hope for. There may be some poker players avoiding the allure of Dublin on a Saturday night but there are also likely to be some poker players heading into the Grand Final with a bit of a sore head on Sunday lunchtime!

The organisers are hoping that the prize pool for the event will reach €250,000 which would be an impressive return for an event that has such an affordable buy-in.