Charity poker

Poker isn’t all about the money. OK, it is most of the time, but in the Irish captial Dublin, at the start of June, the UK’s finest players along with celebrity players will be doing their bit for charity.

Assembled pros will include Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliot, The Hendon Mob, Andy Black, Scott Gray, Donnacha O’Dea, John Duthie, Julian Gardiner, ‘Mad’ Marty Wilson, Ivan Donaghy, George McKeever, who will all be playing, and available to amateur players for poker lessons.

Add in a smattering of celeb players such as Nick Leeson, Ken Doherty, Jimmy White and Steve Davis, and bona fide Irish poker legend Padraig Parkinson as host, and you’ve got a first rate poker event.

The tournament, in aid of homeless charity Dublin Simon, will be staged at City West Hotel, Dublin on Thursday 1 June 2006 – registration at 4pm, play from 8pm.

The entry fee is €300 (+€30 reg). €100 of the entry fee goes directly to the charity; the remaining €200 goes to make up the prize fund.

The event will be the first in a series of tournaments in Ireland aimed at raising €1 million, involving stars from the worlds of entertainment, sport, business, politics and poker.

Entry into the Dublin event can be had for as little as $30 (+$3 reg) on paddypowerpoker.com. A special freezeout satellite will be run at 7pm on Thursday 25 May at 7pm with all the proceeds going towards tickets to the event and the registration fee going directly to Simon.

Alternatively there will be $30 single table satellites running from 2pm at City West on the day of the event with the winner of each satellite gaining entry into the main event.

Organiser Padraig Parkinson hopes the event will break the European record for the number of poker players playing in a single tournament (currently 393).

John Duthie, Poker Million winner and founder of the European Poker Tour (EPT) said, ‘I never thought I’d see the day I’d be getting on a plane to play in a €300 tournament.’

Paddy Power, spokesman for the bookmaker said, ‘This is a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity for the ordinary punter to sit down with some of the best in the world for only €300. Normally you’d need thousands of Euro to play against these guys. At this event you can bust out a world champion for next-to-nothing and dine out on the story for the rest of your life!’