With $1.2m on offer this tourney is raking in some major player interest
The UK is fast becoming the epicentre of European poker as the Ladbrokes Poker Million V prize pool is set to total a record $4.2m, making it the biggest poker tournament outside America.
Speaking at the West End launch of the Poker Million sports promoter Barry Hearn told PokerPlayer: ‘There’s no reason why one day the Poker Million can’t be bigger than the WSOP. It’s already the biggest tournament in Europe.’
A nice bit of hyperbole, but while it’s still some way off the Main Event, it has grown rapidly since snooker player Jimmy White won the $150,000 first prize offered in 2003. Last year freeroll qualifier Tony Jones beat the tournament’s surprise package (and PokerPlayer’s hot tip), Soccer AM presenter Helen Chamberlain to the $1m first prize.
The former warehouseman from Romford has since quit his Job to concentrate on the game and, as the first own for the finals, is already in the running to defend his title.
Just the ticket
If you want to steal the first prize from under his nose you can reach the heats through satellites at ladbrokespoker.com – daily feeder tournaments start at just $10.
Ladbrokes is also running three freerolls for the 20,000 buy-in event in the run up to the June heats. The first one, which is yet to be announced, is expected to take place in mid- April. We’ll bring you full details in next month’s magazine.
A total of 71 players will qualify for the live heats in June with a final 72nd player completing the line-up from the televised celebrity heat. The heat winners will return to London in December for live television broadcasts of the semi-finals on December 13-14. The top three finishers will then clash live on Sky Sports on December 15, a date you should pencil into your diary now.
And if you get the opportunity to snag any tickets for the Ladbrokes Poker Million Live Final party, don’t pass them up. PokerPlayer turned up en masse last year and found it was like a giant wedding piss-up but without any of the relatives that you hate. Brilliant, in other words.
