PartyPoker glitz

PartyPoker.com are planning a glitzy edge to their European Open which is set for 4-11 December at Maidstone Studios in Kent.

The tournament will kick off with a celebrity table and there is a $360,000 prize pool up for grabs. The event will also be televised on Five in the UK early in the New Year.

Evergreen football legend and budding poker pro Teddy Sherringham will be lending his support to proceedings and will have his girlfriend and ex-Miss Great Britain Danielle Lloyd along as back up.

The glamourous couple aren’t there for the free drinks and photo ops though, there is a keen poker rivalry between the two.

Lloyd is infamous for having the title of Miss Great Britain taken away from her after it emerged that boyfriend Teddy was amongst the judges.

She is however, keen to show what she is made of: “I’ll forget my Teddy when I get to the poker table. I play to win.”

The beauty pagent furore meant that tournament organisers thought long and hard about placing Teddy and Danielle on the same table.

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “Questions were raised but Danielle was so keen to batter her Teddy at poker that we let it go ahead. There is a match referee on hand at all times to ensure no skullduggery takes place and that there are no loving and knowing glances over the table.”

“The real tension could come from the battle of the babes, however, as the new presenter of poker on Five is Roxanne Siordia, Maxim’s current girl of the year in the US. Danielle is used to being the biggest draw wherever she goes but it is going to be a close run thing this time!”

Last year, Surrey poker pro Ian Frazer won the PartyPoker.com European Open with hyper-aggressive play and he is back to defend his title. Another top pro taking part is John Magill, who finished 12th in the WSOP Main Event this year. Others confirmed as runners in the tournament are snooker legend Steve Davis, Ibiza warhorse Brandon Block, DJ Spoony and Layer Cake actor Jamie Foreman. The winner of the Open will scoop a cool $125,000 for their efforts.

Filmed by Matchroom Sport, the show will be aired exclusively in the UK on Five, with commentary from ‘the voice of poker’ Jesse May and Roxanne Siordia fronting.