Poker Den returns

 ‘PartyPoker.com Poker Den: The Big Game III’ will take place in London on Tuesday 30 September/Wednesday 1 October. The format has changed this year; instead of a 24 hour continuous cash game the action will now run for a record breaking 36 housrs.

The usual suspects are in line to return. Tony G, Devilfish, Jamie Gold, Robert Williamson III, Roland de Wolfe, Neil Channing, Andrew Feldman, Brian Townsend and Kirk Morrison are already confirmed. Others scheduled to make an appearance include Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Jon Kalmar, Sammy “Any Two” George, Roberto Romanello, John Tabatabai, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Jennifer Tilly, Anthony Hardy and many more.

Whether Phil Hellmuth will return is undetermined at the moment but his presence in the “The Big Game I” is etched in the colourful history of the Poker Den after a performance that was described by commentator Padraig Parkinson as “half murder, half suicide.”

Each player will buy-in for a minimum of $10,000, with blinds starting at $25/$50 and all players are free to leave the table at any time they want. Straddling was very popular among the players in the last two games, so no doubt the players will want to raise the stakes, subject to the discretion of tournament director ‘Mad’ Marty Wilson.

PartyPoker.com will also feature the introduction of the “Party Pot,” that will see players winning $1,000 bonuses from a selected hand every hour. More details will be announced in the near future but the ‘Party Pot” will pump up the action even more.

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “There is a little doubt that the Poker Den has a cult following. Clips from the first two games are all over the internet. Viewers love the fine line between poker genius and complete madness it seems to bring out in the world’s top pros! The Den is a small intimate venue so we just hope it is big enough to accommodate their egos!”

Eddie Hearn, Head of Online Gaming at Matchroom Sport said “The Poker Den has come such a long way since we started it back in the summer of 2005. The Big Game has been such a huge success, and the two series so far have attracted the best players in the world. We have seen some great action, fantastic banter between the players and some berating between players.”

“The format has become one of the most popular amongst international broadcasters and with this series being 8 hours longer, some players have boasted that they can go the full 36 hours without a break – and that I can’t wait to see.”