The prestigious Ladbrokes Poker Million V has an even bigger prize fund this year, and you can be part of the main event. All you have to do is qualify. Here's all you need to know:
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| ‘Hells Bells’ may have lost out on the first prize, but she won a cool 400k for coming second | |
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What is Poker Million V?
It’s one of the biggest poker events in the UK, with a guaranteed first prize of over $1,000,000. As the name suggests, the tournament is now in its fifth year.
Who won it last year?
Last year, Tony "spider99" Jones, a forklift driver from Essex, scooped the $1m prize in the live televised final table showdown on Sky Sports.
How did a member of the public get so far?
He made it through to the tournament by qualifying via a Ladbrokes Poker Million Freeroll on Ladbrokespoker.com, and played his way through the main event, getting all the way through to the final, which was televised live on Sky Sports. In the final showdown, he went heads-up with none other than Soccer AM presenter Helen Chamberlain. ‘Hells Bells’ may have lost out on the first prize, but she won a cool $400,000 for coming second.
So what about this year’s tournament?
In 2006 Ladbrokes have increased the prize money pool for the final tournament to $2.44m with a first prize of $1.2m. This prize pool will be available to the 72 players who qualify through Ladbrokes over the months running up to the main event. The main event will take the form of a 72-seat tournament with all legs televised on Sky Sports, with the two semi finals and the final shown live.
How do you qualify?
From 19th February onwards, you can win your way into the main tournament via the weelly online qualifiers, held on Ladbrokespoker.com. There are a range of online heats held during the week, with a weekly online final held every Sunday. Win a weekly online final, and you’re in. As an added incentive, there is an additional prize fund of $1,680,000 up for grabs in the weekly online qualification tournaments.
Are there any familiar faces taking part?
With such a large prize fund, expect plenty of big names from the world of poker to take part, plus there is a whole raft of celebrity players set feature in the competition, including sporting legends such as Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, Steve Davis, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush.
How do I enter?
To enter one of the online qualification tournaments and stake your claim for the $1,200,000 first prize, go to the official Poker Million V website (see link below).
