Live Poker UK & Ireland Poker Tournaments for August 2016

Live Poker UK & Ireland Poker Tournaments for August 2016

Those players who are looking for some affordable live poker tournaments to play in the United Kingdom or Ireland during August 2016 will be thrilled to learn that there are over a dozen of them to choose from.

The £250,000 guaranteed Goliath tournament kicked off on Thursday, 28^th July 2016 and will continue until Sunday, 7^th August 2016.  Players can participate in this tournament for a mere £120.

Yet another £250,000 guaranteed tournament is scheduled to take place at Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham between Thursday, 25^th August and Monday, 29^th August 2016.  The popular £500 Deepstack will be back at Dusk Till Dawn with a guarantee of a quarter of a million pounds.

Major live poker tournaments in the UK & Ireland during August 2016

Several of Grosvenor’s popular 25/25 series will take place next month with Huddersfield, Portsmouth and Stockton hosting a £25,000 guaranteed tournament, thus bringing high value poker tournaments to players.

There are two Grand Prix Poker Tour Minis, which are similar to the 25/25 Series, taking place this month for those players who are north of the border – one in Milton Keynes and one in Glasgow.

Most of the live poker tour operators have online poker sites where players can qualify for their events.

PokerStars #Raiselt Campaign Sets Internet on Fire

A new social media campaign started by the online poker room PokerStars has set the internet on fire.  Two high-profile members of Team PokerStars, namely Neymar Jr and Ronaldo Nazario are currently involved in a playful series of challenges in the #Raiselt campaign.

So far, the four video challenges played by these Brazilian football legends have reported a staggering 19 million organic views, 100,000 shares and over 1 million “likes” on Facebook.  The #Raiselt campaign stars Neymar Jr and Ronaldo trying to outdo one another in different football positions, such as Neymar shooting a ball into the boot of a parked car, or Ronaldo doing his bit into the back of an accelerating car.

The associate director of advertising for PokerStars, Simon Tilbury said that the campaign encouraged individuals to up the stakes by outsmarting friends, heroes or even strangers.  He went on to say that with #Raiselt, Neymar Jr and Ronaldo are essentially playing poker, but without the chips and cards.

Tilbury also said that poker skills are able to transcend to many areas of life, such as reaching personal goals through patience, focus and courage.  He added that PokerStars was extremely pleased with the huge number of views and high engagement scores of the campaign so far.

Neymar Jr also commented on the campaign by saying that he absolutely loved the adrenaline rush and excitement that was achieved by challenging others.  However, he went on to say that it was just as rewarding setting challenges for oneself.

The Brazilian captain also said that the #Raiselt videos feature many things that we all do in everyday life and it really pushes the boundaries with encouraging people to try crazy new tricks and hone their skills.  He added that creating the #Raiselt videos has been a lot of fun and that he is eagerly looking forward to seeing what the internet does in response.

Phil Ivey Returns to 2016 WSOP Main Event

Poker Legend Phil Ivey, who has won virtually everything there is to win in the poker world and has dominated high stakes cash games, has enjoyed a professional career that not many players in the industry can claim.

Ivey has received 10 World Series of Poker gold bracelets and this number could have been a lot higher by now if he had continued to pursue his undeniable skill and natural talent for the game with the same passion as before.

However, Ivey practically skipped both 2015 and 2016 and only showed up for two tournaments in 2015 and this year’s Main Event.

Although poker fans were excited to see Ivey at the tables, it is obvious that Ivey’s opponents did not have any objections to his absence and not having to deal with one of the world’s best payers.

Despite Ivey’s many World Series of Poker bracelets and numerous other titles to his name, he has never won the Main Event, despite coming close to winning twice already.

In 2009, Ivey finished in seventh, winning an amount of $1.4 million.  However, for the man who is already extremely rich, this must have been very painful even though it was an improvement on his 2003 finish, when he was eliminated in 10^th place at the hands of Chris Moneymaker.  Moneymaker then went on to win the poker tournament.

In 2005 Ivey finished in 20^th place and recorded his best ever Main Event finish in 2009 when he made the November Nine and finished in seventh place for an amount of $1,404,014.

Ivey commented on the 2016 World Series of Poker by saying that he has been quite busy and has not played any tournaments.  He went on to say that this is his first tournament and that he was honestly happy that he was able to get back to play this one.

Unfortunately for Ivey, despite the fact that he survived his Day 1 flight earlier this week, he headed into the late levels of Day 2 with a short stack.

Ivey was heartbroken when he got it in with an open-ended straight-flush draw in Level 10.  With ace-high winning the hand, Ivey headed for the exits, saying “hello” and “goodbye” to the World Series of Poker for another year.

PKR First Microgaming Poker Network Operator to Launch Jackpot Sit & Go

The fast pace together with the chance to win lucrative cash prizes for a minimal investment has seen Jackpot Sit & Go tournaments become one of the most exciting variants available to players in the online poker world.

Although a number of networks and poker sites have been offering these tournaments, it was not until this week that the Microgaming Poker Network (MPN) joined these groups with PKR, the only true 3D online poker site, becoming the first MPN site to offer players Jackpot Sit & Go games.

Buy-ins to these three-handed turbo tournaments at PKR range from between €1 to €50, with five percent from each buy-in being removed as a tournament fee and an additional five percent removed to contribute to the progressive jackpot which is a feature that is only available on the Jackpot Sit & Go at PKR.

Once the top prize pool multiplier (5,000 times) is hit, it will trigger the progressive jackpot, which will occur five games in one million, on average.

Winner-take-all events are games with multipliers of two, four, six, 10 and 20 while any game with a multiplier of 100, 500 or 5,000 will see the prize pool split 50 percent to first, 30 percent to second and 20 percent to third, exactly like a traditional Sit & Go.  If the 5,000 multiplier is, therefore, hit at a €50 buy-in game, even the third-place finisher will bank an amount of €50,000.

PKR’S Jackpot Sit & Go is initially available to players via desktop download while mobile and instant play browser versions will be launched within the next few weeks.

The Head of Public Relations at PKR, Dan Grant, commented on the launch of Jackpot Sit & Go by saying that this is PKR in a nutshell – fast, fun and easy on the eye.  He went on to say that being part of the Microgaming Poker Network gives their players a shot at serious prizes and that this is a perfect example.  Grant added that the release of Jackpot Sit & Go is an exciting mix of turbo, short-stacked poker, life-changing prizes and their own new 3D animations and environments.

2016 PokerNews Cup – 10th to 15th August

The 10^th edition of the PokerNews Cup is due to kick off at the King’s Casino, Rozvadov in the Czech Republic between Sunday, 10^th and Friday, 15^th August 2016 and the big guarantees, low buy-ins and fantastic atmosphere is bound to attract recreational players to join the event.

The highest buy-in on the schedule is set for €250 with €260,000 in guarantees making this edition of PokerNews’ own live tournament series popularly priced.

Big guarantees and low buy-ins has been the key to the series’ success ever since it started in Melbourne back in 2007.

This year’s festival, which will run from 10^th to 15^th August, 2016, features 11 events with guaranteed prize pools that total €260,000.

Despite the fact that the €250 buy-in €200,000 Guaranteed Main Event is presumed to attract the largest field, the other tourneys on the schedule of the PokerNews Cup also promise a lot of action, with great guarantees and affordable buy-ins.

Last year’s festival saw tournaments such as the €100 King’s Hold’Em Championship (with a €15,000 guarantee}, the €200 PokerNews Hunt Bounty (€10,000 guaranteed) and the €115 PokerNews Pot Limit Omaha (€10,000 guaranteed) all drawing huge fields of recreational players which made the events fun and lucrative for those who know how to play their cards right and this year’s event promises to be the same.

The PokerNews Cup was created in order to make recreational players and beginners feel welcome at the table and is often said to be the best way for players to discover the world of live poker in Europe

Timothy Weltner, an online player who hails from Germany, came to Rozvadov from Berlin last year to play his first live poker tournament ever and not only won the opening event for €2,607, but played almost every event on the schedule and promised to join the festival this year as well.

Germany’s online player commented on last year’s event by saying that he was extremely happy with his results and that the opening event was his first live tournament ever and it is hard to believe that he won it.  He went on to say that he loved the atmosphere at the PokerNews Cup and that he really enjoyed playing in the event.

Glaser Wins Second Bracelet in Less than a Week at 2016 WSOP

Twenty-seven year old British poker pro Benny Glaser, achieved an incredible feat this week at the World Series of Poker after winning his second bracelet inside of a week.

Glaser managed to bank an amount of $407,194 on Wednesday, 22^nd June after defeating a field of 163 players to win the 2016 WSOP $10,000 buy-in Omaha eight-or-better championship, earning him his third gold bracelet.  This huge win took place just three days after taking down the World Series of Poker $1,500 buy-in Omaha eight-or-better event for $244,103.

Glaser’s wins sees him joining Jason Mercier and Ian Johns to win multiple titles at this year’s WSOP.

In response to being asked if he was surprised to have won these consecutive tournaments in a matter of days, Glaser said that it is surprising that he won two back-to-back, full stop.  He added that Omaha eight-or-better is one of his best games and probably the games that he has played the most hands in online and that it would, therefore, be one of the top games that it would happen in if it was going to happen.

Glaser went on to say that he did not think that his wins have sunk in yet as it has been a crazy week of grinding and focusing but that he would now get some time to enjoy it.

The Final Table Results were as follows –

1. Benny Glaser, Southampton, U.K.          $407,194
2. Skippy Lorgeree, Buffalo Grove, IL         $251,665
3. Matt Glantz, Lafayette Hill, PA  $175,754
4. Grzegorz Trelski, Middletown, CT           $125,125
5. Robert Campbell, Warragul, Australia     $90,841
6. Per Hildebrand, Marsta, Sweden              $67,291
7. Todd Brunson, Las Vegas, NV                  $50,872
8. Jason Mercier, Davie, FL                           $39,269
9. Felipe Ramos, Brazil                                   $30,965

Glaser had to outlast a stacked final table and was joined in the final line with players like five-time bracelet winner Jason Mercier, bracelet winner Todd Brunson and three-time $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. / Poker Players championship final tablist Matt Glantz.

In addition to the title and the money Glaser’s win also earned him 780 Card Player Player of the Year points seeing him climb into 23^rd place in the overall rankings with 2,014 points and $724,059 in year-to-date earnings.

John Mercier Just Misses Winning Back-to-Back $10,000 Championship Events at 2016 WSOP

It has been reported that Jason Mercier, the American professional poker player from Hollywood, Florida, came within one spot of winning back-to-back $10,000 champion events, hundreds of thousands of dollars in bracelet bets as well as a legitimate shot at another $1.8 million, at the 2016 World Series of Poker on Wednesday, 15^th June 2016.

Mercier managed to get all the way to heads up play in the $10,000 Razz Championship two days after winning the $10,000 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship, before eventually finishing runner-up to Ray Dehkharghani.

Dehkharghani managed to win his first WSOP bracelet with his first $273,338 first-place prize that came with it.

Earlier this week Mercier took down the Lowball Title and admitted that the win was worth much more than the $273,335 first-prize place that it came with due to the hundreds of thousands in bracelet bets that he had on the side.  Mercier went on to claim that he had several bets on two bracelets, at 18- or 19-1 as well as a $10,000 bet with Vanessa Selbst at 180-1 to win three, where he stands to win $1.8 million.

Mercier was quite upset that he was not able to take advantage of the back-to-back event in order to clear some of those bets and move even closer to a huge payday despite the fact that he took home an amount of $168,936 for the runner-up finish last Wednesday.

Commenting on his miss, Mercier said that what he is most disappointed about right now is the fact that he had a bunch of bets on winning two bracelets, and the huge one on winning three.  He added that it is like almost impossible to win three when you get a second-(place finish), because it means that you are going to have to get heads up four times.  He went on to say that it is tough to do and he is a little disappointed for the equity of his bet but that he obviously won more money and one cannot be too disappointed anytime that one gets heads up for a bracelet, but that he is still quite disappointed.

Ryan LaPlante Wins Largest Live PLO Tournament

Ryan LaPlante, who by his own admission does not play much PLO, managed to win the largest pot-limit Omaha tournament in live poker history when he bested the 2,483-player field for an amount of $190,328, which was his best live cash and his first bracelet.

The Minnesota-based pro commented on his fantastic win by saying that if this is the first record that he will have, then he is excited to try to get as many more as possible.

While Colossus champ, Cord Garcia, admitted that he was hoping to hold the record of largest live field beaten for a while longer, LaPlante revealed that he is hoping that this event will get even bigger next year.

The final table results were as follows –

According to LaPlante, PLO is not one of his best or most played games and he only ever plays it during the World Series of Online Poker and Poker Stars’ two huge online series although he has lots of experience playing the split-pot version of the game and regards himself as one of the best tournament players out there.

LaPlante revealed that he personally believes that he is one of the better PLO-8 tournament players in the world.  He got extremely emotional after his massive win and needed a moment to gather himself when a member of the media asked what the win meant to him.  He replied that he decided at a very young age that he was going to do what he loved for a living and that he would not care about the money.  He went on to say that to get something like this when he has been working so hard for it for so long, is absolutely incredible.

2016 PokerNews Cup to Celebrate 10th Main Event in Rozvadov

Poker fans will be thrilled to hear that the PokerNews Cup is back and will be celebrating its 10^th Main Event at King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic with a guaranteed Main Event of €200,000.

The PokerNews Cup is scheduled to take place between Wednesday, 10^th August and Monday, 15^th August 2016 with an all-new calendar of events, the highlight of which will be a €250 Main Event featuring a massive guaranteed prize pool of €200,000.

PokerNews’ own live tournament series will be celebrating its 10^th edition with 11 events that will run together with King’s Casino’s world-famous cash games.

Jon Squires, the Chief Executive Officer of iBus Media and PokerNews, commented on the forthcoming event by saying that, although they are extremely proud of what they have achieved in the past, they know that the best has yet to come.  He added that eleven years after its inception, the PokerNewsCup is no longer the bold and ambitious bet that it was and that it is a well-established tournament series that allows small stakes and recreational players to discover the world of professional tournament poker and access premium guarantees at an affordable cost.

Squires went on to say that the 10^th edition of the PokerNews Cup is bound to be an event like no other.  He also said that this is a very important milestone and that they would like everyone to join them at King’s Casino, Europe’s largest poker room, for a celebration to remember.  Squires added that they want everyone to enjoy every single second that they spend with them and that they promise to keep everyone busy with lots of great tournaments as well as with one of the most glorious players’ party that Rozvadov has ever seen.

Squires added that they worked closely with King’s Casino during the past two years in order to fine-tune each and every aspect of their events and that they are extremely happy to head back to Rozvadov once again and to associate their name to the best poker room in Europe.

The Main Event features four starting flights and the official schedule of the 2016 PokerNews Cup alongside the Main Event includes other marquee events such as a €100 buy-in €10,000 guaranteed, PokerNews Pot-Limit Omaha event (12^th Aug.), a €100 buy-in €15,000 guaranteed King’s Hold’em Championship (13^th Aug.) as well as a €70 buy-in €10,000 guaranteed Local Hold’em Adventure Deepstack (12^th Aug.).

Leon Tsoukernik, the owner of King’s Casino, revealed that they are thrilled to host the PokerNews Cup for the third consecutive time, especially since the tenth edition of the series also carries important symbolic value.

Record-Setting Prize Pools Produced at 2016 Spring Championship of Online Poker

PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, has revealed that the 2016 Spring Championship of Online Poker that ended at the beginning of this week, generated over $15 million in prize money.

This year’s series was highlighted by the three main events that drew more than 30,000 combined entries and turned out to be a great success setting a new record with almost $91 million awarded across 168 events.  The previous record for the total of prize money awarded by Spring Championship of Online Poker was a little more than $81 million that was awarded in 2014 across that year’s 135 events.

The biggest event in 2016 was the $10,000 High Main Event that generated a prize pool of $8 million after attracting 824 entries.  Talal “radalot” Shakerchi managed to win that event for an amount of $1,468 million after defeating a final table that included Scott “gunning4you” Seiver and Sean “Nolezy7” Winter.

The $1,000 Medium Main Event and the $100 Low Main Event attracted 5,026 and 24,591 entries respectively.  Andres “Educa-pOker” Artinano took top honors and a first-place prize of $578,621 that was triggered by a four-way chop in the $1,000 Medium Main Event while “mmleandro” took first place and a prize of $196,059 following a three-way deal in the $100 Low Main Event.

PokerStars has provided data which proves that all three of the main events have surpassed previous records in participation as well as prize pools, even without the large US market being included in the global player pool.

Eric Hollreiser, PokerStars’ Director of Corporate Communications, commented on the size of the prize money by saying that this record-breaking prize pool is testament to the enduring popularity of online poker.  He went on to say that it is also a result of the talented people and hard work that was exhibited by everyone at PokerStars, from the poker room tournament team who put the schedule together, to the customer support teams helping their players get the most out of their experience.

Russia was the largest participating country with 61,154 entrants while Germany was the second highest of the series with slightly more than 6,000 entrants.