London Open on Bravo
The event that Bravo TV calls the “Wimbledon of British Poker” is set
for its second meeting. World Poker Exchange has announced that in
partnership with Autumn Light Media, L.L.C., it will be producing the
second annual London Open poker tournament. The event will be held in
the United Kingdom, at the Whitehall Palace fro September 22-27th. The
Chief Executive Officer of the International Poker Federation, Thomas
Kresner, will be the event’s tournament director.
In 2005, the inaugural London Open attracted 140 of the world’s best
poker players, who competed for a guaranteed $2 million prize pot.
Celebrities at the event included Jennifer Tilly, Mimi Rogers and Sex
and the City’s Willie Garson. The tournament proved popular among the
poker elite, as lauds for the tournament continued well after the
tournament had concluded. Bluff magazine noted that Antonio “The
Magician” Estandiari stated that the tournament may have been one of the
greatest experiences in tournament poker history to date. The tournament
this year is set at a $10,000 buy-in, and is expected to draw an
estimated 300 players, putting the pot up to about $3 million US.
Qualifying tournaments are being held only on Worldpx.com, and are
slated to begin in June.
The first World Poker Exchange London Open established a unique approach
to tournament hosting by providing many distinctive lifestyle
wrap-around events for its players, such as backstage passes to shows
like “The Producers” and private tours of the royal palace. The
tournament also began with an invitation only party which saw 1,400
attendees rocking to Grace Jones and Dirty Vegas. Bravo TV also filmed
the tournament and produced a prime time special on the event.
"I am delighted to be invited in participating in the London Open. Last
year, the London Open took Europe by surprise. However, the resulting
word-of-mouth compliments towards the event among North American and
European players alike was very impressive. Therefore, I feel the
tournament doubling its player count this year is very likely," says
London Open tournament director, Thomas Kremser.
"The London Open 2005 showed the poker community just how much more a
high stakes poker tournament can be beyond just playing cards and going
home. It embodied the lifestyle of a professional poker player and
celebrated the spirit of this great game. We will further build upon
last year's event and once again offer the best poker tournament in
Europe," added Haden Ware, Managing Director of World Poker Exchange.
|
