Irish Open adds star names; Caesars Palace to host NCAA Tournament poker event; 888poker Twitter Poker Series event announced

irish open 888poker caesarsA trio of North American poker legends has been added to the Irish Open 2012 lineup. Phil Hellmuth, Erick Lindgren and Daniel Negreanu will be taking to Irish felts for the first time and as a treat the publicity hungry bookmaker has thrown down the gauntlet. Instead of the advertised 80/1 for either Hellmuth, Negreanu or November Niner Eoghan O’Dea to win, they’re offering punters 150/1, with Paddy commenting: “We want to give both those playing and those watching plenty of action to keep things interesting so keep your eyes peeled for more great Irish Open betting markets coming up.”

He added: “We’re taking a big risk offering players of the caliber of Negreanu, Hellmuth and O’Dea at almost double their usual odds – we’ve been stung plenty in the past by canny poker players recognizing great value.”

Caesars Palace will host 40 tournaments in 20 days as part of the Hoops and Hold’em poker series. The second annual edition gets underway on March 14 and runs alongside the NCAA Tournament. It culminates with the three-day $560 championship event starting on March 31st. It gets underway with a $130 NLHE at noon on March 14 with events running for the entirety of the tournament.

888poker is hosting its first Twitter Poker Series event later this month. From March 11 the series of events begins with a $1500 freeroll – an LG Optimus 3D phone and cash for the first prizewinner. Players are encouraged to sign-up for the opening event by tweeting: “I am PLAYER_NAME. Sign me up for the free Twitter Poker Series at @888poker to win an LG Optimus 3D Smartphone #888series”