888Poker will host their 888Poker Live Local grand final at the Football Mineirao Stadium in Brazil; Kevin Killeen wins 888Poker’s Whale, and the 2016 Irish Open is looking for a fresh sponsor.
Tournament organisers designed 888Poker Live Local as a way to attract recreational players to the brand through a series of low stakes live tournaments.
It’s an innovative idea. Pull punters off the street, allow them to buy-in to a live tournament, at an affordable rate, and at the same time sign them up to their online network in return for a few freebies.
888Poker fans in Brazil are now going to get a slice of the action. The online poker giant has announced plans to hold the grand finale of the current season at the Football Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
It will be the first time that 888Poker has held a live event in the South American country. They won’t be alone. Three of the brands ambassadors are Brazilian: Bruno Politano, Bruno Kawauti and Nicolau Villa-Lobos.
The event will take place Dec 10-15, 2015.
Representatives from the online site told PokerNews that the Main Event will carry a R$490 buy-in ($130). There will be a guaranteed prize pool of R$500,000 ($130,000). The tournament will play out over three starting flights each capped at 500 players.
The stadium’s origin dates back to 1965. It will host some of the football action at the 2016 Summer Olympics. It has a capacity of 62,547. Something tells me there will be a few spare seats when 888Poker turn up.
Kevin Killeen Eats a Whale
Sticking with an 888Poker theme and Irishman Kevin “SusanBoyle1” Killeen secured his largest online cash of his career after winning 888Poker’s flagship contest The Whale on Sunday.
Killeen defeated 316 players in the $150,000 guaranteed event, to take the $34,547.69 first prize. He had good company on the final table. Jonathan “Monster_Dong” Karamalikis finished fifth for $10,176.78. Patrick “d1sclosure” Leonard was fourth for $14,729.55.
The former UKIPT Dublin champion finished third at EPT London in 2014 for £220,500, and earlier this year was runner-up to Ioannis Triantafyllidis at the Irish Open earning a further $208,289.
2016 Irish Open Looking for a New Sponsor
Europe’s longest running poker festival looks like it’s looking for a new sponsor.
Organisers of the Irish Open have sent details of their 2016 festival to media outlets, and former sponsor PaddyPower seems to be missing from the memo.
The 2016 Irish Open will operate March 21-28 at the CityWest Hotel, it will carry a €1,150 buy-in (with re-entry), and a €500,000 Guarantee. There will also be a €2,000 High Roller and a €350 buy-in Liam Flood Memorial Six-Max Turbo. A nice touch. Former winners of the Irish Open include Marty Smith, Neil Channing, James Mitchell.
