Six months after PokerStars ended all of their live tours and replaced them with PokerStars Championships and Festivals, they have created a new low buy-in tour in London.
PokerStars has taken the rather unusual step of partnering with the Hippodrome Casino in London to present the new PokerStars Live London Series.
I use the word ‘unusual’ because in August 2016 the largest online poker room in the solar system decided to make complicated things simple by starting their live events with a fresh slate creating the PokerStars Championships and Festivals brands.
The axe came down on the European Poker Tour (EPT).
The United Kingdom & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) was found hanging from a tree.
The life support machine connected to the France Poker Series (FPS) was switched off.
And the head of the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) was kept under water until their lungs resembled cement bags.
So why the change of heart?
“While being committed to growing the game globally, PokerStars is also investing in promoting poker in local communities in the U.K,” said Eric Hollreiser, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Amaya Inc. and PokerStars. “The new London Series is designed to bring together the most loved parts of the Hippodrome Classics and the UK & Ireland Poker Series and make them even better for poker players living in and visiting London.”
The first of five events will begin March 2-5, 2017.
The £275 buy-in event carries a £40,000 Guarantee, takes place over four starting flights, 25,000 starting stack, and includes a fresh new Turbo flight on a Saturday night. Late entry is open until Level 6, and one re-entry per flight is allowed.
PokerStars players can qualify for the events online with qualifiers beginning Sunday, February 26 where players can qualify for as little as £1.10. If you are a new age digital minimalist, then you can qualify live at the Hippodrome on March 2.
Here are the dates for the rest of the events:
· PokerStars London Series, Mar 2-5, £275
· PokerStars London Series, May 25-28, £275
· PokerStars London Super Series, Aug 30-Sep 3, £550
· PokerStars London Series, Oct 5-8, £275
· PokerStars London Series, Nov 9-12, £275
Will we see PokerStars Live “place capital city here” Series events popping up all over the world?
We shall see.
