2007 Great British Poker Tour Launches (press release)

 

  

The Great British Poker Tour - www.gbpokertour.com - in association with Gala Casinos, will feature five televised Festivals across the UK and a £2,500 buy-in Grand Final, for a combined estimated prize pool of over £750,000 (over $1,400,000).

The inaugural tournament starts at the Gala Maybury Casino in Edinburgh on 21st February 2007 followed by Festivals in Teesside, Nottingham, Bournemouth and Bradford before culminating in the GBPT Grand Final in late October 2007.

Each regional Festival will feature 3-days of top quality poker, and a 2-day £500+£50 NLHE main event - to which Gala Casinos are adding £5,000 in cash, and awarding each winner a VIP seat into the GBPT Grand Final.

In addition to the Grand Final and title of Great British Poker Champion 2007, the winner will also receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic (worth $20,000) in Las Vegas in December 2007. Runners up prizes also include trips and buy-ins to the Aussie Millions in Melbourne, Australia and European Poker Tour events.

Players of every level will have a chance to get involved in the GBPT thanks to live satellites at a number of Gala Casinos, and a packed weekly schedule of online satellites starting at just $5 + $0.50, plus weekly freerolls.

Online qualification for the Edinburgh GBPT Festival runs from 18th December 2006 until 17th February 2007 on www.galapoker.co.uk (Gala Casinos' online poker website); non-GBP and European customers can qualify on www.eurobetpoker.com (multi-lingual and multi-currency options). Players can also qualify live through many of Gala's 30 casinos throughout Great Britain.

The Tour is expected to attract some of the best and most famous poker players across Britain and Europe, including seasoned pros such as Iwan Jones who won the £500+£50 event at the 2006 Scottish Poker Championships at the Gala Maybury Casino in Edinburgh.

Iwan said "The GBPT is a real ace of a tour with eye-catching festivals nationwide at Gala Casinos and the Gala Maybury Casino certainly brings back good memories! There's plenty in the pot to play for with the ultimate accolade of getting crowned the Greatest Poker Player in the land. If you're into your poker, then you need to get involved now."

Further GBPT announcements of pro and celebrity players will follow over the next few weeks.

Nick Potter, Gala Casinos Managing Director said, "We are very excited to be staging the Great British Poker Tour. This is a fantastic opportunity for poker players of all levels to show the world how seriously we take our poker here in Great Britain,  with the quality of player talent we have. We hope to see some thrilling clashes all the way up to the final. They'll also get to enjoy some of the best casino and poker venues in the country."

The GBPT is supported by a comprehensive website, www.gbpokertour.com, containing details on each of the events and how and where to qualify. As the Tour unfolds you will be able to access live updates and event reviews, as well as viewing the league tables where free Grand Final seats can be won.

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Notes to Editors

For further information please contact Alex Wood on 0207 853 2255 or alex.wood(at)porternovelli.co.uk (Alternatively, please contact Mai Amin on 0207 853 2277 or mai.amin(at)porternovelli.co.uk)

GBPT 2007 Competition dates:
21-25 Feb   Gala Maybury Casino, Edinburgh
4-8 April   Gala Casino, Teesside
9-13 May   Gala Casino, Nottingham
13-17 June   Gala Casino, Bournemouth
15-19 August   Gala Casino, Bradford
29 Oct - 4 Nov  Grand Final (Venue to be announced)

Online player sign-up options:

www.galapoker.co.uk
www.coralpoker.com
www.eurobetpoker.com

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