The Great British Poker Tour Comes to Sunny Bournemouth (press release)

 

4th June 2007, BOURNEMOUTH – LOCAL poker players and national celebrities alike are practising hard for the arrival of the Great British Poker Tour on 13th June 2007.

The Great British Poker Tour (GBPT) in association with Gala Casinos will take place 13th - 17th June at Gala Casino, Westover Road, Bournemouth.

Local poker talent will be playing alongside a host of celebrities including World Cup winning England rugby player Mike Tindall, ex-Republic Of Ireland and Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino as well as snooker legends Jimmy White and Ken Doherty. A number of pro poker players are also expected to take part including Joe Beevers from The Hendon Mob and Paul 'action' Jackson.

The winner of the televised event is set to walk away with the significant sum of over £25,000 as well as a place in the GBPT Grand Final this autumn. And the chances of a result for a lucky Bournemouth poker fan are good – all regional festival winners so far in the tour have been amateur players.

Eddie Gaines, the winner of the inaugural GBPT festival in Edinburgh in February, kept his cool to scoop £25,000 as well as securing his place into the UK Grand Final. Colin Pearson, winner of the second GBPT festival in Teesside won £20,000. The most recent festival in Nottingham saw amateur player Stephen Holden beat a host of poker pros, earning him almost £20,000 as well as the chance to represent Nottingham at the grand final.

Following Bournemouth, the tour will go to Leeds before culminating in the GBPT Grand Final in late October 2007. In addition to the title of Great British Poker Champion 2007, the Grand Final winner will also receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas in December 2007.

Interested players can qualify for the following GBPT festival in Bournemouth (13th - 17th June) by playing online at www.galapoker.co.uk (Gala Casinos' online poker website), or at selected Gala Casinos throughout Great Britain.

Bryan Patterson, Manager of Gala Casino Bournemouth said, "We are very excited to be staging the Great British Poker Tour. We have some of the best of British poker talent in the Bournemouth area and the GBPT is a fantastic opportunity for all players to prove themselves. We're rooting for a local poker ace to go all the way, win the Grand Final and be crowned Great British Poker Champion 2007!"

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