Hot off the press is the launch of the PokerStars UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT). The nine tournament series kicks off on December 11th in Galway, Ireland at the Radisson Hotel and comes with a €2,000 price tag. The tournament series is the newest to be sponsored by PokerStars, which already brings circuits like the European Poker Tour (EPT) and Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) to life. Let’s take a look at the inaugural UKIPT schedule, which will take Northern Europe by storm.The finale of the UKIPT schedule is in London, where the EPT’s stop in the British city will serve as its championship tournament. Therefore, winners of UKIPT events will receive an entry into the London tournament valued at £5,300. Text found on PokerStars’ website reveals the guaranteed prize pools for each event: “Events with a £500+£50 buy-in (Manchester, Coventry, and Nottingham) have a guaranteed prize pool of £100,000, and Irish events with a €1,000+€100 buy-in (Killarney and Dublin) will have a €250,000 guarantee.”
A UKIPT leaderboard will be kept throughout the first season, with various levels of sponsorships available for the second UKIPT season that will be awarded to the top finishers. The grand prize is a Main Event buy-in plus hotel for all UKIPT Season 2 stops. Second place awards entry and lodging for four Season 2 tournaments, while third place will gain players entry and shelter for two tournaments. The top 100 players will earn a seat into a high-stakes £10,000 prize pool freeroll.
Without further adieu, here’s the schedule for the first ever season of the UKIPT, brought to you by PokerStars:
UKIPT Galway (Ireland)December 11th to 14th
Venue: Radisson Hotel
€2,000 buy-in
UKIPT Manchester (United Kingdom)
February 11th to 14th
Venue: Grosvenor G Casino
£500+50 buy-in
UKIPT Coventry (United Kingdom)
April 8th to 11th
Venue: Grosvenor G Casino
£500+50 buy-in
UKIPT Nottingham (United Kingdom)
May 13th to 16th
Venue: Dusk Till Dawn
£500+50 buy-in
UKIPT Killarney (Ireland)
June 24th to 27th
Venue: Gleneagles
€1,000+100 buy-in
UKIPT Brighton (United Kingdom)
July 15th to 18th
Venue Rendezvous
£1,000+100 buy-in
UKIPT Scotland
Dates are TBA
Venue is TBA
£1,000+100 buy-in
UKIPT Dublin (Ireland)
September 9th to 12th
Venue: Burlington Hotel
€1,000+100 buy-in
UKIPT London (United Kingdom)
October 1st to 10th
Venue: Hilton Metropole
£5,000+250 buy-in
Team PokerStars Pro members are expected to populate the events along the way, including Teddy Sheringham and Vicky Coren (pictured at right, image courtesy of PokerStars). On the range of buy-ins throughout the nine-event series, Coren commented in a press release distributed by PokerStars, “The buy-ins are great: big enough to make chunky prize pools, but not so big that they're a huge drain on resources.” Selected events will also see PokerStars sponsored pros holding question and answer sessions to give entrants a few tips prior to taking to the green felts.The first event in Galway will play out as part of the annual Irish Poker Championships. Satellites to UKIPT tournaments are currently running from $2.22 or 111 Frequent Player Points (FPPs). Step qualifiers are also in high gear. Visit PokerStars for more information.
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