/24-7PressRelease/ - London, UK, August 15, 2008 - London, nominated one of the top 3 cities in Europe to play poker, will be celebrating poker's popularity in Britain with a two-day poker festival in Leicester Square. The festival is called Poker in the Park (www.pokerinthepark.com) and in its second year is the UK's largest poker exhibition. Poker in the Park will host over 25,000 poker enthusiasts in Leicester Square for free hourly poker tournaments, lectures from the biggest stars of the game, photo opportunities and autographs with pro poker players, exhibitions from top name card rooms, and Las Vegas-style showgirl entertainment.
The home of the World Series of Poker Europe, several prospering poker circuits and one of the most thriving grassroots poker scenes in the world, London has once again been named one of the top three cities in Europe to play poker by Bluff Europe magazine -- alongside card-playing hotspots including Dublin, Vienna, Amsterdam and Barcelona.
"Over the last three years, poker has become one of the most popular pastimes in Britain, both as viewed on television and in terms people learning and playing with friends. Poker in the Park is the biggest exhibition in the sport, and it is sure to be entertaining and educational for poker enthusiasts of all levels," said poker magazine Bluff Europe's editor-in-chief, Michael Caselli. "Like chess, to play poker at a competitive level requires practice, education and a high degree of skill, luck plays very little factor in successful poker; that's why the poker phenomenon isn't a flash in the pan, people that start to play find it a challenging and they want to improve their game. I look at poker as a generational game; the older generation grew up playing bridge, and our generation plays poker. When you start to think of poker in those terms, you realise that poker is here to stay," he added.
The event's title sponsor is online poker room PKR, who are also the sponsors of the 'Poker Dome', where 100 players will sit for hourly Texas Hold'em sit n' go tournaments, including 8 title events sponsored by poker leagues and media outlets. Title events include The Sky Poker Cup, The SubTV Student Poker League Cup, The LondonPubPoker.co.uk Trophy, The Royal Surrey Trophy, The Nuts Poker League Challenge, The LondonPokerMeetup.co.uk Cup, The England Poker League Cup and The Bluff Europe Magazine Championship.
This 18 and over event will occupy the northern and eastern quadrants of Leicester Square Park, in the Square's centre and will comprise of over 4,000 feet of entertainment space under marquee. GamCare, the responsible gaming charity and leading provider of the prevention of problem gambling, will be on site promoting responsible gaming for the 18 and over only crowd.
Event Details:
Poker in the Park, Leicester Square, London - WC2H 7NA
Friday & Saturday August 15th & 16th. Open 16:00 - 21:00 (Friday) & 10:30 - 18:30 (Saturday).
http://www.pokerinthepark.com
Members of the Press
Members of the Press are invited to reserve for a seat in one of the free hourly tournaments, register for press badges to gain entry into the press lounge at Icon at the Casino at the Empire on Leicester Square, and register to participate in the post-event poker tournament at The Casino at the Empire. Contact melissa@lyceummedia.com to register.
Interview Opportunities
Below is a list of guest speakers attending Poker in the Park 2008. To arrange interviews with any of the speakers, please contact melissa@lyceummedia.com
Tony Holden - 5pm, Friday 15th August
Ian Frazer - 6pm, Friday 15th August
David 'Devilfish' Ulliott - 7pm, Friday 15th August
Paul Jackson - 8pm, Friday 15th August
Liv Boeree - 11.30am & 3.30pm, Saturday 16th August
Nik Persaud - 12.30pm, Saturday 16th August
Neil Channing - 1.30pm, Saturday 16th August
Marc Goodwin - 2.30pm, Saturday 16th August
Dr Tom Sambrook - 4.30pm, Saturday 16th August
For more details visit http://www.pokerinthepark.com or contact:
Melissa Ross
Lyceum Media
+44 (0) 207 953 4026
melissa@lyceummedia.com
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