Poker in the Park 2009

Poker in the Park III

Organising Europe’s biggest free poker festival can be exhausting. In fact, there were times during the last few months when we were tempted to plunge ourselves onto the busy roads of Victoria five storeys below Bluff Towers. But, despite this test of patience and faith, and while we don’t want to blow our own trumpet, we have to say, we think the poker Gods looked favourably upon us.

Indeed, the event pulled in almost double the amount of poker enthusiasts as last year, all of whom flocked to Leicester Square to take part in free tournaments, live tutorials and the chance to learn from and meet some of poker’s most famous faces.

Many travelled from far and wide to take part in their respective Pub Poker Leagues in the PKR Poker Dome and there was one person who flew over from India especially for the event! Check out our Hall of Fame of tournament winners opposite.

The Unibet Lecture Marquee played host to some of our good old poker friends from the TV as they addressed the crowd in a series of lectures. Both 2006 and 2008 WSOP Main Event Champions Jamie Gold, and Peter Eastgate certainly added some spice to the event. Amongst the rest of the speakers were a top line-up of home-grown talent, including Neil Channing, Paul Jackson, Ian Frazer, Nik Persaud, John Tabatabai, Liv Boeree, Nick Wealthall, Michael Greco and Alex Rousso.

Meanwhile, Littlewoods Poker ran a particularly efficient operation as they offered players the chance to play open-handed against their celebrity players Mark Goodwin, Michael Greco and Tony Cascarino in the Littlewoods Poker Tuition Tent.

Jamie Gold also hosted a successful Charity Tournament in the Casino at the Empire raising a hefty $17,000 for the Jamie Gold Foundation and attracting some top pros as well as some interesting punters such as ex-footballing ace Teddy Sherringham.

The Bluff Europe Heads-Up Tent, where people were able to pit their wits against each other on the PokerTek Heads-Up Challenge electronic tables, was also a huge success but would have been nothing without our own Richard Murnaghan in his pink suit decorated with tiny spades directing the action.

Finally, visitors were greeted by Neteller, London Poker Circuit, pokershopuk.com, Gamcare, Blackbelt Poker and London Chess & Bridge in the Poker Multi-tent, which offered a menagerie for players both amateur and expert, while next door Million Pound Man Derek Webb, inventor of the popular casino game Three Card Poker, unveiled his newest brainchild in the form of “PTG Poker”.

Dare we say it, but there many things to look forward to for Poker in the Park 2010.