The biggest poker event in Europe is claimed to be the Paddy Power Irish Open with a €2 million (US$2.5 million) guaranteed prize pool. The tournament, sponsors’ logos allowed, will be filmed for television and will be played over the 2007 Easter Weekend. It will be the 26th Irish Open, a poker event described as being set apart from other poker tournaments by its “historic legacy, unique atmosphere, famous Irish hospitality and legendary reputation for camaraderie and craic’.”

A pretender to the throne as Europe’s biggest and best poker event is the Poker Million tournament. Ladbrokes has announced a bid to rival the Las Vegas World Series of Poker, where prize money (US$82 million) and competitor numbers (8,700) are likely to be adversely affected by the new Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Many competitors who played in this year’s WSOP had qualified and been sponsored by Internet poker sites. Poker Million V, the final of which is scheduled this December, has a prize pool of over US$4 million but is limited to 72 players who mostly qualify through Ladbrokes’ online pokermillion.com site.

Ladbrokes considers its Poker Million tournament to be the biggest and best in Europe. The company now intends to invest £3 million (US$5.6 million) in next year’s tournament, believing that there is an opportunity for an offline poker tournament in Europe to rival the WSOP run by Harrah’s. Ladbrokes will double the prize money on offer in 2007 and hopes to attract players from a wider group. There could be an additional contender for the European title of biggest and best in the future – if Harrah’s bid for London Clubs International is successful, then it could organize its own European poker tournament.
(E-10.23.06)

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