The 2008 Ladbrokes Irish Poker Festival Main Event, which will be held in Killarney beginning on October 3rd, is completely sold out, according to a press release distributed by the online poker room on Thursday. During the week, Ladbrokes had increased the capacity of the €550 buy-in event to 750 people. With the influx of additional players, the prize pool has swelled to €375,000.
Bryan Coleman, Territory Manager for Ladbrokes, commented in a company press release, “We are overwhelmed with the support this event has received from poker players, not just in Ireland, but the UK and beyond, and it justifies our decision to promote a low buy-in guaranteed big-prize event staged in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.”
A €60 rebuy super satellite into the Main Event will be held on Thursday, October 2nd. It was originally slated to guarantee at least 20 seats into the Main Event. However, due to the increased demand, the tournament will shell out a maximum of 20 seats, distributing the rest of the prize money in cash to its winners. Here is the full schedule of events for the Killarney festival. All times are local:
Thursday, October 2nd at 19:30
Main Event Super Satellite (20 tickets maximum guaranteed)
€50 + €10 Rebuy Event
Friday, October 3rd at 16:00
Irish Poker Festival Main Event – Three Days
No Limit Hold’e, €500 + €50 Freezeout
€250,000 guaranteed prize pool
Saturday, October 4th at 16:00
No Limit Hold’em Two Day Event
€270 + €30 Freezeout
€60,000 Estimated Prize Pool
Sunday, October 5th at 15:00
No Limit Hold’em One Day Event
€150 + €20 Freezeout
€25,000 Estimated Prize Pool
The Main Event is scheduled for a “documentary broadcast” on Irish television station TG4. The online poker room’s website will also host a live video feed of the tournament, meaning that friends and family of the contestants (along with poker fans alike) can tune in from around the world. Coleman added, “Players really have voted with their feet and the main event is going to be truly memorable for those lucky enough to get their seats. Only 20 seats remain for the super satellite being held at the venue on Thursday, October 2nd and the clamor for these will create a fantastic buzz to kick off the Festival.”
The Irish Poker Festival takes place in the Irish National Events center, which will, for at least a few days, become one of the centers of the poker world. The Main Event kicks off one day after the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event ends, which may help attract some of the combatants from London. Meanwhile, Ladbrokes is gearing up for the fourth installment of the Ladbrokes European Online Championship of Poker (LEOCOP). The tournament series includes over $500,000 in added money to the prize pools of 16 events. The LEOCOP culminates in a $1,100 Main Event that has $250,000 added to the prize pool.
The event in Killarney will also host a variety of sit and go tournaments as well as a special Ladbrokes Poker Lounge, which will feature darts, snooker, pool, and other ways to allow players to interact with each other away from the tables.
