Poker News - August 2008

Olympic legend Michael Phelps has established himself as a 'human dolphin' in the swimming pool but away from the water, he is something of a 'shark' and was spotted playing poker at a Mayfair Casino following the Olympics after party.

Encouraging the 23 year old American to showcase his card playing talents, Betfair Poker, sponsors of the World Series of Poker Europe, are inviting the Olympic hero to compete for £1,000,000 in cash and his ninth Gold of the year in the form of a prestigious World Series of Poker bracelet. To encourage Michael to dive-in Betfair have made the generous offer to pay the £10,000 stake required to join the World Series of Poker. Phelps will be free to wear his famous LZR swim suit at the table although organizers fear it may not give him the same competitive edge outside of the pool.

The second annual World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) presented by Betfair takes place in London at the Empire Casino in Leicester Square from the 19th September – 2nd October and attracts the best players from around the world. The tournament is the most prestigious event to take place outside of the US and the qualifying set up means that established pros and wildcard amateurs eventually go head-to-head to compete for the £1,000,000 prize and a one-off WSOPE bracelet (WSOPE bracelets are considered to be the Champions League medals of the European poker world).

Qualification for the main event in London - which has a guaranteed £1m first prize – is open to all-comers through a £10,000 buy-in or via exclusive online free rolls and satellites at Betfair.com, making this year's event the most exciting ever.

WSOPE in London complements the WSOP held annually in Las Vegas. The inaugural 2007 series featured 623 entrants who competed for £1,305,215 over three tournaments, including the Main Event that saw 18 year old online poker prodigy Annette Obrestad outlast a field that included established pros such as Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Johnny Chan to win a record-breaking £1 million ($2m) - the largest single cash prize ever won by a female player.

For the first time in its history WSOPE will be broadcast via ESPN worldwide in over 100 million households and via Sky Sports in the UK.

Back to August 2008 NewsBack to Poker News Index


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Michael Phelps Poker Player