World Poker Tour Makes First Stop in London Today

The WPT is finally making its first stop in London today.

After years of bypassing one of the oldest poker markets in the world, the World Poker Tour is finally landing in the United Kingdom today – and its £5,000 Championship Event is just the first of more than a dozen major tournaments to be held in the UK capital throughout September.

The WPT London Championship Event began the first of two starting flights today at noon local time and there were plenty of familiar faces in the field. Phil Ivey, James Akenhead, Praz Bansi, Luke “FullFlush” Schwartz, Erik Seidel, Huck Seed, Andrew Robl and Tony G all turned up for the first day of play at the Mayfair Palm Beach Casino. Even the tournament director – the Bellagio’s Jack McClelland – made the tournament feel more like a gathering of old friends than a new stop on the WPT.

Tomorrow will see a second starting flight before the field combines and begins playing down to Saturday’s final table. There will also be a high rollers tournament with a £15,000 buy-in beginning on Friday that should draw some of the biggest names in the game. London won’t be through with poker when the World Poker Tour stop finishes up, though. WSOP Europe will begin on September 14th at the Casino at the Empire in the English capital and run five bracelets events through the end of the month, and the EPT will kick off a full schedule of events in London on September 28.