If you're a fan of the UKIPT as it has been for the past three seasons, you might want to sit down. Things are about to change in a very big way. This tour is about to get real.
The UK & Ireland Poker Tour announced today that it will be hosting new events in new places, leaving the UK entirely, and guaranteeing £500,000 for every main event.
To kick off the season in style, the UKIPT will be crossing the sea to Marbella on the Costa del Sol in Spain. The partnership with the Estrellas Poker Tour will be a full week-long poker festival June 13-17 with a €1,000 buy-in main event.
As if that's not enough to brighten your day, the tour has some real fun things lined up for the rest of the year. In August, UKIPT Galway will be home to a special "poker village" for a two-week festival during Galway Race Week. Among the highlights: a one-week Cash-Game Festival, the Irish Bridge Masters, and the inaugural UK vs Ireland Heads-Up Championship.
In October, the tour will head to London to the opulent Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden, followed by a visit to the Isle of Man in November. Following the massive success of the Nottingham event in Season 3, the UKIPT will head back to the Dusk Till Dawn poker club in December where the schedule will include the very first 6-Max main event in the history of the UKIPT.
Here's a look at the schedule as it stands today.
Marbella
June 13-17
Casino Marbella
€1,000 + €100
Galway
August 8-12
Volvo Race
€1,000 + €100
London
October 2-6
Connaught Rooms
£1,000 + £100
Isle Of Man
October 31-Nov 4
Villa Marina
£1,000 + £100
Nottingham (6-max)
November 28-Dec 2
Dusk Till Dawn
£1,000 + £100
For more information and the confirmed schedule, keep your eye on the UKIPT website, which will be updated soon.
Brad Willis is the PokerStars Head of Blogging