1pm: Kickstart for Kimber
A good start for UKIPT stalwart Jeff Kimber: "
Ukipt London day one. Table draw coulda been kinder but off to a quick start. Flopping sets is something I could get used to
— Jeff Kimber (@jeffkimberpoker) March 6, 2013
He's right about his table draw too, he's got Joeri Zandvliet to his direct left, Richard Blacklock one seat further along and Tim Chung to contend with. -- NW
12.50pm: Packed...with talent
Forgive us for another 'who's here' post but there's a boat load of talent packed in to The Vic today and it'd be remiss not to mention them. So without further ado, also in the field today are (deep breath): Brett Angell, Dave Shallow, Devron Hasselnook, Fergal Nealon, Team PokerStars Pro George Danzer, Jamie Burland, Jan Combes, two-time UKIPT winner Joeri Zandvliet, Keith Hawkins, Paul McTaggart, Paul Zimbler, Raul Paez, Robin Keston, Rory Liffey, Stephen McGrath and Sunny Chattha.
Crowded. -- NW
12.40pm: Of all the tables in all the world...
Another table worth watching today features Mickey Petersen, also of Team Online, who has been drawn on the same table as his girlfriend, Elena Stover. Petersen tweets as @mickeydp, while Stover is @thegroupie. They have already started the Twitter banter, so follow them both to keep up with their progress.
Petersen is probably better known on the international circuit than Stover -- an EPT title will do that -- but Stover has better pedigree on the UKIPT. Her 148th place at Nottingham earlier this season (for £1,480) is one result more than Petersen has on this tour.
12.30pm: On the second floor...
The upstairs tables are also packed with talent today, including Team PokerStars Pro's Henrique Pinho, over here from Portugal to take on the best of the UK and Ireland. There's also Nick Wealthall, Willie Tann, Joe Grech, Steve Watts, Jan Combes, Barny Boatman, Deborah Worley-Roberts and Team Online's Dale Phillip. Among many others. -- HS
12.20pm: Spotted
The play, as it was yesterday, is split over two floors here at The Vic. There's a full compliment of 14 tables in use on the lower floor - this will likely remain the case for much of the day as players will be moved from the upper to lower floor to fill the gaps as players bust out throughout the day.
There's a number of familiar faces dotted around the tables - some of which are hard to reach - they include EPT7 London champion David Vamplew and Surinder Sunar - both sharing the same table. Also getting friendly at the same table are Jack Sambrook and Tom Ward. The top two in the UKIPT Leaderboard - Neil Raine and Tom Hall - are also both in the field today as are Jeff Duvall and Jason Barton. -- NW
12.05pm: Shuffle up and deal
Cards are in the air here in London, 300 is the tentative number of players in the field so far today. Of course not all are seated right now, in fact I saw Karl Mahrenholz weaving his way towards his seat a few minutes after kick off. He, and many others no doubt, will boost the total number of runners today to north of 300. Late registration is open for three levels, approximately 3.15pm GMT. -- NW
12 noon: Second time around
According to this morning's television news, Kate "Windsor" Middleton is entering the second trimester of her pregnancy. We know the feeling. Today is Day 1B of UKIPT London, the second of three opening flights in this tournament. When Kate gets through her endeavours, she will deliver the heir to the English throne. Similarly, we will reach Day 2 of this poker extravaganza.
Don't be sceptical; it's exactly the same thing.
We will, today, be in the presence of some poker royalty. "Queen" Victoria Coren is playing. Also Kevin MacPhee will be in the field, plus Team Online's Dale Phillip. And Marc Convey. We'll take a wander through the room shortly to get a full overview of who is with us. We're expecting more than yesterday's 194.
Play begins at noon, with 15,000 starting stacks and blinds at 25-50. We will play 11 one-hour levels, with a 60-minute dinner break at the end of level six. Stick with us. -- HS
Reporting team in London: Howard Swains and Nick Wright. Photos by Mickey May.