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Scotland’s Paul Kerr, of Bothwell, almost made it six bracelet wins for Britain at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) this year. Following the bracelet-winning antics of James Dempsey, Praz Bansi, Richard Ashby, Mike Ellis and Steve Jelinek, Kerr ought to consider himself fortunate to have finished only third in Event 54. Held annually in Las Vegas, the WSOP attracts the very best players in professional poker, so to finish on the final table of any event is in itself quite an achievement. To finish third and narrowly miss an opportunity to add to Briton’s record-breaking WSOP bracelet tally is little short of spectacular. read more..

Following the success of British players in Las Vegas this year, it is now the case that any performance less than a bracelet win barely attracts notice. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2010 has proved extremely fruitful for UK players, with James Dempsey, Praz Bansi, Mike Ellis, Richard Ashby and Steve Jelinek all winning bracelets in what is Britain’s most successful year at the annual event. In fact, no other nation besides the US has won more bracelets at the WSOP in a single year. As Britain awaits its next bracelet, some huge performances have gone largely unnoticed. read more..

The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Summer Series is one of the most popular and enjoyable UK poker tournaments on the calendar. Composed of several top class events, the GUKPT Summer Series attracted plenty of attention this year with many big name stars still out in Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2010. Sniffing an opportunity or two amid a weakened field, many UK online poker pros attended the GUKPT Summer Series events in Newcastle and Walsall over the weekend. read more..

Day 28 of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2010 saw another superb day for British poker players. Following the bracelet wins of Mike Ellis, Richard Ashby, Praz Bansi and James Dempsey, Steve Jelinek made it five for the Brits in Las Vegas after taking down Event 41 – a $1,500 pot-limit Omaha high-low split eight-or-better event that comprised a field of 847 and a prize pool of $1,143,450, which was split amongst 81 players. As with so many UK online poker players, former IT worker Jelinek turned professional after falling in love with the game on a variety of popular websites and by playing in several UK poker tournaments. read more..

18-year-old Scott Wilson proved that experience is not everything when it comes to winning UK poker tournaments after he took the APAT 2010 Scottish Amateur Poker Championships. Playing at the International Casino in Aberdeen, Wilson was perhaps fortunate to make it past doormen en route to his victory over a field of 127 players. Notwithstanding his marginal age, the new Scottish Amateur Poker Champion fully deserved his win. Indeed, Wilson was by far the most aggressive player to make it to the final table. read more..

This year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas is proving extremely fruitful for British players. Following in the footsteps of James Dempsey, Praz Bansi and Richard Ashby, Englishman Mike Ellis has secured this country’s fourth bracelet of the year after winning Event 30. The $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event comprised a large field of 2,395 players including Ellis, who, in the process of claiming his first ever WSOP bracelet, won $581,851 in prize money. Ellis is regarded as one of the finest UK online poker players of his generation, but is certainly no stranger to real world poker tournaments. read more..

As far as side events go, few come as big as the $1 million Tournament of Champions (TOC), which is this year making a return to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) calendar. The TOC 2010 comprises 27 top name poker pros from all over the world, as voted for by the people. Once votes have been cast, the WSOP will invite the top 20 nominees to play alongside former TOC champions Mike Sexton, Annie Duke and Mike Matusow, current WSOP champion Joe Cada and reigning WSOPE champion Barry Shulman. Played in front of ESPN cameras, the TOC freeroll features a prize pool of $1,000,000 and also supports the inclusion of two wild card entrants.

The only criterion for nominating players to the TOC is that they are former bracelet winners, so UK players such as JP Kelly, Roland De Wolfe, Praz Bansi and John Kabbaj could all qualify. The TOC’s wild card entrants, however, need not be bracelet winners and a 9-player single table satellite tournament kicks off today with the winner earning a seat at the main event. EPT San Remo Champion, Liv Boeree, is flying the flag for the UK as she competes in the satellite alongside top names such as Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen and Bertrand Grospellier.

UK online poker players will be familiar with the satellite format of the single table tournament from which Boeree aims to emerge victorious, as thousands of similar events are hosted online every day that offer seats in top international and UK poker tournaments. As Boeree puts her satellite skills to the test once again, a selection of British players including James Dempsey, Paul Folytyn, James Akenhead, Sam Trickett and Stuart Rutter have made their way to day two of event 17 at the WSOP, which has a buy-in of $5,000 and a top prize in excess of $800,000.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is arguably the world’s biggest and most prestigious festival of poker, as it easily eclipses many UK poker tournaments and even the European Poker Tour (EPT). Held annually in Las Vegas, the WSOP is a Mecca for poker professionals from all over the world. In fact, the series attracts an abundance of amateurs and spectators in addition to the seasoned elite. read more..

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the highest profile series known to the game, with professional poker players from all over the world competing against the biggest names and reputations. British poker stars have not always fared well at the WSOP; although, recent years have seen a marked improvement for the UK’s top players. This year, it has taken just four-and-a-bit events for a British pro to mark his territory at the WSOP, with Chris Moorman leading the field in event 5 at midday on day 2. read more..

UK online poker sites are expected to face a downturn in business during this month’s football World Cup, which typically draws online gamblers away from casino and poker tables. 888 Holdings, one of the largest online gambling operators in the UK, saw its shares fall by 18 per cent last Friday, whilst PartyGaming suffered a 5.3 per cent drop. To illustrate the expectation that UK online poker sites will lose out to bookmakers, shares in William Hill and Ladbrokes experienced a moderate rise on Friday as football fever slowly began to take hold of the country. read more..

Stuart Rutter, a 27-year-old UK Pokernews columnist, put his mathematical skills and poker knowledge to the test over the weekend to win a Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) final at the fourth attempt. The Oxford maths graduate headed a field of 142 players to win the GUKPT Coventry – one of the most popular UK poker tournaments around today. Success could not have arrived at a better time for Rutter, who is one of the most likable poker pros to emerge from the UK in recent times. read more..

A ruling is due later this month at the High Court on a rather unfortunate incident involving poker pro Andrew Feldman and rabbi Simon Nissim. The friends had apparently agreed a deal that would allow Mr Nissim to place a number of spread bets on Mr Feldman’s behalf. According to the alleged agreement, Mr Feldman would fund the spread bets up to a certain value. However, after losses of £140,000 were reported, the poker pro declined to foot the bill. As may be expected of a case involving spread betting, a rabbi and a poker professional, the issues under examination are somewhat convoluted; ultimately, neither party has accepted the other’s version of the original agreement. read more..

Boasting a field of 650, the PokerStars UKIPT Nottingham was one of the biggest UK poker tournaments this year. Hosted by the popular Dusk Till Dawn poker club, the event saw a number of big names – not all of them related to professional poker – compete at the tables, with Nottingham-born boxer Carl Froch heading the line-up of celebrities. read more..

Ultimate Bet’s Liv Boeree has been a big name in the world of professional poker for a number of years; although, not necessarily for reasons directly related to the game. Boeree has achieved notable success as a model and reality TV star, which has made the 25-year-old poker pro from a Kent a celebrity figure on the international circuit. read more..

The European Poker Tour (EPT) San Remo ended with Swedish professional poker star, Jakob Karlsson, leading the way on 1.8 million chips. The EPT San Remo event is one of the most prestigious fixtures on the professional circuit, with players from all over Europe competing for the €1,250,000 first place prize. read more..

Poker is renowned for its diverse selection of professionals: jewel thieves, safe crackers and mobsters have often sat alongside astrophysics graduates, housewives and teenagers (obviously only those of legal age to play poker – nobody would ever lie about their age to enter a poker tournament!). read more..

PartyPoker is one of the Internet’s largest and most popular poker sites, attracting thousands of high profile international and UK online poker players. As with many big poker sites, PartyPoker occasionally ventures into the live event arena; on Sunday, the site’s Big Game IV will commence at the Les Ambassadeurs Club in the prestigious Mayfair district of London. The high stakes PartyPoker Big Game IV is one of the hottest talking points in professional poker this spring and will arguably become one of the biggest UK poker tournaments of the year. read more..

The Irish Open was arguably one of the year’s biggest events in professional poker and easily one of the most entertaining. Surpassing most UK poker tournaments in size, style and scope, the Irish Open 2010 was a must-attend festival of poker that attracted big name players from across the Irish Sea. read more..

The European Masters of Poker (EMOP) is one of the continent’s finest tournaments, featuring some of Europe’s finest players. EMOP tournaments are popular among live events and with UK online poker players, who can to some extent cut their teeth on the big stage at relatively low stakes. Many such players tend to enter low-key UK poker tournaments before venturing into much higher-profile events, such as the EMOP Lisbon. Comprising a field of 394 players, it was a UK poker player who stepped up to take the EMOP Lisbon title and prize money of €86,680. read more..

Cuong Tran is not a name that is familiar with many UK online poker players or live tournament stars. In fact, Tran has more recently been associated with the beauty industry – not for his personal attributes but because he once owned a beauty salon. At the GUKPT London, the Vietnamese beauty-salon-owner-turned-poker-star edged out a familiar face of UK poker tournaments in Neil Channing, who desperately wanted to win the title in order to increase his standing as one of the country’s all-time greats. read more..

The WPT Hollywood Poker Open is a relatively trivial affair so far as Word Poker Tour (WPT) events are concerned, having attracted a field of just 143 players. The $393,000 top prize, however, is reason enough for a number of top online poker players to venture into the live tournament arena. read more..

Professional poker player, Ali Mallu, jumped to the top of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) rankings over the weekend by winning the £500 side event at London’s prestigious Grosvenor Victoria Casino. read more..

The World Poker Tour (WPT) attracts the very biggest names in professional poker and is regarded throughout the world as one of the most prestigious tours in existence. Accordingly, it seems only right that WPT tournaments are set in exotic locations. The WPT schedule for this year includes destinations such as Los Angeles, San Jose, Bucharest, Las Vegas, Paris, Barcelona and Venice. read more..

The Wynn Classic Main Event was once considered to be every bit as prestigious as a WPT event or WSOP bracelet, such was its popularity among professional poker players. Nowadays, the Wynn Classic remains an important and popular event on the professional circuit, but in terms of lustre its sparkle has certainly faded. The $5,000 main event was once an impressive $10,000 that attracted significantly higher numbers of players. This week, Brandon Cantu emerged as the winner from a field of 242 players to take home the first place prize of $363,000. read more..

It was expected that the inaugural Black Belt Poker Live event, which concluded in the early hours of Monday this week, would become something of a playground for James Akenhead, who is generally regarded as one of the most talented players of live UK poker tournaments around today. read more..

When international and UK online poker sites announce sponsorship deals with selected players, there are usually few surprises. Generally speaking, poker sites will head-hunt the most talented and successful professional players. Full Tilt Poker has Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Gus Hansen, Patrik Antonius and Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan; Poker Stars has Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem, Vanessa Rousso and Chris Moneymaker; and Ultimate Bet has Phill Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Liv Boeree and Adam Levy among many others. read more..

BlackBelt Poker’s first live event has been a number of months in the making, after it was reported last year that the UK online poker site‘s co-founder, Neil Channing, would be taking the brand to London’s Victoria Casino. The $200+$20 main event will feature a starting stack of 20,000 chips and an estimated prize pool worth around $60,000, which is by no means a modest ‘real world’ start for BlackBelt Poker. Scheduled to begin this weekend, the BlackBelt Poker Live Event will feature some of the very biggest names in UK online poker, not to mention a few that are already familiar with the live tournament format. read more..

The Dusk Till Dawn (DTD) Monthly £80,000 Guaranteed Deepstack Main Event in Nottingham is easily one of the top UK poker tournaments to feature on the domestic circuit, not least because it attracts the finest players in the country but also because it offers an exceptional prize pool. read more..

John Paul Kelly is one of the most talented UK online poker players to have successfully competed in both virtual and live events. The 23-year-old from Aylesbury, England, has enjoyed considerable success in a number of UK poker tournaments, including first place positions in the Midlands Medley (2005; $36,932), Springfest (2005; $20,809), Harbour Lights Poker Tournament (2005; $11,436), Northern Lights Blackpool (2005; $46,305), Springfest (2006; $98,422), Inaugural Poker Championship London (2006; $27,183), Christmas Cracker (2006; $11,998) and leg 8 of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (2009; $4,397). read more..

Colin McTaggart became only the second person to win a Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) title having entered via a third party freeroll. In 2008, Brian ‘weebrick’ Clarke made history by securing the GUKPT Blackpool title after gaining entry through a freeroll organised by aworldofpoker.com (AWOP) and Virgin Poker. read more..

Jack Ellwood is one of the top up-and-coming UK online poker players. The 24-year-old from Newcastle has achieved notable success in recent times and has become the subject of a great deal of talk, some of which has led to controversy. On Sunday, Ellwood reigned supreme after winning both the Ultimate Bet $200,000 Guaranteed and Full Tilt Poker FTOPS Main Event. read more..

The North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian has thus far proved how successful land-based tournaments can be when they are set up and managed by online poker sites. The NAPT Venetian had been a long time in the making for PokerStars, so its arrival last week was warmly welcomed throughout the poker community, especially amongst players who prefer live tournament action. read more..

The PokerStars Sunday Million is a weekly tournament that is notable for its guaranteed prize pool of $1.5 million, which is by no means a small sum of cash. In fact, the PokerStars Sunday Million is the biggest weekly online poker tournament in the world. Winners of the tournament can expect to earn around $160,000 or more for a buy-in of just $200 + $15. read more..

Monday 22nd February saw the announcement of the schedule for the London Poker Masters Festival, which returns to the International Club for the second year running. Having acquired its status as one of the most enjoyable and entertaining live UK poker tournaments, the London Poker Masters Festival hopes to prove every bit as successful as last year. The ten day festival features a broad range of poker games, including no-limit Texas Hold’em, pot-limit Omaha and HORSE. read more..

The North American Poker Tour (NAPT) was finally launched on Saturday after years of planning by PokerStars, who are no strangers to setting up land-based poker tours. Whilst PokerStars remains the largest provider of international and UK online poker, its numerous land-based tournaments provide an additional element of excitement for members. read more..

Julian Thew is one of England’s brightest talents as far as professional poker is concerned. Having won almost $2.5 million in live tournament prize money as of 2009, Thew has enjoyed notable success in various international and UK poker tournaments. Therefore, it came as little surprise to the poker community when it was revealed last week that PokerStars had snatched Thew from major rival William Hill. The switch is likely to mean that Thew finds himself playing more UK online poker, which has not always proved rewarding for the Nottingham based player. read more..

Although the Borgata Open is no longer an official WPT event, the tournament continues to attract a broad selection of poker professionals. Held in Atlantic City each year, the event has been won by online poker greats both past and present, so those wishing to lay claim to the title this year cared little about the tournament’s official status. In fact, 766 players took part in the Borgata Winter Poker Open 2010, which resulted in a substantial prize pool of almost $2.5 million, which compares favourably to many international and UK poker tournaments. read more..

As far as poker contests go, there is perhaps no more daring than the Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan Million Dollar Challenge. Having established the contest at just 22 years of age, professional poker star Dwan has invited any member of the poker community – with the exception of Phil Galfond – to take part in a winner-takes-all challenge worth well over $500,000. read more..

Joeri Zandvliet is celebrating today after emerging as the winner from one of the biggest UK poker tournaments of the year. The 21-year-old Dutch college student took part in the high profile UKIPT £550 main event on Sunday in Manchester and fended off competition from 517 other players. read more..

Dave Ulliot, otherwise known as the ‘Devilfish’, has experienced a colourful life to date. Having been raised in poverty, Englishman Ulliot left school without any qualifications and eventually found himself mixing with the criminal underworld. After receiving several custodial sentences for activities relating to violence and theft, Ulliot left the world of crime behind him in pursuit of a newfound interest: poker. Nowadays, Ulliot is regarded as one of the top professional poker players in active service and has amassed approximately $5,000,000 in prize money and 11 career titles. read more..

After retiring from his or her respective sport, an athlete often pursues a career in commentary or management. Alternatively, some former sports stars enjoy extended advertising deals, whilst a handful of others will drift off into obscurity before announcing a comeback. Deviating from these tried and trusted post-stardom vehicles of success (or failure, in the case of many comeback kings – think Mike Tyson, Bjorn Borg and Niki Lauda), is a select breed of former sports stars who have chosen to take up professional poker for a living. read more..

As with most other online social networking tools, Twitter has become something of an internet phenomenon. High profile celebrities, sports stars and even politicians frequently visit Twitter in order to update an apparently interested audience on whatever they might be doing at a given time. read more..

Finland’s Patrik Antonius has enjoyed ample success during his relatively short time as a professional poker player, having banked more than $2.8 million in career tournament earnings. Antonius has also impressed the online poker elite with his 11 World Series of Poker (WSOP) and 7 World Poker Tour (WPT) cash finishes, whilst his single European Poker Tour (EPT) title earned him further kudos. read more..