- Nottingham cardroom guarantees 1 million to the event winner.
- Maximum of 20% of the prize pool will be awarded to the winner.
- Involvement returns confidence among players of the event’s success.
UK casino Dusk Till Dawn has stepped in and guaranteed that the winner of the International Stadiums Poker Tour (ISPT) Wembley event will receive at least €1m.
The news was announced on DTD’s online forum BlondePoker.com late last week, and has revived interest in an event which so far has been hampered by poor organization and numerous setbacks.
Dusk Till Dawn, well regarded for creating an innovative center for poker in Nottingham, has given players confidence, and discussions of the event on poker forums are more optimistic.
The French organizers Prosper Masquelier and Laurent Tapie over reached and over promised—the event was originally advertised with a staggering €20m guarantee—and every retreat led to more criticism among players and media.
With DTD putting their name behind the guarantee, there is a growing belief in the event’s success, even if it will fall far short of the promoters’ initial aspirations.
DTD owner Rob Yong brings enormous enthusiasm to the project: “If Wembley is a success, I believe ISPT could be replicated in other iconic venues across the world generating huge prizepools and giving poker fantastic mainstream exposure, just look at Wembley’s official web site—ISPT is alongside the FA Cup Final, Champions League Final and Bruce Springsteen’s Concert.”
DTD recently organized the Caribbean Poker Party in St Kitts. The event’s success has encouraged them to “whet our appetite for more adventures outside of our four walls.”
Rob believes that his involvement creates a sure fire winner: “This event is a ‘win win’ for the UK poker community; it will either be a great success with thousands of players, or there will be a massive overlay.”
It will come as no surprise to players that the ISPT PR bungled the announcement of DTD’s involvement: Tournament organizer Stephen MacLean was wrong footed by his bosses when he played down rumors of the deal on an Irish poker forum late last month.
Stephen has published the target numbers the organizers now hope to attract: “The aim is 16,000 online players at €270 (+€30 reg) per player and 250~ players for the live €2,700 +€300 reg live day.”
The event starts through online satellites with qualifiers moving to play live at Wembley alongside players who buy in direct to the live phase of the tournament. The live phase starts on June 1 in Wembley Stadium and with Rob Yong’s involvement there is for the first time a chance that the event might justify the location.