London, 29th September, 2008 – Following the success of previous Virgin Poker Festivals in Nottingham, Birmingham and Newcastle, Virgin Poker held its fourth event at the renowned Loose Cannon in the City of London, on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th September 2008. Over 180 poker enthusiasts took part in the two-day live poker tournament and battled it out for a share of a prize pool in excess of £25,000.
Having won a £120 Buy-in at www.virgingames.com, the main tournament saw 183 poker players compete in the Texas Hold’em No Limit Freezeout. Canadian and current London resident Niels Rock aka “Rock231” triumphed against Ollie Crawford aka “olliecrawf” and took home the £8000 first prize. Ollie Crawford from London was the worthy runner-up scooping the £5000 second prize.
Despite it being a low stakes event there were a few notable names who sat down next to the online qualifiers, with two time World Series bracelet winner Mel Judah and high stakes pro Brain ‘sbrugby’ Townsend both involved. Townsend, famous for playing $40,000 heads ups games online, showed that poker isn’t his only skill as he also recorded the fastest time of the weekend on Nintendo Wii Mario Kart challenge.
To add a Virgin twist to the tournament, players in the main event were given the chance to knock-out key opponents whose heads carried bounties of fantastic Virgin giveaways. For those not lucky enough to win a seat at the main tournament table – or those players who suffered an early exit – side events ran over the weekend giving everyone the opportunity to get involved and be in with the chance of winning 50,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles courtesy of Virgin. Practice tables offered ‘live play classes’ for less experienced players, while Wii bowling took place in search of a player worthy of the Wii bowling crown.
Joe Legge, Poker Manager for Virgin Poker, said: “The London Poker Festival lived up to expectations following in the footsteps of the previous festivals in Nottingham, Birmingham and Newcastle. We’re looking forward to a re-run which is scheduled to take place in 2009…..watch this space!”
For details on the next Virgin Poker extravaganza visit www.virginpoker.com.
Main Event – Winners
Place
Prize
Winner
1st
£8000
Niels Rock
2nd
£5000
Ollie Crawford
3rd
£5000
Eugene Cummins
4th
£2100
Stuart Hopkin
5th
£1700
Robert Law
6th
£1300
Simon Kinnard
7th
£950
Graham Tomkinson
8th
£650
Steve Docherty
9th
£500
Dave Woods
10th
£400
Joe Reid
Player Bounties - Winners
Player
Bounty
Winner
Matt Broughton
Ollie Crawford
Hot Air Balloon Ride
Lucy Rokash
Ian Rockett
50,000 Virgin Flying Club Miles
Steve Docherty
Oliver Crawford
Rally Driving Day
About Virgin Games
Virgin Games a subsidiary of Virgin.com Ltd, launched in July 2004 and has quickly established itself as one of the leading gaming websites in the UK. Virgin Games comprises three distinct offerings, giving consumers the chance to play their favourite online games the Virgin way: