UKIPT London Latest; Margets Joins PokerStars; European Nations Cup

Jackson Jousts his way to UKIPT Lead

194 players descended upon London’s Victoria Casino yesterday for Day 1A of UKIPT’s £700+£70 in the UK’s capital.

Among the eager crowd and looking to capitalise on his recent hot streak was the ever jovial Sam Grafton.

The London native went into yesterday’s session fresh off a deep run at EPT Deauville as well as a slew of results online, but he couldn’t capitalise on his recent fortunes and found himself watching from the rails by the close of play.

One player who did flourish, however, was Ben Jackson. The British player effortlessly carved his way through the field, slashing his way through other’s dreams to bank a table-topping 197,700 chips.

However, hot on Jackson’s heels were some familiar faces, including recent Genting Big Game Winner Matthew Perry (137,900), WSOPE bracelet holder Scott Shelley (109,300) and Irish pro Marty Smyth (42,200).

At the time of writing, today’s session has already welcomed 360 runners, which means this year’s total could well reach the 1,000 player mark by the time registration closes on Day 1C.

Leo Joins Team PokerStars

PokerStars added another layer of feminine charm to its professional roster, yesterday, in the form of Leo Margets.

Filling the void left by the departure of Ana Marquez last year, the Spanish pro will now represent the online site at tournaments across the world.

Having first discovered the game back in 2007, Leo went on to bank $352,832 for a 27^th place finish in the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Since then she’s cashed in multiple tournaments across the world and currently holds a total of $770,274 in lifetime earnings.

In the past she has represented 888Poker and Lock, but the latest chapter in her poker life will likely be the most high profile. Indeed, Leo has already joined fellow PokerStars pro Liv Boeree on a charity run to the top of London’s famous Tower 42.

No Cards for Cyprus Tournament

A unique poker event without any cards or dealers will take place in Cyprus next month when the International Federation of Poker hosts its European Nations Cup.

Kicking off on April 12, the three day event will take place inside The Annabelle Hotel and feature 14 teams from Europe.

Using individual Smartphones and the Match Poker format (a system of dealing identical hands to players in corresponding positions at each table), the organisers hope to maximise the skill element involved in the game.

For the internet fiends in attendance, the luxury of being able to review every move played – thanks to the system’s ability to log each hand – should add another level of skills to the event.

The top six countries at the event will go through to the IFP National Cup final which is scheduled to take place later in 2013.