888poker’s Live Local series descended upon London again last week and over 550 players turned it into another smash success.
This time more than twice the guaranteed prize pool was paid out with the UK's Jerome Bradpiece taking home the lion's share.
His cut?
A healthy £22,500 – more than one hundred times his investment.
Aspers Casino Jammed to the Rafters
The 888poker Live Local Series is an international tournament series with low (220 Euro/Pounds) buy-ins and big guaranteed prize pools.
The target is decidedly recreational players without a high roller’s bankroll but the same urge to play live tournaments.
So far in 2015 the 888Live Local Series has visited eight countries and England has produced the largest fields.
Last week at the Aspers Casino in Westfield the series stopped for the second time in London this year. A total of 556 players meant that the guaranteed prize pool of £50,000 was more than doubled to £110,088.
That allowed for 54 players to cash in the event with a min-cash worth £500 -- more than twice the buy-in.
Late on Sunday evening Jonathan Matthews, Ali Sakallioglu and Jerome Bradpiece were the last three players left to battle it out for a minimum of £10,000.
In the end it was Bradpiece who prevailed for the first-place prize of £22,500 – 100x his investment.
Sakallioglu came second for £15,500 and Matthews finished in third place for £10k. For both this was the largest cash in a live poker event.
Official Payouts:
1. Jerome Bradpiece, £22,500
2. Ali Sakallioglu, £15,500
3. Jonathan Matthews, £10,000
Welcome Party at Skybar; Nov. Niner Akenhead in Attendance
As usual it was possible to qualify for the event online and live as well as buying straight in.
All qualifiers were invited to a gathering session at the Skybar before the tournament began and, by all accounts, had a ball.
Although 888poker is committed to making live poker more accessible for lower stakes recreational players there are always some notables at the event as well.
This time around it was James Akenhead who made an appearance.
The former November Niner made it into the money and eventually finished in 35th place.
Next Stop: Tallinn
As expected players gave some very positive feedback. The prize pool was 120% more than guaranteed and with 30-minute blind levels there was plenty of time to put chips into use.
The atmosphere was friendly yet still provided for a lot of suspense. One player even remarked on Twitter it reminded him of the pre-Moneymaker era when poker was easier to beat and a lot more fun.
After a three-week hiatus the next event stop in the 888poker Live Local Series is in the beautiful city of Tallinn, Estonia, June 26-28.
Tallinn is a small but well-known poker hotspot in the region and the living costs are rather low, which makes it still an insider’s tip in most European countries.
The next event in England will be at the Aspers Casino in Newcastle July 3-5. Later in the year the series visits Spain, Croatia, Montenegro, Portugal and Cyprus.
Qualify Online Right Now!
You can qualify for all 888poker live events through the online steps satellites that start with buy-ins of no more than one cent.
Not only can you win a seat and package to an 888Live events you can also win deluxe packages for the 2015 Battle of Malta and even the WSOP Main Event.
Check out our 888poker review page for more information.
