The penultimate stop of this year’s UK and Ireland Poker Tour kicks off early next month with a ten-day festival at the landmark Hippodrome Casino in London’s Leicester Square. UKIPT London runs August 2-11 with 25 different tournaments on the schedule.
MainEventTravel.com can help you find great accommodation in London including numerous hotels within spitting distance of The Hippodrome. So, if your idea of a great poker event is to rock up at the venue only a few minutes after rolling out of bed, then MainEventTravel has you sorted! See below for some of our favourite West End hotels.
Schedule Highlights
UKIPT London runs August 2-11 at The Hippodrome and follows hot on the heels of the phenomenally successful UKIPT Málaga event. There’s no doubt that the Costa del Sol record-breaker got players super revved up about the UKIPT so you can expect big fields across the board at the London stop.
The action gets going on August 2 with the first of three start flights in the £430 buy-in Warm Up Mystery Bounty. The £1,100 Main Event starts on August 4 with Day 1A but if you want more of a hit-and-run approach to UKIPT London, then you might consider competing in one of the later start flights; Main Event Day 1B isn’t until August 8 with Day 1C and Day 1D both on August 9.
Other treats on the UKIPT London schedule include a £330 PLO tourney on August 5, a £220 Freezeout on August 6, the £2,200 High Roller starting August 7, and the £330 UKIPT Cup running from August 10-11. Award-winning PokerStars influencer Marle Spragg is also likely to be back at The Hippodrome to defend her UKIPT London Women’s Event title on August 11. Marle, who also won the EPT Monte Carlo Women’s Event tournament last year, has just cashed in the fiercely-contested WSOP Ladies Event – finishing 11th out of 1245 entries.
The UKIPT London schedule also features numerous milestone Main Event satellites giving you the chance to win your £1,100 seat for as little as £125 plus a brace of sattys for the £2,200 High Roller.
Last year Dylan Bradley won the UKIPT London Main Event, beating the 374-entry field to win £71,650. The total prize pool was nearly £360k.
Kerryjane Craigie – new PokerStars Ambassador for Women in Poker
Dubbed London’s Leading Poker Room, The Hippodrome is one of London’s premier poker venues and has enjoyed a long partnership with PokerStars including the creation of the acclaimed PokerStars LIVE card room as well as hosting some of the capital’s biggest poker festivals. Also, one of the joys of The Hippodrome’s central London location is that public transport to all parts of the city is quick and easy – so you can easily look further afield for accommodation if you are on a budget.
All the poker at the Hippodrome is run by the hugely experienced Kerryjane Craigie (pictured above) who has just been appointed a PokerStars Ambassador for Women in Poker. KJ is an accomplished poker player in her own right. She won the UKIPT Women's Event in Brighton in 2023, was the last remaining Brit in the inaugural Colossus event at WSOP 2015, finishing 84th out of 23,400 participants AND she was just shy of a coveted bracelet when she came 2nd in the WSOP Employees Event in 2016.
In November, she’ll be hosting PokerStars’ new Women's Winter Festival at the Hippodrome featuring a £100k guaranteed Main Event. The festival will also include a
PokerStars Ambassador Barny Boatman
Among those set to play at this year’s UKIPT London is EPT Paris champion Barny Boatman (pictured below). Barny is super-excited about the UKIPT as he hasn’t played at The Hippodrome since he joined Team PokerStars in March. He said: “I’m determined to pick up a UKIPT title and It’s always special to play at my home ground! It will be a good chance as well to celebrate the brilliant news that Kerryjane Craigie has now joined Team PokerStars.” Other members of Team PokerStars who will be competing include Nick Walsh, The Club’s Adam McKola and Rory Jennings, Felix Schneiders, Lex Veldhuis, Georgina James, commentator James Hartigan and Sam Grafton.
The legendary Londoner is also the first player to win in MainEventTravel.com’s awesome #FinalTableFreeroll promotion! The former Hendon Mobster snapped the required patched-up pic and posted his #FinalTableFreeroll Tweet as he looked to secure another coveted bracelet for his collection, on the record-breaking $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack final table. Barny finished in an impressive 8/2758 and went home with $23,371 AND he got back 10% of his Summer 2023 Vegas MET booking in future travel credit, simply by booking with MainEventTravel.com.
MainEventTravel Hotel Recommendations
Staying right bang in the middle of London is never going to be cheap but there are some lovely options near the Hippodrome that won’t break the bank – and it’s certainly a treat to be staying in the heart of London’s West End.
The 4* Hotel Indigo is on the same side of Leicester Square as the Hippodrome and boasts a fabulous rooftop bar affording spectacular views of the city. The art deco-styled property mirrors the 1920s glamour of its theatrical surroundings and has a 24-hour front desk and free WiFi.
They don’t come much nearer to the Hippodrome than the Assembly Hotel. This cosy hotel has 139 sound-insulated, en-suite bedrooms and a gorgeous Garden Room rooftop bar and restaurant with panoramic views. Dinner is served until 10pm on weekdays and 11pm at weekends.
The Londoner Hotel is definitely not cheap but it’s very glamorous and having an onsite spa with pool and gym is a real treat. There are six concept restaurants and bars including a rooftop lounge. The Residence guest-only club provides complimentary antipasti, soft drinks, tea and coffee all day.
At the more budget end, there are two Thistle Hotels to choose from – Thistle London Picadilly (pictured below) is four minutes’ walk from the Hippodrome and Thistle Trafalgar Square is just six minutes away. The Thistle Piccadilly has an all-day dining room, 24-hour pizza delivery service and a fully equipped gym. The Thistle Trafalgar Square has an on-site restaurant and bar, plus 24-hour room service.
Zedwell Piccadilly puts sleep first and foremost so if shut-eye is the only thing you want from your room, it’s a great option. The minimalist soundproofed design is emphatically clutter-free – with no distractions such as TV and electronics. Their four-bed rooms (including two bunk beds) are ideal for players sharing.
Photo Credit - PokerStars
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