GIBRALTAR, May 12, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Year four of the Betfred Ladies' Poker (http://www.betfred.com/Areas/PokerHome/Template_2_UK/index.html) Tour begins on Saturday May 15th when Helen Firth hopes to launch a successful defence of the title in her local leg of the series at the Alea Casino, Leeds.
Helen became the new queen of Britain's card rooms last November when she secured a GBP20,000 sponsorship package for 2010 by winning the Grand Final of the Betfred (http://www.betfred.com/) Ladies' Poker Tour.
The 36-year-old from North Yorkshire has already built upon that triumph, collecting GBP10,000 when finishing runner-up in her first televised tournament, the Women's World Open IV in London.
Now Helen is aiming to become the second player to retain the BLPT crown, a feat her predecessor Lynne Beaumont achieved in 2008.
"It would be a dream to win the Betfred Ladies' Poker Tour for the second year in a row," said the mother of two who, along with her husband Shaun, is also the licensee of two pub-restaurants.
"I know it will be really difficult. I'm a little apprehensive about how it will go because there will be much more pressure and expectation on me and I will be targeted by some of the other players.
"But I'm looking forward to the new series, especially with the first leg being close to home. I made my debut on the tour in Leeds last year and finished fourth, so I have good memories of that."
Ten places are available in the Grand Final of the 2010 Betfred Ladies' Poker Tour, which will take place at the Western Club, London, on November 20 and has a GBP20,000 sponsorship package for 2011 available to the winner.
Seven monthly legs will be staged in casinos and card rooms in England and Spain, entry into which costs GBP100 plus a GBP10 administration fee, with each having GBP1,500 added to the prize pool. Regular online satellites are held at http://www.betfredpoker.com
The winner of every leg will receive a place in the Grand Final. If a player wins a second leg, the runner-up in that leg will qualify for the Grand Final.
The three remaining places in the final will go to:
- the winner of the points leaderboard for the most consistent
non-winner
- the winner of an online play-off between the players in positions 2-11
on the leaderboard
- the winner of an online play-off between any players with 25 points or
more on the leaderboard, including those who were unsuccessful in the
previous play-off
Supported by http://www.rockpokeronline.com, who provide the tournament director in poker legend Malcolm 'The Rock' Harwood, the tour is expected to attract record numbers of players in 2010.
"We've been delighted with the success of the Betfred Ladies' Poker Tour in its first three years and we are sure it will continue to go from strength to strength," said the tour's PR manager, Jon Wilde.
"It was an innovative project that has been warmly received by lady poker players throughout the British Isles and even on the continent, and we have been thrilled at both the competitiveness and the quality of play on the tour."
Full schedule of the 2010 Betfred Ladies' Poker Tour (all starts 3pm
unless stated):
May 15: Alea Casino, Leeds
June 5: Napoleons Casino, Sheffield
July 3: Aspers Casino, Northampton
August 7: TC's Sports Club, Maidenhead
September 4: Broadway Casino, Birmingham (2pm)
October 9: Caesars Sports Lounge, Calahonda, Spain
November 6: Western Club, London
November 20: Grand Final, Western Club, London (2pm)
For more information please contact:
Jon Wilde
Tel: +44(0)1925-288598
Mob: +44(0)7794-395356
Email: [email protected]
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SOURCE Betfred
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