Poker Premier League

Party Poker Premier League Poker is returning to our television screens in February, and will enable us to watch twelve of the best players in the world competing for a prize pool of $1,000,000. The event itself will be held in London from 10-16 February, and will be shown in the UK on Channel 4 in March.

In the preliminary stages of the event, participants will play six times. The best four will then move to the final table and the next four will compete in head-to-head games for a chance to get one of the last two final table seats. Players will buy-in for $60,000 each and the prize pool will be topped up to $1 million by Party Poker.

The list of participants in the 2008 event reads like a Who’s Who of poker royalty, and includes Phil Hellmuth, Dave “Devilfish” Ulliot, Tony G and Annie Duke. Last year’s winner Juha Helppi also returns to see if he can work his magic two years in a row.

“Premier League Poker was an outstanding success last year with both players and viewers,” a Party Poker spokesman said. “Devilfish's recent form makes him the favourite to win, a status that he is bound to embrace much to the annoyance of Hellmuth and Tony G.”

The Party Poker Premier League Poker format was developed by Matchroom Sport, and the company is naturally pleased to see the event return. “We are delighted to announce the line up for Premier League Poker II,” said Matchroom Sport’s Poker Director Eddie Hearn.

“It's great to welcome back the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Devilfish, Tony G and last year's champion Juha Helppi and we are also thrilled that Annie Duke, Marcel Luske and Alex Kravchenko will be joining the field. This is one of the strongest line up's assembled in poker and with the buy in increased to US$60,000, coupled with vast international TV distribution, Premier League Poker is now established the as the world's leading televised poker event.”