By Mick McCloskey
In the real world, well in the UK anyway, its election time once again. Coincidentally, Boylepoker.com has launched an election campaign of their own on behalf of their sponsored pro, Marty Smyth. Now Marty is not actually seeking political office but is campaigning to be one of the 27 players who will take part in a $1 million freeroll at the WSOP in Las Vegas next month. The “Tournament of Champions” will have seven players who qualify as of right while the other 20 places will be open to a public vote for former WSOP bracelet winners. The winner of this event will walk away with $500,000 but in Marty’s case the figure will be zero as he has pledged to donate all his winnings from this event to charity. Should he be voted into the TOC, he has pledged to donate any winnings to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Dublin.
You can help make this magnificent gesture a reality by registering your vote for Marty to play this event. Simply log onto www.wsop.com/toc and follow the online instructions. There is also a “Vote Marty” page on Facebook which you can join and encourage your friends to vote as well.
If you are fed up with the money grabbing politicians, get online and vote for someone who wants to give it away!
NEWS
After the JP Masters in Dublin at the beginning of May, there is really nothing major in Ireland until Leg 5 of the Poker Stars UKIPT, scheduled for Killarney from 24th to 27th June. I suppose that this period is traditionally the time that a lot of players are preparing to head to Las Vegas for the WSOP marathon. Indeed, I imagine that a lot of players will already be in Vegas when this event takes place. As a lot of the top pros will be absent from this leg of the UKIPT, it could well be a chance for some of the less well known players to make their mark in a major event. And I believe it will be a major event if the popularity of the UKIPT so far among players is anything to go by. Previous legs of the UKIPT in the UK have sold out. The tournament will be held in the Gleneagles Hotel and has a buy-in of €1,000 + 100 and a guaranteed prize pool of €250,000. I realise that the level of the buy-in could be a little steep for recreational players but there will be plenty of opportunities for players to satellite their way into this event on Pokerstars.com for a lot less money. Satellites for seats only and for full packages to include hotel and travel expenses will both be available.
ESTA
This stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorization. It relates to anyone intending to travel to the USA and there will probably be quite a few heading there soon for the annual WSOP. For anyone who does not have a USA visa and who intends to travel to the States under the Visa Waiver programme, which will be the majority of visitors, there is now a requirement to complete an online form in advance of travelling. The form itself is pretty simple and much like the regular green paper form already in use on US bound flights. Just be sure you complete the application well before you travel. To find the form online, log onto https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta Do make sure you get onto the official US government website, which provides a totally free service. There are a number of unofficial sites on the web which will try to charge a fee to submit your application. If you are asked for credit card or debit card details, you are logged onto the wrong site. Good luck to all Irish players heading to Vegas this summer.
If you have any news, views or events, you can contact me by email to mickymccloskey@hotmail.com
In the real world, well in the UK anyway, its election time once again. Coincidentally, Boylepoker.com has launched an election campaign of their own on behalf of their sponsored pro, Marty Smyth. Now Marty is not actually seeking political office but is campaigning to be one of the 27 players who will take part in a $1 million freeroll at the WSOP in Las Vegas next month. The “Tournament of Champions” will have seven players who qualify as of right while the other 20 places will be open to a public vote for former WSOP bracelet winners. The winner of this event will walk away with $500,000 but in Marty’s case the figure will be zero as he has pledged to donate all his winnings from this event to charity. Should he be voted into the TOC, he has pledged to donate any winnings to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Dublin.
You can help make this magnificent gesture a reality by registering your vote for Marty to play this event. Simply log onto www.wsop.com/toc and follow the online instructions. There is also a “Vote Marty” page on Facebook which you can join and encourage your friends to vote as well.
If you are fed up with the money grabbing politicians, get online and vote for someone who wants to give it away!
NEWS
After the JP Masters in Dublin at the beginning of May, there is really nothing major in Ireland until Leg 5 of the Poker Stars UKIPT, scheduled for Killarney from 24th to 27th June. I suppose that this period is traditionally the time that a lot of players are preparing to head to Las Vegas for the WSOP marathon. Indeed, I imagine that a lot of players will already be in Vegas when this event takes place. As a lot of the top pros will be absent from this leg of the UKIPT, it could well be a chance for some of the less well known players to make their mark in a major event. And I believe it will be a major event if the popularity of the UKIPT so far among players is anything to go by. Previous legs of the UKIPT in the UK have sold out. The tournament will be held in the Gleneagles Hotel and has a buy-in of €1,000 + 100 and a guaranteed prize pool of €250,000. I realise that the level of the buy-in could be a little steep for recreational players but there will be plenty of opportunities for players to satellite their way into this event on Pokerstars.com for a lot less money. Satellites for seats only and for full packages to include hotel and travel expenses will both be available.
ESTA
This stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorization. It relates to anyone intending to travel to the USA and there will probably be quite a few heading there soon for the annual WSOP. For anyone who does not have a USA visa and who intends to travel to the States under the Visa Waiver programme, which will be the majority of visitors, there is now a requirement to complete an online form in advance of travelling. The form itself is pretty simple and much like the regular green paper form already in use on US bound flights. Just be sure you complete the application well before you travel. To find the form online, log onto https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta Do make sure you get onto the official US government website, which provides a totally free service. There are a number of unofficial sites on the web which will try to charge a fee to submit your application. If you are asked for credit card or debit card details, you are logged onto the wrong site. Good luck to all Irish players heading to Vegas this summer.
If you have any news, views or events, you can contact me by email to mickymccloskey@hotmail.com
