The Poker Million has been a televised European poker tournament since its inception in November 2000. The final debuted to 30 million viewers and has since remained popular. It was created by UK gaming outfit
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes Coral is a British gambling company founded in 1886. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The business is split into two divisions, UK and International. UK operations are c ...
with the help of sports promotion firm
Matchroom Sport
Matchroom Sport is a sporting event promotions company founded by English entrepreneur Barry Hearn and run by Hearn and his son Eddie Hearn. It first came to attention in the sports of snooker and boxing and is also involved in pool (cue sports), ...
. In 2009 sponsorship was transferred from Ladbrokes to
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an Irish online poker card room and online casino that opened in June 2004. Formerly privately owned by Tiltware, LLC and later by the Rational Entertainment Group, the site was acquired by The Stars Group (then known as Amaya ...
, which produced Poker Million VIII.
Format
The Poker Million is a no-limit Texas holdem “shootout” tournament. Shootout tournaments differ from standard tournaments in that starting tables do not rebalance as players are eliminated. Instead, each starting table is an independent “heat” which plays down to one player, who then advances to the next round.
The exact format for The Poker Million has changed with sponsorship over the years, but typically involves a starting field of 72 players in 12 heats. The winners of each heat advance to one of two semi-final tables. The semi-final tables play down to three players, and then combine to form the final table.
History
Poker Million I was sponsored by Ladbrokes and Matchroom Sport and took place at the Hilton Hotel on the Isle of Man in November, 2000. Coverage of the final table drew 30 million viewers.
John Duthie, who later created the
European Poker Tour
The European Poker Tour (EPT) is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour (WPT), created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Tex ...
, defeated Teddy Tuli with a full house on the final hand to win the first place prize of £1 million.
The tournament returned in 2003 with Poker Million II. Snooker-player
Jimmy White
James Warren White (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player who has won three seniors World titles. Nicknamed "The Whirlwind" because of his fluid, attacking style of play, White is the 1980 World Amateur Champion, 2009 ...
won $150,000 for first place at a final table featuring heart rate monitors and exposed hole cards.
The field for Poker Million III was expanded to feature 72 players, including 36 online qualifiers and number of celebrities. Among the celebrities were snooker stars
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry (born 13 January 1969) is a Scottish professional snooker player who dominated the sport during the 1990s, becoming one of the most successful players in its history. After turning professional in 1985 at age 16, Hendry ...
,
Mark Williams and 2003 winner Jimmy White; rugby World Cup star
Mike Tindall
Michael James Tindall, (born 18 October 1978) is an English former rugby union player. Tindall played outside centre for Bath and Gloucester, and won 75 caps for England between 2000 and 2011. He was a member of the England squad which won ...
; and, sports celebrities
Tony Cascarino
Anthony Guy Cascarino (born 1 September 1962) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), striker for various British and French clubs and internationally for the Republic of Ireland ...
and 16 time World Darts Champion
Phil Taylor. Irish poker professional
Donnacha O'Dea
Donnacha "The Don" O'Dea (born 30 August 1948) is an Irish professional poker player. In his youth, he was a swimmer, and represented Ireland in the 1968 Olympics. He was also the first Irish swimmer to swim 100m in less than one minute. His par ...
won first place and $300,000.
Ladbrokes guaranteed a $1 million first place prize for Poker Million IV. Freeroll qualifier Tony Jones outlasted 66 fellow online qualifiers, eventually defeating television celebrity
Helen Chamberlain heads up to claim the million dollar prize.
Northampton, UK resident Rajesh “foggy71” Modha won Poker Million V after qualifying in a $9 satellite. He overcame a final table draw that seated two-time
bracelet winner and
chip leader Mel Judah
Mel Judah (born 8 October 1947 in Kolkata, India) is an Australian professional poker player, also known as "The Silver Fox" (a nickname he shares with fellow poker player Peter Costa). He learned poker at the age of 14 by watching his father ...
to his left, earning $1.2 million for the effort.
Joe Beevers
Joseph Charles Beevers (born 9 December 1967 in Marylebone, London) is an English professional poker player and a member of The Hendon Mob.
During his lengthy poker career, Beevers became one of the pioneers of poker on television by appearing ...
won Poker Million VI when his pocket nines held up against
Marty Smyth
Marty Smyth is a professional poker player from Belfast, Northern Ireland with a track record including wins in the 2007 Irish Poker Open Championship and the 2008 Poker Million. He won his first WSOP bracelet in the 2008 $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha ...
’s King high. It was the second consecutive year Smyth was eliminated at the final table of the Poker Million.
Smyth returned in 2008 to win the Poker Million VII for $1 million, after being reduced to one set of blinds on the third hand at the final table.
James Akenhead won the 2009 Poker Million VIII, held in London on December 4.
Akenhead entered heads up play at a slight chip disadvantage to Juha Helppi. Akenhead eventually gained the chip lead and went all-in pre-flop with pocket tens to
Juha Helppi
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Juha Helppi (born 4 March 1977) is a Finnish professional poker player from Helsinki.
Career
Juha was originally a croupier. He worked as a dealer for RAY in Finland but never dealt poker. He made a name for himself in the first World Poker To ...
’s pocket 6s. Akenhead earned $500,000 for 1st, and Helppi $250,000 for 2nd.
Gus Hansen
Gustav Hansen (born 13 February 1974) is a Danish professional poker player from Copenhagen, Denmark who has lived in Monaco since 2003. In his poker career, Hansen has won three World Poker Tour open titles, one WSOP bracelet and the 2007 Aus ...
won the 2010 Poker Million IX on December 10, defeating
Tony Bloom
Anthony Grant Bloom (born 20 March 1970) is an English sports bettor, poker player, entrepreneur, owner and chairman of Premier League football club Brighton & Hove Albion and majority owner of Belgian First Division A team Royale Union Sa ...
heads up to win the $1,000,000 winner takes all prize from a final table of 8.
Results
References
{{Poker Million Winners
Full Tilt Poker
Poker tournaments in Europe
Poker television shows