Poker Olympics Comes To London

The 2012 Olympic Games is currently taking place in London, but featured amongst the 26 sports consisting of multiple disciplines, poker is nowhere to be found.
Chess, too, although officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a sport has found no place in the competition and so the World Chess Federation (FIDE) has been organizing its own biennial Chess Olympiad since 1924. Now, the UK poker community and Bluff Europe are preparing to host their own version of the Poker Olympic this September, known as the London Poker Festival. As it explains on the organization’s website www.BritishPokerFestival.com :
“Because they refuse to have poker in the Olympics, the UK poker community, galvanized by Bluff Europe Magazine, has decided to hold its very own “pokerlympics” throughout the month of September.”
This year’s festival will have over £1 million in prize money up for grabs, spread across roughly 80 events including the Unibet Open, the LCI UK Poker Tour, the GUKPT and English Poker Open. In addition to the on the felt action, other events taking place as part of the festivities include live music, parties, shows and a poker academy. In addition, a star-studded ceremony honouring outstanding members of the poker community, known as the British Poker Awards, will take place with last years winners including Jason Mercier (Best International Player), Sam Trickett (Best Cash Player), and Chris Moorman (Best Online Player).
Commenting on the festivities to come, Editor-in-Chief of Bluff Europe, Michael Caselli, said: “The London Poker Festival is a unique celebration of the London poker community, which is the best in the world. By putting on this very special schedule of events, we want to give something back to the poker community while at the same time positioning London as a major poker destination to the rest of the world.