The PokerStars Women’s Winter Festival (WWF) starts tomorrow, November 21, at the Hippodrome Casino in the heart of central London, and some major players are confirmed to be pulling up a chair.
PokerStars ambassadors Jen Shahade (pictured above), Marle Spragg, GJ Reggie and new signing Caitlin Comeskey will be there, joined by other high-profile players including Kyna England, Vanessa Kade, and one of the breakout stars of the 2024 European Poker Tour, Rania Nasreddine.
Nasreddine made back-to-back final tables at the last two stops of the EPT, and will be looking to add to her $1.7M in recorded tournament earnings.
Nikki Limo and PokerOrg’s own Alex Loveless will also be in attendance, no doubt sharing news and updates from the festival, and we’re also hoping to catch some stars of British poker, including Ben ‘Spraggy’ Spragg and local boy Barny Boatman, perhaps turning out for the 50/50 event (see below).
Three starting flights for £100K GTD Main Event
The highlight of the four-day festival is the £400 Main Event with £100K (approx. $126K) guaranteed. The first starting flight kicks off at 1pm local time on November 21, with the following day dedicated to Day 1b and 1c at noon and 6pm respectively. A single re-entry is available per flight. Day 2 runs from noon on Saturday, November 22 with the final day’s play starting at the same time on Sunday.
Other events taking place at the Hippodrome as part of the festival include the £1,100 High Roller, a curtain-raiser for the WWF which runs from noon on November 21, with registration open until 6pm. Friday night will also see a £40 Main Event qualifier with 5 seats added and no registration fee, running from 7pm.
Saturday’s action will begin with a freeroll, open to those who qualified online at PokerStars, and end with the 50/50 event - a £220 entry tournament open to male/female pairs. 162 players - or 81 pairs - is the maximum field for this, so be sure to register early if you can. Sunday offers a £220 NLHE tournament from 1pm, as well as the Women’s Closer Freeroll at 5pm, which will award an EPT Prague package.
Bootcamps, afternoon tea and more
In addition to the tournament action, the WWF also offers several chances to brush up your game for free, including ‘Bootcamps’ on Thursday and Saturday focused on general tips for live poker play, and an introduction to variance. There will also be a ticket giveaway to see the ‘Magic Mike’ West End show, which is performed at the Hippodrome itself.
Finally, what event in England would be complete without afternoon tea? Head to the information desk at 1:30pm on Sunday for what Londoners might call a cup of ‘Rosie Lee’.
Images courtesy of Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd/Danny Maxwell Photography/Manuel Kovsca
