Aug 04, 2013
Full Tilt Poker adds Four New Red Pros/UKIPT Ambassadors
By RTR Dennis
Since reopening back in November of 2012, Full Tilt Poker has kept their roster of pros pretty small. For a while, only Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom, Gus Hansen and Tom Dwan represented the site, going by the collective name of ‘The Professionals.’ But now this trio has some more company after Full Tilt added four new Red Pros/UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) ambassadors.
The world’s second largest poker room signed Ben Jenkins, Dermot Blain, Martins Adeniya and Sinem Melin to their team. Each of these players will represent Full Tilt at different stops of the UKIPT and play online as Red Pros. They’re also expected to participate in a number of promotions and events that Full Tilt runs.
These grinders’ first official public appearance as Full Tilt members will be the FTP Galway Festival, which runs from July 27th to August 12th. The Galway Festival is no doubt going to be a huge event since it’ll feature 60 tournaments, including the UKIPT €1,000,000 Main Event, €10,000 Super High Roller and €2,000 High Roller.
Dustin Iannotti, who’s Full Tilt’s Senior Manager of Pro & VIP Marketing, believes that the four new Red Pros will have a big impact on the UKIPT. “These Tour Ambassadors will help redefine what it means to represent a poker site.” He added, “These players are working with us to create exciting new live experiences that will leave UKIPT players with memories that extend well beyond the felt.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Jenkins, Blain, Adeniya and Melin, check out their short profiles below.
Ben Jenkins – Jenkins has managed to carve out a successful career for himself in both the live and online poker world. The Brit has accumulated $231,435 in live tourneys and made a number of final tables in his online career.
Dermot Blain – Shortly after starting in live tournaments, Blain made his presence felt by winning the 2009 APPT Macau Main Event along with $541,000. The Irishman also took fifth place in the 2011 WSOPE Main Event, netting a €275,000 ($367,362) payout for this finish. He has $1,359,192 in overall tournament earnings.
Martins Adeniya – After finding poker at the University of Bath, Adeniya quickly became an online poker success. The Londoner multi-tables cash game stakes up to $10/$20 NL Hold’em and has a third place FTOPS Main Event ($180,000) finish to his credit. In his live career, Adeniya has collected $487,965 in winnings.
Sinem Melin – Melin first landed on the poker map after final tabling the 2011 UKIPT Brighton Main Event (5th, £14,900). In her short poker career, the Brit has earned $45,382 along with tens of thousands more in online poker tourneys.