Poker news | Mar 31, 2022
UK & Ireland Poker Tour Returns to London
By RTR Alex
After a 6 year hiatus, PokerStars is reviving the UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT), bringing the competition back to London this April.
The last UKIPT was held in 2016 as the sixth consecutive season, after which, PokerStars brought the series to an end. We're sure that previous champion, Usman Siddique, did not expect to hold his title for six years with no challengers, but he may now see his crown snatched away as the event is set to make a comeback on April 1st.
The Hippodrome Casino, the British home of PokerStars LIVE, will host the 2022 UKIPT. We anticipate many familiar faces at the recently refurbished poker room, along with plenty of newcomers testing their high stakes poker strategies in an attempt to lift the trophy.
This year's poker tournament will host eighteen tournaments, including satellites, between April 1st and April 10th. The series begins with the £275 buy-in PokerStars London Series and concludes with the £1,100 UKIPT London Main Event, where the 2022 champion will be crowned.
Full 2022 UKIPT London Schedule
| DATE | TIME | TOURNAMENT | BUY-IN |
| Fri 1 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #1 NL Hold’em PokerStars London Series Day 1A | £275 |
| 7:00 p.m. | #1 NL Hold’em PokerStars London Series Day 1B | £275 | |
| Sat 2 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #1 NL Hold’em PokerStars London Series Day 1C | £275 |
| 8:00 p.m. | #1 NL Hold’em PokerStars London Series Day 1D | £275 | |
| Sun 3 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #1 NL Hold’em PokerStars London Series Final Day | |
| 2:00 p.m. | #2 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £240 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | #3 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £165 | |
| Mon 4 Apr | 2:00 p.m. | #4 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £125 |
| 6:00 p.m. | #5 NL Hold’em Knockout £100 Bounty | £330 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | #6 NL Hold’em Win The Button | £330 | |
| Tue 5 Apr | 2:00 p.m. | #7 PL Omaha | £330 |
| 6:00 p.m. | #8 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £240 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | #9 NL Hold’em UKIPT High Roller Satellite | £250 | |
| Wed 6 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #10 NL Hold’em UKIPT High Roller Satellite | £250 |
| 2:00 p.m. | #11 NL Hold’em High Roller Day 1 | £2,200 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | #12 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £240 | |
| Thu 7 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #13 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Day 1A | £1,100 |
| 12:00 p.m. | #11 NL Hold’em High Roller Final Day | ||
| 8:00 p.m. | #8 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Satellite | £240 | |
| Fri 8 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #13 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Day 1B | £1,100 |
| 6:00 p.m. | #13 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Day 1C | £1,100 | |
| Sat 9 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #15 NL Hold’em UKIPT Cup £200 Mystery Bounty Day 1A | £440 |
| 12:00 p.m. | #13 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Day 2 | ||
| 6:00 p.m. | #15 NL Hold’em UKIPT Cup £200 Mystery Bounty Day 1B | £440 | |
| Sun 10 Apr | 12:00 p.m. | #16 NL Hold’em Women’s Event | £150 |
| 12:00 p.m. | #15 NL Hold’em UKIPT Cup £200 Mystery Bounty Final Day | ||
| 12:00 p.m. | #13 NL Hold’em UKIPT Main Event Final Day | ||
| 2:00 p.m. | #17 NL Hold’em Knockout (£100 KO) | £330 | |
| 5:00 p.m. | #18 NL Hold’em Online Qualifier Freeroll | £0 |
UKIPT History
Previous tour visits to London saw it host the UKIPT Grand Final, double as the European Poker Tour (EPT) London Main Event, where David Vamplew and Benny Spindler emerged victorious, with £900,000 and £750,000 prizes respectively.
In Season 3, Spanish superstar Sergio Aido won the UKIPT London Main Event, cashing in £144,555. The following year, Brett Angell won with a top prize of £115,083 and Rapinder Cheema came out on top in the fifth season, heading home with £78,825.
There has been a clear downtrend in prize-pool size from year to year, but with the venue revamp and London comeback, we're expecting a surge in interest and hopefully a six figure prize for the Main Event champ.
PokerStars own, Sam Grafton, has expressed his excitement for the tour's return, stating in an interview:
"That's a tour that made a big difference in my life, not only in terms of improvement in my game but the friendships I made. The fact that it's coming back, that there's going to be a UKIPT in my hometown of London, nothing's going to stop me from being there."
Previous UKIPT London Champions
| SEASON | BUY-IN | ENTRANTS | PRIZE POOL | CHAMPION | PRIZE |
| 1 | £5,250 | 848 | £4,112,800 | David Vamplew | £900,000 |
| 2 | £5,250 | 691 | £3,351,350 | Benny Spindler | £750,000 |
| 3 | £770 | 1,099 | £746,221 | Sergio Aido | £144,555 |
| 4 | £770 | 1,089 | £739,431 | Brett Angell | £115,083 |
| 5 | £770 | 742 | £503,818 | Rapinder Cheema | £78,825 |
| 6 | £770 | 649 | £454,300 | Usman Siddique | £84,100 |
If you're interested in following this tournament as it unfolds, keep an eye out for more news from us here at Rake The Rake.