Luton is a town best known for its historical links to the hat-making industry, Luton International Festival (the largest one-day carnival in Europe), and being the home to English Premier League newcomers Luton Town, but from March 4 through March 10, Luton will instead be awash with poker players from far and wide, all competing in the latest leg of the 888poker UK Poker League (UKPL).
888poker and Grosvenor Casinos saw a gap in the UK’s live poker scene, one featuring predominately low-stakes events with a mid-stakes £560 buy-in Main Event. The 888poker UK Poker League (UKPL) was born, and successfully launched in January 2024.
Jamie Le triumphed in the 888poker UKPL Coventry Main Event, coming out on top of a 371-strong crowd and clinching a £37,605 top prize. The UKPL headed to Edinburgh in February, where Michael Kane walked away with the title, trophy, and £25,208 in prize money after outlasting 310 opponents.
Leg 3 of seven scheduled stops sees the 888poker UKPL head to London, doing so from March 4-10.
888poker 2024 UKPL Luton Schedule
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 4 Mar | 7:00 p.m. | £90 Opening Voyage and Main Event satellite |
| Tue 5 Mar | 3:00 p.m. | £250 NLHE 888poker Opening Voyage Day 1A |
| 6:00 p.m. | £150 Pot-Limit Omaha 4/5/6 Card | |
| 7:00 p.m. | £90 Opening Voyage and Main Event satellite | |
| Wed 6 Mar | 3:00 p.m. | £250 NLHE 888poker Opening Voyage Day 1B |
| 9:00 p.m. | £250 NLHE 888poker Opening Voyage Day 1C Turbo | |
| 9:00 p.m. | £110 High Roller satellite | |
| Thu 7 Mar | 12:00 p.m. | £110 High Roller satellite |
| 12:00 p.m. | £250 NLHE 888poker Opening Voyage Day 2 | |
| 3:00 p.m. | £1,100 NLHE 888poker High Roller Day 1 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | £560 NLHE 888poker Main Event Day 1A | |
| Fri 8 Mar | 12:00 p.m. | £560 NLHE 888poker Main Event Day 1B |
| 1:00 p.m. | £1,100 NLHE 888poker High Roller Day 2 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | £560 NLHE 888poker Main Event Day 1C | |
| 7:00 p.m. | £125 Main Event satellite | |
| Sat 9 Mar | 12:00 p.m. | £560 NLHE 888poker Main Event Day 1D |
| 6:00 p.m. | £400 NLHE 888poker Big Shot Day 1 | |
| Sun 10 Mar | 12:00 p.m. | 888poker Main Event Day 2 |
| 2:00 p.m. | £400 888poker Big Shot Day 2 | |
| 2:00 p.m. | £150 NLHE 888poker Seniors | |
| 5:00 p.m. | £200 NLHE 888poker The Closer |
*Buy-ins shown include the tournament fee/rake
As with previous legs of the 888poker UKPL, the schedule features seven tournaments, including the £560 Main Event and a £1,100 High Roller. The live satellites at the Grosvenor G Casino are played in a cashout format, where everyone sits down with the same starting stack and wins a seat once their stack reaches a predetermined size. This format means cashout satellites don’t drag on as long as traditional satellites, where the goal is to survive; your goal is accumulating a stack!
Those preferring a traditional satellite for the UKPL Main Event should head online to 888poker and get involved in 888poker UKPL Passport satellites. It is possible to turn $0.50 into a $55 tournament ticket, which can then be used to enter the passport ticket qualifier. At least one £560 ($680) UKPL Main Event ticket is guaranteed. Win one, and you can use it to enter any future UKPL Main Event on the schedule.
While you’re playing UKPL Luton satellites at 888poker, you may as well check out the ongoing PokerNews Online Championship that’s happening there. Some huge events are scheduled, including a $25 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed Mini Main Event and a $215 buy-in Main Event with a $300,000 guarantee on its prize pool.
