Top Poker Names For WPT's London Open
Published: Friday, August 05, 2005 Online-Casinos.com
TOP NAMES FOR WPT'S LONDON OPEN
Brunson, Pescatori among the contenders
The World Poker Exchange announced today the first round of professional poker
players who will be joining celebrities Willie Garson, Nicholas Gonzalez, Mimi
Rogers and Jennifer Tilly for the $2 million London Open Tournament 2005 this
August 3-6.
World Poker Exchange-sponsored player Max "The Italian Pirate" Pescatori
will be joined at the first-ever lifestyle poker event by international professional
poker players Tony "The Lizard" Bloom, Doyle "Texas Dolly"
Brunson, Harry Demetriou, Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari, Scott
Fischman, Chip Jett, Karina Jett and Robert Williamson. The event will be held
at the 19th century landmark Old Billingsgate Market.
Born and raised in Milan, Italy, Max Pescatori is a professional tournament
poker player who has won various titles and enjoyed 24 money finishes in 2004
alone. Pescatori, who wears his signature Italian flag bandana to every tournament,
is often referred to as the "Italian Pirate." To date this year, he
has placed second at the Mirage Poker Showdown $2,500 No Limit Hold'Em leaving
the table with $75,000. Pescatori won several tournaments at the 2005 World
Series of Poker. Pescatori is well-known for appearing a record eight times
at the final table of the television show, Ultimate Poker Challenge.
Tony Bloom is a Hedge Fund manager and former sports bookmaker from London,
England. Bloom has won numerous titles in his short career of professional poker
playing and is known for his love of travel, making him a prolific international
poker player. Currently, Bloom ranks 1,323 overall and has estimated total winnings
of $38,465.
Doyle Brunson, 71, is the Babe Ruth of poker. He basically invented the game
of Texas Hold 'em and was star of the infamous band of traveling poker sharks,
the Texas Rounders. He was the first of the high stakes hotel poker players
in Las Vegas. Brunson has won ten World Series of Poker events, including the
two back-to-back world championships.
A retired clinical scientist from London, England, Harry Demetriou is a respected
international poker player and formidable opponent. This professional from the
UK had his first major win in July 2004, taking 250,000 Pounds Sterling and
first place in the Victor Poker Cup. He has already won more than $1 million
in his worldwide tournament play.
A current resident of San Francisco, Calif., Antonio Esfadiari was born in Tehran,
Iran and with his win in the 2004 L.A. Poker Classic, he is the youngest player
to ever pick up a World Poker Tour championship and win a prize exceeding $1
million in a tournament. Antonio first got into the world of professional poker
when he was invited to a game of Texas Hold 'em while working as a professional
magician. Since winning the World Series of Poker Pot Limit Hold 'em, and World
Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic No-Limit Hold 'em in 2004 among other tournaments,
Esfadiari has become a popular player within the poker circuit and had winnings
totaling more than $2 million.
Pennsylvania native and former poker dealer, Scott Fischman, is relatively new
to the professional poker circuit but has already won two, back-to-back World
Series of Poker bracelets. Fischman's first professional tournament was in January
of 2004 at The Grand American Poker Classic in Tunica, MS where he placed 4th.
Since then he has appeared at nine final tables, including those at the Orleans
Open, the Mirage Poker Showdown and the coveted World Series of Poker Events.
Additionally, Fischman is the spokesman for "I'm All In Wear," a clothing
line inspired by the poker phenomenon, and a columnist for Card Player Magazine.
Former lifeguard Chip Jett began his poker career in 1992 when a friend took
him to a casino in his native Arizona. That trip led to jobs as a poker dealer,
floorman and shift boss before becoming a proposition player. After winning
numerous games around Arizona, Chip Jett went on to win his first major tournament,
Best All-Around Player award at the L.A. Poker Classic at Commerce Casino. Chip
Jett has won numerous titles and tournaments since then, including Phil Hellmuth's
Champion of the Year Award in 2003
Karina Jett first arrived on the Las Vegas poker scene at the age of 10. With
both parents avid poker players, Karina Jett quickly followed in their footsteps,
and, at the age of 18, played her first poker game in a casino. With her marriage
to poker tournament player, Chip Jett, Karina Jett switched her focus to larger
poker tournaments. Though Karina Jett's tournament career has been a short one,
she has already won or made final table appearances at many prestigious events,
including the World Series of Poker, Poker Royale, and the L.A. Poker Classic.
Robert Williamson III was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Williamson has been
practicing his poker playing skills since the age of 10 but did not start playing
professionally until the early 2000s. After detours into restaurant management
and real estate development, Williamson found his calling in professional poker
and is now ranked the number one all-time tournament earner in Omaha. Williamson's
earnings already total more than $1.5 million.
More professional poker players and celebrities are expected to join Pescatori
and the other players and confirm their attendance at the London Open. "With
the UK activities of late, a great number of players have expressed intent to
play but are waiting to see if things quiet down a bit before committing. This
makes the gauging the final number of pro players difficult to assess, and therefore
the players that compete may have extremely favorable odds due to the guaranteed
minimum pot," said World Poker Exchange Managing Director Haden Ware.
The high stakes gaming event to be staged in London on the banks of the River
Thames features a $2 million guaranteed prize pool and distinctive cultural,
entertainment and dining experiences. A pinnacle of the four-day style-heavy
event will be a private concert, a separate charity tournament and VIP Reception
featuring South London-based funky pop act Dirty Vegas, international chanteuse
and "Queen of the Nightclub" Grace Jones, and celebrity club and party
DJs Guy Preston and Jason Moore.
The London Open will be broadcast as a Bravo primetime TV special "World
Poker Exchange London Open." Off-camera, the competitors will enjoy high-stakes
fun as they partake in the private concert and VIP Reception, exclusive tours
of Kensington Palace, gain backstage access to the hit show The Producers, and
enjoy the most lavish of culinary experiences in London's finest restaurants.
