Aspers Casino Westfield in Stratford, London, is set to become a hotbed of amateur poker action when the Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT) descends on the British capital for the UK & Ireland Amateur Poker Championship. Players from all over the United Kingdom and Ireland will compete in a £120 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament for the right to call themselves the UK & Ireland champion of amateur poker.
March 24 at 7:00 p.m. GMT is your first opportunity to build a stack in the UK & Ireland Amateur Poker Championship. Day 1B shuffles up and deals at 1:00 p.m. GMT on March 25, with Day 2 commencing at 1:00 p.m. on March 26, and continuing until the champion is crowned.
APAT Goes Fully International During 2023; Full Schedule Released
The plan is for each Day 1 to play down to 15% of entrants, with those top 15% progressing to Day 2 having secured a min-cash for their efforts. The blinds on Day 2 start at the level which finished earliest on Day 1A or Day 1B, or are rolled back to guarantee a minimum of 33 big blinds at the start of Day 2.
Although each starting flight is a freezeout, you can fire one bullet in each of the two Day 1s. However, should you navigate your way through to Day 2 from Day 1A and then Day 1B, your first stack is forfeited.
In addition to any prize money won, the top three finishers get their hands on the famous APAT bronze, silver, and gold medals. Be aware there are no player deals for the £120 UK & Ireland Amateur Poker Championship, nor the £120 UK & Ireland PLO Amateur Poker Championship that runs from 2:00 p.m. on March 26.
Season 16 UK & Ireland Amateur Poker Championships Schedule
| Date | Time (GMT) | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 24 Mar | 7:00 p.m. | £120 UK & Ireland Amateur Poker Championship Day 1A |
| Sat 25 Mar | 1:00 p.m. | £120 UK & Ireland Amateur Poker Championship Day 1B |
| 7:00 p.m. | £70 No-Limit Hold’em side event | |
| Sun 26 Mar | 1:00 p.m. | UK & Ireland Amateur Poker Championship Day 2 |
| 2:00 p.m. | £120 UK & Ireland PLO Amateur Poker Championship | |
| 4:00 p.m. | £70 No-Limit Hold’em side event |
Kalinov is the Reigning London Champion
APAT last stopped by Aspers Westfield in Stratford, London, in late March 2022, and ran a £120 buy-on No-Limit Hold’em Main Event and a brace of £70 buy-in side events.
The £120 buy-in tournament drew in 429 players, who created a £42,900 prize pool. Martin Kalinov walked away with the title, a gold APAT medal, and £5,000 for his victory, after defeating Lee Houghton heads-up. Houghton received £3,400 plus a silver medal, while Gary McBride netted £2,500 and a bronze medal after bowing out in third.
Both £70 buy-in side events performed well, too. One attracted 98 runners that American Helgi Mogensen outlasted; Mogensen banked £1,689. Another 86 players turned out for the second side event, and Joby Plunkett outlasted them all on his way to reeling in £1,516 in cold, hard cash.
Scotsquad Claims APAT UK Team Championship Title
2023 Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT) Live Schedule
The London event is the second of 11 stops on Season 16’s calendar. Recently, the APAT Team Championships took place at Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham. APAT heads to Dublin for an event during the 2023 Irish Open, jets off to Malta and the Czech Republic and has events closer to home in Blackpool, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, and Nottingham.
| Dates | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Mar. 24-26 | APAT UK & Ireland Amateur Poker Championships | Aspers, London |
| Apr. 5-6 | APAT Irish Championship 2023 | Royal Dublin Society, Ireland |
| Apr. 14-16 | APAT English Championship 2023 | Grosvenor Casino, Blackpool |
| Apr. 29-30 | APAT Mediterranean Championship 2023 | Portomaso Casino, Malta |
| May. 17-21 | APAT UK Championship of Amateur Poker | Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham |
| Jun. 9-11 | APAT Scottish Amateur Poker Championship | Grosvenor Casino, Edinburgh |
| Aug. 23-28 | World Championship of Amateur Poker – WCOAP | Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham |
| Sep. 15-17 | APAT Welsh Amateur Poker Championship | Les Croupiers, Cardiff |
| Sep. 27-Oct. 2 | APAT German Amateur Poker Championship | Grand Casino Asch, Czech Republic |
| Nov. 16-19 | APAT Poker Squads Live 2023 | Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham |
Did You Know APAT Runs Daily Tournaments Online at PartyPoker?
APAT has one of the most friendly and vibrant poker communities anywhere. APAT members head online to PartyPoker throughout the week and battle it out across a variety of tournaments. Fire up PartyPoker, find the APAT filter under “Category” in the “Tournies” tab, and you are good to go!
| Day | Time (GMT) | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 7:00 p.m. | APAT Monday 6-Max Knockout | $11 |
| 8:00 p.m. | APAT Monday PLO8 Turbo Knockout | $5.50 | |
| Tuesday | 7:00 p.m. | APAT Tuesday Knockout | $11 |
| 8:00 p.m. | APAT Tuesday Turbo 6-Max | $5.50 | |
| Wednesday | 7:00 p.m. | APAT Wednesday PLO8 | $11 |
| 8:00 p.m. | APAT Wednesday FLHE | $5.50 | |
| Thursday | 7:00 p.m. | APAT Thursday Mix-Max Knockout | $11 |
| 8:00 p.m. | APAT Thursday Limit Omaha Hi/Lo | $5.50 | |
| Friday | 7:00 p.m. | APAT Friday PLO Knockout | $11 |
| 8:00 p.m. | APAT Friday 7-Max | $5.50 | |
| Saturday | 7:00 p.m. | APAT Saturday Knockout | $11 |
| 8:00 p.m. | APAT Saturday PLO 6-Max | $5.50 | |
| Sunday | 6:00 p.m. | APAT Deepstack | $11 |
| 7:00 p.m. | APAT Sunday Main Event | $33 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | APAT Sunday PLO Main Event | $33 | |
| 9:00 p.m. | APAT Show Turbo Knockout | $11 |
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