The arrival of summer warmth across the United Kingdom marks a bustling period for the live gaming community. While sports fans focus on the opening matches of the 2026 Football World Cup, live poker enthusiasts are descending on Casino Manchester235 for the highly anticipated PartyPoker Tour Manchester stop.
The festival is hosted by tournament director Doug Leonard, renowned for welcoming players from across Europe.
Structured Tournament Highlights and Mixed Games
The schedule features three primary trophy tournaments designed for a wide range of bankrolls:
- Mini Event: Features a £150 buy-in alongside a £50,000 guaranteed prize pool.
- Main Event: Features a £500 buy-in alongside a £100,000 guaranteed prize pool.
- PLO Masters: Features a £250 buy-in alongside a £20,000 guaranteed prize pool.
In addition to these core events, the festival reintroduces Poker.PRO branded tournaments. Beyond traditional PL H.O.R.S.E. tracks, the mixed game lineup includes variant structures such as PL Sviten Special and PL 2-7 Triple Draw. The schedule is completed by the return of the popular £60 Tennessee Hold’em Manchester Championship.
Specialized Player Promotions and World Cup Activities
To celebrate PartyPoker‘s 25th anniversary, the tour is running several off-the-felt player activities between tournament sessions:
- Centralized Loyalty Campaign: Players who previously attended the PartyPoker Tour Sheffield stop can claim their second physical stamp and an anniversary keyring at the welcome desk.
- World Cup Prediction Tournaments: To leverage tournament interest, the tour is hosting two standalone prediction challenges. The first takes place on June 14, centered on the Netherlands vs Japan match, offering the winner a seat in the £50,000 guaranteed Mini Main Event. The second takes place on June 17 for the England vs Croatia match, awarding two winners entry into the NLH Turbo £2,000 Added Value Prize Draw on June 18.
- Spin the Wheel Promotion: Active entrants in the Mini Event or Main Event receive a spin on the prize wheel for every unique entry and re-entry processed. Players must hold an active PartyPoker.com account to participate, with first-time depositors granted a secondary spin. Available prizes include direct entry tickets to the online PartyPoker Sunday Carnival and Sunday Party.
Transparent Prize Pool Formats and On-Site Staff
To combat complex industry fee structures and deduction models, the festival operates under its transparent “Putting Players First” campaign. The initiative mandates that 100% of the advertised prize pool is paid directly to placing players, ensuring zero hidden administrative deductions across all open events.
Live event reporting will be broadcast in English by Poker.PRO reporter Christoffer Karlén. Media outlets utilizing photography from the festival floor must credit photographer Nunzia Esposito, while video footage requires attribution to Giovanna De Falco. Players can access real-time schedule updates and structural queries by joining the newly launched PartyPoker Tour Discord channel.
The prominent ambassadors and tour team members on the ground in Manchester include:
- Jamie Staples (PartyPoker Ambassador)
- Matt Staples (PartyPoker Ambassador)
- Natalie Bromley (PartyPoker Tour Team and Founder of Hearts of Queens)
- Sam Acheampong (PartyPoker Tour Team)
- Barry Carter (PartyPoker Tour Team and Author)
- Rebecca Hardisty (PartyPoker Tour Team)
- Daniel Garcia (PartyPoker Tour Team)
- Barbara Jimenez (PartyPoker Tour Seville Runner Up)
- Barny Boatman (PartyPoker Tour Team and Poker Hall of Fame Legend)
Stay Connected
PartyPoker
- Instagram: @partypoker
- Twitter/X: @partypoker
- YouTube: partypokeryt
- Facebook: partypoker
- Discord: PartyPoker Tour
Casino Manchester 235
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