For the first time in three seasons, the Pokerstars UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) is set to host a stop in cyberspace.
The inaugural UKIPT online tournament is scheduled to kick off from 14-15 October on PokerStars.com.
The UKIPT Online tournament features the same GBP 700 buy-in as live tour stops – albeit with a reduced GBP 35 registration fee – and a comparative structure featuring 10,000 chip starting stacks and a 20 minute clock at 8-handed tables.
Play will begin at 16:00 GMT on 14 October and will end at around 00:35 the next morning. Players will then take a break until the tournament resumes at 19:00 on 15 October and will play down to a final table of eight players, which will be contested live at the UKIPT Bristol event on 7 November.
All players who make the final table will automatically receive a UKIPT Bristol package that includes buy-in to the event and travel expenses – so getting to the final table will not incur any extra expense – and the winner of the event will receive entry into the Champion of Champions event.
The online leg will also feature a handful of side events including a heads-up tournament, a PLO event and an 8-game mix in the run-up to the main event.
Satellite qualifiers are already up and running on PokerStars.