With students being one of the first groups to jump on the expanding poker boom bandwagon, they have in recent years coalesced into several organised societies, and found online sites and live venues competing over their custom in a variety of ways. From the Oxford Cup (20 players to 200 in just 4 years) to student-only online freerolls, students are getting a taste of Events for a fraction of the usual cost.
This year's National Student Poker Championship will take place on Saturday January 27th 2007 in the RDS (Dublin). For the buy-in of €65 + €7, participants are promised a 'World Series style structure' and, as quoted from the website www.pokerireland.ie, "With an estimated prize-pool of €26,000 - based on 400 participants - (100% prize-pool payout) and a sponsorhip deal from 888/Pacific Poker this really will be a tournament not to miss, with plenty of added money and bonuses for players."
Winnings must be paid into a Pacific account, and students must open said account to enjoy the benefits of this tournament. So yes, there's a catch, but not a huge one, and anyway, students are spoiled enough for choice of live and virtual poker venues, so their custom in the future must be sought with good tournaments/incentives like this.
If you're a student (and over 18), you have until midnight on the 24th of January (i.e. the beginning of the 25th) to register. For more details, visit their website, or email stephen@pokerireland.ie.