Welcome to the Gala from the Cat.
Much has been said about this event, the steep buyin/ clash with amsterdam and location have all served to produce a scarcity of numbers. With what looks like only 55-60 ish runners confirmed at the moment (although this number could rise depending on last minute entries), it would appear justice is not being done to a competition with an excellent structure.
HOWEVER, let's dwell on the positives for a moment. The gala casino itself is polished and sparkling, sympathetically lit, plushly furnished, part of the wave of new, gleaming casinos that are moving poker in this country out of the dark ages and giving the game we love a respect and recognition it deserves.
The field itself is peppered with a glittering array of talent. Bejeweling the field are such names as Jamie Gold, the controversial 2006 champion, the cheeky Phil Laak, his glamourous missus, Jennifer Tilley, who looks amazing even before you realise she is closing in on half a century. (I'm sure you'll agree!)
Phil Laak's good friend and fellow high stakes american pro, the goateed magician Antonio Esfandiari is also playing and if they share a table, the banter and action should be explosive...
From the UK, the Hendon Mob are out in force with Ross the only mobster missing from the action, but I'm sure Barney Boatman, Ram Vaswani and Joe Beevers are willing and ready to pick up the slack.
The star-studded field may work against last minute entries as people won't be seeing masses of value in this field but it is sure to make for some great poker and personally, I'm champing at the bit for this event to get started...
....players have just been called to the tables so it should be starting soon.
GOOD LUCK ALL!
Author