Jennifer Shahade and Pedro Marte Talk About the OFC Grand Prix at Tonybet Poker
From April 26 through May 3, Tonybet Poker will run the OFC Grand Prix, an online poker series dedicated to open-face Chinese poker.
With 17 events on the calendar and more than €30,000 in guaranteed prizes, the poker room's second-ever online poker series is expected to attract a great number of OFC lovers including some of the world's best pros.
"Last year, we were the pioneers of online OFC poker and most of the things we did were done for the first time," a representative from Tonybet Poker told PokerNews. "Despite that, our online and live events received very good remarks from our players, which gave us the confidence to continue the good run."
Together with the cash prizes guaranteed by Tonybet, the participants to the OFC Grand Prix will have the opportunity to bring home packages and tickets to the next live OFC Poker World Championship, thanks to special leaderboards and promotions.
"We're going to give away tournament tickets to our Twitter followers, so everyone would get the chance to participate in the online series. Also, 15 players will be rewarded with live OFC Championship tickets during the online Grand Prix, so there's just so much to play for," the room's representative continued.
Since the site has just recently introduced two new OFC poker variations, the Grand Prix will also feature a number of events played in the new 2-7 pineapple and progressive pineapple variants.
"It's great to see TonyBet on the cutting edge of open-face games with new variants and with their upcoming Grand Prix series,” the winner of the OFC World Championship High Roller event, Jennifer Shahade said about the series.
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Shahade, who left Prague €100,000 richer last December after she took down the biggest live OFC poker event in history, also welcomed Tonybet's decision to distribute tickets to the next Open-Face Chinese Poker World Championship during the Grand Prix.
"It's particularly exciting that they're awarding live event tickets," Shahade went on to say. "I had such a great time in Prague at the first Open-Face World Championship and I look forward to playing more live OFC events in 2015."
Enthusiastic about the event is also Tonybet's poker pro and Brazilian OFC poker champion Pedro Marte, who explained how an event such as the Grand Prix can be a great opportunity for beginners to discover the game.
"There is no better opportunity for open-face Chinese poker fans to enjoy the game and test their skills than Tonybet's OFC Grand Prix," he said. "It is also an opportunity for new players to join the OFC party, learn the game and its newer variations."
Winner of the Grand Prix High Roller event and the series's leaderboard in 2014, Marte confirmed his participation in this year's edition of the online OFC poker series as he seeks a back-to-back victory.
"I am very excited about the OFC Grand Prix also because one year ago I managed to win the High Roller tournament and the overall leaderboard," Marte said. "Let's see if I can make it back-to-back."
"This year we have lots of new stuff," he added. "We will have 2-7 pineapple and progressive fantasy tournaments, and this will give a very special touch to the OFC Grand Prix series.”
Here's a look at the full calendar of the 2015 OFC Poker Grand Prix at Tonybet Poker with details about the game variants and the guaranteed prize pools.
Date and Time (UTC+3) | Event | Buy-In | Game | Guarantee |
---|---|---|---|---|
Everyday, 20:00 | Freeroll satellite to GP #1 | Free | Freezout - Pineapple | 2 seats |
Everyday, 20:30 | Satellite to GP #2 | €5 | Freezout - Progressive | 2 seats |
Everyday, 21:00 | Satellite to GP #3 | €20 | Freezout - Pineapple | 2 seats |
Everyday, 22:00 | Satellite to GP #5 | €10 | Freezout - Pineapple | 2 seats |
Everyday, 23:00 | Satellite to GP #8 | €5 | Freezout- Pineapple | 1 seat |
April 26, Sunday 21:00 | Grand Prix #1 | €10 | Freezout - Pineapple | €1,000 |
April 26, Sunday 22:00 | Grand Prix #2 | €30 | Freezout - Progressive | €750 |
April 26, Sunday 23:00 | Grand Prix #3 | €100 | Freezout - Pineapple | €2,000 |
April 27, Monday 22:00 | Grand Prix #4 | €30 | Freezout - Pineapple | €1,500 |
April 28, Tuesday 22:00 | Grand Prix #5 | €50 | Freezout - Pineapple | €1,200 |
April 28, Tuesday 23:00 | Grand Prix #6 | €100 | Freezout - Pineapple | €2,000 |
April 29, Wednesday 22:00 | Grand Prix #7 | €30 | Freezout - 2- 7 Pineapple | €750 |
April 29, Wednesday 23:00 | Grand Prix #8 | €75 | Freezout - Pineapple | €1,500 |
April 30, Thursday 21:00 | Grand Prix #9 | €30 | Freezout - Turbo | €750 |
April 30, Thursday 22:00 | Grand Prix #10 | €75 | Freezout - Pineapple | €1,500 |
April 30, Thursday 23:00 | Grand Prix #11 | €150 | Freezout - Pineapple | €3,000 |
May 1, Friday 23:00 | Grand Prix #12 | €50 | Freezout - Pineapple | €1,200 |
May 2, Saturday 22:00 | Grand Prix #13 | €20 | Freezout - 2- 7 Pineapple | €750 |
May 2, Saturday 23:00 | Grand Prix #14 | €75 | Freezout - Pineapple | €1,500 |
May 3, Sunday 21:00 | Grand Prix #15 | €50 | Freezout - Pineapple | €1,200 |
May 3, Sunday 22:00 | Grand Prix Main Event | €200 | Freezout - Pineapple | €5,000 |
May 3, Sunday 23:00 | Grand Prix High Roller | €500 | Freezout - Pineapple | €6,000 |
How to Play Event #4 For Free
If you don't have an account at Tonybet Poker and are in a country where the poker room operates, you can get a ticket to play Event #4 for free, courtesy of PokerNews.
For a chance to win a share of the €1,500 guaranteed prize and enjoy a good dose of pure OFC fun, simply open an account through PokerNews using the special bonus code "GRANDPRIX30", and fund your account with at least €30.
By doing so, you will immediately get a 100-percent bonus on your deposit of up to €1,000 and a ticket to play in the €30 buy-in Event #4 running on Monday, April 27.
For more information about this promo and to read the full list of terms and conditions, visit this page.
Image courtesy of Tonybet Poker
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