Antonio Esfandiari to co-host British Poker Awards

LONDON, England -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- The British Poker Awards will be co-compered by celebrity poker player Antonio 'The Magician' Esfandiari and Michael Caselli of Bluff Europe Magazine on Monday September 13th at London's Kensington Close Hotel.

The British Poker Awards will begin at 7pm, when guests will be treated to a cocktail party, followed by the Awards ceremony at 8pm. The ceremony will also feature the comedian and poker enthusiast Yianni Agisilaou, warming up the crowd up for Esfandiari. Following the Awards ceremony there is an optional £50 No Limit Hold'em tournament.

"Antonio is one of the game's biggest personalities and I am so excited that he is the Master of Ceremonies at the first British Poker Awards," Caselli said. "This awards night is a special event for the British poker scene, as we honour those who have made outstanding contributions in the game, but it's also going to be a night where the poker playing public can come and meet their favorite players and watch the best players in the land receive their awards."

The British Poker Awards will honour the game's top achievers in a number of categories, including Best Overall Poker Player, Best Cash Player, Best Tournament Player, Best Online Player and Best UK Card Room.

Esfandiari will preside over an audience of nominees that will include James Akenhead, Vicky Coren, Marty Wilson, Neil Channing, Tony Kendall and Tony Holden, among other notable stars of the game.

Voting is open until the 10th of September, and tickets to this star-studded event are now on general sale at the website for just £39. Visit www.thebritishpokerfestival.com.