Will Clarke, an avid poker player from Winnipeg, has nabbed a seat at the prestigious European Poker Tour's Grand Final in Monte Carlo by qualifying through an online poker room. A number of poker sites regularly give away seats at major tournaments, including the European Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker.

By qualifying, online players like Clarke gain entry to tournaments, without having to shell-out for hefty buy-ins. In the case of the European Poker Tour, Clarke effectively saved himself 10,000 euros, the tournament's going buy-in rate. The paid buy-in was part of a deluxe vacation package, which includes airfare to Nice, France, just a hop, skip and a jump away from Monte Carlo, as well as lodging at a luxury hotel.

Clarke's win wasn't just a lucky play, however, being that for him, poker is a full-time job. On any average day, he plays poker online for approximately eight hours.

Source:  Poker777 Staff

Saturday, 19 March 2005