PKR Heads-Up Grand Slam draw throws up epic contests - 15/09/2009

The draw for the inaugural PKR Heads Up Grand Slam is complete, with poker fans in for a real treat as some of the world's most talented poker pros descend on London for this exciting new event.

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Highlights of the draw include 2008 WSOP Champion Peter Eastgate versus his Premiere League rival, EPT London winner Vicky Coren, while Academy Award nominated actress and WSOP bracelet holder Jennifer Tilly will take on the 'The Mouth from Down Under' Tony G.

An all British clash is in the works as John Tabatabai tackles the might of the Devilfish, and Luke 'Full Flush' Schwartz will have his work cut out against WPT Champ Yevgeniy Timoshenko. But perhaps the most mouth watering combination of all sees Tom 'Durrrr' Dwan battle it out with WSOP Heads Up runner-up John Duthie. If Dwan is successful, the dream matchup could be on against bitter rival Luke Schwartz in the semi finals.

In a pairing of big characters, Team PKR Pro James 'james666' Sudworth is squaring off against Phil 'The Unabomber' Laak, and super aggressive APPT High Roller winner Vladimir 'Beyne' Geshkenbein will face online pro Alex 'Kadabra' Keating. 4 lucky online qualifiers from PKR.com will get to take on some of the biggest names in the game as they were matched against Antonio Esfandiari, Juha Helppi, David Williams, and Ivan Demidov in the first round. You can watch the draw as it happened at PKR.tv.

Matchroom Managing Director Eddie Hearn commented "There are some really exciting clashes lined up for the first round of the PKR Heads Up Grand Slam, but it's also interesting to see what could happen as the tournament develops."

"In the top half of the draw, if Annette can overcome Ian Frazer and John Tabatabai can defeat the Devilfish, then they could meet in the second round for a rematch of the 2007 WSOPE final. The winner could face WSOP Champ Peter Eastgate in the quarter finals whilst Tony G and Ilari 'Ziigimund' Sahamies could face off in the other quarter final. In the bottom half, Phil Laak or James Sudworth could face a tough test in the second round against Ivan Demidov, and Full Flush and Durrrr may well meet in the semis. The connotations are endless but each match will carry plenty of drama."

The event will take place from the 8th-10th October in London's 3 Mills Studios and will be shown on Sky Sports in the UK and distributed to various International broadcasters.