BY TOM SOMACH

A million sounds so much better than 943,000.

That’s the idea behind Betfair Poker (www.betfair.com), online poker sponsor of the inaugural World Series of Europe (WSOPE), kicking in an additional 57,000 British pounds into the WSOPE Main Event prize pool, so the Main Event winner will be a millionaire.

The total prize pool for the WSOPE Main Event was 3,626,000 British pounds, meaning, under the tournament’s payout structure, that the first-place money would be just short of a million pounds, or 943,000 pounds.

By donating another 57,000 pounds for the winner’s share, and making the total prize pool 3,683,000 pounds, Betfair ensures that the Main Event champ takes home a million British pounds, and gets the extra publicity of becoming an instant millionaire.

One British pound is worth approximately two U.S. dollars, so the Main Event champ will now take home a million pounds, or two million dollars.

The WSOPE is taking place at three casinos in London, England, U.K.

Betfair Poker is also based in the U.K.

“Top prize in our European Main Event is now a cool 1 million pounds,” said WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. “We have Betfair to thank for that.

“Nearly all of the world’s top poker players entered the World Series of Poker Europe, making it one of the most competitive poker tournaments in European history,” Pollack added. “Anyone who plays well enough to make it to the top 10 percent of the field deserves, and will get, an excellent return on their investment.”

Second place in the WSOPE Main Event will be worth 570,150 pounds; third place will be worth 381,910 pounds; fourth place will be worth 257,020 pounds; fifth place will be worth 191,860 pounds; sixth place will be worth 152,040 pounds; seventh place will be worth 114,030 pounds; eighth place will be worth 85,070 pounds and ninth place will be worth 61,540 pounds.

The remaining 27 finishers will receive between 41,630 pounds and 27,150 pounds, depending on their final position. Over 350 competitors entered the Main Event.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)