They’re ready to go.

The inaugural English Poker Open, sponsored by RakeTheRake.com, has been scheduled for 15-17 September at Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham. The tournament, which has a guaranteed prize pool of $1 million, is happening just prior to the 2009 World Series of Poker Europe.

Among the players participating will be Phil Hellmuth, the winner of 11 WSOP bracelets, and Absolute Poker’s Liv Boeree.

So far, 105 spots for the 270-seat main event have been filled, leaving only 165 openings. Players can buy in directly for $5,300, or can attempt to qualify via satellites at several online rooms. Additionally, freerolls, where $7,000 prize packages will be awarded, will take place at RakeTheRake. The first phase of the freerolls will happen 14^th, 21^st and 28^th of June at Full Tilt Poker, UltimateBet, Absolute Poker, Cake Poker, Betfair, Ladbrokes, NoiQ Poker, PKR, Players Only and Unibet.

A second phase of freerolls is slated for July.

The prize packages include $5,300 for the buy-in and $1,700 for travel expenses.

To purchase a seat for the main event, go to www.englishpokeropen.com.