Poker Night in America 4. 5 Seasons -124 Episodes. 1 Seasons -6 Episodes. Aussie Millions Poker Championship 6. 14 Seasons -208 Episodes. PokerStars Caribbean Adventure - PCA 7. 8 Seasons -132 Episodes. Watch High Stakes Poker TV Show (HSP) 8. 8 Seasons -104 Episodes. 6 Seasons -38 Episodes. Poker After Dark 10. The thing is that the Main Event in Blackpool has always been the flagship tournament of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour, with the leg being extremely popular with both professional and recreational poker players. A number of famous poker pros have already emerged as winners in the Main Event, including Jonny Gray, Priyan de Mel, Tom Middleton.

Johnny Gray Packers
Johnny Grey Packers

With COVID-19 disrupting our usual operations, we have reluctantly reviewed how we operate and the services we offer. Sadly we are unable to continue running poker tournaments or games at our UK venues. The exception being three-card poker games at selected venues. We would like to thank our poker community for their support over the years, especially to those who have been with us since Genting Poker Series launched in 2012, and our staff who helped create an experience that was valued by all our players. Any players who have funds in a prize pot should contact their local casino for more information.

WHY HAS GENTING UK DECIDED TO STOP HOSTING POKER TOURNAMENTS?

We have reviewed all aspects of the business and reluctantly concluded that, given the current circumstances and environment, commercially we could no longer offer poker tournaments at our venues. We understand this will be disappointing to our players and staff and want to thank everyone who has been part of the Genting poker community.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I STILL HAVE FUNDS IN A PRIZE POT?

Anyone who has funds in a prize pot should contact their local casino to arrange a refund.

HAS POKER BEEN STOPPED BECAUSE YOU COULD NOT MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING?

The coronavirus pandemic has presented a unique set of challenges for every business in the casino sector. It is these challenges in totality that has led to our decision.

HAS POKER BEEN STOPPED BECAUSE IT IS NO LONGER PROFITABLE?

Like all business we have to be commercially viable and we have reviewed every aspect of our offering due to the coronavirus pandemic. We approached this with an aim to ensure guests continue to enjoy a great experience at our casinos with the widest possible range of games available.

DOES THIS MEAN THE END OF THE GENTING POKER SERIES?

Yes, sadly we will no longer be running any poker tournaments at our UK venues for the foreseeable future.

IS ANY POKER STILL AVAILABLE AT GENTING UK VENUES?

Yes, three card poker can still be played at some of our venues. Please check with your nearest venue to see if it is offered as one of our table games.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE STAFF WHO RAN GENTING UK’S POKER ROOMS?

We value all our team members, and this decision has clearly and sadly had an impact on many individuals. We cannot however discuss specifics about the employment of individuals.

IS THIS A PERMANENT DECISION OR COULD IT BE REVERSED?

We will not be offering poker tournaments at our venues for the foreseeable future. We do however regularly review every aspect of the business to ensure we provide a great guest experience at our casinos.

They say that we got hit by the tail-end of a hurricane during GUKPT Blackpool week, but to be honest the weather didn’t seem much different to any of the other seven or eight times I’ve been for what was the Northern Lights Festival and latterly the GUKPT.

Still, we don’t come for the weather, which is a good thing unless you’re one of those storm chasers, we come for the poker, and few places do it better than G Casino Blackpool.

From the moment I walked in and saw the numbers for the £30 rebuy super satellite on the Sunday, you could tell numbers were up, the place was buzzing and it was going to be a great festival.

Last year there’d been a £19k overlay in the main event but it was obvious there was no chance of that this year. Tanya and her team had been qualifying people hard for weeks locally, and the support for the side events made it obvious the people of Blackpool were out in force.

Sunday’s sat (with 10 seats guaranteed) created over 16 seats, the £100 on Monday had 194 runners, there were 129 in the Tuesday £300, 147 in the £200 6-max, 99 in the £150 PLO and a massive 275 in the Main Event.

For my part I started badly and things didn’t improve, but after a few months away from the tables nursing an elderly relative it was fun to be back playing, at least for the most part.

I entered the sat late and passed the first 20 hands, getting it in with A9cc on a low two-club boards against 88 and missing.

The £100 ended when after a five-hour grind I finally found a pair of jacks, but had to raise-fold when two tens shoved over my raise but a big stack called in between allowing me to fold and watch his aces win.

A few hands later I thought I’d got my reward for a good fold, finding jacks again and raising it to 2k at 400/800. The big blind defended the old 93 and we got it all in on the 973 flop, he made a house just for good measure.

Still, I thought the £300 would be a biggy and so it turned out, with almost £12k for first.

A few slip ups early saw me down to just 1200 chips at 100/200, but getting there against the same guy twice, first with QT v his JJ, then a flush draw v his trips, saw me back to starting, and after day one I was nicely up in the chip counts with 73k and an average of just over 50k.

Day two was not so good.

After tangling with a young guy early on, three-betting his raise on a dead stack’s big blind and having to fold to his min 4b, I won a flurry of pots and then decided to this time call his raise on the dead stack’s blind in position with A8ss.

We saw an ace high flop with 2 clubs, one spade, and I called his 3500 c-bet into the 6k pot. With 13k in there, the turn was a spade giving me the nut flush draw as well as top pair.

With 49k back (average still around 55k), my ambitious opponent decided betting 22k into 13k was a good idea, and when I instantly set him in with his flush draw, he shrugged and said ‘I have to call, I’ve put too much in,’ and flipped the mighty 62cc for a bare six-high flush draw. Getting yourself into positions where you’re forced to call with six-high shouldn’t be ideal, but it worked out okay for him in a pot that was for the chip lead with 25 left, the king of clubs leaving him with a massive stack and me with 15bb.

I duly shoved them in over a cut-off raise on the dead stack next round with KQ and found the sb playing his first hand of the day with AK and off I went. Of course the kid who took that monster pot went on to….not even make the money. Strange.
I decided it was time to play and run better in the £200 six max, but the very next hand after he’d lost a big pot to the big blind making a house with Q6, the fella to my right looked a little steamy as he raised again in level two.

I just peeled 77 in position, bringing in the Q6 guy and the big blind, and I thought QJ7 rainbow was a good flop for me, but no, the guy who might have been steaming had actually flopped top set, which was fun to find out when I called his flop bet and raised the ‘safe’ 6 on the turn.

The 4/5/6 PLO never got going for me, eventually someone calling to bust my aces with four random cards, and while I never had aces, I’d just played tight and then potted a big number suited hand that had him crushed, I couldn’t get a break.
The Main Event was fun with such a big field taking me back to the good old days (I think I came 37th with 36 paid in season 1 when Ben Vinson beat my Aq with K4o all-in preflop while we were hand for hand, but I don’t like to talk about it!).

Every table was full, and the usual local legends were making themselves heard, with Andy Bradshaw singing when he won a pot, Howard Plant telling the same jokes we’d heard earlier in the week and Ali Mallu Ali Mallu-ing people!

I was going along okay, card dead and maintaining a just over starting stack, until I found pocket aces at 150/300.

I raised and found three callers, and the guy who had put in 10% of his stack with 75 liked the 689 flop more than I did, although he hid it very well, including keeping his cards face down while shaking his head after I’d called his raise all-in!

A few hands later I peeled AT in the small blind which brought in the big blind Neil Strike.

Jonny Gray Poker