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Tuan Le wins the Main Event

FINAL DAY: Tuan Le has become the first UKIPT Blackpool Main Event winner. 

It came after a super quick fire final. From six to one in less than three ours at the Grosvenor Casino. 

It means Le, from Manchester walks away with the winners check of £53,630, with Ali Zia in the runners up spot. 

“You know what, I thought it was gonna be like a marathon really, the blinds were so small,” said Le, shortly after winning. 

“I look up, ace-king suited. Sneak in with a little check raise, then I couldn’t believe it, all in. Happy days really!”

Le describes himself as a recreational player. He has four kids at home and the responsibility that comes with that. It means he has to choose which events he can play.

And he loves it. So much so that the speed of the final caught even him by surprise. 

“Every dog has it’s day. I’m here for fun. So for me I wanted it to last a bit longer. 

“My games is more… I like flipping. So i’m thinking I better settle down here and get comfortable. Then that happens. What can you say? 

“The money is obviously nice. But for me, time away from the kids,” he jokes. “I’ve got to go back home now, don’t I? 

“I enjoyed it two and a bit days. Yeah, I loved it.”

You can see for yourself how the tournament went at the link above where you’ll find all the PokerNews updates. They’re excellent and provide all the highlights from the final table. Including that last hand with ace-king.

Looking back on the week in Blackpool

FINAL DAY: As the main event final table plays on, here’s a recap of what has been a popular return of the UKIPT.

Turns out we do like to be beside the sea side

FINAL DAY: First the host town. Blackpool’s heyday may have passed, but it does a banging job of hosting poker tournaments. 

The Grosvenor Casino on the South Pier has buzzed this week. The nearby Pleasure Beach uses gravity to get a reaction from customers. The UKIPT uses great structures, discount on the food, and free merch. Every day is laundry day when you have a free UKIPT Blackpool T-shirt. 

Plus, no other event in the world offers you the chance to play Claw Crane games or 2p coin pusher machines on the walk back to the 5 Star hotel. 

Talking of PokerStars qualifiers…

Eight players who won their seat to Blackpool on PokerStars, finished in the money this week. 

The best of them was Oli Campion who finished tenth for £5,220. Suitable consolation for missing his anniversary this week. 

And we’ll say it again and keep on saying it. Power Path has fast become the best and most popular way to win a seat to events like the UKIPT or EPTs. 

You get a free step one entry every day that you play a hand of real money poker. That’s everyday. For free. 

There are four steps to a Silver or Gold Pass. And the best bit? You can’t buy-in at the final stage. 

That means no barnstorming by experienced players with bigger bankrolls than you, trying to steal your thunder. 

The result is more recreational players, like you, playing big events like this. This week has demonstrated that. 

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

FINAL DAY: “I’ve really been enjoying the Power Path stuff. They’re really good value. Because the like 109s (the $109 entry level) can’t be bought into directly. It’s not just filled with pros.” 

– Matt Crocker (PokerStars qualifier)

“And also like, poker can be super lonely at time to play. Especially when you grind online. And the fact that you can go to events and meet all these people, like, that’s my favourite thing about coming.

“Community is super important to me. So making events, especially regional ones like this kind of more accessible, I think is great.” 

— Team Pro GJ Reggie

“I really enjoy these events, I love grassroots poker. It would be lovely to get a UKIPT title. I know that I’m gonna have fun and enjoy these event. They’re places people want to go and that’s the same for me. Particularly Brighton, Edinburgh. It’s nice to have an excuse to go there.” 

— Team Pro Sam Grafton

“Whilst playing my usual Stars home game, I registered to an £11 satellite to a £109 UKIPT Main Event satellite. I’d somehow won both in a row and only really clocked what I’d won after I’d won!

“So despite the fact I’ll be playing way out of my league at a Main Event, I’m just delighted to get the opportunity to shuffle some chips at one the UK’s most (if not the most) prestigious tournament circuits, and visit a city I’d never been to before.”

— Alistair Brown (PokerStars qualifier, finished in 28th place for £1,960)

“Power Path for me is super exciting because I’ve already met two or three individuals on my travels who have qualified to an event such as this from the power path,” said Walsh. “And as somebody that plays a lot of spin and goes, and that where Power Path starts, that would make a lot of sense to me that my community was sort of live there as well.”

— Team Pro Nick Walsh

“I’m just happy to cash. It’s been a blast. It’s been nice to sort of roll with the big boys like Sam (Grafton). I was sat next to Georgina James yesterday. A good laugh. It’s just nice to sort of out last a few pros. Yeah it won’t be my last one. Put it that way.”

— Bradley King (PokerStars qualifier, finished 31st place for £1,960)

“I’m doing quite well,” said Campion. “I qualified for this. And then a month and a half’s time I’ve got Barcelona as well. I couldn’t believe it. I had a few mates watching me, I think it was on the bubble or about 16 left.

“Top ten  got the pass. Everyone was all in or fold and I scraped in., I think I finished 10th in the end. Yeah, it was unbelievable. I couldn’t believe it. When it’s your day it’s your day!”

— Oli Campion (PokerStars qualifier, finished tenth for £5,220)

COMING UP NEXT

Blackpool is the latest event on the UKIPT. 

Next up is Brighton on the South coast, and it’s only weeks away. 

That starts on September 5 running until September 10.

Like Blackpool they’ll be a Cup event, a Main Event, and a High Roller, with the full schedule available soon. 

It all takes place at the Rendezvous Casino. Check out full details over on the UKIPT page. 

And of course, keep an eye out for ways to qualify for that event in the PokerStars lobby. 

Final table day for the UKIPT Main Event

FINAL DAY: Play finished in the UKIPT Blackpool Main Event yesterday amid a raging storm. That’s not a metaphor about some horrendous bad beats or bust up at the table. I mean a literal storm. 

Winds reached about 40mph. The nearby Adrenalin Zone at the end of the South Pier closed early. Presumably the risk that anyone thrown over the side of the pier on the giant bungee swing might experience too much adrenaline, and never return to earth.

The walk back to the hotel was a punishing 45 degree slog, with knees scraping the pavement. There is nothing to block the gales coming of the Irish Sea. So no gusts offering moments of respite. Just an invisible force pushing you around, like you were being ushered away from someone important. 

Only fools ventured out to the sea wall to check out the waves. But I hear those who did, ahem, got soaked by sea spray as the ten foot breakers hit the beach with prejudice. 

Remarkably Blackpool looks built to withstand these types of conditions. Sure, the roller coasters close, but the trams kept running. The taxis never stopped ferrying Saturday-nighters out to their Saturday night. And the plastic Dora the Explorer, an advert for Nickelodeon Land at the Pleasure Beach, remained steadfastly bolted to the lamppost rather than flying halfway to Ireland. 

And Blackpool has woken to much of the same this morning. 

The sun managed to break through, but the gales enforced a spring in the step of joggers and Sunday cyclists heading downwind. While those headed the other way tried tacking to their destinations. 

We’re not the only attraction in town today. 

There’s a fun run in Blackpool this morning, which given the conditions seems like a contradiction in terms. That has closed most of the main road along the sea front. 

And a major darts tournament started at the Winter Gardens yesterday, further along the coast. 

But the reason we’re here, and the reason you’re reading this, is for something far more important. 

We’re here to find a winner of the first UKIPT Blackpool Main Event, and the player who will walk away with a trophy and first prize of £53,630. Albeit at a 45 degree angle.

So who are the final six who will play for that small piece of poker history? 

Seat 1: Tuan Le – 1485000

Manchester-based Tuan Le is happy to have made the final table in Blackpool and has found the tournament far from stressful – he says his poker trips are primarily for relaxation and a break from his job as a beautician. “I’m not a professional – far from it! I just like to get away from the kids!” he said, jokingly. Though he describes himself as “still a beginner – from 30 years ago” he enters the final fight for the title with the chip lead having busted Maz Bako in 9th to set the official final table.

Seat 2: Jacob Mulhern – 1,079,000

Jacob Mulhern, 30, has been playing poker since he discovered the game with teenage school friends. At first describing himself as a “successful amateur”, he admitted that after finishing runner- up in the partypoker Millions in 2017 for £650,000, his focus has primarily been on poker. Although he has “a little dabble” online, his primary games of choice are live ones in the area around his hometown of Doncaster. Mulhern returned for Day 2 as chip leader after what he described as a “dynamite couple of hours” earlier on, but since then had hit a “bit of a downslope” to start the final with a shorter stack.

Seat 3: Ali Zia – 1,188,000

Ali Zia, 38, hails from Manchester where he enjoys playing poker locally (with the occasional trip further afield, DTD being a favourite venue). He has already locked up his biggest live cash to date in this UKIPT Blackpool Main Event, his previous results mainly logged in smaller buy-in recurring tournaments. Zia has been playing poker since 2010, his introduction to the game in the form of no limit Hold’em tournaments, which he prefers (although he also plays cash). Zia starts the eight-handed final table with the second-largest stack.

Seat 4: Daniel Jackson – 876,000

Daniel Jackson is a 27-year-old professional poker player from Stoke on Trent. Having graduated with a degree in Business Management from Liverpool University, he now plays a mixture of cash games online and live tournaments at casinos in Manchester. His biggest tournament win has been online (just short of six figures), while a top two finish here will surpass his previous best live cash. In Blackpool he has already made a final table (in the £330 Cup, finishing 6th for £4,200) and describes his UKIPT trip as “a productive week”.

Seat 5: Beihao Wang – 1,095,000

Beihao Wang, 24, graduated from Birmingham University this year with a degree in finance. Originally from Shanghai, China, he is now resident in Birmingham where he frequents local casinos to play live poker. A £120 Grand Prix win last year (for £25,000) has set him on the road to play more live tournaments, and this one has been going well for him: he describes himself as “running very hot”. Key hands he noted included a trio of flushes for which he received maximum value, plus an ace – cracking king-queen; the hot run has placed him in the middle of the pack chip-wise for the final day.

Seat 6: Teodor Evstratiev – 1,084,000

Teodor Evstratiev is a 30-year-old Bulgarian, resident in Birmingham, who enjoys playing live cash games. Recently he has journeyed to Malta for the Poker Stars Summer Festival – which he described as a “good experience” – but his list of live tournament results (totalling over $85,000) was mainly built up in the midlands. His early experience playing small live tournaments has put him in a comfortable frame of mind going into the final table with a similar stack to the top four in chips.

Sam Grafton on being the high profile target 

DAY 2: A few moments ago Sam Grafton’s dream of a first UKIPT title — one he spoke about earlier this week as being so important to him — came to a premature end. 

It stands to reason that when you’re the most high profile player in a tournament you become something of a target. 

It’s something that was noticeable talking to players in Blackpool. A common theme between all of them. 

If they played a hand against Sam Grafton and won, they said so. 

I mentioned this to Grafton earlier, that whether he knew it or not, he was a bigger target than most. What was that like? 

“Yeah that’s interesting because obviously my image has changed over the years. And one of the nice things about poker obviously is you can play with someone that plays at a higher level in a way you couldn’t in another sport. 

“I can understand why people enjoy that. It can be difficult because sometimes people do play in a particular way against you. 

“Some people are going to back down a bit more. And some people are going to think I’m always bluffing because that what their perception of a good player is. Or they’ll see me on TV. 

“So, I’m trying to account that for that, and adjust. It’s part of the game. And yeah, just makes more fun more interesting.”

Grafton departs in 11th place, agonisingly short of the final table. His dream of a UKIPT title will have to wait a little longer. He leaves behind him a long list of players with a story to tell. 

The incredible run of Oli Campion

DAY 2: There were reasons why Oli Campion needed a good run at UKIPT Blackpool, and reasons why it somehow seemed likely. 

Let’s deal with the need part first. 

It was his anniversary yesterday. 

“I was gonna send the flowers didn’t have time to obviously playing poker and stuff. But she let me play, it’s a once in a lifetime thing.”

Campion, who turns 29 today, can make up for that later. For now his attention is on the poker. And that reason why all of this seemed likely. More on that in a sec. 

First the story so far. 

“My nerves have settled now,” he said at the first break today. “I was nervous driving down here. Three hour drive down here (from Stourport-on-Severn). Soon as I got in the money I just settled. That was it.” 

Campion could be forgiven for a few nerves coming into Day 2. He’d made the money, that much was certain. But how long he’d last today was a different story. 

He was the short stack. He’d need to act quickly if his stay today wasn’t going to be over before it started. 

“I thought, you know, just go for it. First hand I got lucky. And I beat Sam (Grafton) on a hand. I hit a two outer on the river so… makes your day.” 

This is a big event for Campion. But his start in poker was a bright one. He was 19 when he was playing professionally almost by accident, making money playing online.

“I think I was probably 19 or so when I had a good run. Made about eight grand online or so. 

“I said to my dad you know ‘I want to play poker full time’. I remember he went to work and I was sat at home. He came back home from work and said, “how much you made today Ali? Just two and a half grand. I came seconding a big tournament.”

But sitting at home playing poker all day never really cut it for Campion. 

“I'll be honest, I got bored, just sitting there every day. Poker is a hobby first for me.”

That might partially explain why Campion’s game of choice is turbos, and hyper turbos. Quick, fast-paced and action filled. Which is a long way from the 14-hour days he’s had so far in Blackpool. 

“I do like longer games. I like the structure down here. it’s a long game, isn't it? It’s a bit of a graft, 12 hours of poker. I don't mind it a lot. I'll do feel live focus on online, to be honest.”

So why, like I said earlier, did all of this — the deep run in Blackpool — somehow seem likely? 

Well, that’s down to Power Path. 

“I'm doing quite well,” said Campion. “I qualified for this. And then a month and a half’s time I’ve got Barcelona as well. 

That’s thanks to a silver pass won on PokerStars. 

“I couldn’t believe it. I had a few mates watching me, I think it was on the bubble or about 16 left.

“Top ten  got the pass. Everyone was all in or fold and I scraped in., I think I finished 10th in the end. Yeah, it was unbelievable. I couldn't believe it.”

“Very lucky, he said. “When it’s your day it’s your day!”

It could well be his day again before the weekend is out. 

Mission accomplished for Brad King

DAY 2: Bradley King set himself the target of finishing in the money when he arrived in Blackpool. He busted this afternoon but it was very much mission accomplished. 

“So I came in with 173,000. Chipped up a little bit, but then I got kings like a few hands later, against one of the short starts. They shoved all-in pre with ace-nine off. And I had kings again.”

As he described it, he was gripped by that familiar feeling of this being perhaps a little too good. 

“The second time of getting them that quickly… something's gonna go wrong! And yeah, it was an ace in a window.

“So I was crippled after that. And then just moved table. My final hand was ace four of diamonds versus King three off. Fine, until the river and then my opponent hit a three.”

But, a cash finish is not easy. And 31st, for a cash of £1,960, is not bad for someone who just plays casually. 

“I’m just happy to cash. It’s been a blast. It's been nice to sort of roll with the big boys like Sam (Grafton). I was sat next to Georgina James yesterday. A good laugh. It's just nice to sort of out last a few pros.”

Spoken like someone who doesn’t know they’ve fitted in for the past few days. 

“Yeah it won't be my last one. Put it that way.”

Personal poker stories (temporarily) on hold

DAY 2: They may have departed the main event already, but we’d be remiss not to give honourable mentions to some of the PokerStars qualifiers who played UKIPT Blackpool.

Like Conna Reed, 28, from Hitchin, who describes himself as a by-the-book player. He started with £5 re-buys, and just played a £1,000 Main Event. One of a few packages he’s won online. By day he works part time as a pyrotechnics expert for an events company. So insert your own pun about explosive finishes here. 

Darren Lord has been playing for 16 years, using poker as an enjoyable escape from the rigours of working for the National Health Service, a job he’s had for 40 years. 

Lord has a decent record in £1K events, cashing in 3 of 5 coming into Blackpool. But six times wasn’t the charm this week. “I’m conventional but fearless” he told us, adding that a win, not a min-cash, was his goal. Had he done that it would have meant immediate retirement. For now he’ll have to wait for the next opportunity. 

Then there was Patrice Brandt, who was bon in Germany and who now lives in the UK. An “old school PokerStars regular” he called himself. A type of player a lot of us hold in particular esteem having got into poker at around the same time.  

Lots of players, from different backgrounds, with different goals for the week. See you at the next one. 

Richard Barnes, never too old

DAY 2: If you’ve ever found yourself thinking “I’m too old to…” well, for this example lets say “start playing poker”, Richard Barnes might be the textbook example of why that line of thinking is incorrect. 

It’s not that Richard starting playing poker late in life. In fact he started nearly 20 years ago when, in his words the game was “insane”. 

It’s all the other stuff he started. Well into his forties. And which are now shaping the rest of his life. 

First the poker. It was an interest that started in his home town of Leeds and £5 re-buys on a Sunday afternoon. 

Soon he realised that poker, and a few PokerStars qualifiers, might just be a perfect way to satisfy his other craving - to travel. 

He won a seat to the APPT Macau Main Event back in 2009. All paid for by a PokerStar. A package which basically let him see the other side of the world for a few dollars. 

Barnes describes himself as someone who always wants to improve and be the best version of himself. When we spoke yesterday this seemed a natural position to take. As if the following questions were unnecessary. Just part of who he was, and smiling as he replied with short answers that seemed instinctive.

That applied to poker and the aim of being a “good recreational player”. But also in his life away from the tables. 

Like going to University six years ago, age 42, to study Graphic and web design. He now makes his living doing that freelance. It also pays for his love of travel, especially to Spain. 

A country he enjoys spending time in so much that he’s learning to speak the language. With the added self-enforced incentive of buying himself an Espanyol season ticket (easier now they’ve been relegated). As he put it, nothing forces you to speak the lingo than buying one of those over the phone. 

Barnes busted the main event yesterday. Just short of his aim of bagging chips for day 2. But he’ll be back. Unless there’s an Espanyol game, obviously. 

NICK WALSH ON SWAPPING ROLES AND OBSTACLES ALONG THE WAY

DAY 1B: What’s it like to go to countless PokerStars Main Events, but not actually play them?

That’s how things usually work for Nick Walsh. When not streaming as part of his day job, he’s usually part of the commentary team for big events like the EPT. So that’s behind the TV screen rather than in front of it. Or on it. 

That means he gets to see poker close up. The downside is he doesn’t always get to play it. 

“This is a fantastic change because obviously my responsibility with PokerStars is very frequently to do with with tournaments, of course, and commentary obviously. 

“For the most part I've been trying to play some side events prior to every EPT that we travel to. But this year I'm trying to get to as many UKIPTs as I can. And out of those circumstances, I have the opportunity to play the main and however many side events I want.”

But while it might seem like his natural environment, big multi table tournaments are not this speciality.  

“I was always more of a sit and go player and prior to that a cash player,” says Walsh. “So as I foray more into MTTs, I feel like it's appropriate that I should move more into you UKIPTs and try to find as many opportunities to play live as possible. And Blackpool has been fantastic. 

“I think, on the first two days of the Cup we had as many re-entries as we had buy-ins. And that's a good sign. That tells me that poker's healthy and that people want to play, and there's an appetite for the game.” 

As well as playing it’s also an opportunity for Walsh to connect with his online community. Especially those — that would be the majority of us — not able to buy-in to big events directly. 

“It’s fantastic to meet the players who are really interested in playing smaller events such as this, with smaller entries. But it’s also an opportunity to meet the individuals who have now being qualifying for events such as this through the new promotion that we have on PokerStars which is Power Path.”

Forgive us for repeating this. But it’s what lots of players have been talking about online and live here in Blackpool. 

Power Path is a direct way to win seats to events like the UKIPT — or any regional event — along with bigger targets like EPT Barcelona. 

And all you have to do to start that process is play one single hand of real money poker on PokerStars. That gets you a free step one ticket. From there you can advance through four steps, with the last step only accessible if you’ve reached it from step 3. 

That means no experienced players with big bankrolls jumping in to steal your thunder at the last minute.

“Power Path for me is super exciting because I've already met two or three individuals on my travels who have qualified to an event such as this from the power path,” said Walsh. “And as somebody that plays a lot of spin and goes, and that where Power Path starts, that would make a lot of sense to me that my community was sort of live there as well.”

Back on the tables and Walsh’s main event is going better than his Cup performance earlier this week. 

“I did two bullets in the Cup, which was the £330. That was a great warm up up for me. It's been a while since I played live. And even to this day, if I'm out of practise, I still have a lot of anxiety and a lot of nerves going into these sorts of things. So, I feel like I played really well in both of those bullets. 

“I took a big hit really early on. I had boat over boat for about half my stack. But we've managed to get back up past starting stack, got about 50 big blinds going into the third break, and I'm hopeful. I'm really excited to see the outcome here in Blackpool. It looks like we're gonna have a really big payout and some really big numbers up top.” 

Something jumped out to me as we talked. That issue of anxiety. Really? A player like Nick Walsh? Nervous about a poker tournament? 

“So those individuals that have been following my story from the very beginning will know that I’ve really struggled with my mental health from around the age of 24 to 26, or, even even longer than that.

“I had some pretty bad issues with anxiety. That was sort of a very irrational fear of nothing at all. 

“And having come out the other side of that. Whenever I enter a room and I'm full of excitement, my body can very frequently manifest that as anxiety or or fear.

“So coming into Blackpool and super excited going to the main event. And so I sit down and I'm shaking because my relationship with the adrenaline is so different from other people's. 

“And then I take a few deep breaths and I remember I'm here to have a good time. And have a chat with the people that a table. That always chills me out. It takes this sort of faceless like, sort of quiet intimidation factor out of the equation. And after a few hands, you to settle into it. 

“And and I think it's important to feel anxiety when you play poker. Because if there's no consequence there there’ no game to be played. And Poker is a game of consequence. And also, it shows that you care about it. And if you don't care about a poker tournament, you're very lucky to win.”

Alistair Brown and a story that starts with Bond

DAY 1B: We all have our fictional heroes. For Alistair Brown it’s Star Trek’s Jean-Luc Picard. But more on him in a sec. 

Because it was another fictional hero, James Bond, that got him into poker. 

“Casino Royale. I mean he looked cool. I wanted to look cool!”

But being James Bond is one thing. Being a poker player is something completely different. As Brown quickly realised. 

“After the first game I played with my friends in high school. I was like, yeah, I’m rubbish at this. And it wasn't until like four or five years later that I started playing it a local pub and just finding I had a bit of a nack for it.”

The nack, as Brown puts it, has brought him, after several years, to Blackpool. But not without creating some interesting poker stories along the way. 

Like the day he walked into a casino in Coventry the night before a conference he was hosting. 

“The local Grosvenor had a £40 tournament starting. When I regged I said "please can I have the maximum buy-in" meaning I'll take all add-ons and extras. This included (unknowingly to me) a £2 Royal Flush jackpot entry. 

“The first hand of the tournament I play, K♦ J♦ . I river a royal flush and stack the bloke to my left. My first ever royal flush. The first the dealer had ever dealt too. 

“The table went wild, and people from all over the tournament came over to look. I was a little confused. It wasn't THAT big a deal. Then they paused the clock and the table kept asking me if I'd 'paid the extra'. 

“I checked my ticket, and I had. Right there and then, I got paid £1800, and then five hours later, I won the tournament for another £1200. 

“The next day took a lot of coffee. I didn't tell anyone at work but… the conference was a massive success.” 

Sounds like a nack all right. 

But then Brown, the son of British diplomats (how’s being born in Havana for a cool backstory) distinguishable by aviator shades, a black addidas hoodie and good manners, seems the kind of chap you can imagine being in the right place at the right time. 

His intent being to get the most out of every experience. Whether it’s poker, amateur boxing (which shares a lot of analogies with poker), music producing (a start up helping musicians get known), or quoting Jean Luc Picard. Again, more on that in a sec. First another story that sounds more Bond than Brown.

“I went to Marrakech for two weeks and found a tournament at Casino Marrakech. Everything was in French. I got a crash course in French numbers, and smashed the locals, winning first place. 

“I wasn't there to play poker so I'd only played again in the cash game on the last night I was there and smashed it again for a huge win.”

That paid for the trip. And not back for someone who defines his playing style as nothing too fancy (“When I get fancy I start losing chips”). Now he’s making his first venture into a level of poker on the UKIPT.

“The largest buy-in i've played before was £400 buy-in at Aspers, and that was only because I turned up to play cash game and they said you've got four hundred pounds worth of credit with us. 

“Okay, I'll play that played that. Bubbled it. Literally the bubble Boy. I'd even got out for a cigarette in a coffee that I just wait to the bubble. at 700 for the first. The first payout. 700 came back. Lost. Serves me right. But only lost the 40 quid registration. I wasn't too upset.” 

And now Blackpool, which he arrived at after another unlikely series of events. 

“Whilst playing my usual Stars home game, I registered to an £11 satellite to a £109 UKIPT Main Event satellite. I'd somehow won both in a row and only really clocked what I'd won after I'd won!

“So despite the fact I'll be playing way out of my league at a Main Event, I'm just delighted to get the opportunity to shuffle some chips at one the UK's most (if not the most) prestigious tournament circuits, and visit a city I'd never been to before.”

Brown got an early win with ace high and by his own account has a decent table draw. 

“There was one fellow was quite aggressive on my left. He got moved table so I was delighted.”

So far so good. And halfway through the day Brown is still in the same seat with chips. Whether this event turns into another of the stories he can tell remains to be seen. But that doesn’t matter if the purpose is to enjoy the experience, without too much emphasis on the outcome.

Which is where Jean-Luc Picard comes in, and a quote as applicable to poker as it was spoken to the character Data, after the fictional android lost a strategy game to a grand master. 

“[He] uttered one of the most profound quotes on life I've ever heard,” says Brown. “'It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.’" 

The whole context adds so much too. Data was convinced he was defective because he, an android, wasn't able to beat a normal person at a strategy game. 

The lesson was; you cannot allow yourself to dwell in the pit of despair. It is a swamp with no floor. Shrug it off, say "that is life" and work harder. 

Not a bad approach to life. And to poker. 

Grafton midway through the kind of year other players dream of

DAY 1B: If you’ve been following the action on the tables, which by the way if you weren’t already you can find HERE, then you’ll know that Sam Grafton finished best on Day 1A. 

Which, for the Team Pro, could be the first sign that his previous record in Blackpool might finally take an upward turn. 

“I played the GUKPTs here. Never cashed. Never done anything here. But was happy to come up. It’s got a bit of poker history here, it’s always got good turnouts.

Grafton is midway through the type of year that sounds appealing to anyone trying to get into the poker circuit. A seemingly endless run of tournaments, at destinations around the world. 

"It’s been great. There was such a fast start to the year. I was in Brazil at Christmas and then Bahamas, Paris. Travelled in Vietnam a little bit. Then had Monte Carlo and SCOOP back-to-back." 

"So this summer I've just been chilling. Now I’m cranking it back up. There's this, then Triton and  London. Then Barcelona obviously."

So to be clear, Blackpool is in the chilling out phase. A summer break that involved turning down the dry heat of Las Vegas and the World Series, in exchange for the dry cold of Blackpool. 

"It is very demanding. Especially the intensity of playing really high stakes tournaments."  

"I think that the intensity of running deep in the PSPC, I always described it like, I mean, this is in my imagination because I'm not a diver, but I imagine it's like going under water. You feel incredible pressure. And then you come up, and then you almost come up a bit to fast, and you can be a bit…" 

"So that's why I skipped Vegas. I'm gonna be coming into the next part of the year fresh."

All of which might suggest that the UKIPT is where the pressure is off. But not exactly. 

Think about this from your perspective, whether you’re used to playing big events or are on your own poker journey of £5 re-buys at your local casino, or just online tournaments for a few cents. The most important tournament is usually the one you’re in. 

"I was saying yesterday how I played the 300 (Cup) and actually, being fair, it is quite a while since I played a 300. But you still try to do your best."

"I think for me, focus always been fun when you play seriously. And that's always the pleasure of it." 

"And so, you know, some guy here called me on the river now, and I was a bit of maybe I should not, but, you know, I still, I still have that same feeling. I don’t just shrug it off like that doesn't matter."

Which may have been behind the motivation yesterday, and the 342,000 he bagged up, nearly a full 100K ahead of the next player. 

"I would love to win an UKIPT and obviously, hypothetically speaking, this field should be a pretty good field given that a lot of professional poker players, or players with experience and great bankrolls tend to be in Vegas still."

"And it's quite hard to come off the plane after the main event and hop up to Blackpool. So it's going to be a little bit of a softer field than normal. So a great occasion to get my first UKIPT title." 

Regardless of the result, if you play any of the remaining UKIPT events this season you’re likely to run into Sam Grafton at some point. Body permitting. 

"Certainly, every EPT and then I will do my best to play every UKIPT. And you know, schedule allowing. 

"I try and listen to my body and my internal clock a little bit. So sometimes its something you learn to listen to yourself. As you get a little bit older as well. 

"Luckily I’m in a privileged position. I used to want to keep the shop open every day. And now I’m okay to miss an event, but Ideally, I'd love to play every UKIPT. 

"I really enjoy these events, I love grassroots poker. It would be lovely to get a UKIPT title. I know that I'm gonna have fun and enjoy these event.

"They’re places people want to go and that's the same for me. Particularly Brighton, Edinburgh. It’s nice to have an excuse to go there." 

A lot of us have been reminiscing this week. This being the first event of the tour back in UK soil for, well, too long. There’s something unique about regional events that is different at bigger tournament like the European Poker Tour. Like what GJ Reggie said yesterday. The community that forms in smaller venues. 

"I'm old enough to remember at the first time round. I remember I got 12th in Brighton one year. I remember Edinburgh. I remember winning a late night tournament and thinking f*** it I’m going to Edinburgh. You know what I mean? 

"I really like the UKIPT. I’m really glad it's back so strongly." 

A few surprises. And some not that big surprises

DAY 1B: If you’re looking for a town full of surprises, Blackpool delivers. 

Take this example. 

Every three minutes or so, like clockwork, the corridors of the nearby hotels rattle to the sound of screaming. 

I don’t mean a gust of wind or a trick of the mind. I mean genuine high-pitched unmistakable screaming.

What is this? The spectral remnants of murders or accidents? Some terrible disagreement in the kitchen downstairs? 

Not quite. 

It’s the sound of the Big One, a roller coaster that hurtles past the back windows of the hotels along the promenade, part of the Pleasure Beach that still attracts kids of all ages who like to leave their stomach at the top of a 205 foot sheer drop. 

So screams of adrenaline rather than terror. Or perhaps a bit of both. 

Then there are the less surprising things. Like Sam Grafton topping the overnight standings in the UKIPT Blackpool Main Event. 

Opponents drawn on his table likely suppressed any screams, for reasons of table image, but Grafton can almost make it look easy sometimes. 

We spoke to him yesterday about his year leading up to Blackpool, and what is to follow. Check back for that later. 

Today is Day 2 though which is a different story. 

Remember, UKIPTs are designed to appeal to a more recreational level off player. Players like Matt Crocker, who we highlighted yesterday. Players who win seats on PokerStars — including the new Power Path route — or who are stepping up into a bigger event. 

Not professionals able to book a seat when it suits them. But keen amateurs juggling their poker with the day job, or real life obligations.

Which is why Day 1B starts today. And Day 1C. 

Day 1B starts at noon. That looks much like yesterday with 40 minute levels. Suited to those taking the day off for a (hopefully) long weekend. 

Day 1C is a little different. That starts at 6pm, with 20 minute levels, designed for those putting in a proper shift then clocking off for some poker. 

Late registration stays open late for both, and players can re-enter three times in each flight. So we may yet see some familiar faces back from yesterday. 

Not Sam Grafton though. No surprises. 

GJ Reggie on how events like the UKIPT are open to players like you

DAY 1A: If you think that playing a UKIPT event like this one in Blackpool is just too big a leap for you, then take a word of encouragement from GJ Reggie. 

GJ is one of those players that is the perfect example of someone who went from super low stakes, to being able to play tournaments like the UKIPT Blackpool Main Event. And just as importantly, without the nerves. 

For her it’s not just about the poker. Games like Power Path give recreational players a great way to reach events like this. But when you get here you’ll find much than just a seat at the table. 

“When I first started playing I sort of almost just dreamt about going to live events.

“I felt like something that was really far away because I only played really, really small stakes. And I was very lucky that PokerStars gave me the opportunity to be here. 

“And I think the fact that you can, you know, go from small stakes, play some satellites, and make your way here is really cool. 

“Over the last year, I played so many live events had the chance to meet so many people. I'm sort of not nervous anymore. 

“Because when you first start playing and you first start travelling you just get nervous of playing live. Because you’re not used to the feel of the chips. You know, remembering the levels are and having the dealers [help], and a lot poker etiquette stuff. But then you get that with practise. 

“And also like, poker can be super lonely at time to play. Especially when you grind online. And the fact that you can go to events and meet all these people, like, that's my favourite thing about coming.

“The fact that now, and it doesn't matter where I go, I'm always gonna know someone. And having that is just a lot of fun. 

“In the UK in particular. Because a lot of my core audience is from the UK. It's nice that there's a lot of opportunities for them to travel. That you can kind of meet up, go out for dinner, have some drinks. 

“Some of them don't even come to even play. They just want to just want to be here and experience the atmosphere. 

“Community is super important to me. So making events, especially regional ones like this kind of more accessible, I think is great.” 

A day of firsts for Matt Crocker

DAY 1A: Matt Crocker is something of a pioneer in Blackpool. Using some quick maths (which we think is correct) Matt won something like the third ticket to Blackpool using the new Power Path qualification route.

"I've really been enjoying the Power Path stuff. They're really good value. Because the like 109s (the $109 entry level) can't be bought into directly. It's not just filled with pros."

And if you haven’t read about Power Path, how it benefits recreational players in particular, and opens a pathway to playing events like this, you really need to read this article.

The other pioneering first isn’t quite so good. Which came via an email shortly after the break.

“Thanks for the chat earlier! I ran kings into aces in a tale as old as time, so have sprinted off to try and get home to Bristol today.”

Minutes earlier Matt, who identifies as non-binary, summed up the first three levels as “some fairly decent cards but some fairly awful flops.” Not great, but still. “I wasn’t gonna grumble about getting in for so cheap.”

Alas, Croker’s event came to and end before we’d even typed up that chat. One of the first to bust and hit the road. The eastbound M55 to be exact.

But forging new ground is not just about winning hands or even seats.

Before the Covid pandemic Croker was diagnosed with ADHD. Which suddenly explained a long list of hobbies and interests.

"Yeah, have a lot of them, My house, like a think a lot of ADHD people's houses, is just strewn with half, quarter finished projects."

It’s not a condition unique to Matt.

"I was on a table yesterday in the Cup with someone who also has ADHD and we had a chat [about] how it can be a struggle sometimes."

The condition brings with it challenges for the typical poker player looking to improve.

"It makes it quite hard to sort of knuckle down and do the boring stuff that makes your better play. So like hand reviews, study, that sort of stuff. I learnt much better through watching video and by doing.

"But there’s a lot of value in the self-discipline stuff. And it also means I get dragged off by other hobbies quite easily."

The early elimination has a silver lining. Those projects left waiting for one. Like the dress making course postponed this weekend in place of poker. They might now be back on.

And not all is completely lost in a poker sense either.

"I've got a couple more 109s to fire [in PowerPath]. Maybe I'll be shlepping over to the next one."

How to describe the host town?

DAY 1A: What’s the best way to describe Blackpool to someone who hasn’t been here before?

Let’s start with the ambitious version.

Because on paper this place is a carbon copy of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas.

Beach, tick.

Sunshine, tick.

Casino, tick.

Waterpark, tick.

(See how this is going?)

Great hotels… sunshine…  merch…. Tick, tick, tick.

But let’s not get carried away and instead give you a more accurate picture of this town.

Or, as the man I saw a short while ago in the Adrenalin Zone might put it – a ride that involves paying to be clipped onto the end of a bungee cord and catapulted over the side of the 130-year-old South Pier –let’s keep our feet firmly on the ground from now on.

Blackpool is the very best of the British seaside town, just as it was in its heyday. And not much has changed since then.

Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach, ballroom tower and three piers stretching out to see might have lost out to cheap package holidays over the years. But you can’t replace the charm. It’s soaked into every stick of rock, every bag of fish and chips, every 24-hour tattoo parlour, and every electric tram rattling by the Casino doors.

And inside, it looks exactly like you’d expect a modern stop on the PokerStars live Events calendar would look. The best playing experience, quality opposition. Oh, and table service.

Today it’s the turn of the Main Event. The reason we’re all here.

Day 1A is underway, with a steady flow of players gradually taking seats. For all that check out PokerNews. That’s where you’ll find hand for hand details.

Remember to bookmark this page. This is where we’ll feature stories of some of the players. A mix of PokerStars Pros, seasoned players, and recreational players here for a few dollars thanks to Power Path.

More on that later, and how you can win your way to more stops on the UKIPT later this year.

For now, we’re about to re-write UKIPT history with an entry labelled “Blackpool”. That should provide a better description of this great town.

Seriously though, the water park next door looks fantastic.

How to follow updates from UKIPT Blackpool

Our attention is focused firmly on the action from the Grosvenor Casino in Blackpool.

PokerNews will be on site to bring live updates from the tournament floor. This is where you can find hand details, chip counts, and all the action from the sharp end of the Main Event.

LIVE UPDATES FROM UKIPT BLACKPOOL ON POKERNEWS

But make sure you bookmark this page as well. On the PokerStars Blog you'll find information about the event itself, more on some of the players taking part (professional as well as amateur), and a bit about what it's like to play a UKIPT tournament.

We're looking forward to it. We hope you are too.

In the meantime you’ll find more details about the UKIPT Blackpool festival, including the full schedule, below.

UKIPT Blackpool dates: July 11 - 16, 2023

Cup: July 11-13 - £330

Main Event: July 13-16 - £1,100

High Roller: July 15-16 - £2,200

Click here for the full day by day schedule.

Venue Information

UKIPT Blackpool will be held at the Grosvenor Casino.

Address: The Sandcastle, Promenade, Blackpool FY4 1BB, United Kingdom
Dress Code: smart casual
Minimum Age: 18
NB: Must bring a valid government-issued passport or ID to participate.

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