The UK and Ireland Poker Tour returned for UKIPT Nottingham 2024 from November 8-18 at Dusk Till Dawn. Find out what happened with news, stories and interviews here.

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UKIPT Nottingham proved to be a story of redemption for two brothers in arms who both came close to European Poker Tour (EPT) success in Cyprus last month. Both Arian Kashani of Iran and Phillip Joyce of the UK made it to the final two tables at the Merit Resort in October, only to bust before the final table in 11th and 12th place, respectively.

But tonight, in a remarkable turn of events, the two found themselves heads-up in the largest UKIPT Nottingham Main Event ever, a tournament that topped last year’s record-breaker with 1,282 entries, and smashed the million quid guarantee to create a £1,230,720 prize pool.

They knew they would finish one after another yet again, only this time, one of them would clinch their first major PokerStars live title. The $60,900 Joyce picked up in Cyprus was his best score to date, while Kashani finished runner-up in a WSOP Circuit event in Nottingham earlier this year for a career-best £71,820. 

Both eclipsed those scores here today, but there could be only one winner. Kashani is the UKIPT Nottingham 2024 champion and collected £201,900, while Joyce picked up £126,000.

Entering heads-up as a near 3:1 chip lead certainly put the odds in Kashani’s favour. The UK-based player entered the final table as chip leader too and only ever slipped to second, but now he was just one player away from victory. 

But Joyce isn’t someone you can push around. When the two reached the turn of a 2♦ 8♦ J♦ 4♥ board, Kashani set Joyce all-in holding K♦ Q♣ for the second nut flush draw, and Joyce fearlessly insta-called holding J♠ 10♦ for top pair. The 6♠ river changed nothing and suddenly the two were even-stevens. They stopped the clock to discuss a deal. No dice.

Joyce started to pull away only for Kashani to double with pocket fives against pocket threes. The momentum stayed with Kashani and he retook the lead. It was clear it was going to take one big collision to end it. Kashani made it 1 million to go and Joyce jammed for 11 million with 10♥ 9♥ . Kashani called with K♦ Q♣ and saw Joyce take the lead on the 9♣ 6♦ 4♣ flop, but the 4♣ turn gave him plenty of outs. He hit the flush on the 8♣ river, and we had our champion.

When we spoke to Kashani after the win, he was clearly feeling very emotional. “I’ve been at it for a long time,” he said. “I’ve had so many challenges, setbacks, disappointments, but I’ve persevered through all the tough times.”

He continued: “I love what I do. I’ve been playing poker for 11 years now, five full-time. And I’m just about to launch my coaching program — talk about good timing. But there have been a lot of disappointments.”

Kashani says he’s made a lot of sacrifices to play poker full-time, but cherishes his family — mainly his partner and eight-year-old son — for always supporting him. “What I do isn’t normal, so I’m very blessed to have a partner who accepts what I do,” he says. “It wasn’t always like this because we had tough periods at the start of my career. But we persevered, and if you persevere and do the right things eventually good things will come.

“They say if you hang around the barber shop long enough you’ll eventually get a haircut, y’know?”

Consider Kashani’s hair well and truly cut.

FINAL TABLE ACTION

Kashani began the final table with a commanding chip lead – more than double that of his nearest opponent, Nathan Slater – having seen off multiple players in the opening levels of Day 3. Here’s how the finalists stacked up when the FT began:

1. Philip Joyce – 3,580,000 (30 big blinds)
2. Michael Casson – 2,765,000 (23)
3. Christopher Brammer – 4,515,000 (38)
4. Yannik Seabrook – 2,070,000 (17)
5. Arian Kashani – 11,390,000 (95)
6. Justin Tsui – 2,825,000 (24)
7. Parminder Kandola – 3,180,000 (27)
8. Nathan Slater – 5,280,000 (44)
9. Daniel Rudd – 2,860,000 (24)

Michael Casson was one card away from being the first final table casualty, but spiked an ace on the river with ace-king suited against Nathan Slater’s pocket queens, cutting Slater’s second biggest stack in half. 

It was actually British pro Daniel Rudd who became the first to fall, four-bet shoving with A♠ 2♠ over a small blind three-bet from Phillip Joyce with A♦ K♣ , which held. A cash game pro for much of his long career, the 38-year-old only transitioned to tournaments full-time at the start of the year and now has another great score under his belt, taking £18,780 back to his wife and three young kids in Winchester.

Slater bounced back from that early blow by doubling with A♥ 9♦ through Joyce’s pocket queens, but couldn’t spin it up any further. After opening with A♦ 5♦ and getting three-bet by chipleader Kashani, Slater jammed for 4.6 million (as a solver would suggest) and was snapped by Kashani with A♣ K♣ . The board paired both kickers, but the big slick held, sending Slater to collect £24,430 for eighth. 

It was a similar story for Hong Kong’s Justin Tsui. Short-stacked from the beginning, Tsui found a double with Q♣ J♥ against Parminder Kandola’s A♣ 9♣ when a miracle queen landed on the river, but couldn’t ride the wave any further. 

Kashani kicked things off with a cutoff open to 400,000 with A♣ Q♥ before Tsui shoved on the button for 2 million holding Q♣ 10♣ . Kandola then woke up with J♥ J♦ and shoved over the top for close to 5 million, forcing a reluctant fold from Kashani. The board offered no help, and Tsui departed in seventh for £31,760 – another great score following his £100K win at GUKPT Coventry Main Event this July.

From there we saw Christopher Brammer get a double through the chip leader, rivering a straight and getting shoved on by Kashani, who had ace-high. The same luck didn’t come for Yannik Seabrook, however, who was busted by a brutal card on a fifth street.

Joyce opened under the gun and Seabrook moved all in for 3.35 million on the button. Joyce made the call with A♣ Q♣ and saw he was well ahead of Seabrook’s A♥ 5♣ , but the 5♦ 9♦ 8♠ flop changed the mood. The A♠ hit the turn and Seabrook – who had been standing until this point – retook his seat. “You’re sitting down, that’s dangerous,” said Joyce, but Seabrook seemed confident he had the pot locked up. 

Unfortunately for him, the 9♥ river paired the board to counterfeit his two pair, and Joyce’s queen kicker won him the pot as Seabrook went to collect £41,300 for sixth. A poker pro for only one year, this is a great result for the 31-year-old British crypto entrepreneur.

Fifth place was a great result for Casson, too, particularly as he came so close to busting in ninth. The 31-year-old shoved most of his stack with A♠ 2♠ from the cutoff and called off for 2.8 million when Kashani set him all in holding K♣ Q♦ . He had the lead through to the turn on the 5♣ J♦ 9♥ 6♠ board, but the 10♣ river gave Kashani a straight. Coming into the third and final day as chip leader, Casson told us he “might go for it” if he won this event, venturing into EPTs and beyond. Still, £53,680 is nothing to sniff at either.

Brammer looked set to be our fourth-place finisher when he found himself all-in with pocket eights against Kashani’s pocket kings, but an eight landed on the flop to give him the double and edge his stack even closer to chip leader’s. He overtook Kashani shortly thereafter, getting paid with trips by Kashani holding second pair.

Kandola’s run came to an end soon after. Having shoved several hands in a row, he tried it again from under the gun with A♦ 8♦ for 5.35 million but was snap-called by Kashani in the big blind with pocket tens, which held. Congratulated and consoled by a large local rail here to cheer him on, Kandola picked up his £69,200 and told them to grab their stuff – he was taking them all for a curry.

Brammer then became the short stack after this next hand, but he can take comfort in the fact that he probably should have been out. He opened with A♦ K♦ and was three-bet by Kashani who held A♥ A♣ . Back to Brammer, he four-bet and Kashani opted just to call. The 10♣ 9♣ Q♥ flop was checked through, as was the 7♥ turn. The 2♥ river gave Kashani the nut flush and he jammed, giving Brammer an easy fold.

He dodged a bullet there, but his event came to an end shortly after when he jammed for 3.3 million on the button with K♥ 7♠ and was called by Joyce in the big blind with A♦ 5♦ . Joyce flopped the nut flush leaving Brammer drawing dead, and the Brit went to the cash desk to collect £90,000 for third.

From there, you know what happened. It was Kashani who clinched the title, the trophy, and £201,900 for winning the biggest UKIPT Nottingham ever.

UKIPT NOTTINGHAM 2024 MAIN EVENT

Dates: November 10-18, 2024
Buy-in: £1,100
Entries: 1,282
Prize pool: £1,230,720

1. Arian Kashani (Iran) – £201,900
2. Phillip Joyce (UK) – £126,000
3. Christopher Brammer (UK) – £90,000
4. Parminder Kandola (UK) – £69,200
5. Michael Casson (UK) – £53,680
6. Yannik Seabrook (UK) – £41,300
7. Justin Tsui (Hong Kong) – £31,760
8. Nathan Slater (UK) – £24,430
9. Daniel Rudd (UK) – £18,780

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WATCH THE STREAM

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Photography by Danny Maxwell.

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UKIPT NOTTINGHAM FINAL TABLE PLAYER PROFILES

Learn more about the nine finalists in the UKIPT Nottingham Main Event.

Seat 1: Philip Joyce, United Kingdom, PokerStars Qualifier – 3,580,000

Some might find playing on the Dusk Till Dawn feature table intimidating, but not Phillip Joyce. The 25-year-old Londoner was on European poker’s biggest stage just last month, finishing 12th in the EPT Cyprus Main Event for $60,900 – a career-best.

Joyce started playing while studying accounting and finance at Essex University around four years ago but dropped out when his passion for poker took over. He’s been a pro player for the past two years and now finds himself in a supportive stable of players.

He doesn’t travel for live poker much, preferring to ply his trade online, but says he was never going to miss UKIPT Nottingham. “It’s a great event and with £1 million guaranteed it was a no-brainer for me.”

After his close call in Cyprus, Joyce says taking down this title would mean a lot to him. “I’ve been working hard so it would be really nice to have that reward,” he says. “But at the same time, anything can happen. The trophy looks nice though!”

Seat 2: Michael Casson, United Kingdom – 2,765,000

Michael Casson, 31, began playing poker in what he describes as “the normal way”, taking part in pub leagues and gaining experience through playing live and online.  Nowadays he mainly plays live Texas Hold’em cash games when his business allows him time for poker. 

Here in the Main Event, the third bullet was the charm, propelling him into Day 2 as overall chip leader.  He is now one of the short stacks on the final table but guaranteed his biggest ever cash (all but one of his results have been in events held here at Dusk Till Dawn).

Should he win this UKIPT Nottingham trophy, he said he “might go for it”, heading into the European circuit and beyond. 

Seat 3: Christopher Brammer, United Kingdom – 4,515,000

Coming up in the late 2010s as part of a talented young Brit pack that included Jake Cody, Toby Lewis and Craig McCorkell, Christopher Brammer is now a stalwart of the British poker scene with an impressive résumé, including a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet.

Southampton-born and bred, the 36-year-old continues to travel the live tournament circuit while also battling the mid-to-high-stakes tournaments online behind the screenname “NigDawg”, where he’s got millions in cashes. The biggest score of his live poker career was in 2017 for $527,000 and came with his first piece of WSOP jewellery. But that’s only a fifth of his $2.5 million in live earnings.

Brammer’s best result in a PokerStars live event was on the Italian Poker Tour in 2015, finishing third for €73,000. He’ll top that today if he can finish fourth or better.

Seat 4: Yannik Seabrook, United Kingdom – 2,070,000

It’s been a good starter year for Yannik Seabrook, 31, testing the waters of playing poker professionally for the first time. Seabrook was taught how to play poker at 18 while on holiday in Greece by some strangers and instantly took to it. Since January, Seabrook has racked up nearly $60,000 in prize money, and having taken a couple of months off recently, he has returned to form in style in his first event back at the felt.

Seabrook has been involved in crypto since 2016 and finds similarities in the personality types of those who make a living from cryptocurrency and poker players.  He is surprised, however, that there isn’t more crossover: “You’d think a lot more poker players would be in crypto.”  Stemming from this, he has been working on a crypto-poker project ‘Big Stack the Poker Dog’ which involves an online community and freerolls – but he still makes time to play both cash and tournaments regularly.

“I want to be a pro but I haven’t played long enough!” said Seabrook.  His final table appearance at the WSOP-C here at Dusk Till Dawn gave him a boost of confidence and he approaches the final table as the short stack with sangfroid.

Seat 5: Arian Kashani, Iran, PokerStars Qualifier – 11,390,000

Fresh off a deep run in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Cyprus Main Event last month (11th for $73,000), UK-based Arian Kashani is clearly in fine form and has now gone a few steps further, reaching the final table of a major PokerStars event after qualifying online.

This isn’t Kashani’s first final table rodeo, however. He won a GUKPT High Roller and Super High Roller in 2023, as well as a turbo side event at the Irish Open in April. His best score to date came in this very room back in March when he finished runner-up in a WSOP circuit event for £71,820.

Plus, Kashani’s EPT Cyprus run meant time on the live stream at the feature table, so he’ll be comfortable there too.

Seat 6: Justin Tsui, Hong Kong – 2,825,000

Justin Tsui was born in Hong Kong but now calls London home, where he works in property. Tsui learned the rules of the game at boarding school in the UK, where a supervisor brought in a chip set one day.  After university, when he was able to play for money, he started out online and has been playing recreationally – and successfully – ever since.  Nowadays he comes to play at Dusk Till Dawn “whenever there’s a big tourney”.

Tsui has over half a million dollars in live tournament winnings, including £100,000 for taking down the £1,100 GUKPT Coventry Main Event this July. 

Asked about his progression to the final table, he said, “Every tournament is a rollercoaster! There are a lot of good players still left.”

Seat 7: Parminder Kandola, United Kingdom – 3,180,000

Parminder Kandola is the most local of players to make the final, living just five minutes away from Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham.  When asked if he were a pro player, he replied, “I wish!” – although he has amassed over $200,000 in tournament winnings since 2018.

Businessman Kandola, 42, is a regular at DTD (playing three times a week on average) and prefers Pot Limit Omaha to Hold’em, preferably the six-card variant.  Taking the final table in his stride, Kandola said, “I’ll just relax if I win!” Wherever he finishes in the Main Event, his prize will represent his biggest cash to date.

Seat 8: Nathan Slater, United Kingdom – 5,280,000

Nathan Slater, from Accrington, has known the rules of poker since he was 14, but really embraced the game and started travelling around the country for tournaments around a decade ago.  His previous top result was a win at GUKPT Edinburgh in 2019 (for £42,110), and he has a total of $219,803 in prize money to date. 

Lying second in chips on the final table, Slater will need to finish fifth or above to top his prior best score.  “I just love playing poker,” Slater said, adding, “And the money!”

Seat 9: Daniel Rudd, United Kingdom – 2,860,000

Daniel Rudd, like his friend and fellow finalist Christopher Brammer, has been around the poker scene for a long time, with live cashes dating back to 2007. A cash game player for most of his career, the 38-year-old pro from Winchester only transitioned to tournaments full-time at the start of the year, focusing primarily on online. 

Now he finds himself at the final table of one of the biggest events in British poker, but with years of experience and several live titles on his CV already, this is nothing new. 

When he’s not playing poker, Rudd is spending time with his wife and three kids. “They’re all under five,” he says, “so it’s pretty hectic!”

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ROMERO NAMED UKIPT PLAYER OF THE YEAR, WINS £15K PACKAGE

At the beginning of our UKIPT Nottingham coverage, we told you that it was a very close race in the UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) Player of the Year race. These Nottingham events really counted.

But as this festival draws to a close, we can now officially confirm that PokerStars Ambassador Alejandro “Alex” Romero has topped the Leaderboard, winning a UKIPT 2025 package worth £15,000.

The prize gets the Spaniard £11,000 in 2025 live event credits, plus £4,000 cash expenses so he can travel the UK and beyond. That’s what he did in 2024 to win, recording the following notable cashes:

1st – €350 Irish Open Heads-Up – €5,925
2nd – £2,200 UKIPT London High Roller – £37,600
10th – £1,100 UKIPT London Main Event – £9,500

Romero also cashed three events here in Nottingham — including the Main Event — to secure the title and package.

Congratulations, Alex!

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WORTHINGTON-LEESE BEATS SPRAGG IN HIGH ROLLER, LAMPROPULOS WINS WOMEN’S EVENT

Reporting by Media Coordinator Jen Mason.

Still fresh off his enormous Eureka Cyprus victory for €397,450, Leo Worthington-Leese added a UKIPT Nottingham High Roller title last night (Sunday), topping the 75-entry field to win £41,100.

The one-day £2,200 buy-in event attracted a mixture of fresh players and bustees from the Main Event, generating a £145,920 total prize pool. 

Artus Gimenez, still in the running for a UKIPT Leaderboard win, finished 6th for £8,900 before Jamie Walden followed him to the rail in 5th (£11,200). PokerStars Ambassador Fintan Hand took a bad beat from the only player on the table with a bigger stack four-handed: Worthington-Leese. He got ace-king all in preflop vs. Worthington-Leese’s ace-nine, but two nines rolled out on the board to send him to the rail and propel his opponent into a massive chip lead.

From there we lost Colin MacAndrew in third (£18,920), leaving Worthington-Leese heads-up against another PokerStars Ambassador, Marle Spragg. It was a short, one-hand duel, however, and Spragg collected £26,550 for second place.

Meanwhile, it was multimillion-cashing Argentinian Maria Lampropulos who took down the £230 Women’s Event, adding yet another trophy to her impressive collection. The former PCA champ defeated Cheryl Barrows heads-up to win £1,060 plus entry to the £400 Women’s Winter Festival Main Event.

There were five seats to that event added to the prizes (awarded by Crazy Pineapple Flip-out) so joining Lampropulos will be PokerStars Ambassador Marle Spragg, Aytan Eldarova, Lydia Cugudda, and Zixu Feng.

Fancy playing today? There’s a side event to suit everyone running alongside the final days for the Cup and Main Event on Monday: 13:00 starts for the £1,100 Mystery Bounty, £220 8-Game and £230 Bounty, and 16:00 for the £120 Closer. Click here for full schedule and structure information.

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FROM CARDS TO PINS: UKIPT PLAYERS STRIKE UP FUN AT TENPIN NOTTINGHAM

For those UKIPT Nottingham players unfortunate enough to strike out of the Main Event or Cup, PokerStars arranged for them to hit the lanes an Tenpin Nottingham, just a couple of minutes walk from Dusk Till Dawn, where they could enjoy a few free frames as well as a food and drinks on us.

Joined by PokerStars Ambassadors James Hartigan, Lasse Jagd Lauritsen, and Adam McKola, the players, media and staff enjoyed a fun night picking up spares and hopefully avoiding gutter balls (we won’t reveal who had the side bumpers up).

Our man behind the camera, Danny Maxwell, was on hand to capture the action. You’ll find a few snaps below, but check out his full gallery here.

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HAYCOCK’S HEADING TO MONTE CARLO (PROBABLY)

“This is amazing,” says Paul Haycock, as a shiny Silver Pass ticket worth $2,500 is thrust into his hand. “Apart from seeing Paddington 3, this has been the highlight of my weekend!”

Haycock, a management consultant from Kenilworth, Warwickshire (about an hour from Nottingham), is the third and final All-In Shootout winner at UKIPT Nottingham, winning a coveted Silver Pass. Thing is, he isn’t quite sure what he’s just won. “I’m aware of Power Path, but not quite sure what it gets me,” he says.

So we explain. The Silver Pass is worth $2,500 and gives players a choice to use it for selected PokerStars regional live events or selected PokerStars online poker tournaments. Want to stay home and get $2,500 worth of tickets for SCOOP? You can. Fancy taking a trip to Barcelona and having your buy-ins and expenses covered? You can.

“That sounds amazing,” he says. “Thank you very much!”

Haycock is a recreational player and a regular on British poker tours like the UKIPT and GUKPT. He also visits Las Vegas every other year and has what he calls some “decent” results. “Decent for me anyway,” he laughs. “But we’re not talking hundreds of thousands. $46K is my biggest score.”

We’d say that’s “very decent”. He’s currently trying to add another decent score in the UKIPT Nottingham Cup, where he’s battling on Day 1B.

Haycock then asks what PokerStars events are coming up that he could potentially use his Silver Pass for. We tell him: “There’s Prague, Paris, Monte Carlo…”

The second Monte Carlo leaves our lips, Haycock’s eyes light up. “Oooh Monte Carlo,” he says. “Never been to Monte Carlo. That sounds great. Monte Carlo is in play. For winning two flip-and-go’s? That’s ridiculous!”

Yep, but that’s what happens on PokerStars events. One minute you’re milling around waiting to come back from a tournament break, the next you’re looking at flights to Monaco.

“Now I’ll go back and positive-tilt my way through Day 1B,” he says, smiling. “It’s a profitable weekend now regardless!”

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THE POKER ODYSSEY OF POKER MOMMA JUNE JENKINS

We could listen to June Jenkins tell poker stories all day, and thankfully, after a more-than-decade-long love affair with the game, she’d never run out. A “Poker Momma” to many, the Canadian has an unrivalled passion for poker, a game she says changed her entire life.

Jenkins is currently on what she describes as a “poker odyssey”, a cards-and-friends-fuelled vacation that’s taken her to multiple destinations across Europe. It started with a trip to Malta to catch up with old friends and play some poker. While there she spotted the UKIPT Nottingham stop, so hopped on a plane and made her way to Dusk Till Dawn, where we speak. 

But before her bags were even packed for Malta, she got online and won the very first satellite on PokerStars for the Women’s Winter Festival. In doing so, she won a package allowing her to bring a guest, and for Jenkins, that perk is worth more than playing.

“It lets me bring my friend Jan as my plus one,” she says. “So I’m very excited about that, more than anything really.”

Jan is Jan Combes, mother of respected British pro Charles “JIZOINT” Combes, and an experienced player in her own right. Jenkins and Combes first “met” in the PokerStars chat box as they both grinded online satellites for live events. They became fast friends, despite playing from their homes thousands of miles apart, and in 2016 Combes won a package to the UKIPT/ESPT Marbella, inviting Jenkins along as her plus one. “I had a really nice trip,” she remembers. “I really love the PokerStars events.”

*****

Jenkins remembers watching her family play cards when she was still in the high chair. “My father loved to play poker,” she says. “When I was four we’d play stud and make up poker games.”

But it wasn’t until around 2012 that she learned how to play no limit hold’em. “My mom was getting dementia so I started taking her to the church for seniors’ card games,” she says. “One of the gentlemen there asked if I played Texas Hold’em and I said no, so he offered to teach me.”

Despite initially declining his offer, a hip injury at the gym gave Jenkins all the downtime she’d need to pick up a new hobby. She took Larry up on his offer and eventually joined a bar league which she won, even making the national championships. “That’s how I started playing on PokerStars,” she says. “We’d play a $2.20 game on a Friday night and from there I won a freeroll to a World Poker Tour (WPT) event in Montreal for a $3,500 package.”

To prepare, Jenkins went to Las Vegas and entered a $200 Women’s Event at Binions. She remembers shaking with nerves as she entered but ended up chopping it four ways with three women who are in the Poker Hall of Fame. “I learned more about poker that day than any other because I was under fierce competition,” she says. “From there my confidence went up.”

*****

Since that first trip to Marbella, June Jenkins and Jan Combes have travelled to many events together, all thanks to chatting while playing. It’s something that Jenkins feels has been lost with the introduction of Throwables and the increase in speed during gameplay. 

“I met so many wonderful women from that because we had the chat going on during the game, which was very important to networking and support,” she says. “For me, having been a single mum… as a woman, you’ll always have way more domestic responsibilities than men. So having these satellites online for women was huge. For me, it was very much life-changing.”

Despite major improvements, from Women’s Events at festivals like the PCA (“PokerStars treated us like queens”) to entire events like next week’s Women’s Winter Festival in London, Jenkins hopes even more will be done to bring women into the game.

“Women can be at home, still attending to their domestic responsibilities, and have a chance to chill out and play online, while having the exciting possibility of a live package,” she says. “These women will win a wave of interest when their friends see them travelling.

“It’s not about guarantees. It’s not about meeting famous players. It’s about getting out of the house, escaping the day-to-day tedium. It’s about living the dream. I know this is true because I am living the dream.”

She continues: “When it comes down to it, people play poker for three different reasons: For revenue, if they’re playing for their income stream. For ego, if they’re a business person. Then there’s the greater number of us who play for social capital. Social capital has more value than money because if you have that kind of connection with people, it’s worth far more than a couple of hundred bucks.”

Next up for Jenkins? A trip to see a Canadian friend who lives 40 minutes up the road from Nottingham. Then it’s down to London and the Hippodrome Casino for the Women’s Winter Festival, where she’ll meet up with Jan Combes and dozens of women she’s grown close to over years of playing, from the chat rooms online to meet-ups at events around the world.

We look forward to hearing the stories from that event the next time we see her.

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BRANDT BUILDING TOWARDS BRILLIANT BACK-TO-BACK

For most recreational players, turning a $2,500 Power Path Silver Pass into a poker holiday with buy-ins and expenses covered is a no-brainer. You can bring a guest, perhaps visit a destination you’ve never seen before, and battle for big prize money, safe in the knowledge you can enjoy a vacation if you bust.

For professional players, however, it’s not such an obvious decision. Patrice Brandt has won four Silver Passes since the promotion was introduced in June 2023, but this is the first time the pro known as “pAtcAsh83” online has opted to use one for a live event.  “It was just always very convenient to use my Passes for SCOOP tickets or WCOOP tickets,” he explains. 

But when he arrived at UKIPT Nottingham he realised all the perks that come with being a Power Path qualifier. “You get food vouchers and goody bags, lots of things, so it’s well worth using them for live events,” he says. “From now on, I will only use them for live events.”

Brandt, 41, knows this event very well. He finished runner-up in the record-breaking 2023 event for a career-best £168,425, having qualified online on PokerStars. Now he’s back and bagged the third biggest stack for today’s Day 2. 

The man who pipped him to the title last year, Vincent Meli, also brought a top-10 stack into today, something Brandt is well aware of. “I know he did,” Brandt says, smiling. “That’s because he busted me on my first bullet.”

PRESSURE’S OFF

Brandt, originally from Germany but now based in the UK, started playing poker professionally back in 2012, although he doesn’t look back fondly on the way he managed his new career. “I was a professional, but not professional,” he admits. “I wasn’t studying, I didn’t have a proper professional lifestyle.”

That all changed in 2016 when he decided to move to England and fix his bad habits. He set up a structured day-to-day, studying online courses and working with coaches. The results started coming and he even won a Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) title, albeit in a $7.50 buy-in. “I remember that, it was a small one,” he says. “That was so much fun. Shaun Deeb was one of the last players, that was really cool.”

Brandt has come close to big titles on multiple occasions, first finishing third in a World Poker Tour event in 2018, then third in a Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Main Event in 2020, and eventually second at UKIPT Nottingham. 

But in the summer of 2023, he captured one of the most coveted titles in all of online poker, becoming a Sunday Million champion and banking just shy of $80K. “It felt very, very good,” he remembers. “I’d played it every week since 2010.”

He followed that up a week or so later by winning the High Roller at UKIPT Blackpool for £22,750 and his first major trophy.

It might have taken him three Day 1 bullets, but Brandt is very happy to still be in contention in another huge UKIPT Nottingham event. “It always feels good once you’re in the money,” he says. “There’s always pressure, but now all pressure is gone and you can just play.”

If he can go the distance and make tomorrow’s third and final day, he’ll be on the verge of something very special.

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KEITH CUMMINS PICKS UP SILVER PASS BAR TAB

Ireland’s Keith Cummins is the latest player at UKIPT Nottingham to bag a Silver Pass worth $2,500, winning the second of three All-In Shootout freerolls for players who have linked their PSLive and online PokerStars accounts.

Cummins got through his first heat to pick up a $55 Step 4 Power Path ticket, then took his seat in the final, cheered on by a six-deep rail made up of Ireland’s finest, including EPT Prague champion Padraig O’Neill and former Irish Open winner Dan Wilson.

“Yes, I had a big Irish rail,” Cummins told Media Coordinator Jen Mason after his victory, his Silver Pass ticket keeping him company on the table while he had a celebratory drink in the bar with friends. “That’s because I am now seven for seven,” he added, referring to the cashing spree he’s been on across his last seven tournaments.

And yes, he’s counting the All-In Shootout win as a cash. He’s now got a ticket worth $2,500 that he can turn into a package to any PokerStars regional event, or online tickets if he’d rather battle from home in an upcoming series.

Cummins, however, has his own plans for the $2,500 Pass. When asked how he’ll use it, he said: “Putting [it] behind the bar.”

Before he tries to pick up a hefty bar tab with a Power Path ticket, there’s the little matter of the UKIPT Nottingham Main Event. Cummins is still in at the time of writing and when asked how he felt about his prospects, he answered simply, “I’m going to win it.”

Reporting by Jen Mason.

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BIGGEST UKIPT NOTTINGHAM EVER BOASTS £201,900 FOR THE WINNER

It’s official. With registration slips compiled and prize money counted, we can now confirm that the winner of the UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) Nottingham Main Event will walk away with a whopping £201,900.

More than 800 entries were recorded over two flights on Saturday, rocketing the Main Event up to 1,282 total entries – surpassing last year’s record-breaking 1,227 – to create a prize pool of £1,230,720.

That makes it the biggest edition in the UKIPT season finale’s history.

UKIPT NOTTINGHAM £1,100 MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE PAYOUTS

1. £201,900
2. £126,000
3. £90,000
4. £69,200
5. £53,680
6. £41,300
7. £31,760
8. £24,430
9. £18,780

All 193 players who returned for Sunday’s Day 2 are guaranteed a £1,660 payday as each starting flight played down to a percentage of the field. That means there’s no bubble to delay play, so expect the action to come thick and fast.

Ashraf Desai unbagged the most chips today, turning his 30,000 starting stack into 632,000 on Day 1D, the largest of the five starters. But there are tons of interesting stories to follow as the day progresses.

Silver Pass winner Patrice Brandt of Germany brought back the third-largest stack, and this online qualifier knows this event extremely well. He finished runner-up last year for £168,425, while the defending champion, Vincent Meli of France, is also still in with a top-10 stack. Keep your eyes on those two as they chase a sensational back-to-back.

Representing the Red Spade, we’ve got PokerStars Ambassadors Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg, Barny Boatman, Lasse “Wistern” Jagd Lauritsen, Kenny Hallaert, Alex Romero and Adam McKola in contention. Spraggy already has a UKIPT trophy on his mantle, while Romero came close with a final-table finish in London this summer.

The plan today is to play 12 one-hour levels and get as close to a final table as we can. For blow-by-blow coverage, check out live updates on PokerNews.

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SPLIT DINNER BREAKS EXPLAINED, OR ‘WON’T SOMEONE THINK OF THE ELDERLY COUPLE IN NANDO’S?’

From crucial changes like the end of redraws to tournament improvements like breaking tables on the bubble, PokerStars Blog is always on hand at European Poker Tour (EPT) events to break down the new or unfamiliar.

Something unfamiliar is happening today on the UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) – or at least it’s unfamiliar to many of our Main Event Day 1D players in Nottingham:

A split dinner break.

That means hundreds of players – half of today’s field – will have to remain seated and play one more level, stomachs grumbling as they watch their opponents depart to grab some grub at the end of Level 8.

But why? 

The answer, as you’ve probably already worked out, is quite simple. There are hundreds of players gathered at Dusk Till Dawn today for not one but two UKIPT Nottingham starting flights. Thankfully, this is a venue designed to hold such a crowd.

But the same can’t be said for the restaurants that surround us. It would be bad enough for the chefs and waiting staff, but imagine the looks on an elderly couple’s faces when their date night at Nando’s is interrupted by more than 400 hungry poker players queuing for Cheesy Chickles and Wing Roulettes.

So PokerStars tournament staff have decided to split the field and send them for dinner at different times. This not only helps the Dusk Till Dawn staff continue to serve players food and drink as they play, but allows the dinner breakers a greater chance to enjoy a meal without spending the entire time waiting in line.

Moreover, while half the field enjoys their dinner, the remaining half continues to whittle itself down, creating more space in the tournament area for tonight’s Day 1E flight, which begins at 19:00.

Split dinner breaks are nothing new, reserved for tournaments with particularly large fields. That’s certainly true of UKIPT Nottingham, where we’re rapidly approaching smashing the £1 million guarantee.

Unfamiliar? Yes, but ultimately a wise and popular decision.

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ELDAROVA’S BACK AND MEANS BUSINESS

Aytan Eldarova is many things: a businesswoman; media entrepreneur; children’s book author and illustrator. But it was her chess prowess that originally brought her to poker, the PokerStars Power Path, and now UKIPT Nottingham.

Eldarova grew up playing chess in Moscow before moving to London when she was 14. Never a chess professional, she still reached a high enough level that a friend asked her to help her improve her game. That friend just happened to be a poker player.

“I joined her at a poker event and poker really sucked me in,” Eldrova tells us on Day 1D. “I’ve become obsessed with studying. It’s exciting to discover the game, play more tournaments, see more hands.”

Her first major tournament was here at UKIPT Nottingham one year ago, and it was an exceptional debut. She finished 106th out of 1,227 entries and cashed for £2,180 and has since travelled to events in Malta and Ireland. 

Eldarova had her heart set on returning to Nottingham and going even further this time around, and thankfully, she binked a Silver Pass worth $2,500 on PokerStars on her third or fourth attempt.

“I really like playing Power Path, more so than satellites for specific events,” she says. “I think you generally have higher chances.”

To improve her chances of running deep once arriving at the event, Eldarova has hired UKIPT stalwart and satellite extraordinaire Dara O’Kearney as her coach, and now has a bookcase crammed with poker books where it was once lined with chess content.

“There’s so much to learn in poker and I love this level of play,” she says, referring to the £1K buy-ins. “I find that lower stakes is a completely different game. I prefer this level much more, as even when you bust you see some really good play and it’s much more rewarding as an experience.”

Eldarova has already had a fantastic experience in Nottingham, going as far as to say it’s her favourite event she’s played so far. “From the way the event is run to the players that come, it’s really good,” she says.

Just one year into her poker journey, it’s safe to say Eldarova won’t be stopping any time soon. There are plenty more Power Path passes to win. “I really enjoy the travel and the social element of poker,” she says. “There are lots of very interesting people who play, particularly in the higher buy-in events.”

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Muhamed Suhail Mia wins first of three All-In Shootouts to claim Silver Pass

The first of three All-In Shootouts took place at UKIPT Nottingham last night (Friday), awarding a Power Path Silver Pass worth $2,500 to one lucky participant, plus $55 Step 4 tickets to the finalists. 

In case you don’t know what these Shootouts involve, let us explain. 

PokerStars is running All-In Shootouts at UKIPT Nottingham (Nov 16/17) for players who link their online and live accounts, giving away thousands of dollars worth of tournament packages in the form of $55 tickets and $2,500 Power Path Silver Passes. That means that across this festival hundreds of UKIPT Nottingham players have a shot of leaving with a free trip to a future event of their choosing.

The format of these Shootouts — which take place at every PokerStars Live event — is simple: A table of players receives three cards face down, a flop is dealt, and they discard one card. The dealer burns and turns the turn and river and players flip over their cards. The best hand wins.

Friday’s final saw nine players gather around a table, all of whom had won their way through a preliminary shootout to win their seats. They included EastEnders star Ross Boatman (who we spoke to earlier in the day), as well as tour regulars Florian Duta and Michael Kane. 

But it was Londoner Muhamed Suhail Mia who claimed the first Silver Pass, holding the best two-card hand when the board was complete.

As a regular visitor to Dusk Till Dawn, the 53-year-old from Canary Wharf was a very popular winner. “I come up every month to play the £120 buy-in, £100K guaranteed tournaments,” he told us. “They’re very good value and there are nice people, everyone knows me now.”

Indeed, during our interview, he calls over to a friend excitedly: “I just won $2,500, can you believe it?”

Suhail Mia has been playing for around 15 years and loves the strategies involved in tournaments. His favourites? PokerStars events. “I love PokerStars events,” he said. “They’re always very nice.”

We’ll see him at an event of his choosing soon, where he’ll get another shot at a Silver Pass through these All-In Shootouts.

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EASTENDERS STAR ROSS BOATMAN SWAPS ALBERT SQUARE FOR UKIPT NOTTINGHAM

EastEnders star Ross Boatman has played the Main Event and Cup at UKIPT Nottingham this week, swapping Albert Square and the Queen Vic for Dusk Till Dawn and a shot at a poker title. 

“I don’t get to play poker very much these days because I’m working,” says Boatman, who has played Harvey Monroe on the legendary BBC1 soap since 2021. “But it just so happened that, unusually, I have a couple of weeks off. And Barny, my brother, is here.”

In case you didn’t pick up on it from his surname, Boatman isn’t just a star of British TV but an icon of British poker, one-quarter of the trail-blazing Hendon Mob alongside his brother (and now PokerStars Ambassador) Barny Boatman, Ram Vaswani and Joe Beevers. 

The Hendon Mob lit up UK TV screens in the early 2000s with appearances on Late Night Poker and other shows, but Boatman was no stranger to the screen, enjoying a starring turn on London’s Burning from 1988-2000. Post-poker boom, Boatman continued to work in films and television while Barny, the elder sibling, focused more on poker.

“I don’t see enough of him,” says Boatman. “We used to travel the world together. We’re best friends as well as brothers so I wanted to come [to Nottingham] and hang with him. 

“But there’s always the vague hope that maybe I’ll pick up a trophy and win some money.”

UPDATE: Boatman is playing Day 2 of the Cup today with 58 players remaining.

BROTHER BARNY AND THE RECURRING DREAM

When Barny took down the European Poker Tour (EPT) Paris Main Event in February of this year, winning €1.3 million and becoming the oldest champion in the tour’s history, his younger brother was glued to the screens at home. 

“It was just beautiful,” he says. “I got really choked up watching him. My girlfriend filmed me as I watched him pick up the trophy. I can’t remember what I said but you could hear my voice cracking. It was just a joy to see him winning all that money, especially as I had a small share of it.”

He adds: “He’s an absolute legend. There are plenty of legends, but he’s one with the heart of a lion. He’s such a wonderful man and I think everyone knows it.”

You might think that Barny’s historic win reignited a poker fire in Boatman. “Yes, it did,” he says, “but I’ll tell you what, I haven’t stopped dreaming about poker. I have dreams where I’m at the World Series of Poker and I’m pushing all my chips in and I’ve got the nuts. Then I turn my cards over, my chips have turned to Smarties and I’ve got seven-three in my hand.”

Boatman’s break from poker was due to family responsibilities rather than a lack of desire. “Very sadly I split up with my wife and my kids came to live with me, so I became a full-time, lone parent, which made it impossible to travel,” he explains. “But luckily for me, my acting career took off again.”

JOINING EASTENDERS

Despite 40 years in the business, Boatman was nervous that first day on the EastEnders set back in 2021. “It’s such an iconic show,” he says. “Walking in there and seeing all these faces you’ve kind of grown up with, it’s daunting, intimidating. I didn’t know what to expect.”

Thankfully, the cast and crew gave him a warm welcome. They all knew him for something, mostly London’s Burning or another series he made called Mum which ran from 2016-2019 and starred Leslie Manville.

Moreover, nearly all of them – particularly the crew – were not only aware of Boatman’s poker background but were awe in of it. “They didn’t care about my acting,” he says. “They were just keen for me to teach them how to play so they brought a set of chips into the green room.”

For someone who has enjoyed so much success in both of his passions, acting and poker, we wonder whether he’s ever found a project that would allow him to combine the two.

“I started writing something about two guys,” he says. “One’s a middle-aged poker professional, the other’s a young internet pro. They come together and have a bromance and all sort of stuff happens. 

“Here’s the funny thing. I started writing it so long ago that I was going to be the young guy. Now I’m 60 years old and I still haven’t finished it.”

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Marek Banyś, the “Living Advertisement for Power Path”

Journalists have a bad reputation for twisting the truth, either putting words in interviewees’ mouths to suit their narrative or inventing quotes that were never said.

PokerStars Blog would never do that. We don’t have to, especially when talking to zealous Power Path qualifiers like Marek Banyś. 

When asked for an interview on the first break of Day 1C, the Polish Silver Pass qualifier told us his English wasn’t very good, then proceeded to deliver a quote so perfect for PokerStars marketing that you’ll think we made it up.

“I am a living advertisement for Power Path,” he says with a smile. 

That’s because Banyś, a Cyber Profiler from Warsaw, has won three Silver Passes within the past year. The first one took him to Paris in February for the France Poker Series. The second booked him a trip to Cyprus for the Eureka Poker Tour in October, and it was thanks to that trip that he managed to win a third.

“While in Cyprus on a Silver Pass, I won a Step 4 Power Path ticket,” Banyś explains. “I then won another Silver Pass using that ticket and now I’m here.”

Despite three package wins, Banyś says he doesn’t actually play Power Path tournaments very often. It’s just the structure and dynamics in the Step 4 events that suit his game to a tee.

Banyś’ poker journey began back in 2014 and he played online quite seriously for around half a year before realising the life of a poker professional wasn’t for him. He started to dabble again in 2023 and has been using Power Path to travel to live events ever since.

After Paris and Cyprus, using his third Pass for UKIPT Nottingham was an easy decision for Banyś. “I know that poker is very popular in Great Britain and I really wanted to see how it looked here,” he says. 

“[The UKIPT] is very different to an EPT,” he continues. “There are lots of people drinking and it’s great for me as I don’t drink. I love to play with players who are all-day drinking.”

As a Cyber Profiler who is currently leading a team studying human psychological behaviour on the internet, with a particular focus on scams, we ask Banyś if he’s able to put those profiling skills to use at the poker table.

There’s some crossover, he says. “Human behaviour is similar everywhere. Sometimes I use it at live events but not so much in tournaments like this because a lot of the players are professionals and they don’t send signals.”

Give it time, Marek. A few more beers and they’ll be sending more signals than you’ll know what to do with.

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UKIPT PUB QUIZ: HOW MANY CAN YOU ANSWER?

While hundreds battled away at the poker tables, another battle was raging in the Dusk Till Dawn Players Lounge on Thursday.

A group of 20 comprised of players, PokerStars Ambassadors, media and staff gathered to test their knowledge in the UKIPT pub quiz, hosted by James Hartigan. 

The quiz featured rounds on the UK and Ireland Poker Tour’s rich history, as well as some poker-adjacent head-scratchers testing contestants’ mental agility and general knowledge.

The winning team – Brad Whitehouse, Amandor Cator, Sharon Baines-Jones and Matthew Lytchgoe-Thomas – ended with an impressive score of 36 points from a possible 50. 

Spare a thought for Georgina “GJReggie” James and Adam McKola’s team. They finished just one point below with a total of 35.

Think you could do better? Here’s your chance. 

Take the UKIPT pub quiz below and check back tomorrow when we’ll update you with the answers.

ROUND 1: UKIPT TRIVIA
10 points on offer | Two points per question

1. As its name suggests, the UKIPT visits the United Kingdom (the UK) and Ireland (the I). But what other country regularly hosts UKIPT events?

2. Which TWO PokerStars Ambassadors won UKIPT Main Events last year (2023)? (One point for each.)

3. The UKIPT has visited the Isle of Man three times, meaning plenty of poker players have an Isle of Man flag on their Hendon Mob. But what are there three of on the flag of the Isle of Man?

4. Who is the only World Series of Poker Main Event champion to have also won a UKIPT Main Event?

5. UKIPT regular Niall Farrell is best known by his online name Firaldo. But on PokerStars what two numbers follow the word “Firaldo” to make his exact screen name?

ROUND 2: COIN FLIP
10 points on offer

The first part of each of the following questions is easy, and it will give you two answers. The second part of the question requires you to pick one of your two answers. So it’s a coin flip. You get one point for naming the TWO options, then one point for picking the right one.

1. Which two teams contested the 1966 World Cup final in London? Which team scored first?

2. The logo for Pepsi Cola is what two colours separated by a white line? What colour is on top?

3. According to most popular versions of the Old Testament, what were the names of Adam and Eve’s first two sons? Which one was the murderer?

4. Which duo are credited with writing all but three songs on the Beatles album “Abbey Road”? On the very famous album cover, which one is furthest across the road?

5. Who are the best known members of the Montague and Capulet families who lend their names to Shakespeare’s famous tragedy? Who is the Capulet?

ROUND 3: MENTAL AGILITY
10 points on offer

The answers to these questions are all numerical. What’s the number we’re looking for? (Two points per correct answer.)

1. How many cards are left in the dealer’s hand after a hand of PLO at an eight-handed table plays all the way to the river.

2. What’s the maximum three-dart out-shot in a regular leg of darts minus the maximum break in snooker, assuming there have been no fouls.

3. Add two little ducks in bingo to a bingo bonus in Scrabble.

4. The year PokerStars dealt its first real-money hand minus the year of Stanley Kubrick’s Space Odyssey.

5. The number of the house on Pennsylvania Avenue where Joe Biden currently lives, divided by the number on Downing Street of the traditional Prime Minister’s residence.

ROUND 4: POKER ADJACENT GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
10 points on offer

Two points per correct answer.

1. In 2007, Justin Kan attached a webcam to his baseball cap and began “lifecasting” every move he made on his internet start-up Justin.tv. What did Justin.tv rebrand as in 2011?

2. If your journey in London starts at Old Kent Road and finishes in Mayfair, what’s your final destination in the United States? And what city is that in?

3. Name the film starring Harvey Keitel and George Clooney featuring a pair of robbers and hostage takers who end up trapped in a bar being attacked by vampires.

4. What links a 1980s British quiz show hosted by Bob Monkhouse, an American sitcom that was the acting debut of the Olsen twins and a term in softball (and sometimes baseball) when a player has faced three balls and two strikes?

5. What links a Scottish football club based in Edinburgh; irons and woods; the hardest natural material on earth; and the hero of the Maltese Falcon. And what has the Duchess of Sussex got to do with all of this?

ROUND 5: MORE SORT-OF POKER QUESTIONS
10 points on offer

One point for each.

In which UKIPT-hosting city were the following born:

Oscar Wilde
Greyfriars Bobby
The Bee Gees
Ozzy Osbourne
Charlie Chaplin

Name these UKIPT regs by their online screen-names:

easywithaces
Jabracada
1_conor_b_1
Swaggersorus
SlowDoke

No Googling!

SPOILER ALERT – DO NOT READ ON IF YOU’RE STILL TAKING THE QUIZ.

You’ll find the answers below.

QUIZ ANSWERS

ROUND 1: UKIPT TRIVIA
10 points on offer | Two points per question

1. Spain
2. Spraggy (Brighton), Fintan Hand (Edinburgh)
3. Legs
4. Martin Jacobson
5. Firaldo87

ROUND 2: COIN FLIP
10 points on offer

You get one point for naming the TWO options, then one point for picking the right one.

1. England and West Germany | West Germany
2. Red and blue | Red
3. Cain and Abel | Cain
4. John Lennon and Paul McCartney | Lennon
5. Romeo and Juliet | Juliet

ROUND 3: MENTAL AGILITY
10 points on offer

Two points per correct answer.

1. 12  (40 cards have been dealt: 8×4 cards in each player’s hand (32), 5 cards on the board, 3 burn cards.)
2. 23 (170-147)
3. 77 (22+50)
4. 0 (2001-2001)
5. 16 (White House is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue; 10 Downing Street.)

ROUND 4: POKER ADJACENT GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
10 points on offer

Two points per correct answer.

1. Twitch
2. Boardwalk (Atlantic City)
3. From Dusk Till Dawn
4. Full House
5. HEARTS (aka Heart of Midlothian); (golf) CLUBS; DIAMOND; (Sam) SPADE. The Duchess of Sussex is Meghan Markle, who, before marrying Prince Harry, was best known as an actor in the American show SUITS.

ROUND 5: MORE SORT-OF POKER QUESTIONS (10 points on offer)

One point for each. 

In which UKIPT-hosting city were the following born:
Oscar Wilde – Dublin
Greyfriars Bobby – Edinburgh
The Bee Gees – Manchester
Ozzy Osbourne – Birmingham
Charlie Chaplin – London 

Name these UKIPT regs by their online screen-names:
easywithaces – Fintan Hand
Jabracada – Tom Hall
1_conor_b_1 – Conor Beresford
Swaggersorus – Jack Sinclair
SlowDoke – Dara O’Kearney

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CHUNG DEFEATS JOHNSON TO CLINCH SUPER HIGH ROLLER TITLE

Reporting by Media Coordinator Jen Mason.

Tim Chung took down the £3,200 Luxon Pay Super High Roller at UKIPT Nottingham last night (Thursday, November 14), securing the top prize of £47,700 plus an added $4,000 Mediterranean Poker Party package at Nottingham’s Dusk Till Dawn. 

The 51-runner event comfortably exceeded its £100,000 guarantee, creating a £146,880 prize pool, with 12 players taking advantage of Day 2 registration to take a shot at the highest buy-in event of the festival. 

Overnight chip leader, PokerStars Ambassador Fintan Hand, fell short of the final, exiting in 19th place (his fellow Ambassador Ben “Spraggy” Spragg followed him to the rail). 

Making the final table did not guarantee a cash, however: with seven places awarded money from the £146,880 total prize pool, Leo Worthington-Leese took his leave on the bubble in 8th place. He comes to UKIPT Nottingham fresh from his victory in the EPT Cyprus Eureka Main Event last month for over $300,000 and will undoubtedly be giving the £1,000,000 guaranteed Main Event a shot in the upcoming days. 

After Parminder Kandola busted in 7th for a £7,700 min-cash, the chips were distributed unevenly among the last six players. Timothy Chung held the chip lead, with Sandeep Shah close behind him, while Jay O’Leary, Paul Allen (following his victory in the £230 Warm Up this week) and Edward Quinn held similar shorter stacks. It so happened that none of these three found the double when at last all-in, and along with Keith Johnson, the two biggest stacked players for much of the day went to the wire for the trophy. 

Three-handed play lasted for over a level, with Sandeep Shah’s double of Johnson (with king-jack vs. Johnson’s all-in king-queen) proving that a single card rank can make or break a tournament run. Shah, although not short, never recovered his stack and was eventually eliminated by Chung, all in preflop with a dominated ace, collecting £21,330 in prize money. 

Heads up, Chung started with 1.5 million chips to Johnson’s million (over 50 big blinds apiece). Though neither player sat on their stack – pressure was exerted in position from both sides – it was Chung whose accelerator was down slightly further, and he extended his lead, finally out-flipping Johnson’s king-queen with pocket nines (all-in preflop). 

“Well played, Tim!” said Johnson as he left to collect the £31,600 runner-up prize, while a supportive railer commented, “What would it be like to be Tim for one day, I wonder?” 

UKIPT Nottingham £3,200 Luxon Pay Super High Roller
Dates: November 13-14, 2024
Entries: 51
Prize pool: £146,880

1: Tim Chung, United Kingdom – £47,700 plus $4,000 MPP package 
2: Keith Johnson, United Kingdom – £31,600 
3: Sandeep Shah, United Kingdom – £21,330 
4: Edward Quinn, United Kingdom – £16,150 
5: Paul Allen, United Kingdom – £12,500 
6: Jay O’Leary, United Kingdom – £9,900 
7: Parminder Kandola, United Kingdom – £7,700

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ONE MORE SATELLITE TO GO: WIN A MAIN EVENT SEAT FOR JUST £90

We know what you’re thinking as you read this at home. You’re thinking: “Should I stay or should I go?”

The answer is: Go. Get yourself down here. It’s not too late to win your way into the £1,100 buy-in UKIPT Nottingham Main Event, where you’ll get to play for a share of the £1 million guaranteed prize pool. 

Tomorrow night (Friday, November 15, 19:00) there’s another £90 Main Event satellite running with a juicy 20 seats guaranteed. Right now, as I type, there are only 150 entries in tonight’s edition. That gives you a great shot at getting in.

Heck, even if you’ve already won entry to the Main, these satellites are well worth playing. Just ask Stephen Ayres, who has already won three entries. 

Ayres is a British player and Dusk Till Dawn regular with $219K in live earnings who has stockpiled entries for the club’s biggest tournament of the year. 

Still, he’s here tonight grinding for a fourth, because… for £90, well, why wouldn’t you?

All players are allowed a maximum of two entries per starting flight, but with three more Day 1’s to go, players like Ayres and his fellow satellite grinders can potentially load up on bullets until one of them hits the target, i.e. they bag chips and make it through to Day 2.

And if you don’t bag a Main Event seat, there are plenty of other side events to play, as well as cash games.

Here are the details for Friday’s Main Event satellite:

• Friday, November 15, 19:00: £90 Main Event Satellite, 20 seats GTD

And here’s a reminder of the three Day 1 flights still to go:

• Day 1C: Friday, November 15, 12:00 (registration available all day)
• Day 1D: Saturday, November 16, 12:00 (registration available all day)
• Day 1E – Turbo flight: Saturday, November 16, 19:00 (registration available until 23:00)

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UKIPT LEADERBOARD UPDATE: ROMERO LEADS… BUT FOR HOW LONG?

For a select few players, UKIPT Nottingham offers more than just a shot at a title. Those at the top of the UK and Ireland Poker Tour Leaderboard — those who have traversed the British Isles to attend as many UKIPT stops as possible — are also fighting for the chance to call themselves Player of the Year and enjoy the spoils that come with it.

As the last stop of the season, Nottingham offers one last chance to capture potentially crucial points that could propel the players towards the top three prizes. If they finish on the podium, here’s a look at what they’ll win:

• 1st Prize: £15,000 UKIPT 2025 Package (£11,000 in 2025 live event credits plus £4,000 cash expenses)
• 2nd Prize: £2,200 in 2025 live event credits
• 3rd Prize: £1,100 in 2025 live event credits

As you can see, it’s worth fighting for those points.

As it stands, the UKIPT Leaderboard has a Spanish 1-2-3, led by PokerStars Ambassador Alex Romero. The Spanish-language commentator for PokerStars has enjoyed some fantastic results this year, winning a side event at the Irish Open and then placing 14th in the ESPT/UKIPT Malaga Main Event in June. His results continued throughout UKIPT London, finishing 10th in the Main Event and runner-up in the High Roller.

ESPT/UKIPT Malaga Main Event winner Artús Giménez sits in second, followed by Victor Pinna, who’s only slightly ahead of the Irish duo of David Lappin and Paul Carr. All three of the Spaniards are playing Day 1B in Nottingham today.

With a full schedule of side events ahead, there’s still plenty to play for in this last UKIPT festival of the year.

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Ghost hunter and social star Dan Spragg on brotherly bickering and unconventional careers

There’s always the potential for awkwardness when you’re about to speak to a poker player on a tournament break, only for them to bust in the final hand. Even more so when it’s the very first break of the day.

But not when that player’s surname is Spragg.

Dan Spragg, brother of PokerStars Ambassador Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg, was still in a great mood after busting his first bullet in the UKIPT Nottingham Main Event bullet in a seemingly unavoidable situation, flopping two pair while his opponent rivered a set. 

“It happens,” Dan says with a smile. “I got boated over set, two pair over two pair, and obviously what happened on the river there. My brother’s going to love that I’m out already.”

Now back in on a second entry, it’s already been a very busy day for the elder Spragg.

“I only decided to come up here last night so I drove up this morning,” he says. “I asked my brother ‘what are you doing tomorrow?’ and he said ‘I’m playing UKIPT Nottingham’. I said, thanks for letting me know.”

DIFFERENT PATHS

The Spragg brothers began playing poker around the same time while both lived in the family home. “I used to play religiously, every week,” says Dan. He enjoyed great success too, winning a $22 MicroMillions event in 2014 for $90K.

Then Benj, the younger sibling, went to university to study media and journalism and by the time he left, he’d had enough success in poker that he decided to pursue it full-time. The rest is history.

Dan, however, made early use of the charisma and people skills he’d later deploy to great success on social media. He went into sales and for 14 years enjoyed success as a car salesman, while also starting a family.

“I was a very recreational poker player while he was taking it very seriously,” says Dan. “He’s the maths brain in the family so yeah, he’s got the brains for it, and he enjoys it. But I’ve got four kids and live out in the sticks so it’s quite difficult to get to tournaments.”

He continues: “It’s fantastic to see how far Benj has come, working with PokerStars and everything. I track him and keep an eye on what he’s doing. I’m super proud of him. Do I wish I’d have gone down the poker route? Sometimes, when I see him in the Bahamas and Vegas all the time.”

But during the lockdowns, Dan Spragg found his own unique path. 

MILLIONS OF FOLLOWERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

“When lockdown came, like a lot of people, I jumped on social media,” says Dan. “I didn’t even have a Facebook account before that but I just wanted to have a laugh with the kids.”

Over the last four years, social media has become his full-time profession, and he now has millions of followers across his channels, plus a few businesses on the side. “I work for myself now so it’s great to have more free time I can spend with my children. I love making content and I love what I do.”

It must make for some interesting conversations at family gatherings; one sibling a pro poker player, the other a pro social media content creator… and ghost hunter.

THE GHOST HUNTER AND THE POKER PRO

“Part of my social media presence is that I run a paranormal group, so we go all over America and Europe doing paranormal investigations,” Dan explains. “So when we’re at family gatherings, I’m the ghost hunter, he’s the poker player, they’re like, ‘It’s got to be a joke, hasn’t it?’ Two niches. People are obviously very confused when they ask us what we do.”

Like all brothers, the two are prone to petty squabbles. “After 34 years, we still bicker to this day,” says Dan. “We’re always trying to one-up each other. That’s brotherly love, I guess.”

But there was never any competition in the eyes of their father, who tragically passed away unexpectedly earlier this year.

“He was extremely proud of what we’re doing,” says Dan. “He often joined Benj on trips to Monaco and other places. He used to dabble. I used to check his online progress… it wasn’t too great.

“But he loved to watch Benj and follow what I was doing. He found it fascinating that his boys were flying all around the world doing all these cool things that just weren’t a thing back in his time. He loved it.”

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HAND LEADS SUPER HIGH ROLLERS

And we’re back.

PokerStars Blog’s coverage from UKIPT Nottingham might just be beginning, but this action-packed festival is already in full swing with satellites, side events and even Super High Rollers running.

The £3,200 buy-in, £100K guaranteed Luxon Pay Super High Roller kicked off yesterday (Nov 13) with 39 runners comprised of many of UK and Ireland poker’s leading lights. When the chip bags were brought out it was PokerStars Ambassador Fintan “easywithaces” Hand who held the chip lead, turning his 50,000 starting stack into 227,000 after 10 40-minute levels.

At one point Hand was down to just six big blinds.

The 2023 Edinburgh champ found himself sat alongside none other than Benjamin Spragg, his fellow PokerStars Ambassador, UKIPT champ, and former stream partner. There’s no such thing as mates at the poker table, however, and it seems like Hand got the best of it this time.

In happier times, before he started taking all of my chips.

📸: @MannyDaxwell pic.twitter.com/tf6FfzN5GF

— Spraggy (@spraggy) November 14, 2024

Just 18 players survived the starting flight, including PCA champion Maria Lampropulos (111,000) and EPT champion Tom Middleton (30,000). Registration remained open until the start of play today and sure enough, we got a bunch of max-late-reggers, including Spraggy.

A total of 51 entries have now built a £146,880 prize pool, with £47,700 reserved for the winner. Just seven places are paid, with a min-cash worth £7,700.

They’ll play down to a champion today. Stay tuned for more updates.

In other news, the £1,100 UKIPT Nottingham Main Event continues today with the second of its five starting flights. The first, Day 1A, got the ball rolling on Sunday (Nov 10) and saw 51 entries, eight of whom made it through to Sunday’s Day 2. Thomas Bingham set the standard, turning his 30,000 starting stack into 382,000.

If you’re hoping to get down to Nottingham, here’s a look at those upcoming Day 1s:

Day 1B: Thursday, November 14, 12:00 (registration available all day)
Day 1C: Friday, November 15, 12:00 (registration available all day)
Day 1D: Saturday, November 16, 12:00 (registration available all day)
Day 1E – Turbo flight: Saturday, November 16, 19:00 (registration available until 23:00)

Bookmark this page as we’ll be bringing you all the stories, interviews and results as the festival progresses.

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SIDE EVENT RESULTS

While every UKIPT stop is headlined by its flagship events — the Main Event, High Roller, and Cup — there are always plenty of fantastic side events running throughout the festival.

Click here to check out all the side events results.

Below you’ll find their winner’s photos:

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ABOUT UKIPT NOTTINGHAM

UKIPT Nottingham was such a success last year that we had to do it all over again.

The final stop of the UK & Ireland Poker Tour will be returning this November, along with the massive £1,000,000 guaranteed Main Event. That means Nottingham is once again home to some of the biggest poker prize pools of the season.

And with Dusk Till Dawn Poker and Casino hosting for another year, players are sure to receive an unrivalled experience on the felt when the cards start flying. How can you be part of the last UKIPT stop of 2024 and get your hands on a share of that awesome guarantee?

Simple… head to UKIPT Nottingham on November 8 and get involved in the action.

Satellites are running right now on PokerStars, plus you can win your way into the Main Event and Cup through Power Path. All PokerStars players get a free $0.50 Step 1 ticket daily and you could turn that into a package worth $2,500.

UKIPT Nottingham KEY DATES: November 8 – 18, 2024

UKIPT Cup: November 17-18 – £330

UKIPT Main Event: November 10-18 – £1,100 (£1,000,000 GTD)

UKIPT High Roller: November 17 – £2,200

How to follow updates from UKIPT Nottingham

The PokerStars Blog will be in Nottingham reporting from the event from Day 1B on Thursday 14 November, through to the final table on Monday.

PokerNews will also be on hand to bring live updates on all the action from the tournament floor itself. You’ll find hand details, chip counts, and everything else from the Main Event, over on their site. The link will appear below.

But be sure you bookmark this page as well. On the PokerStars Blog, you’ll find all the latest news and stories both on and off the felt, as well as interviews from big names and online qualifiers. Many of the stories we’ll bring you will be about amateurs taking part, so you’ll find out what it’s like to play a UKIPT tournament.

As always it should be a great event. We’re certainly looking forward to it.

In the meantime check out more details about the UKIPT Nottingham festival, including some fun activities below.

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ALL-IN SHOOTOUTS

Three Power Path Silver Passes and dozens of $55 Step 4 tickets will be awarded to players via exclusive All-In Shootouts, taking place during the UKIPT Main Event dinner breaks.

The winner of each shootout will win a $55 ticket as well as a seat at the shootout final. The winner of the final will win a Silver Pass worth $2,500.

These events are free to enter but all entrants must link their PS Live Card to their online PokerStars account either in the PokerStars Live App or at the Sign Up desk.

NOVEMBER 15-17

Registration: 19:00 – 19:30
Shootout: 19:30 – 20:00
Final: 20:30 – 20:45

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Fun off the felt in Nottingham

We get it, you come to a big festival like UKIPT Nottingham, with its £1M guarantee on the Main Event, and Plan A is poker, poker poker.

Heck even Plan B might be cash game poker rather than tournament poker. But, if you need a Plan C and the poker doesn’t work out, then PokerStars have the players and their +1s covered.

A trio of off-felt activities are lined up for those who find themselves chipless.

UKIPT QUIZ – Thursday, Nov 14, 21:00 – 00:00

Join quizmaster James Hartigan for a UKIPT-tinged pub quiz on Thursday night (November 14). It takes place in the Players Lounge and there will be free beer, wine and soft drinks on offer.

But sign up quickly as there are only 20 seats in the quiz available. You can book your seat at the Info desk.

BOWLING – Saturday, Nov 16, 21:30

Nottingham players can have a night away from the tables and hit the lanes at Tenpin Nottingham where you can enjoy a few free frames as well as free food and drinks.

There are only 25 spots available so sign up at the Info Desk.

PLAYERS LOUNGE

Players have access to the lounge every day and there will be table games available.

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Venue Information

UKIPT Nottingham will be held at Dusk Till Dawn Poker and Casino, Boulevard Retail Park, Lenton.

Address: Dusk Till Dawn Poker and Casino, Boulevard Retail Park, Redfield Way, Lenton NG7 2UW, United Kingdom

Telephone number: +44 115 845 4300
Dress Code: Smart casual. No gym wear, beach wear or inappropriate outfits
Minimum Age: 18
NB: Photo ID is required for entry and all players must be members of the Casino

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WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?

Vincent Meli Wins UKIPT Nottingham 2023 for £159,325

In a blink-and-you’d-miss-it final table, Vincent Meli emerged victorious as the UKIPT Nottingham 2023 champion, collecting the shiny trophy and £159,325. Patrice Brandt had to settle for second, but as he was the chip leader when the two struck a heads-up deal, he took home more money (£168,425). EPT champion Tom Middleton also made the final table, finishing fifth for £53,300.

The 2023 Main Event received 1,227 entries (including 551 re-entries) and had a prize pool of £1,177,920, smashing its £1 million guarantee.

Meanwhile, UKIPT Leader Board champion David Docherty took down the £3,200 Super High Roller for £46,180.

Read up on everything that happened in our UKIPT Nottingham 2023 coverage hub.

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