Launch of National Poker in the Pub League

Welcome to what will be the first of many installments that will update you on www.pokerinthepub.com, the largest and most recognised poker league for fun and recreational players in the UK.

First, let me clarify a key point



I know there are many opinions on several issues regarding pub poker leagues, so let me clarify some of them. First of all, it is not illegal to play poker in a pub; secondly, it is illegal to gamble or to charge a player to enter a tournament.



How can we do it?



Our main sponsor, www.therivercard.com, has paid for all of the equipment and marketing costs, and will continue to do so. Therefore, we are able to make our league free to enter, and in order to ensure that we do not fall foul of the authorities, we make certain that the evenings are treated as fun and entertaining, and not gambling. There may well be some guidance to discourage pub poker leagues, but this is because the Gaming Board has not legislated for such an event, and not because it is illegal. We are actively talking to all of the relevant authorities to ensure the smooth operation of our league.



The first league runs over 12 weeks in pubs and clubs across the UK, and at the end of this league, we will hold a set of regional finals. Each year, we will run three leagues, and then a national final just before next year's World Series of Poker.


To ensure the legality of each regional final that takes place, they are open only to the qualifiers from each pub, and therefore are treated as a private event.



Shuffle up and deal!



The Poker in the Pub league kicked off on July 27. I wanted to stay in Vegas and play more WSOP events, but thought I had better be here to support all of my team, who had worked so hard. With a very hot summer and the World Cup, we didn't expect a huge turnout the first week. Well, 530 players proved me wrong, and we had a great start. Immediately, it became obvious that some players could not get enough, and went to a different pub every night! This has resulted in Gareth "Garjess" Jessup taking the early lead in the national league. Each pub has its own league, but there is also one for the players with the most points and one for the player with the best average.



Did we encounter a few problems?


You bet! We learnt that only 40 percent of pubs had Internet access – something we had not allowed for, so we were taking down scores via fax and over the phone, which was a slow and costly exercise that we knew we had to improve on quickly to ensure the smooth operation of the league. We put more staff on and quickly updated our login procedures, which has helped clear the backlog, but we still have work to do to be fully up to speed.



We also realised that some of our pubs had their own interpretation of the rules, as Andy at our Help Desk noted: "It is a normal occurrence in pub poker for people to make small mistakes, though once in a while the rules go completely out the window. One example of this happened at one of our self-managed pubs in the Southwest. They decided that when players merged to the final table, it was only fair that they all went back to their starting level of 2,000 chips, as apparently this is what happens in the casinos! We can safely say that working on the Poker in the Pub help desk is never dull."


Week No. 2 started with more players and pubs joining. We also had created so much interest that the BBC called us and asked if they could visit one of our nights! We sent them to the Bull and Chain in Lincoln, run by Dave Cain, who is one of our agents. For a small pub, there was quite a decent turnout – 35 players and twice that many watching (result? one very happy landlord). Now, I had never considered railbirds in a pub! But, from the reports that we are getting from around the country, only half of our players have played before. As a result, many people wanted to watch before they played; hence, even happier landlords. Poker has become so well-televised that many people wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Let's hope they continue to maintain their interest.



It's week No. 3 and we are still growing (733 players). It is holiday time and some new pubs are finding that the "poker player" can be a strange phenomenon. One guy (Mick "Mucky Mick" Rusynuik) decided that he would turn up in a hat, sunglasses, and a welder's mask. He thought it might improve his table image! It all adds to the fun that we are trying to create. This is a chance for people to learn about poker and to play for free. We want to attract all types of poker players so that people can learn and play in a fun live (non-casino) environment.



Next month I hope to have some reports and stories from pubs across the UK, and by then, the holiday season will be over and we will announce where the first regional finals will be held.

So, who's leading?



National league:

Highest average score:

For details on how to enter, go to www.pokerinthepub.com, or e-mail: [email protected].