Poker in the Pub League Launches in the UK

The following is an article written for our readers of Card Player Europe. This is a series of reports from a pub poker league in the United Kingdom, and it's written by Dave Brennan, the commissioner of the league. We thought our readers might enjoy a taste of England and so here is the first two reports from across the pond.

Launch of the National Poker in the Pub League

By Dave Brennan

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.

Part Two

Welcome to the second installment of www.pokerinthepub.com. I am overwhelmed by the growth of the league and the enthusiasm of everyone involved. Our efforts to keep this a fun league have paid dividends, with many regional authorities endorsing the league both as legal and as entertainment. We reckon that we already have introduced poker to more than 1,000 new players, either through playing or watching their friends. There are certainly many more home games occurring as a result. Finally, I must thank our Andy Price for his contributions in ensuring the league's growth. Without his hard work, we would not be the success we are.

Severe Weather Warning

In week No. 4, the Poker in the Pub team had a close escape, as their office was hit by a tornado. Windows were slammed and trees were shaken as five minutes of mayhem descended on the building. A severe weather warning was also issued for the Bull Inn in Worcester, as Daz "The Hurricane" Page recorded his best result in the league so far with a third-place finish, earning himself 1,900 points.

See the Difference

By the time we reached week No. 5, Plymouth landlord Steve Pillage was really seeing the difference our poker evenings were making in his pub (The Mutley Tavern). He told us that it used to be completely empty on a Thursday evening, but now, he has around 16 people playing poker, as well as some avid spectators. "The poker is going really well, and it is now one of our busiest nights of the week," Pillage said.

Week No. 6 saw us cruise past the 1,000-player mark, which was a fantastic achievement only halfway through the first league. With so much positive feedback from the pubs, the first half of the league has exceeded all expectations, and the administrative difficulties that occurred at the start of the league are now, for the most part, a distant memory.

It was all go in Lincoln for week No. 7, as we saw a royal flush on consecutive nights. The first occurred at the Green Barrel, and then the following evening at the Shoulder of Mutton, with Al Burke deciding he wanted a piece of the action, as well. Our agent Dave Cain was present at both events, so we have decided to send him to a dealing course to learn how to shuffle.

Tough Call - Poker Versus Engagement

The excitement was building as we entered week No. 8 with the regional finals looming ever closer. There were some tough decisions for the players and some of them were not made at the tables. "Regional finals or my own engagement party?" It was a tough call for David "The Broker" Bellamy, but he saw sense in the end and cancelled the engagement party! We are not quite sure if this action complements our "just for fun" attitude of the league, but at least he is enthusiastic.

Week No. 9 saw The Gatehouse Pub in Lincoln enter the league, and they got straight down to business with a royal flush in the first hour of play. Player numbers had now reached 1,300, and Poker in the Pub was really starting to take off in Scotland with five new venues joining us. The Sutherland Bar in Port Glasgow was one of the new starters, and 16 players battled it out on their opening night before Paul Feeney finally triumphed.

We will be starting to bring on sponsors and trying to double the size and reach of the league. With the U.S. online gaming act hurting our industry, it is vital that this league is successful in introducing new players to the game. Please contact us at www.therivercard.com/forum or www.pokerinthepub.com if you wish to join or sponsor the league.

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