Online Poker Guide - Latest Poker News
Latest Poker News
Tony Phillips Wins the GUKPT Newcastle, Online Gaming Still Growing in the UK and Hollywood's A-list Celebrities Big Poker Fans.
Yes, its been a busy week of poker news and, surprisingly, it's all positive. It's great to hear of success (despite it not being ours) and that poker is going from strength to strength in the UK and further afield. Read on for more information on the three main stories hitting the poker headlines towards the end of May.
Despite the demotion of Newcastle FC to the Championship there were still smiles to be found in Newcastle last weekend, with the coming of the GUKPT (Grovenor UK Poker Tour) to the north east city. The biggest smile belonged to Tony Phillips who beat Steve Jelinek to bag the top prize of over £47,000. All in all, 151 players made the trip up to Newcastle to battle the North East's finest - a fine turn out given the recent disappointing field in the London Poker Circuit events.
The heads up between Jelinek was short but thrilling and was, effectively, a coin flip as Phillips moved all in with Jack-Ace and Jelinek followed with pocket 9s. Both players stood for the flop but it was Jelinek who collapsed into his seat when the board after the river showed another Jack and little else. Phillips with a pair of Jacks sealed the win and the quickest ever GUKPT final table.
With news of redundancies across the UK it's surprising to hear that gaming is going from to strength in the UK. As much as we like to see a strong poker community, we are concerned that this maybe an element of desperation creeping into people's lives. That said, poker is not the game most will turn to for a quick fix; it's a skill game and the winnings are limited to table stakes. Much of the growth, therefore, may stem from online casino play or sports betting where the potential winnings are much greater. Here are the stats we have to hand:
- Mobile gambling has grown by 3% in the last four years. Although mobile phone poker is very much in its infancy, mobile casino games have been around for almost a year now and could possibly account for this growth.
- Gambling online is more popular than gambling off line. 8.2% of adults in the UK bet online.
- Blokes aged between 25 and 34 are the most likely people to place a bet online.
Want further proof that poker is cool? Well, we have that in spades (pun very much intended). Heather Graham, actress and Goddess, was seen recently at the tables in Las Vegas during a recess in filming her new movie. Graham - only I can call her Heather - had this to say, "We had a poker tournament and I did really well. I came in fourth. Poker is pretty vicious and dark. It brings out an ugly side of me that’s pretty competitive." I would give my left hand to play her and to see her dark side...
Anyway, other celebs who love the game include: Shannon Elizabeth, Edward Norton, Jennifer Tilly and Spiderman, Tobey Maguire, and Ben Affleck - famous for dating Jennifer Lopez. What? He acts too? Oh.
That's it for this week but check back next for more.
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