Getting Stacked in Scotland

The GUKPT is heading north of the border this week for GUKPT Edinburgh.

After two £1k Main Events to start 2017, the next five GUKPTs are £500 buy-ins with £100k Guaranteed and £25k+ for first place.

Edinburgh is one of the best places to play poker in the world – the Maybury Casino is beautiful, and of course should you bust out, you’re right in the middle of a beautiful, vibrant city with legendary nightlife.

Every bar in the Grassmarket area seems to have live music every night. The bars are open late, the beers are flowing and for those with the stamina, the clubs are just getting going!

Somehow, even though the Irish Open has been at Easter since poker was invented, GUKPT Edinburgh clashes with it this year, with the organisers taking it upon themselves to switch the Dublin event for the first time.

While that means I’ll be missing out on the Irish Open this year, it may mean there’s the possibility of overlay in Edinburgh too, as some players will no doubt head to Ireland rather than Scotland.

Grosvenor try and make the GUKPT a true tour of the UK, but with more than 20 casinos all big enough to hold a Main Event leg, and only around 10 held, it’s important for those that want the Tour to be back to support their local leg. Or if you’re thinking of travelling to Edinburgh, do it this year, you never know where 2018 will visit and whether you’ll get another chance.

Playing poker in Edinburgh is great fun. Like Blackpool, a lot of the players don’t really play anywhere else, so there’s a real local flavour to this leg, but not in an unwelcoming way – far from it in fact, they love to see big tournaments coming to their local casino, and the GUKPT is the biggest in Edinburgh, and all of Scotland, in 2017.

I have mixed memories of past performances in Edinburgh. Last year I busted with aces during the last few hands of day 1a, re-entered on day 1b and still couldn’t make it through.

I did have the pleasure of getting over it with a few pints in the Grassmarket which had a great double act of fellas on guitars singing Indie music, but the bizarre backdrop of Scotland’s favourite son Andy Murray getting knocked out of the US Open live on TV in the background!

In 2014 I did make the Edinburgh final table, coming fourth for £7,800. It could have been so different too, I got it all in preflop four-handed for half the chips in play with pocket queens against pocket nines, only to see eventual runner-up Jonny Gray turn one of his two outs.

Since the last GUKPT in Manchester, I’ve been in decent form, making it as close as I’ve ever got to a GPS final table, coming 10th in Sheffield for £1750.

Now I’m ready for Edinburgh and to do even better.

Remember, if you don’t have a seat yet, or want to win another to fire multiple bullets, there are five seats guaranteed online every Tuesday and Sunday on grosvenorpoker.com, and there are loads of satellites at the Maybury through the week, check GUKPT.com for details.

The best media team in the business will be in action in Edinburgh, where not only is there a full blog, but a live stream every day of the four day Main Event (two day ones remember!) with the voice of UK poker Phil ‘The Tower’ Heald in the commentary booth along with my good self and other guest summarisers.

My poker appetite is sufficiently whetted…if yours is too, jump in the car, train or plane and get to Edinburgh for the GUKPT, the best Tour around!

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