United Kingdom Poker: Events, Venues, and Laws Explained
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of the most vibrant regions for poker, with a rich history of live poker events and a flourishing online poker scene. The game is legal and well-regulated under the UK Gambling Commission, which oversees both online and land-based gambling activities. Thanks to the regulatory clarity, the UK has attracted major international poker brands, including PokerStars, partypoker, and 888poker, creating a thriving community of players. Online poker is widely accessible, with many sites offering tournaments, cash games, and even live streaming events from prestigious venues.
For live poker enthusiasts, the UK boasts some world-renowned poker venues. London, in particular, is home to famous spots like The Hippodrome Casino, where regular cash games and poker tournaments are held. The casino has hosted events like the World Series of Poker Circuit and attracts players from all over the world. Another prominent venue is Aspers Casino in Stratford, which offers some of the biggest tournaments in the UK, such as the 888poker LIVE series and GUKPT (Grosvenor UK Poker Tour) events. Beyond London, cities like Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds also have strong poker scenes, with casinos offering a range of tournaments and cash games.
The UK is also home to iconic poker events, with the UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) being a major series that brings players to venues across the country. The GUKPT is another important tour, offering significant prize pools and a nationwide tournament schedule. The legal and social acceptance of poker, combined with a wide range of events and venues, makes the UK a prime destination for both professional players and casual enthusiasts alike.
Online Poker in United Kingdom
Online Poker Legislation in the United Kingdom
The Gambling Act of 2005 essentially made online poker fully legal in the country, granted the company offering poker gets a licence from the Gambling Commission, the regulatory body which was set up by this legislation. Amendments added to the bill in 2014 allowed even foreign companies to apply for licences, which means that UK residents truly have 100% freedom of choice if they wish to play some cards online.
There is an abundance of online poker rooms to choose from, the biggest ones being pokerstars.uk and Natural8-GGNetwork. There are some that are specifically for UK and Ireland players only, such as Sky Poker.
Best Online Poker Sites in United Kingdom
Live Poker in United Kingdom
Live Poker Legislation in the United Kingdom
The Gambling Commission states in its guidance for licencing that “poker is a card game which involves elements of both chance and skill and is therefore classified as a game of chance”.
Thus, you need to have permission from the GC to host poker in your casino. Other venues that don’t hold a gambling licence can get so-called “temporary use notices” (TUN’s) if they wish to put on an occasional poker tournament.
The piece of legislation pertaining to casino gaming in effect today is the Gambling Act of 2005, last amended in 2014.
Live Poker Venues in the United Kingdom
The best known British poker club is probably Dusk Till Dawn, located in Nottingham. Owner Rob Yong frequently plays high stakes cash games and tournaments against the best players in the world, drumming up publicity for his casino in the meantime.
DTD offers £1/£1 and £1/£2 cash games running 24/7 – the games types available are No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Dealers Choice. The highest stakes tables are £10/£25, although there isn’t always a game running on those stakes.
The casino also hosts WSOP Circuit and partypoker LIVE events – two of the biggest poker tournament series in the world.
Grosvenor Casinos is a big gambling franchise with an online and dozens of land casinos across the UK, including in London, Coventry, Manchester, and Newcastle. The biggest venue in the franchise is The Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London. There, you can find NLHE cash tables from £1/£1 up to £50/£100, as well as PLO (£1/£1-£10/£25) and Dealers Choice (£1/£3-£10/£25) tables.
They put on 1-2 tournaments a day. They are exclusively NLHE and the buy-ins range between £37 and £1,100. One of the best known UK poker tournament series is hosted by the same company, the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour – events are held in numerous cities in Great Britain year-round.
Other popular live poker rooms in the country are in the Empire Casino in London; and the Aspers Casino in Stratford City.
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Venues in United Kingdom
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