New GUKPT Tour Manager

Incoming missive from Miss Mason this evening.

".....Congratulations to Jeff Leigh, who has joined the GUKPT as Tour Manager in 2011, combining many years' experience working as the Senior Card Room Manager at London's Victoria Casino with a tireless enthusiasm for innovation and growth in the live game as a whole. Find him at GUKPT legs around the country, or in the Vic's 24 hour card room in the capital, where he will be on hand to answer questions on the tour and events or entertain feedback from the many people who make the GUKPT what it is today. Please find attached a short interview......"

Interview with Jeff Leigh – GUKPT Tour Manager-------------------------------------------------------

Newly appointed as Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Manager, Jeff Leigh will be on hand at all legs of the 2011 tour bringing his combination of unceasing enthusiasm for poker and lengthy experience as a director and manager to the country’s biggest live tour.

Leigh’s decision to take on another role on top of his already intensive stint as Senior Poker Manager at the capital’s poker hub appears to have been a carefully thought-out one. To launch into the wider circuit while maintaining a solid presence in the London card room will be a challenging, but rewarding new venture.

“It’s not like I’m bored working here!” said Leigh, looking out over the sea of felt heaving with cash game players on the weekend. “The Vic is also looking to build and that carries its own responsibilities and plenty of pressure. “ He has had many years’ experience, however, dealing with the unique brand of customer faced by a cardroom manager.

“Poker players are a certain breed…” he admitted with a wry smile, “It’s like being a football manager – you’re only as good as your last game. You’re only as good as your last decision. Who’d be a football referee?”

However, pressure or not, Leigh is nothing if not excited about branching out his role in the company. “Despite my many years in poker and at the Vic I am still enthusiastic. Russell (Tamplin) has done a fantastic job as director, and now as national poker manager – I want to build on what he’s done.”

“You need one person to make the final decision, but there are a lot of people on the route – customers and dealers and staff with opinions and ideas who contribute hugely to the process.”

For the next few legs of the GUKPT, Leigh will be on hand to pick up and try on his ‘second hat,’ while bringing his unparalleled experience to the tournament tables of the GUKPT. While very optimistic about the future, he is unwilling to make grand statements about his plans.

“I’m already thinking about what I can bring to the table,” he said, “But I believe that it’s what you do that counts, not just what you say.”

You can find the camera-shy Jeff Leigh on hand personally to answer your questions about the tour, individual events or rulings on the road at GUKPT festivals throughout the year, or the rest of the time at the London Grosvenor Victoria Casino, Edgware Road