It's been emotional...

[AlrightJack]

February 2005, I pitch up at the Grosvenor Casino in Walsall for the Midlands Medley to attend my first Grosvenor poker festival in the official capacity of Blue Square Poker Manager. The Blue Square online poker room has recently launched and is sponsoring all GUKPT festivals by adding a bit of prize money to each (£30,000 across the whole year if I remember correctly). We decided to do a bubble promotion, so that the players who bubbled in all of the festival events had a chance to play an online STT with a $2,000 prize pool as a consolation. I was however a little worried about approaching the bubblers to tell them of what they had just 'won.' So I kept a safe distance for a good 20-mins or so before going to speak to each to let them know.

The first loser of the week was this ancient, gnarled old fella who chain-smoked and who I later found out, seemingly had an allergic reaction to any food other than full fried breakfasts. I nervously approached him, shook his hand, explained who I was and told him about the prize. He reacted better than I had thought, thanking me, but also mentioning that this Internets thing was still a difficult concept for him to grasp. Even though he had just set up a website with a new business partner, he admitted to only just mastering turning on his computer. His name was Tony.

I stayed for the whole week and during this time I witnessed JP Kelly win his first ranking event. A remarkable achievement, considering that he was the lowest stacked player going into day two with only a few big blinds. He came back to defeat Alli Mallu heads up after going into the tete a tete with a huge chip disadvantage. Also winning events  during the week were Joe Koumi, Chris Bruce and Dave Colclough, who took down the £1,500 main event, beating Greg Hill heads up. I also witnessed an epic final in the £500 event in which the last four were Trevor Reardon, Willie Tann, Pete Evans and eventual winner Bengt Sonnert. In fact they chopped it, but it was a memorable game. I also met Mickey Wernick for the first time and when he asked me what it would take for him to land a sponsorship deal with Blue Square, I told him he would get one if he could win the European rankings.

In the months that followed I visited Luton for their Springfest event, where I famously dropped the trophy when presenting it to JP Kelly, who had just won his second ranking event, beating Dave Colclough heads up. I also visited the Vic in London, Blackpool, Southampton and Swansea during this first year on the circuit, getting to know most of the regulars on the live poker circuit. I had a great time and enjoyed listening to what poker players had to say about how their lot could be improved.

Later in 2005 I devised a competition called 'The Unusual Suspects' in which a group of players would compete in several live events in the UK and Europe, with the end prize being a seat in the €10,000 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. Each player would effectively be sponsored by Blue Square into several live and online events, with the worst performing players being eliminated after each round. The Unusual Suspects were Joe Grech, Stuart Nash, John Falconer, James Dempsey, Simon Nowab, Ian Bradley, Jen Mason, Mickey Wernick and JP Kelly. We started off in London, then Brighton after which Mickey Wernick was eliminated. After events in Blackpool and Sheffield Joe Grech, Ian Bradley, Stuart Nash and Simon Nowab were amongst the next to go. They were joined for a few events by an online qualifier from Scotland called Ricky McElroy. By the time we went to Finland for the Helsinki Freezeout the remaining four players were John Falconer, James Dempsey, JP Kelly and Jen Mason. During this trip JP was eliminated from the competition and as this was happening the news came through from Luton that Mickey Wernick had won the main event at the Christmas Cracker festival and in doing so had secured the top spot in the 2005 European Rankings. A few weeks later, his sponsorship deal with Blue Square was announced. JP Kelly would later join him as a sponsored player, as would Praz Bansi, Karl Mahrenholz and Kevin O'Leary. The three remaining Unusual Suspects moved on to Deauville for the EPT, where Jen Mason was unfortunate enough to bubble and a few weeks later back in Walsall the whole competition was determined with a series of heads up matches between the remaining three players. Jen Mason emerged victorious and went on to very nearly cash in the EPT Grand Final.

For two years I went to every festival on the Grosvenor calendar, almost 30 in total. I also attended lots of events in Europe and the WSOP in Vegas during this time, persuading my bosses at Blue Square to pay for me to go using the flimsy excuse that our sponsored players needed someone to carry their bags. Having seen how poker events were being run all overt the world, I had loads of ideas about how Grosvenor could take their poker offering in a new direction and from that the idea of the GUKPT was born. In January 2007 it became a reality and with a 22-part TV series to record it all for Channel 4, poker in the UK had finally come of age. Over the next three years I devoted most of my time to the GUKPT and in 2008 I also became based at the Vic in London as a host.

I could go on and on about my experiences over the last few years, especially regarding the GUKPT, but that can wait for another time. But I guess at this point I had better cut to the chase. Why am I posting all this guff now? Well, the time has come for me to move on and after next week I am leaving the company to start a new job elsewhere. The Summer Series festival in Walsall will be my last GUKPT event. I'm pleased that Walsall is the last one I will attend as it will nicely bookend a fantastic five and half years I have spent on the UK poker circuit. I hope to see many of you at the Walsall event, but also look forward to catching up with you in the future. I will still be working in the poker industry, so you haven't seen the last of me yet, but my new job will require me to spend most of my time outside the UK. Thanks for all the good times everyone.

[celtic]

Good luck Jon.

[kinboshi]

The first loser of the week was this ancient, gnarled old fella who chain-smoked and who I later found out, seemingly had an allergic reaction to any food other than full fried breakfasts. I nervously approached him, shook his hand, explained who I was and told him about the prize. He reacted better than I had thought, thanking me, but also mentioning that this Internets thing was still a difficult concept for him to grasp. Even though he had just set up a website with a new business partner, he admitted to only just mastering turning on his computer. His name was Tony.

Pure genius

Good luck with your next venture.  One of the good guys

[The_nun]

The first loser of the week was this ancient, gnarled old fella who chain-smoked and who I later found out, seemingly had an allergic reaction to any food other than full fried breakfasts. I nervously approached him, shook his hand, explained who I was and told him about the prize. He reacted better than I had thought, thanking me, but also mentioning that this Internets thing was still a difficult concept for him to grasp. Even though he had just set up a website with a new business partner, he admitted to only just mastering turning on his computer. His name was Tony.

Pure genius

Good luck with your next venture.  One of the good guys

GLGL Jon. Xx

[DaveShoelace]

Genuinely one of the finest tour managers/card room managers/tournament directors/staff members/poker managers/press liason people/harry hill lookalikes/poker industry blokes in the business, congrats on a job well done and good luck in the future.

Go on, spill the beans, whats the new gig?

[Sheriff Fatman]

Best of luck Jon.

I was lucky enough to witness the dropped trophy moment (which you've never managed to live down) and since then you've been an ever-present face at the (few) live events that I've played.

It's safe to say that you've brought a great deal of 'added value' to the UK scene in recent years.

Good luck in your new role.

Curtis

[Ironside]

gl in your new job jon

[outragous76]

Genuinely one of the finest tour managers/card room managers/tournament directors/staff members/poker managers/press liason people/harry hill lookalikes/poker industry blokes in the business, congrats on a job well done and good luck in the future.

Go on, spill the beans, whats the new gig?

this

very best of luck Jon

[Free_Rollin]

Genuinely one of the finest tour managers/card room managers/tournament directors/staff members/poker managers/press liason people/harry hill lookalikes/poker industry blokes in the business, congrats on a job well done and good luck in the future.

Go on, spill the beans, whats the new gig?

this

very best of luck Jon

+1. Best of luck Jon, you were an asset to the GUKPT tour.

[Karabiner]

All the very best of luck in your new venture Jonathan, I hope to run into you along the way sometime.

[ripple11]

It's safe to say that you've brought a great deal of 'added value' to the UK scene in recent years.

+1..........as well as one of the good guys!

Best of luck in the new job Jon.

[Dewi_cool]

Pob lwc Jon & thanks

[ChipRich]

http://www.entertonement.com/clips/kkfbdkgprf--Rolling-up-a-Stake-and-Going-to-VegasRounders-John-Turturro-Joey-Knish-

gl!

[AlrightJack]

My new job is at PokerStars in a business development role for live events/tours in Europe

[outragous76]

My new job is at PokerStars in a business development role for live events/tours in Europe

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stars buying in the best

gr8 work Jon