Gutshot Poker Club
Encyclopedia
The Gutshot Poker Club was a poker
club, bar
, restaurant
and internet cafe
located on Clerkenwell Road
, London
, England
. The club opened in March 2004 and closed in 2007. It was founded by Barry Martin and Derek Kelly.
The club ran poker ring game
s, and tournaments
one to three times per day, and hosted four festivals of poker per annum.
Amongst the successes achieved by members of the club are:
In addition to many English poker players, former WSOP main event champions Phil Hellmuth Jr
, Chris Ferguson
, Chris Moneymaker
, Greg Raymer
and Joe Hachem
also played at the venue, as well as others such as Scott Fischman
, Howard Lederer
, Marcel Lüske and Andy Bloch
.
In May 2006, the Gutshot held the first ever event of the Showdown Poker Tour, a £3,448 buy-in event won by EPT winner Mats Gavatin.
On 16 January 2007, the owner of the club was convicted of contravening the Gaming Act. The jury in the case rejected Derek Kelly's contention that poker was a game of skill, and thus exempt from the Gaming Act. Derek Kelly appealed this verdict at the Royal Court of Appeal in London but failed, after which the club closed.
software, which survived the closure of the club. Gutshot Poker began on the Microgaming
network but was transferred to the Cake Poker Network
in 2008 and is now part of the IPoker Network. The main site also includes a popular forum in addition to news, features, strategy articles and blogs.
NL, PL and FL Texas Hold 'Em
. PL and FL Omaha
. PL and NL Omaha Hi-Lo. 7 Card Stud and 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo.
In addition, Sit and Go tournaments and Multi-Table Tournaments run regularly with the Sunday $200k Guaranteed providing the focal point of the week.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
club, bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
and internet cafe
Internet cafe
An Internet café or cybercafé is a place which provides internet access to the public, usually for a fee. These businesses usually provide snacks and drinks, hence the café in the name...
located on Clerkenwell Road
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The club opened in March 2004 and closed in 2007. It was founded by Barry Martin and Derek Kelly.
The club ran poker ring game
Ring game
Ring game may refer to:*Ring game , a general class of multi-player pocket billiards gambling games*Ring game, a.k.a. cash game, a poker game played with "real" chips and each player's own money at stake, as opposed to a poker tournament with a prize money pool...
s, and tournaments
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
one to three times per day, and hosted four festivals of poker per annum.
Amongst the successes achieved by members of the club are:
- Tiffany WilliamsonTiffany WilliamsonTiffany Williamson is an American corporate lawyer who qualified for the 2005 World Series of Poker in the Gutshot Poker Club. She went on to finish in 15th place, earning $400,000, after having spent just one year learning the game...
, 2005 World Series of Poker2005 World Series of PokerThe 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the...
(WSOP) main event, 15th place ($400,000) - Roland De WolfeRoland De WolfeRoland De Wolfe is an English professional poker player and a former writer for the poker magazine Inside Edge.After winning first prize in an event at the 2004 Gutshot Poker Festival, he went on to make a money finish in the $1,000 No Limit event of the 2005 World Series of Poker.In July 2005, he...
, World Poker TourWorld Poker TourThe World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
(WPT) fourth seasonWorld Poker Tour season 4 results- Mirage Poker Showdown:* Casino: The Mirage, Las Vegas * Buy-in: $10,000* 4-Day Event: May 23, 2005 to May 26, 2005* Number of Entries: 317* Total Prize Pool: $3,074,900* Number of Payouts: 27* Winning Hand: Q-Q...
Grand Prix de Paris winner (€479,680;) WPT fourth season championship, 3rd place ($1,025,505); European Poker TourEuropean Poker TourThe Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...
(EPT) third seasonEuropean Poker Tour season 3 results- EPT 3 Barcelona :* Casino: Casino Barcelona, Barcelona * Buy-in: €5,000 * 4-Day Event: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 to Saturday, September 16, 2006* Number of buy-ins: 480* Total Prize Pool: €2,304,000...
Ireland winner (€554,300); 2007 Irish Poker OpenIrish Poker OpenThe paddypowerpoker.com Irish Poker Open is the longest running No Limit Texas hold 'em poker tournament in Europe and second longest in the world after the World Series of Poker....
, 2nd place (€325,000) - Praz BansiPraz BansiPramesh 'Praz' Bansi is a 32 year-old professional poker player from London, England, who has won two bracelets at the World Series of Poker and is part of the London based poker group The Hitsquad....
, 2006 World Series of Poker2006 World Series of PokerThe 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...
bracelet winner ($230,209)
In addition to many English poker players, former WSOP main event champions Phil Hellmuth Jr
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality...
, Chris Ferguson
Chris Ferguson
Christopher Philip Ferguson is an American professional poker player. He has won five World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. On September 20, 2011, the U.S...
, Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker
Christopher Bryan Moneymaker is an American poker player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker . His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker because he was the first person to become a world champion by qualifying at an online poker site...
, Greg Raymer
Greg Raymer
Gregory Raymer nicknamed "Fossilman," is a professional poker player. He is best known for winning the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event.-Early life:...
and Joe Hachem
Joe Hachem
Joseph Hachem is a Lebanese-Australian professional poker player known for winning the main event of the 2005 World Series of Poker. He was the first Australian to win the main event, which earned him $7.5 million, then a record for all-time biggest tournament prize.The next year, Hachem won his...
also played at the venue, as well as others such as Scott Fischman
Scott Fischman
Scott Fischman is an American professional poker player based in Las Vegas, Nevada.Fischman grew up in South Jersey and moved to Las Vegas at the age of 12. He was introduced to poker by a schoolfriend and went on to become a poker dealer at the Sahara and the Mirage...
, Howard Lederer
Howard Lederer
Howard Henry Lederer is an American professional poker player and brother of poker professional Annie Duke, and author and poet Katy Lederer. On September 20, 2011, the U.S...
, Marcel Lüske and Andy Bloch
Andy Bloch
Andrew Elliot Bloch is a professional poker player. He holds two electrical engineering degrees from MIT and a JD from Harvard Law School.-Poker:...
.
In May 2006, the Gutshot held the first ever event of the Showdown Poker Tour, a £3,448 buy-in event won by EPT winner Mats Gavatin.
On 16 January 2007, the owner of the club was convicted of contravening the Gaming Act. The jury in the case rejected Derek Kelly's contention that poker was a game of skill, and thus exempt from the Gaming Act. Derek Kelly appealed this verdict at the Royal Court of Appeal in London but failed, after which the club closed.
Gutshot.com
The club also had its own online pokerOnline poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...
software, which survived the closure of the club. Gutshot Poker began on the Microgaming
Microgaming
Microgaming Software Systems Ltd is a privately held Isle of Man based software development company which claims to have released the first genuine online casino in 1994. The company is one of the leading software providers to the online gambling industry, with just under 100 casinos listed on its...
network but was transferred to the Cake Poker Network
Cake Poker Network
The Cake Network is a Curaçao based online poker network. Cake Network is owned and operated by parent company Cake Gaming NV. Cake Gaming NV is hosted by Cyberluck, a Curaçao based Regulating and Gaming Licensing & Hosting provider and operates under the gaming license of Cyberluck Curaçao...
in 2008 and is now part of the IPoker Network. The main site also includes a popular forum in addition to news, features, strategy articles and blogs.
History
The Gutshot Poker client was launched in 2001 and has now built a reputation as being among the best value of all sites for on-line players. This stems from the loyalty programs offered and the company’s policy of returning in excess of 75% of profits to its customers. Built upon an ethos of providing the best in support, promotions and learning materials, Gutshot Poker is run by players for players and as such, they understand the importance of a strong poker community in which their customers can develop their game as they play.Games offered
Players can participate in ring games with stakes ranging between $0.02/$0.04 and $300/$6000 in the following disciplines:NL, PL and FL Texas Hold 'Em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
. PL and FL Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
. PL and NL Omaha Hi-Lo. 7 Card Stud and 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo.
In addition, Sit and Go tournaments and Multi-Table Tournaments run regularly with the Sunday $200k Guaranteed providing the focal point of the week.