Dalkeith poker winner

Tuesday April 11th 2017

Paul Green GUKPT Winner

A poker player at Grosvenor Casino Edinburgh Maybury has won the Edinburgh final of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) – the largest poker tour in the UK. Paul Green, 46, a regular at the Edinburgh casino where the tournament took place, competed in the final on Sunday 2nd April. He beat off 229 competitors to walk away with the trophy and a share of the £113,500 prize pool.

The win could not have come at a better time for Paul, a joiner from Dalkeith, whose tools, worth thousands of pounds, were stolen from his van a few nights before the tournament final.

Speaking about his success, Paul said: “The GUKPT really tests your game to the max as you’re up against professionals from all over so you know you’re playing well if you win. The tournament started on the Thursday with the final on the Sunday so it was heavy-going but I loved it. I still can’t believe the timing. When I discovered my tools were stolen I was gutted because I needed them to work but with the prize money I can replace them. I’m also going to spend my winnings on a big holiday and treat my mum and dad to a holiday too!”

Paul, who started playing poker ten years ago after being introduced to the game by friends, has been a regular player at the Grosvenor Casino Edinburgh Maybury for six years. On 25th March he ran a poker event at the casino in memory of his friend Colin McConnaghy, who passed away due to cancer last May. The event, which included a tournament, raffle and auction, was a huge success raising £6,500 for Colin’s family.

“There’s a real poker community at the casino so when everyone heard I was going to hold a tribute game for Colin, they wanted to get involved. Colin was a big part of the Edinburgh Maybury poker culture. When you sit with someone for six or seven hours playing poker then I think you get to know them very well. When I competed in the GUKPT final on Sunday, I really felt Colin was there guiding me.”

Tom Docherty, general manager of Grosvenor Casino Edinburgh Maybury commented: “With professional players coming from far and wide to take part in the prestigious Grosvenor UK Poker Tour, we’re thrilled to see the trophy claimed by one of our own players. It was certainly karma at its finest for Paul after his efforts organising Colin’s remembrance tournament and the shock of having his tools stolen during the GUKPT. There really was no one more deserving of the top prize.”

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