A Blyth man has been crowned the UK Pub Poker Champion in Las Vegas.
Bobby Regan beat-off competition from thousands of pub poker players from across the country to win the prestigious Vegas 100 Redtooth Poker title and the £5,000 prize-money.
The 25-year-old qualified after starting to play in the Redtooth Poker league on Tuesday nights at the Last Orders pub on Regent Street, Blyth. It was his first ever season in the league.
A year of local, regional, national and online tournaments determined the best 100 UK pub poker players, who travelled to America for the final at the Orleans Casino – home of the best card room in Las Vegas. Following 12 hours of intense play in the final, Bobby finished on top.
He said: “I still can’t believe I won it, it hasn’t sunk in yet! The whole experience was class and a once in a life-time trip. Las Vegas was more than I ever expected. It was amazing and I was made to feel very special, everyone was so friendly.
“I played a little poker growing up, but it’s only in the last few years when I started playing more regularly with friends and online. The Last Orders poker league is good fun and I’ve met a lot of great new people there.”
It was the first time Bobby had been abroad since going on holiday with his parents and needed to quickly gain a passport to travel after being one of the final ten people to qualify for the Vegas 100 in a national semi-final tournament in Sheffield in March.
Bobby added: “I had to sort a passport very quickly and a lot of work was done in order for me to travel to America, so I am delighted it all paid off. Without the support of Alison and Jimmy Taylor who run the Poker league at the Last Orders, along with landlord Alan Fairborn and Redtooth Poker, I wouldn’t have been able to go.
“Alison and Jimmy helped me sort a passport and assisted with travel to qualifying tournaments, so I owe them all a big thank you.
“I hope to get more involved in poker tournaments across the country and it would be a dream to start playing professionally. But it’s just good to enjoy winning this tournament and I’ve had great support from family and friends.”
Redtooth Poker is the UK’s largest live pub poker league with more than 1,000 venues and 150,000 players registered with the event since it was launched in 2007.
Martin Green, managing director of Redtooth Poker, said: “Since Vegas 100 was created, it has simply grown and grown to become a huge national event. No other tournament takes the best players from all four corners of the UK and takes them to the poker capital of the world, giving them one of the best poker settings to check-raise and bluff their way to become the champion of champions.
“Bobby’s success is fantastic and in his first ever Redtooth Poker league season too! Well done to all those who qualified for Las Vegas. They achieved and experienced so much simply from going to their local pub and playing cards. Bobby’s rise is an example of how the tournament can offer a unique opportunity for everyone to enjoy.”
For more information about Vegas 100 and Redtooth Poker visit www.redtoothpoker.com or call 01246 813713. Alternatively follow @redtoothpoker on Twitter.
To watch videos from the Vegas 100 tournament visit www.facebook.com/redtoothpoker or check out all 18 videos below.
ENDS
Pictured: Bobby Regan from Blyth has been crowned the UK Pub Poker Champion in Las Vegas.
