The new UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) was announced the same week I made a grown-up decision. I wanted to play the Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam, but decided not to because the buy-in was too big. I've just moved house, the building work (most surprisingly) took longer and cost more than anticipated, and €6,000 was just too much to pay for a poker tournament.
Whenever I am asked for a tip on poker, my first is always: play only for what you can comfortably afford to lose. This applies whether you play for fun with mates on a Friday night or professionally in vast televised tournaments and international cash games.
In modern poker, it's easy to forget the value of money. People are winning millions wherever you look. Nobody ever seems to discuss the "limitations of bankroll" any more. I was very pleased, in nixing the Amsterdam trip, to find I was following my own best advice.
The universe offered an immediate reward with news of this UKIPT tournament series: British and Irish events (kicking off in Galway next month, continuing next year in Dublin, Manchester, Nottingham, Coventry, London, Brighton, and Scottish venues yet to be announced), accessible by train or short flight, with buy-ins starting at a reasonable £500.
When I started playing poker, £500 was a common buy-in for the big main event of a festival. These days, it's more like £3,000 or £5,000. £500 events are treated as "fun openers", played with fast structures. This new tour, returning to £500 or £1,000 main events, is great news for British and Irish poker, healthy for everyone's sense of proportion. You can avoid paying even that, by winning your seat through cheap online satellites and freerolls.
