Poker in the City by Pino
Sheffield greets you in grey. Rain in the air, pavements shining, the city in full winter mode. But the moment you step inside Genting Casino and make your way toward the poker room, everything changes. You are hit with a burst of orange, smiling faces, hugs, pats on the back, and that instant sense of recognition that feels distinctive to what the PartyPoker Tour is all about.
Richard Brown is a familiar face among them. He has been at almost every Party Poker event, travelling miles and sometimes crossing the Scottish border to be there. What brings him back is the feeling of grounding. These events turn usernames into people and hands into handshakes. I asked him what he would change about the tour. His answer was simple. A steady supply of Irn Bru for those long days at the tables. Can this be arranged?
Luke Bird’s story captures another side of what makes these events work. For him, the PartyPoker Tour stands out for making buy ins genuinely accessible, turning live poker into something welcoming and attainable rather than exclusive. It is working man’s poker in the best sense of the phrase. Friendly tables, familiar faces, and a community that makes it easy to walk in, sit down, and feel part of it straight away.
That same pull brought Carey Hollick to Sheffield. She came hoping to meet someone she admired from afar, a player she had only ever watched online, Jamie Staples. You know the saying about not meeting your heroes. This was very much the exception.
That same energy spilled over at the pub quiz last night, which saw the biggest turnout yet. The room was packed and the atmosphere was popping, thanks in no small part to the showmanship of Glenn Brown, the one and only, who kept spirits high and the room buzzing during the dinner break. Normally the talk would be about folding, bubbles, and winning hands. This time it was soup ingredients, swimming strokes, and the latest podcasts. There were winners here too.
This Sheffield stop was, of course, all about poker. But there was also space for warmth in unlikely places, for connection, and for the moment an online world becomes unmistakably real.
