The third installment of the 2025 PartyPoker Tour is just shy of a month away. August 12-17, the tour will touch down in Glasgow, and the Alea Casino will host as the venue for yet another PartyPoker live event.
After two stellar stops – one in London and one in Manchester – PartyPoker has proved they know how to organize live poker events. God knows it’s not always easy work, and it’s a team effort. PartyPoker has done a great job assembling a team of very competent and experienced people that together make the live tour revival to what it is.
Prior to the upcoming event, poker.pro met with Raji Negus, the tour’s content manager. We talked with Raji about her experiences in the industry, the previous two PartyPoker Tour events, her expectations for the upcoming Glasgow affair, and more.
Bringing her Experience
It’s no surprise that the revival of the PartyPoker Tour has been a success with experienced people such as Raji in the team. She’s been in the poker industry for 20 years, working live events such as the GUKPT, Unibet, and Irish events. She’s also a former PokerStars dealer who worked the EPT stops and more. She’s been a part of the PartyPoker team since August 2019, and she’s very happy with the last event in Manchester:
“I wasn’t sure about Manchester because London was so successful, but honestly, I was so happy about the turnout. It was so nice to see people who had played in London also came to Manchester as well. Hearing they are going to Glasgow as well…the PartyPoker Tour is definitely back and we’re getting better with every event.”
The venue in Manchester, perhaps, wasn’t as big as Gentings Casino London (formerly Aspers), where the first event was held. Still, Raji and I both agreed that the Manchester235 Casino offered a very cozy and intimate experience. Entering the casino, the poker room was the first thing the players saw, and when all the tables in the tournament area were full, you could really feel the buzz in the room.
One of the biggest keys to the success of the PartyPoker Tour is the online qualifiers. They are sending more than 1,000 players to the live fields through online qualifiers that start from just a few cents. Raji agrees that the qualifiers and satellites have been vital in attracting the grassroots players:
“With the qualifiers, you get players who otherwise wouldn’t be able to come. We had a few players who went to the event in Manchester who had never even stepped foot in a casino before. They won their tickets online through the satellites, and we met them face-to-face in Manchester, hearing their story of how they got into the event. Hearing those kinds of things tells us that everything we’re trying to do for recreational players is working. That’s the plan; give players who would never buy into a £500 event the opportunity to get into those kinds of tournaments for a cheaper buck. I think the main event buy-in is perfect for the recreational players.”
The numbers back up Raji’s claim. The £500 Main Event in London scored 491 entries, and winner Getnet Kassa walked away with the £38,408 first-place prize. The Manchester edition attracted 243 entries, and it was Deniz Orhan who came out on top, cashing £19,843. Orhan, by the way, earned his Main Event seat through the online qualifiers, and he’s already secured his Glasgow stay as well.
- Read more: Orhan Wins the £500 PartyPoker Manchester Main Event for £19,843
- Read more: Getnet Kassa Claims £500 PartyPoker London Main Event Title and £38,408
When there’s not a live event going on, Raji’s actual title at PartyPoker is Account Relationship Manager for high-value players who play online. With her background in the live poker industry, though, it was no surprise that she’d be asked to work the UK tour:
“Having this background working at many different live poker events, I think it was the right fit for me to join the tour, just to have extra eyes and ears on the ground. I have an understanding of how tournaments should be run. In Manchester, Doug, the cardroom manager, and his staff all did an amazing job. Such, I didn’t feel like I needed to be as hands-on as they had it all under control.
That being said, many players mentioned how impressed they were that there were always people around from PartyPoker. Any questions they might have, there was always somebody there ready to answer them. We have an incredible customer service team. Anyone who has issues, whether it be with their online account, with their live tickets, or anything else, we always have someone there who can help them. It was really nice receiving feedback that people enjoyed having actual PartyPoker staff there at the events, and not just the event being branded.”
Getting the feedback from the players on-site is crucial for PartyPoker. The negative feedback is very appreciated as it allows the tour to improve to the next stop.
Raising the Bar in Glasgow
Raji’s main mission during the live stops is managing all the influencers and the content that they put on social media. With several PartyPoker Tour ambassadors, one can imagine she’s got her work cut out for her. She’s also assisting with the overall media amplification during the events. Raji makes a plan for what content should be created prior to the events, and she reveals that Glasgow will be a mix of old and new mini games where players can win various prizes.
- Read more: PartyPoker Announces Team of Ambassadors for UK Tour
- Read more: Jaime Staples: “Live Poker Is Still Sexy” as PartyPoker Tour Returns
- Read more: Matt Staples Shares His Thoughts on PartyPoker Tour Return and More
The Glasgow event will take place at the Alea Casino, August 12-17. Raji and the PartyPoker team expect to see many familiar faces, but also some new players who’ll do their best trying to succeed in the Scottish capital:
“I’m excited to see many new players in Glasgow. I think there’s going to be quite a few players who didn’t travel to London or Manchester because of the distance. I’m excited to see new faces and meet some players who haven’t played live events before. Of course, there will also be a lot of familiar faces of players who try to climb the PartyPoker leaderboard.
It’s a good thing that Raji brought up the PartyPoker Leaderboard, because it’s arguably one of the most thrilling moments of the whole tour. The deeper players finish in the tournaments during the stops, the more leaderboard points they earn. The one who finishes with the most points after all five events wins a £5,000 package for any of the tour’s stops in 2026 (none of which have yet been announced).
Before Raji and I finished our talk, she gave a shoutout to Irina Yakimova, who’s a big part of the customer service team at PartyPoker:
“I would just like to give a lot of credit to the customer service team. Irina deserves a lot of praise; she makes my job a hundred times easier. Without her, I feel like I would be running around a lot more than I have to. It’s a great help, and she really knows her stuff.”
Raji and the rest of the PartyPoker team run a tight ship, and they’ve proven that the PartyPoker Tour is here to stay. The excitement for the third stop is overwhelming, and poker.pro can’t want to be on-site in Glasgow as a official media partner and take part of all the exciting action.
