Newcastle: A Good City for Playing Live Poker?

A lively city lying at the heart of North-East England, Newcastle is well-known for its beautiful bridges, sensational scenery, and interesting history. It’s the love of football and entertaining nightlife make it one of the go-to places in not only the UK but also Europe. It blends modernity and history perfectly, boasting of several fascinating museums, markets, and theatres — you won’t be short of things to do in the city.

However, the city that’s home to the Premier League’s highest all-time goalscorer Alan Shearer, and comedy legend Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean), is hardly popular for its thrilling poker scene. But if you’re a Newcastle resident, you’ve probably discovered the various places where you can enjoy playing poker. You’ll often find casinos hosting regular tournaments. As we’ll see later, these tournaments have helped produce some of the most skilled poker players in the world.

Playing Live Poker in Newcastle

You probably know the benefits of playing live poker over playing online. It helps you cultivate a well-balanced skill set, allowing you to read real-life psychological cues.

When starting, newbies often opt for online poker as they hone their skills and learn the game. Once they’re proficient enough, the most logical option is to look for live tournaments. Making this switch helps them understand how top-tier poker players approach the live games. According to Beasts Of Poker, you should be studying the reactions of other players and aim to adapt to their playing style.

That said, Newcastle offers players the experience of real-life play, as it houses three casinos, with 22 tables spread across each. While you’ll mostly find the city’s residents competing in an intense game of Texas Hold’em, you’ll sometimes see other variations like 7-card stud and 5-card Omaha.

Socialising in these casinos, you’ll stumble upon like-minded players who love poker just as much as you do.

Poker Players from Newcastle

Newcastle boasts of some popular poker exports. Several successful players have honed their craft in the city’s packed casinos, showing how Newcastle offers poker enthusiasts the way to succeed.

Dan Trett

One of the most famous poker players emanating from Newcastle include Dan Trett. Dan learned to play poker in Stanley and Grosvenor. He quickly became a regular at the local casinos. His weekly trips to the card rooms allowed him to face some veteran players such as Steven Liu and James Browning.

A couple of years later, he is one of the most charismatic and feared card players. He plies his trade in Las Vegas, Newcastle, and until recently, Sydney. Considering his reputation, we can expect him to continue dominating the poker scene for years.

Jonathan Prested

Formerly a student at Northumbria University, Jonathan Prested is another player from Newcastle who’s made big bucks in card rooms. In July 2018, he walked away with a mouth-watering $57,000 from the then world’s biggest tournament. His largest prize pot is an estimated $126,000, which he won in a tournament in 2016. The former marketing student came to fall in love with the card game when playing for the campus’ cricket time.

Ben Jenkins

Racking up £800 in his first poker tournament, Ben Jenkins knew he was cut out for poker. Early in his promising career, he won more than £27,000 in a London tournament. His poker skills helped him get through university, and after finishing university he was making comfortably more than most 9 to 5ers. Learning psychological cues to improve his skills, Jenkins is a perfect example of a simple man succeeding at playing cards.

Final Thoughts

While Newcastle is probably not the first city you think of when it comes to poker, it’s a suitable place that can help nurture careers in cards. It has an environment that supports poker learning, ideal if you’re looking to switch from online to live play.