Genting Casinos and PartyPoker Power Poker Revival in the Midlands

_{Winner Tai Hoang bags £27,420. (Image: PartyPoker Tour)}

From high-stakes drama to breakout wins, Day 8 at Genting Casino Resorts World Birmingham proved why the PartyPoker Tour is the UK’s fastest-growing live poker series.

Day 8 of the PartyPoker Tour Birmingham kicked off in style at Genting Casino Resorts World, marking another milestone in the event’s record-setting run. The £500 Main Event drew 343 total entries across multiple flights, generating a £152,635 prize pool and smashing its £100,000 guarantee.

The final Day 1D flight opened at 11 a.m. with 52 entries battling through 15-minute hyper levels. PartyPoker Team members Barry Carter and Alexander “wishiper96” Georgiev joined poker veterans Dara O’Kearney and Rebecca Hardisty at the felt, though none found luck this time around.

When the chips settled, 13 players bagged for Day 2. Min Ji led with 455,000 chips, followed by George Demetriou with 290,000 and Nathan Manuel with 258,000, setting up a fiercely competitive field for the next round.

PLO Masters Draws the Pros

By early afternoon, focus shifted to the £20,000 GTD PLO Masters. Day 1B attracted 25 entries, including British poker pro Brandon Sheils. Six players advanced to Day 2, led by Benjamin Sweetman with 410,000 chips, Andrew Hanak with 250,000, and David Whitehouse with 235,000.

Scott Hill, the designer and founder of the Tennessee Hold’em variant featured during the event, praised the energy in the room:

“The live poker moratorium during the pandemic is finally well and truly banished, thanks to Genting Casinos and PartyPoker,” Hill said. 

“The PartyPoker Tour is building great foundations for the growth of live poker in the U.K.” 

As Day 1C of the PLO Masters rolled around at 7 p.m., another 26 players joined the action. This time, Brandon Sheils bagged 321,000 chips, joined by Imran Pirmohamed on 268,000 and Min Ji again impressing with 227,000.

Series co-creator JJ Hazan said the turnout had exceeded expectations.

“We’ve nearly reached our £20K guarantee already, and there’s still the final Hyper Day 1D to go, so everyone is happy,” Hazan said. “Players have commented that they’ve loved the structure, and that’s key to ongoing success.” 

Tennessee Hold’em Championship Crowns New Winner

At 4 p.m., cards were in the air for the Tennessee Hold’em Birmingham Championship. PartyPoker Manchester gold medalist Gary Barton returned to defend his title but fell short of repeating his success.

Ryan Johnstone claimed the championship gold medal and £420 top prize, keeping the momentum rolling for local talent throughout the festival.

Feature Table and Side Events Keep the Energy High

Meanwhile, the Feature Table, hosted by Ben Shannon and Guy Taylor, kept fans entertained on the live broadcast. The PartyPoker YouTube and Facebook streams allowed poker fans across the country to tune in until the early hours, following every all-in moment.

Out of the 86 players who advanced to Day 2 of the Main Event, 55 finished in the money, with Lewis Jordan Henderson narrowly missing out as the bubble boy. The final table lineup included Robert Douras and Tai Hoang, who had already faced off in the Mini Main Event earlier in the week, both players proving they were far from done.

At 5 p.m., the Faded Spade-sponsored No Limit Hold’em event kicked off, where Henrik Horwing turned up the heat to win the trophy and £1,710.

Hardisty Dominates the Saturday Madness

As the evening wrapped up, the PLO Masters Saturday Party Madness NLH/PLO Bounty event brought fireworks. Rebecca Hardisty took home the title, £445 in prize money, and nine bounties worth £225 combined, a total haul of £670.

Hardisty’s victory added another highlight to the weekend, as she continues to cement her reputation as one of the UK’s most promising players on the live circuit.

Tai Hoang Clinches the Main Event Title

Sunday’s final action saw a fairytale finish for Tai Hoang, who had recently finished runner-up in the £150 Mini Main Event for £9,080. This time, he completed his comeback story, defeating Jiten Chauhan heads-up to win the £500 Main Event and a top prize of £27,420.

The result capped off an electrifying week for the PartyPoker Tour Birmingham, with over 1,000 total entries across all events and renewed enthusiasm for live poker in the Midlands.

As Scott Hill summed up earlier in the week, 

“The Birmingham PPT event has revitalised Midlanders’ passion for live, face-to-face poker entertainment.”

With more stops planned nationwide, the PartyPoker Tour, in partnership with Genting Casinos, continues to build momentum as the UK’s premier live poker festival.