Goliath is one of the fastest growing poker tournaments in the world. It has expanded every year since its inauguration in 2011, when 1,765 turned up for the event’s debut in Coventry, UK. It is the Grosvenor G Casino in Coventry’s Ricoh Arena that plays host to the 2018 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Goliath festival between July 25 and Aug. The Main Event features seven starting.

This year, 2020, the Goliath Poker festival is moving ONLINE! The National Online Goliath series will take place from 1st – 10th August exclusively on grosvenorpoker.com The National Online Goliath series has a whopping £350,000 in guaranteed prizepools across 15 spectacular events. The series boasts incredible, deep structures, some of the best you could possibly find online. Grosvenor made the decision to switch the 2020 Goliath to an online event hosted by Grosvenor Poker on the iPoker Network. This event shuffled up and deals at 4:00 p.m. BST on August 8, costs £.

You can almost hear those giant footsteps that mean only one thing….GOLIATH IS COMING!

For those who’ve somehow missed the buzz created by this mammoth poker tournament and festival over the past six years, let me describe Goliath as this – it’s the closest thing to playing the World Series of Poker I’ve ever witnessed without being in Las Vegas.

Even including the World Series of Poker Europe there’s such a buzz at the Goliath that it’s the number one tournament I want to play every year in the UK.

This year’s Goliath Festival (remember while the Goliath is on there’s a whole festival of side events to play too) runs from July 30 to August 7 this year at the glorious Grosvenor Casino at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

If you’ve never been to this casino, I can safely say you’re in for a pleasant surprise.

The Grosvenor Casino at the Ricoh Arena is the closest thing I’ve seen to a Vegas casino in the UK, with it’s indoor waterfalls, palm trees and sumptuous finish.

With a starting stack of 25,000 chips, a 40 minute clock throughout and three days of poker split over a week, it’s without doubt a great tournament and the best thing is, it needn’t break the bank to get involved. At just £100 + £20, the Goliath is the best value tournament around.

You get EPT standard dealers, the fantastic GUKPT tournament staff ensuring things run smoothly, and a shot at winning over £70,000 for the cost of an average night out (at least if you live in London).

Just let that sink in….more than two years’ wages for the average person if you can come first while having the time of your life playing cards in Coventry having ponied up just £120!
What’s more, if taking £120 out of the monthly budget is a bit much, there’s plenty of cheaper ways into this poker feast.

Goliath is a great tournament for poker amateurs to win big money, take a look at our How To Play Poker guide to give yourself the best chance possible at defeating the pros!

Grosvenor Poker Online is now on the Microgaming Poker Network, and while everyone gets used to moving across and downloading the new software, there’s bound to be some overlay and value as they have guaranteed a massive 350 seats.

The satellites have been set up to give away more seats than the online team are projecting will play, just to make sure those that do give it a spin get some value and some overlay. You can’t say fairer than that!

There’s at least 20 seats guaranteed online EVERY NIGHT now as the Goliath approaches, and on Thursday (the day before the big kick-off) there’s 30 seats guaranteed.

Last year IT professional Mikka Toikka took down the biggest title of his career, winning the Goliath for £70,800, beating Katie Swift heads up. Katie took home £46,300 for her runners-up spot.
Since his win, Mikka has been playing a lot more live poker, cashing in two GUKPT Main Events, and making the final table of the WPT National at DTD for another $32k score.

Strategy- So how should you take on Goliath in Coventry in 2016?

Here’s how: enjoy the fantastic structure and use it to your advantage.I saw a hand last year literally five minutes after we’d started where two players had more than half their stacks on preflop.

I was convinced it must be aces v kings, but when the ace flopped and one guy decided to abandon ship, he folded pocket queens face up. The lady who won the pot showed he was behind, having caught the ace to send her AK into the lead.

In tournaments this deep, it’s much better to keep pots small preflop and not gamble unless you need to. I don’t think it’s the worst idea to not three-bet at all preflop before the antes, just calling and deciding if you want to play a big pot after you see a flop.

A lot of people will tell you with premium hands like aces in the early stages of tournaments you either win a small pot or lose a big one – don’t let the pot size get out of control and you should be okay.

You’ll find a massive range of players at Goliath, from first time players to those who have won millions.

I found myself on a table last year with WSOP bracelet holder Lawrence Gosney, and in between us was a guy playing his first ever live tournament.

If you’re new to poker, don’t be afraid, jump on in, the water’s warm. The vastly experienced tournament staff and dealers will look out for you and are your friends at the table – if you’re not sure if the action’s on you, if you’re facing a bet or anything else, just ask the dealer ‘Is it on me?’, ‘How much to me?’, ‘Is there a break soon?’, ‘Am I the big blind’ or anything else.

You’ll find the mixture of players at Goliath come together to form a fantastic atmosphere, tables have lots of fun as well as playing some poker. You might find it easier to get chips off the guy playing his first game than Lawrence, so keep an eye out for those spots where you might be able to increase your stack.

Away from the Goliath, there’s plenty of side events to keep you busy.

The festival starts on Thursday July 28th with a special National 25/50 tournament that actually has a guarantee of £50k, whilst replicating the popular 25/25 format. Other side events include a 4/5/6 PLO comp, a tag team tournament, and the massive value in the “Joker is Wild” event, which has Grosvenor lives seats, a £1k honeypot and plenty of extra added value brought to you by the good folks at Grosvenor Online.

You can only register for the Jokers Wild online, so make sure you get that software downloaded and bought in early, they’re literally giving money away. While you’re there you may as well play one of the many Goliath sats and take up the best poker welcome offer on the internet, just by depositing a minimum of £25 and following the instructions on our Poker page.

If you prefer cash games, there will be cash games as far as the eye can see for all budgets. Just ask! There will even be a special high-stakes streamed event, keep your eyes on social media for how to participate.

Last year’s Goliath was the biggest ever live poker tournament held outside of Las Vegas, with 4210 runners creating a prizepool of £421,000, smashing the £250k guarantee.
This year Grosvenor are aiming for 5,000! I wouldn’t put it past them either, Goliath is huge and getting bigger every year. Make sure you’re part of it by qualifying or booking your place now.

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Established in 1970,^[1]Grosvenor Casinos (formerly County Clubs and Grosvenor Clubs) is a UK-based chain of 53 casinos located in major towns and cities across the UK, with two unbranded sister casinos located in Belgium. Grosvenor Casinos is owned by The Rank Group who operate exclusively in the casino, bingo and online gaming industries across Belgium, Spain and the UK.

As of June 2014, revenue was reported at £391.2m, with an operating profit of £56.8m - coming from a total of over 1.7 million customers per year.^[2] Of these 1.7 million customers, over 8.5 million customer visits occur every year. The Grosvenor casino network currently employs over 6,300 employees across the UK. Their online casino hosts over 250 games with themes spanning from traditional roulette, blackjack and poker - to the more modern slot styles and live gaming. Grosvenor are licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.^[3]

Originally ‘County Clubs’, the casinos came to be known as ‘Grosvenor Clubs’ and in 1969 on 2 January, Grosvenor Clubs officially changed name to ‘Grosvenor Casinos’.

Grosvenor Casinos is currently the shirt sponsor for Fulham F.C. Grosvenor signed a deal to become the London club's main team partner in July 2017.

History[edit]

Acquisition of the Ricoh Arena casino[edit]

In April 2009 Grosvenor purchased the casino inside the Ricoh Arena complex in Coventry for £650,000.^[4]

Leaving the British Casino Association[edit]

During 2009, Grosvenor Casinos announced they were leaving the now defunct British Casino Association (BCA). The BCA existed to promote casino best practice and influence UK government legislation surrounding gambling. Reportedly the BCA began to fail in promoting and improving the casino industry, and once annual membership fees were raised to £140,000, it saw the departure of Grosvenor, just as the large Gala Coral Group had withdrawn in October 2008.^[5]

Loyalty card scheme[edit]

In May 2012, the first roll out of a new plastic card service in Grosvenor Casinos was implemented with ‘Grosvenor Play Points’ entering 35 casinos across the UK. This came as a result of the Grosvenor Casinos and Play Points brands merging to create one loyalty card.^[6]

Gala takeover[edit]

Grosvenor Casinos completed their takeover of 19 casinos from the Gala Coral Group across the UK on 12 May 2013 ^[7] making them the largest casino network in the UK. A similar deal to acquire 23 casinos from Gala had previously stalled in 2012 due to a decision by the Competition Commission and OFT.^[8] The revised deal in 2013 saw 4 casinos removed from the agreement.

Redtooth partnership[edit]

On 28 April 2014, Grosvenor Casinos announced a two-year partnership with the world's largest live pub poker tournament group Redtooth Poker. Grosvenor Casinos hosted the regional and national UK finals and online events. The move integrated Redtooth Poker and Grosvenor's own poker tournament, the Grosvenor UK Poker Tournament (GUKPT).^[9]

Live events[edit]

On 25 March 2011, Grosvenor Casinos announced they were to host new poker event called the Goliath. Designed to attract up to 1,500 players, the Goliath had an initial buy-in at £100 + £20 and offered a guaranteed prize pool of £100,000, with 25% of the registration fee going to the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.^[10] The most recent Goliath event in 2014 became the largest poker tournament ever held outside of the US with a total of 3,394 players entering.^[11] For the 2015 event Grosvenor estimate over 4,000 participants will enter.^[12]

Grosvenor employees also played the highest poker tournament on record at the top of Mount Snowdon in September 2011. The 3,500 ft. stunt was attempted to raise money for the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity, with a total of £11,000 being collected.^[13]

Controversy[edit]

Grosvenor Casino Coventry Goliath Hotel

In December 2006 staff walked out of four Grosvenor Casinos in London in a dispute over pay increases.^[14] A month later, around 300 workers went on strike over the same ongoing dispute.^[15]

In September 2014 Northern Ireland's Social Development Minister, Nelson McCausland, dismissed the idea that a Grosvenor Casino could open due to the ongoing ban on casinos.^[16]

Technology[edit]

In November 2011, Grosvenor installed software that would spot cheating at roulette tables. Developed by Ipsotek, the software detects a cheat called 'top-hatting', as well as detecting cheating after 'last bets' has been called. The software is linked to CCTV cameras monitoring the table at all times.^[17]

In October 2012, Grosvenor introduced a new product to the casino industry, Pinball Roulette machines. The new machine offers single player roulette game and the ball is launched by a pinball-style trigger into the wheel. The main feature of the product is that it offered the player control over when they wished to spin the ball. Thirty of the machines, developed by Austrian Gaming Industries, were installed at 22 clubs across the UK.^[18]

During November 2013, Evolution Gaming joined Grosvenor Casinos to create a ‘Live Casino’ targeting players on their online casino.^[19] The games include blackjack, roulette and baccarat and are available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. The live game system is designed to produce an environment more closely matching a real casino experience.

In July 2013, Grosvenor Casinos in London, Reading and Coventry created the world's first multi-site cloud casino experience called the IGT Cloud. The new technology offers analytical reporting tools which offer insight into product performance on a game-by-game basis. Operators can remotely change the games on the floor to provide a more customized gambling experience.^[20]

Grosvenor Casino Coventry Goliath Reviews

Grosvenor Casinos partnered with Tensator in 2014 to create virtual casino hosts. The Tensator Virtual Assistant Ultra stands 50 cm x 50 cm and replicates a live game in real time. The assistant also offers a range of information for players and other frequently asked questions.^[21]

In February 2014, The Rank Group and Grosvenor Casinos joined with Jumio to use their Netverify solution. This was integrated into the casino's online database and is designed to provide customers with a more efficient identification procedure. Customers are required to scan their passport or driving license via their device camera, and Netverify then authenticates it using a range of security features.^[22]

In November 2016 Grosvenor Casinos has confirmed the launch of new sports betting offering for its online and land-based players.^[23]

Grosvenor awarded TCS John Huxley a new 3-year deal to service and maintain their gaming equipment across the UK, starting February 2015.^[24]

Awards[edit]

International Gaming Awards[edit]

Grosvenor and Rank were awarded the 'Casino Operator of the Year' award at the 2013 International Gaming Awards.^[25] Rank Group were awarded the 'Socially Responsible Operator of the Year Land Based' award in 2014 and 2015.^[26][27]

Grosvenor Casino Coventry Goliath Review

Women in Gaming Awards[edit]

Grosvenor Casinos’ HR team were awarded Team of the Year at the Women in Gaming independent annual awards in June 2012. The team, led by Fiona Regan Head of HR, were awarded for their successful Hearts and Minds initiative, which focused on internal and employee recognition.^[28]

In 2014 they won the same award whilst also picking up the Inspiration of the Year award.^[29]

References[edit]

1. ^'Rank - Grosvenor Casinos'. Rank.com.
2. ^'Rank - Grosvenor Casinos'. Rank.com.
3. ^'Gambling Commission'. Gambling Commission.
4. ^'Sold Ricoh casino in £1m revamp'. BBC News.
5. ^'Casino operator's withdrawal leaves trade body floundering'. Financial Times.
6. ^'Grosvenor Casinos places bet on Plastic Card Services'.
7. ^'Mecca Bingo owner Rank buys Gala casinos for £205m'. BBC News.
8. ^'Rank takeover of Gala sent to Competition Commission - BBC News'.
9. ^'Redtooth wins at Grosvenor Casino'. The Star.
10. ^'1,500 Runner Grosvenor Goliath Announced in Coventry'. UK Poker News.
11. ^'World poker: Goliath smashes record for biggest poker tournament held outside US'. The Mirror.
12. ^'Goliath Poker Tournament 2015'. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
13. ^'Stakes are high for Snowdon poker'. Wales Online.
14. ^'Casino staff to strike in row over pay deal'. The Guardian.
15. ^'Casino staff walk out over pay'. BBC News.
16. ^'Nelson McCausland says casino ban will not be removed'. BBC News.
17. ^'Casino cheats snared by smart camera system'. New Scientist.
18. ^'G Casinos get pinball roulette'. InterGame.
19. ^'UK – Evolution doubles Grosvenor's online live dealer offer'. G3.
20. ^'Grosvenor Casinos to manage gaming machines from the cloud'. TechWorld.com.
21. ^'Tensator's Virtual Assistant proves safe bet for Grosvenor Casinos'. Tensator.
22. ^'Rank identify Jumio as new partners'. SBC News.
23. ^'Grosvenor Casinos launches new sportsbook with Kambi'. SBC News. 16 November 2016.
24. ^'Grosvenor contract for TCS John Huxley'. SBCnews. Luke Massey InterGame.
25. ^'IGA Winners 2013'. Gaming-Awards.com.
26. ^'IGA Winners 2014'. Gaming-Awards.com.
27. ^'IGA Winners 2015'. Gaming-Awards.com.
28. ^'Grosvenor Casinos HR team wins prestigious award'. InterGame.
29. ^'WIG Winners 2014'. Gaming-Awards.com.

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