As one of two of the main areas of the city of Brighton and Hove, Brighton is a modest seaside resort with many unique characteristics that differentiate it from other areas in the United Kingdom. Despite having a population of under 300,000, it is home to a Premier League football team, boxing legends, several big names who have achieved great things in the poker world, and some other famous names. Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the famous poker player from Brighton.
Impact of Online Casinos
Digital casinos and online poker tournaments have become colossal news thanks to the Internet’s interconnectivity. Although poker is a game often found in land-based casinos, many players have now also begun to enjoy the digital platform of the game and the fact it relies more on the knowledge of the hand rather than psyching out your opponent and bluffing your way out of a tight spot.
However, for some professionals, these are some of the main characteristics of the game that make it so enthralling. Based on current markets, there’s room for virtual, video, live, and digital poker to co-exist. Online casinos can offer a multitude of incentives to attract new players, like no deposit bonuses, for example, which is one way they have been able to bite into some of the markets that land-based casinos were able to monopolise for decades.
Tony Bloom
Bloom is one of the most interesting Brightonians of the modern era; not only is he a successful entrepreneur with a colourful and decorated history in professional poker, but he is also the chairman and owner of local Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion. At the end of last season, Brighton qualified for European football for the first time in their history. Bloom has been integral in transcending the club’s fortunes from the third tier of English football to European football qualification.
It’s this maverick attitude that he first displayed at esteemed poker tournaments, such as the World Series of Poker, which has provided him with such a strong standing in the world of business and in the world of poker. He has won millions of dollars throughout his career. His most notable recent win came in a Poker Masters game last September where he collected a nice prize pot of just over $350,000¾his first tournament for over three years.
Bloom doesn’t just have expertise in the gambling and poker fields, he has a vast property portfolio stretching across Brighton and Hove. He no doubt benefits from the number of people who pay for holiday homes for summer trips to the seaside. Brighton is one of the most popular summer destinations for people holidaying from all over the UK, so the property market is competitive all year round.
Ben Heath
With a WSOP bracelet and over $12 million in career prize money, Ben Heath is arguably the best poker player that has ever emerged from the south coast of England, not just Brighton. His story is one of trial and tribulations and, like many great poker players who came before him, Ben learned the hard way and lost a lot of money before spending enough time and resources to become one of the top players on the circuit.
In 2021, Heath was an inch away from picking up his second coveted WSOP bracelet. However, with the level of skill he often displays, we imagine it won’t be long until he doubles his bracelet tally and scoops a few more big jackpots before he decides to move away from the world of professional poker.
James Dempsey
Another Brightonian who has managed to scoop up a bracelet at the WSOP is James Dempsey; he’s also an excellent player with seven-figure career earnings. Also known as Flushy and Doctor Demps, he’s another example of a phenomenal poker playing Brightonian.
There must be something in the water in Brighton as it is home to more pro poker players than some large cities in the UK. While Dempsey might not have reached the same heights as the other two players we mentioned, he’s still picked up over a million for his exploits at the poker table.
Nothing immediately sticks out when discussing why so many Brightonian poker players can compete at such a high level of the professional game. While some areas of the country are poker hotspots, Brighton being one of them, there isn’t really much else to explain why so many top players are situated in one relatively small area of the south coast.
We imagine plenty more players will emerge at the higher levels of the game who herald from our sunny coastal area.
