UK Poker: Best United Kingdom Poker Sites & Players
UK Poker has taken off over the last decade.
Due to the country’s relaxed online poker laws, it has become an extremely popular place for poker players to inhabit.
Some of the game’s greatest players hail from the UK, making it on of the premier poker destinations in the world.
Top Poker Sites for UK Players
According to PokerScout, these are the most heavily trafficked sites for UK poker players.
- PokerStars
- GGPoker
- 888Poker
- PartyPoker
- iPoker
UK Online Poker Regulations
The United Kingdom is considered to be one of the most online poker countries in the world for several reasons:
- No consumer taxes
- No excessive regulations
- Tradition of gambling culture
These factors make the UK one of the most appealing countries to play online poker.
The Best Poker Players from the UK (All-Time Money List)
The following players are the top tournament players from the UK as per the Hendon Mob.
1. Stephen Chidwick ($34,387,646)
Stephen Chidwick is considered by his peers as one of the best tournament players in the world.
The British native has a hefty lead on the UK all-time money list, having amassed over $34,000,000 in tournament earnings. This gives him over a $10,000,000 advantage over the next highest earner.
Chidwick earned the biggest score of his career in August of 2019, when he placed fourth in the €1,050,000 Triton Million for Charity, earning $5,368,947 in the process. He also won his first and only World Series of Poker bracelet in 2019. He placed first in the $25,000 Pot Limit Omaha High Roller event for $1,618,417.
2. Sam Trickett ($21,772,841)
Sam Trickett has been crushing the high roller circuit for a long time.
Trickett’s biggest score came in 2012 and is one of the highest recorded tournament scores in poker history. He placed second in the original $1,000,000 for One Drop World Series of Poker event, winning $10,112,001 in the process.
In total, Trickett has amassed five tournament scores of over $1,000,000 and has over $20,000,000 in total earnings. He ranks second on the all-time England money list, with more than double the earnings of third-ranking Charlie Carrel.
3. Charlie Carrel ($9,571,776)
Carrel burst onto the scenes in the mid-2000s as one of the best tournament players in the world.
In total, he has earned over $9,000,000 in live tournaments. His largest score came in 2019, when he won a $50,000 Triton High Roller event for $1,601853. He also recorded scores of over $1,000,000 in 2015 and 2017.
4. Ben Heath ($8,684,921)
Heath has been crushing tournaments for the last few years.
He had a summer to remember in 2019, winning his first WSOP bracelet and $1,484,085 in the $50,000 High Roller event. He then had his biggest score ever a few weeks later, winning $1,642,935 with a third-place finish in a Triton $100,000 event.
Heath has over $8,000,000 in tournament earnings, and with the way he has been trending recently, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him rise on the UK poker money list.
5. Jack Salter ($8,419,427)
Salter has consistently crushed live tournaments, earning over $8,000,000 in the process.
He has two scores of over $1,000,000. The first came in 2014, when he finished second in a $10,000 European Poker Tour event for $1,058,369. His largest score came in 2016, when he finished fourth in the WSOP $111,111 for One Drop for $1,536,666.
Honorable Mentions & English Cash Game Specialists
Chris Moorman
Moorman ranks ninth on the UK poker money list with $5,942,729.
His largest live score came in 2011, when he placed second in the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event for $1,068,690.
He is also one of the best online tournament players of all-time. In 2018, he became the first player in history to record more than $15,000,000 in online tournament winnings.
Liv Boeree
Liv Boree is one of the most popular UK poker players.
She ranks 19th on the UK poker money list with $3,852,996 in career earnings. Her biggest score came in 2010 when she won an EPT $5K for $1,698,300.
Best Places to Play Live Poker in the UK
According to Poker Atlas, there are 61 live poker rooms in England.
In no particular order, some of the best live UK poker rooms are:
- Dusk Til Dawn, Nottingham (45 Tables)
- Grosvenor Casino, Manchester (24 Tables)
- Grosvenor Victoria Casino (35 Tables)
The Truth About How People From the UK Play Poker
Disclaimer: These reads are Doug Polk’s personal, generalized reads about players from different regions (as expressed in this video). They do not:
- Apply to EVERY player from said country.
- Mean that you’re terrible at poker if you hail from one of the countries mentioned below.
That said, these generalized reads can be used to shape our strategy when we have little to no other pertinent information to act upon.
This doesn’t mean we should always make drastic adjustments just because we’re playing against a certain nationality, but rather use these reads to help us make the best decision in close spots. Let’s get into some (tongue-in-cheek) profiling!
Doug’s initial read on players from the United Kingdom was that they were fairly conservative and kind of nitty. However, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates suggested that they are capable of some crazy moves, as he witnessed first-hand on Live at the Bike:
UK’s Jason making a 3x pot check-jam on the river.
But we can’t just use a sample size of one hand, right? What about the likes of Jake Cody and Liv Boeree? Well…
Jake Cody overbetting the river with his blockers
But wait, there’s more!
Liv counting out a 4-bet with 7-high
With Doug himself being half-British, maybe Jungle was onto something with his read after all.
Adjustments: If these hands are anything to go by, don’t be deceived by the mild-mannered British stereotype. Similar to the Nordics, you should be prepared to make some hero-calls on close rivers.
