16 Aug Essex man scoops share of £1.3m after winning UK’s biggest poker tournament
A 28-year-old former banker from Essex has conquered the UK’s biggest poker tournament, Grosvenor Casinos’ Goliath, playing the perfect hand to win a share of more than £1.3million.
After swapping a desk job as a banker for the felt of the poker table, Alex Todd known as ‘King Toddie’ won the top prize at Goliath, fighting off stiff competition almost 11,500 other entrants.
Alex started playing poker with his dad and made the decision to give up his job working in banking during the Covid pandemic to take up playing poker full time.
He plans to use his winnings on a luxury holiday for himself and his fiancée, as well as investing the money on a new set of golf clubs whilst also considering getting a personalised ‘Toddie’ numberplate for his car (as his Instagram handle is @KingToddie_Poker)!
Celebrating after his gigantic Goliath win, Alex said: ““Conquering Goliath was a whirlwind of emotion and mental endurance. I was low on chips going into the second day of the tournament, starting with just 125,000. I went on a run and was able to build up a good stack.
“There were a few times if I had made a different move, I would have been out, but luck was with me on the day. I ended up bagging 24.4 million chips and held the chip lead going into the third and final day with 45 players left. Years of grinding prepared me for the final table, and I was ready to seize the opportunity.
“From the moment I secured the victory, I have just felt a feeling of elation and it doesn’t seem to going away any time soon. Although, nothing will beat my family telling me how proud of me they are!”
Goliath, the biggest live poker tournament outside of Las Vegas, took place at Grosvenor Casino Coventry and is the most prestigious win in Alex’s career to date. His winning hand to scoop the jackpot prize was pocket tens and when the river card was dealt and Alex’s hand held up, his friends started cheering from the sidelines and his family celebrated after watching along from home
Luke Hobbs, Poker Marketing Manager at Grosvenor Casinos, said: “The Goliath Poker Tournament brings together poker players from across the country and we were excited to welcome a variety of standards to the event – some of which were entering to try their hand for the first time.
“Alex was a worthy winner who fought hard to remain the chip leader. It’s another great story of someone who has won a huge sum of money for a very small buy-in and will go down in Goliath tournament records as someone who has transformed their poker career. We wish Alex all the best for the future and enjoying his winnings.”
Grosvenor Casinos Goliath Festival is held every year, featuring a variety of tournaments generating a prize pool of almost £3 million overall. Aside from all the huge wins for players, Grosvenor Casinos also raised £5,000 for its chosen charity The Carers Trust.
