Gutshot Poker Club
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The Gutshot Poker Club (also known as The Gutshot Poker Collective as simply The Gutshot) is a poker club, bar, restaurant and internet cafe located on Clerkenwell Road, London, England. The club opened in January 2004, and since then has gained almost 5000 members [1].
The club runs poker ring games almost 24/7, and tournaments one to three times per day.
The club received some publicity in July 2005, when Tiffany Williamson won $400,000 for finishing 15th in the 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event, having qualified for the tournament via a £40 satellite held at the club. In the same month, Gutshot player and Inside Edge editor Roland De Wolfe won the €10,000 World Poker Tour (WPT) fourth season Grand Prix de Paris event, taking home the €479,680 first prize. De Wolfe would also win a European Poker Tour (EPT) event in October 2006.
In addition to the majority of English poker players, former WSOP main event champions Phil Hellmuth Jr, Chris Ferguson, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem have also played at the venue, as well as others such as Scott Fischman, Howard Lederer and Andy Bloch.
In June 2005 the club hosted James Dempsey's unsuccessful world record attempt for the longest uninterrupted session of heads-up poker. His aim was to face all comers for 100 hours, but gave up a day short of his target.
In May 2006, the Gutshot held the first ever event of the Showdown Poker Tour, a £3,448 buy-in event won by EPT winner Mats Gavatin.
At the 2006 World Series of Poker, Gutshot member Praz Bansi won a WSOP bracelet in the $1,000 no limit Texas hold 'em event.
The club also has its own online poker software.
The club is currently awaiting a court ruling on the legality of its mode of operation, having been charged with breaches of the UK's 1968 Gaming Act [2]. The pre-trial review is set for Dec 4th 2006 and the trial is to start 8th Jan 2007.
It is continuing to operate in the meantime.