An estimated £1.5 million prize pot will be up for grabs when the biggest live poker tournament outside of Las Vegas returns to Coventry.
Goliath is Europe’s biggest live poker tournament and is hosted annually at the Grosvenor Casino at Coventry Building Society Arena.
It will run from July 27 to August 6 this year and follows on from a record-breaking year in 2022 – with a field of 10,584 entries creating a £1.27 million prize pool.
Goliath launched in 2011 and is a tournament suitable to players of all level, with a buy-in of £150.
It includes seven days of qualifying rounds, with the players return from each of those returning for the next round.
After another full day of poker, the field will be whittled down to around 50 players who return for the final day – with the substantial cash prizes up for grabs.
The event has grown every year and organisers are predicting a prize pool of over £1.5 million.
Last year’s main competition was won by Scunthorpe’s Kyle Jeffrey, who banked a huge prize of £200,000 in what was his third time competing in the event.
The prize pot and competitor numbers have soared since the inaugural Goliath in 2011, when Lee Rawson outlasted 1,764 opponents and won £32,705.
This year, alongside the main event, a series of side events will be taking place in what is being dubbed at the ‘Goliath Festival.’
This includes the debut of a one-day £3,500 Super High Roller event on August 3 and a series of other competitions across the 11-day event.
It will also see a The Joker’s Wild event, which will raise money for the Carers’ Trust, and is being organised by live stream commentator Phil ‘The Tower’ Herald. For the event, a joker will be included in every park and the joker can be used to replicate any other card in the deck.
Igor Zydek, General Manager at Grosvenor Casino Coventry, said: “We were expecting big numbers last year but it was fantastic to smash our record for competitors and prize money.
“Ultimately, the more players we get, the more prize money, and we’re expecting growth in player numbers yet again this year.
“The growth we have seen since launching in 2011 has been incredible, and we are very proud to be able to host Europe’s largest live poker tournament right here in Coventry.
“It brings thousands of people into the city, all with the dream of coming away with the jackpot.
“The best thing about Goliath is that it is truly open-to-all, and while we do attract some of the top poker players from around the world, any competitor could come away with a life changing sum of cash.”
The tournament is open to anyone aged over 18. To find out more about more about the Goliath tournament visit https://www.grosvenorcasinos.com/local-casinos/poker/goliath