The UK's two largest pub poker leagues, Redtooth Poker and The Nuts Poker League, have merged, with Redtooth taking overall ownership of the new operation.
The Nuts Poker League currently has 16 franchisees throughout Britain and all will continue to operate leagues under The Nuts Poker brand but will now join the Redtooth team.
“This is a significant development for our business and the pub poker industry at large,” said Redtooth managing director Martin Green. “The coming together of these two leagues will make us 10 times bigger than any other pub poker league in the country. It’s a very exciting time for everyone involved.”
Redtooth, which won the Best Pub League at the 2013 British Poker Awards, sent 100 successful pub poker players to Las Vegas to crown its national champion. They will be joined by players from The Nuts League next time round.
Steve Bellis, founder of the Wrexham-based The Nuts Poker League, is known for securing £65,000-worth of investment on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den from Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden – becoming the first person to leave the den with more money than he went in for.
He will continue to provide a support role to Redtooth and attend all five of The Nuts Poker League yearly finals.
Bellis said: “This is a great deal for The Nuts Poker League. We are joining the biggest pub poker league in the country in Redtooth, which has an excellent reputation amongst players in the UK.
“Importantly, The Nuts Poker League name will remain and continue to provide players with an opportunity to play in their local pub, as well as progress to the national finals. And by joining with Redtooth, even more exciting opportunities will open up to those players.”
Green added: “The Nuts Poker League has enjoyed great success in recent years and this deal will allow us to spread the word of Redtooth to areas of the country where we are keen to grow.
“By joining forces, we will be able to offer a variety of poker models to meet the needs of the pubs. We are also interested to hear from any existing Redtooth Poker players who may wish to set up their own franchise under The Nuts Poker League. We will be able to provide all the casino-standard equipment they need to get established in their region.
“Bringing the existing 16 franchisees under Redtooth will expand our team significantly as well as open up channels to offer additional services to their existing pubs, such as our darts league and quizzes.”
