The Grosvenor Victoria Casino, alias “The Vic”, has at last made a POKER ROOM that will welcome all. Not only with open arms, but also with a room and atmosphere that could change the face of British poker. It has taken years in the coming, but finally The Vic’s all-singing, all-dancing, 240-capacity poker palace opened in May after a £2 million refurbishment. The poker room now occupies the entire upper floor of the Edgware Road Casino, a club that is not only open to all, but also is now a friendly place where you can walk in without the feeling of a red laser dot appearing on your forehead as an SAS sniper takes aim.

     Of course, it may all have been an illusion – the poker will be as mean, the characters as exciting. But the whole ambience has changed “par excellence”.

    The Vic is one of Europe’s largest cardrooms and has earned the title “The Shrine of European Poker”. It was one of the world’s most exclusive clubs by default, and to feel as if you were an accepted member of this esoteric poker elite you would need to quietly serve your time.

     Groucho Marx and The Mad Yank both said: “I wouldn’t want to be a member of any club that would have me for a member.”  The Vic certainly never advertised, but for many years a newbie would certainly have been welcomed, much as a wounded gazelle would be by a pride of hungry lions. Strong words, indeed, but this cardroom was feared by many and with good reason.

     If you played poker, then you aspired to play The Vic, and now finally it is a truly pleasurable experience to lose your Vic virginity. The Vic is here to stay, and its refurbishment – along with Harrah’s acquisition of London Clubs – means you had better fasten your seat belts for as much refined Poker Action as Europe can handle.

    “Quintessentially British”, the Grosvenor Victoria Casino is an institution that makes you proud to be a Londoner, and the story has only just begun. I was fortunate enough to discuss “The Vic” and its future with some of the key players behind the “Opium of Poker Emporiums”. Russell Tamplin is Grosvenor Casinos’ national poker manager, Jeff Leigh the infamous cardroom manager and Graham Friel the casino manager – I am getting a sit-down, which is better than dinner with the Sopranos. I really believe The Vic has changed its operation in line with the boom in poker, where we, the players, will now travel First Class rather than as baggage.

         If you have been to The Vic, at some time you may have heard the resonating bass tone of Mr. Michael Arnold announcing  “Seat Here,” upon the demise of another stack. A man as glorious and enigmatic as The Vic itself, Mr. Arnold sits at the hold’em, rarely losing, and if he is in a hand you know he has it. But there is always a glut of victims entranced to play with a man who is an integral part of the legend of The Vic. Michael started playing at The Vic in 1971. 

The Eighth Wonder of the World Was Created

The casino was built by Judah Binstock in 1965, and it is believed there was a cardroom from the very start. “The Victoria Club” was a room on the second floor that housed an association of British Bookmakers. As with any fine gentleman’s club, there was a barber’s shop on the first floor in case you had not been clipped in any of the card games. At that time, the poker consisted mainly of seven-card stud and five-card strip deck. Strip deck was soon abandoned, some say due to collusion by the Greeks, so seven-stud became the main diet.

     Stakes at that time were £10, £25 and £50 pot-limit. Kalooki occupied a quarter of the room – the game was popular and acted as entertainment for the wives and girlfriends, whilst the men would wander down to the casino. Many of the poker players played the casino games, which included faro and chemin de fer. The cardroom was managed by a Polish international bridge player called Stephan, assisted by Cole Beradout and Bill Kerrigan.

       In the late ’60s, ownership moved to Cyril Levan and then on to the Playboy Club after police raided it and Levan was accused of skimming the takings. Along with new gambling legislation this latter meant that Cyril would not get a licence. The ownership moved backwards and forwards, from Playboy to Trident TV, to Pleasurama, Mecca then into the hands of Rank in the late ’80s.

         Russell Tamplin led out: “Basically, it was Roy Houghton, then me, then Jeff, who came along around 1989. Roy taught me poker (God help him).”

     Roy Houghton, now owner of The Loose Cannon Club, was brought in as room manager in the early ’80s, and along with his many historical poker achievements, was responsible for Europe’s first poker tournament.

     Russell continued: “In 1983 or thereabouts, when the cardroom had to reopen as a self-deal, there was an area behind screens that hosted a £2,500 sit down five-card strip deck game. Most of the players sat down with a minimum £20k, and the pots were always huge. It was really a group of friends, but this was the beginning of the big game.”

     Exotic names like Max Thomas and Paulo Tessi were regulars; you see, The Vic is a place of legendary names – even Amarillo Slim has ridden his white horse to The Vic.

     In fact, Amarillo Slim probably did not know what hit him when he arrived for one of The Vic’s first major tournaments in 1986. It was a £1,000 buy-in, the clock was set at 15 minutes, resulting in the first “Turbo” and one of The Vic’s few cock-ups. The winner was given a solid gold watch instead of a cup, and in return for this he called the casino later and told them he would sue, as the clock was not solid gold. 

The Pots Were Huge

The casino was a hive of seven-card stud, but being open every afternoon it attracted a clique of wealthy businessmen who had found a new toy to occupy their spare time, the £1,000 sit-down. It was a game where fortunes were won and lost. If a player could climb the pyramid of stakes and reach the £1,000, he would be a name to be reckoned with worldwide.

     This game saw the likes of Donnacha O’Dea, Tony De Graci, George Crawley, George Russo, Eric Dolby. Surinder Sunar was a regular at The Vic, as well as Ben Roberts – who started in the £50 game – and Stewart Reubens. Other memorable names included Jackie Star, a schoolteacher called Diane Schwartz and George Zambakides. Willie Tann and Peter Benson were there from the beginning.

    Pots of £15k-£20k were common, in a time when money had meaning. Millions were won and lost. The Vic stores a plethora of legends and characters and one thing you can believe is that every story is true.

     One such giant was Dave Mosley, one of the players who had made it in the big game. Legend has it that he did his huge bankroll in a private fixed game elsewhere, but still managed to come back and beat the big game. His playing style was fearless and aggressive – a man who did everything he shouldn’t and still won. But this is the nature of high stakes, and The Vic was the daddy of high-stakes poker for nearly three decades.

     The standard of play was perhaps the best in the world, and its poker reputation grew and continued attracting players of all levels. In 2000, before I managed to sum up the courage to play at The Vic, I lived on the dealer’s choice table at The Stakis in Russell Square, aka The Dungeon, and on occasion we were graced with Eric Dolby, a man of substantial wealth and a key to the £1,000 game.

     Eric would always gamble with me for the odd grand or two, but above all his proudest moment was winning a record £100k-plus pot in London lowball in the late ’90s at The Vic. Michael Arnold relates that pots of £60k or more were a common occurrence at the time. Yes there are bigger games at the Bellagio, but at that time, the only pots worldwide of this size were at The Vic.

     If you can recall the last five pots you have won over £1,000, then you probably play The Vic. But that was then, and now the big game is not the major attraction. The club has moved forward with the times and The Vic now caters to all bankrolls. 

Ups and Downs

Jeff Leigh, the present cardroom manager, arrived in 1989 as a dealer and was offered an opportunity he couldn’t refuse by Russell Tamplin.

     “After four weeks training and getting starts my thoughts were, ‘What the f—- am I doing here.’ I really hated it. So here I am 18 years later, hating it a bit more, damn that Russell.”

     The likes of Jeff Leigh should never be forgotten, for behind that sombre soldier, whose rulings are never questioned, lies a man truly inspired by his vocation. Jeff continued, “The room has taken many swings. At one stage it was downsized from 150 players to seven tables. A lot of it has been based around business and politics. At one stage the room was shut for three months, and we had no expectations of any more festivals. Eventually, 18 months later, we got back on track. Now we will seat 240 over two days for the EPT, which runs with The European Championships from the 25th-29th of September.”

    The Vic team is run as a team and it is obvious that Jeff the cardroom manager was inspired and on a mission:

     “My goal is to do the best I can do – we can’t stand still. After 18 years plus, I still have the desire to make sure The Vic stays as a market leader. It’s the type of job that, in a nutshell, you can’t not care – it is as simple as that. There is nowhere to hide. You want an easy life, then don’t run a poker room.

    “Above all, nothing would be possible without the dedicated team behind me: Brian Masterson, Joe McCann, Caroline Reilly and everyone else in the management and dealing team.”

       The team is certainly one of the reasons why players love The Vic and as with any cardroom, these characters make up part of one of poker’s greatest shows on Earth. 

Better Than Ever

Forty years later The Vic returns to the very same place it started. May 2007 saw the opening of the new poker room occupying its very own floor, the rear of the room featuring a superb mural of the Thames, The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben etc., all made from a collage of mini-photos of poker players the size of postage stamps! Bill Burlington of PokerImages.com has provided the Vic with a piece of art that is poker’s answer to the “Sunflower”, or maybe the FBI’s “Most Wanted”.

       The ceilings have lighting scaffolding in place ready for the many TV finals that will grace the room, along with about a dozen plasma TVs either showing sports or tournament clocks. The room has a hint of Vegas, but still retains its regal roots and above all has its own adjustable air-conditioning system, which for those in the know is a blessing from above.

       An interesting innovation at The Vic and Grosvenor Casinos is the “Magic System”, where the seemingly innocuous plasma screens are linked into a computer management system. In 2008 the  casino plans to run a 21-cardroom linked game, low stakes (around £10 entry) with 2,000 players. This will give the smaller rooms a chance to access big events.

    Russell: “Rank and Grosvenor have always invested in poker, when the other casinos closed their poker rooms, we remained open. Casinos are more leisure-orientated now and all our new  cardrooms aim for 200 capacity.” 

Improvements

Jeff spoke of what improvements have been made for players. “Look at that, Catman, we have given them the whole top floor, more staff – no, the sandwiches haven’t changed. Jokes aside, our commitment can be seen here. We now have a menu directed at the poker players specifically. We listen to the players, if they don’t want rake, they won’t get rake. We are not in the business of destroying business. Now, anyone who is earning a living can come and enjoy poker and an evening’s entertainment at the casino.

    “Advertising restrictions meant people would occasionally stroll into our small room and wander out again. Now it’s open plan with no restrictions. Internet and TV poker has obviously fuelled the demand for the game. In the olden days you might see four or five new players a week, now it is 10-15 new faces on a daily basis. Things are really moving. There is a total new breed of poker player and we give them the opportunity to play £10 and £30 tournaments, right up to the £5,200 European Championship.”

     The Grosvenor Victoria hosts the London round of the EPT within its European Poker Championships, as well as their innovative Grosvenor UK Poker Tour and all the Amateur Poker Association and Tour events.

     Casino manager Graham Friel added: “The room is more user friendly, it can be everything to everyone. Not high, not low, it is open to all. All spectrums – poker is even being used for corporate entertainment.”

       Graham makes it clear that The Vic will give the players what they want, they will offer a trial rake table along with the new legislation, but the choice will be down to the players.

     Cardrooms are labour intensive, and it is unlikely that poker could ever make as much as a casino room, but poker is a brand marketing tool and of course a very cool game to be associated with. The Rank Group is not only investing in the Vic – the Luton G Casino also offers a superb new cardroom reminiscent of a fine gentleman’s club. 

The Vic’s Cash Games

On the evening I attended there were five dealer cash games and two self-deals and around 40 players left in a £30 freezeout, all at around 9pm. NL £100-£600 and £50-£200 sit-down were both showing full lists. According to the ever-smiling Brian Masterson, this was a fairly normal night.

    Jeff on cash games: “The Vic I would say is predominantly cash-orientated, but of course tournaments play a huge part of the Vic’s offerings. The whole way in which poker is viewed…it is not seedy any more and times have moved forward, and so has The Vic. Omaha is still always available from £50-£1,000 sit-downs, all pot-limit, but hold’em is big. Bigger games such as the £500 are still pot-limit, but five years ago we could not get a  single game going. Three years ago we started no-limit – all small games are NL. We are looking at bigger NL games – there is certainly a market. We have an entire floor now, and by December there should be no machines, well maybe a couple of roulette machines. We offer games at every level now.”

       One thing you can be sure of is you will always get a game.

    The cash games at The Vic have always been electric or, shall we say, dangerous. The opposition can be sensationally tough and it has always been looked upon as a room of fierce sharks. But if you are going to learn there is no other way than to play with the very best.

     There is no shortage of cash talent. The revered Stavros and silver fox Bambos Xanthos, Neil “Bad Beat” Channing, Joe Grech, Dealer’s Choice Murry Brown, Alex The Egyptian, Haida, Nuri, did I remember Bond 007 (no joke), Sandra with the bottomless handbag, Vicky Coren with nearly a $Million won at The Vic, some names you might recognise, some you may not, but trust me visit the Vic and you will slowly get to know all of these characters. Play them and learn, you will not meet much better.

       The Vic stinks of atmosphere, it oozes action, and the day you sit down at The Vic and don’t eye up the opposition with serious concern is the day you give up poker.      

The People of the Game

They say poker is a game of people and The Vic has a face for every occasion. Rory and Declan will always make you laugh as they skin you, Geoff Duval (stud high-low master), Alan Vinson (the gentle giant), Shirley Lewis (fearsome at the table and an angel off), Gary and Gary, Dave the Teacher, Stuart Nash, Gentlemen of Poker Lalit and Chandra, Dave Barnes, Simon E, Pedro (low-stakes hustler and mate), Victor, the list goes on for miles.

     Each and every one of The Vic players will offer you the game of your life. Think of it as going into a boxing gym. Whether young or old, no one will step down and you will never get an easy game. They say it is best to learn the hard way, and The Vicsters will give it to you any way you want. Of course, the Vic is second home to the Mob, and indeed any tournament player of their worth would, should or must play a Vic festival. 

More Action

The action at The Vic has already lifted, according to cash legend Joe Grech: “You remember what it was like waiting for new action, Catman. Every time a new face walked in everyone would look and hope that they would be coming your way. Nowadays, you don’t need to look very far. Omaha has made a huge comeback, there is always a lot more action preflop – raise, reraise and callers. There is plenty of hold’em; in fact, something for everyone. Of course, there is always the lovely smoking area outside the casino, with its trees, heating and TV to chill out in and get a break.”

    Jeff and the players have waited the last three or four years to finally know the fate of their house, and the results have been a victory for one and all. Now the fresh new fish may enter with their shades and might well get to the table in their Phil Laak hoodies (thanks to a new more casual dress code) to savour a taste of British culture. And The Vic is no longer a den – women can finally feel comfortable there.

     A book could and should be written… The Vic, thank god we never lost her, “The Royal Queen of Poker”.

     If you want to know more call Jeff at The Vic, who just like his grouchy predecessor Roy Houghton, is as tough as a coconut on the outside, but inside a charming and true gentleman.

     But do beware; you may well be pawned by the lure of The Vic. It gets in the blood for life.                                                           

For further information, visit www.grosvenorcasinos.com . Special thanks to Michael Arnold for supplying much of the history in this article.