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TourneyBlog: Steve Bellis, thank you for taking time out from running The Nuts Poker League and answering a few questions.

Steve Bellis: Thank you for asking.

TB: For our readers who are not in the know (which likely excludes our U.K. readers or anyone familiar with the Dragons Den show) please tell us a bit about The Nuts Poker League and how it all came about.

SB: I first saw the concept of poker in bars in Canada on a visit to see my father in Oct 2005. Upon returning to the UK and a frantic search on ebay for equipment The Nuts Poker League held the first event on 21st Nov 2005. The idea is simple, we find pubs / bars which have quiet nights and put bums on seats. Each player is registered to a venue and their results are entered onto a league table. The top players from each venue are then invited to play in the finals, for prizes. The format is tournament poker so there is a winner at each event.

TB: Before the World Poker Tour took off and the WSOP became so accessible, pub poker was the closest thing the average player got to real tournament play, but nothing quite so organized as The Nuts Poker League. How have players responded to your taking the idea of pub poker to the next level?

SB:  The players have welcomed the idea with open arms. With all of the advertising for the WSOP, WPT, EPT etc a demand has been created for poker. Not just any old poker but a properly organized structured tournament where there is a Tournament Director who registers players, allocated seats and tables, raises the blinds, chips up, settles any disputes etc. This is the closest many players will ever get to a quality tournament without parting with any cash.

TB: According to other interviews you've done on the subject, when you appeared on the Dragons Den show on BBC2 (Ed Note: the Dragons Den is a show where a panel of investors listen to business pitches and decide whether or not to offer funding), you were no where near as prepared to present your case as some of the other presenters, yet you were the one that got the Dragons into a bidding war to be a part of your business. How did you do it?

SB:  I must be honest here and say that I had never actually seen the show apart from the last 10 mins. of a repeat on the day before the filming, where the panel were investing and seemed to be very nice. As with anything in business, if you know your business and are enthusiastic about it, you will be able to project the idea in a more entertaining and passionate way to the panel. Although the environment was intimidating I have always known that The Nuts Poker League would be a success and did not really need the money from the panel. It was nice to see their reaction to the concept and to hear their comments. The publicity generated from appearing on the show caught me off guard a little. I was shocked at the level of interest it all created, from other investors wishing to out bid the Dragons, venue and agent enquiries, potential sponsors, media requests for interviews etc.

TB: Would you do it any differently if you had to do it again?

SB: Oh yes. The first thing I would do differently would be to prepare more for the amount of publicity that was generated, and have a structured response system in place to cope with the level of enquiries. I would still present the pitch "on the hoof". The BBC organized a hotel for me for the Sunday night so I would be ready for an early start the next day for filming. I did use the opportunity to go to the Gutshot Club on the Sunday night and played a £30 tournament (finishing 28th), had a few beers and one of the famous Gutshot burgers. Got back to the hotel in the wee hours then woke up far too early, and was then whisked to the studio for filming. I would not repeat this if I were to appear on telly again, especially in the morning.

TB: How have you used that influx of liquid capital to further the League?

SB: Ah. I have not yet received any money from the Dragons. There are valid reasons for this, and not that they don't want to invest. The problem was that I received all of the "due diligence" documents the day before the show was broadcast.

There was no way I could cope with the level of enquiries and interest and consider each clause in a 72 page document. I have communicated and met with the Dragons since the show, but the volume of the documentation has really prevented any progress to date.

TB: Now that the League is firmly established, do you feel it competes with "for pay" tournaments, especially with the upcoming changes to UK pub poker laws that might present some competition for you?

SB: Yes. We could easily adapt to accommodate "for pay" tournaments with our present structure. We will certainly see some competition in this area, which must be a good thing. The players will decide who runs the best events and will always want a well run tournament with quality equipment.

TB: What is the most challenging part of your job running the League- setting up events, collecting from pub owners, dealing with in-their-cups players, or something else entirely?

SB: I have to say the pub owners, agents and players have been a delight to work with and it's a pleasure to deal with them on a daily basis. The most challenging part of running the league to date has been dealing with the West Mercia Police who seem to think that playing in the local pub for "points" is illegal gaming! under the 1968 Gaming Act.  They have written to our venues in Shropshire threatening them with losing their license. Several pubs have been scared by the letter and withdrawn temporarily from the leagues. This has created approx. 200 players without a home venue and many of them have organized their own games for cash in back rooms of other pubs. We have issued a complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission about this and are currently waiting for a response. All of the Shropshire players are now no longer playing for a place in the finals, so the points are not considered "moneys worth". The 1968 Gaming Act is due to be replaced with the 2005 Act with the intention of keeping criminality out of gaming, protecting vulnerable people and ensuring fair play. With just one letter the West Mercia Police have undermined the whole spirit of the new legislation. The world has gone bonkers.

TB: There are a couple of U.S. leagues that are fairly large (among plenty of start ups that are trying), along the same concept of The Nuts Poker League- have you ever considered joining up with one or more for an "international pub poker tour"?

SB: The Nuts Poker League is a leader and we have had a lot of people copy our format. Its one thing to copy but another to be able to deliver the goods to the players. It will be The Nuts who drive this concept forward in the UK and Europe, however we are always willing to listen to ideas which benefit the players.

TB: Say I've heard about the League and my local watering hole is about to start up with an event-I work 40 to 50 hours a week, I get one good night out to relax and have fun, and I'm going to give this League event a try- what advice would you give me to get the most out of my night?

SB: You should arrive at the venue with a few mates for about 7.15pm and get yourself a drink. Then register with the Tournament Director who will allocate you a table. A lot of new players are a little nervous at first but soon warm to the friendly atmosphere we create. We encourage table banter with all players within reason - Tony G. would have to mellow a little. You will meet new people with a common interest so you can talk about your bad beats by the bar later in the evening.

As the tournament progresses the players are consolidated freeing up equipment, so all players who are eliminated can get a side game if they wish (No Gambling allowed). All in all you should expect an excellent night out with your social circle expanded and be looking forward to next week.

TB: Do you ever get to play poker?

SB: Yes. I play on-line (Poker Plex of course). I play in Single Table Tournaments (STT), Multi Table Tournaments (MTT) and sometimes in $0.15/30 cash games. I do not really have enough time for on-line play but do enjoy it once in a while. My favourite game is live. I enjoy playing for points in the league, which allows me to meet the players, listen to their views, then take their chips. I have an infrequent home game for friends for £10. People seem to think that I am a very good player because I run the league, wrong. I do have my moments though.

TB: There are two sides to selling the League, it seems- to the players, and to the landlords who can host the events. I'm already sold on the idea, and from the testimonials on your site, it sounds like plenty of others are as well- so here is your chance to sell it to our readers, players and landlords alike. You have an open mike, here- what would you like to say?

SB: My goodness, an open mike. Players should check out www.thenutspokerleague.com for a game near you, and if we are not yet in your area consider becoming an agent for us.

Players will get a great night out, play in a structured tournament and meet new people. It makes a change from all of the usual / traditional things on offer down the local.

The majority of our landlords see that we can bring people into their venues on what would usually be a quiet night. We make things as simple as possible for the landlords with no contract to sign and a Tournament Director to run the event. We even train landlords to run the event for themselves. Essentially it should be a no-brainer for landlords as there is nothing to loose.

TB: Steve Bellis, entrepreneur, Dragon Slayer, founder and captain of The Nuts Poker League- thank you for your time and, on behalf of all those players who love their nights out playing poker, thank you for The Nuts Poker League.

SB: Thanks for listening. RAISE – ALL IN.

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