Grosvenor Goliath Goes Online As COVID-19 Keeps UK Casinos Closed

July 1st, 2020 | by Greg Shaun

COVID-19 can’t stop the tournament juggernaut that is the Goliath as Grosvenor Poker has announced that its flagship event will take place online.

The 2020 Goliath will take place on GrosvnorPoker.com this year amid COVID-19 restrictions in the UK. (Image: Twitter/Grosvenor Poker)

With casinos in the UK still closed and live events banned for the time being, Grosvenor has improvised.

Instead of trying to break attendance records inside Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, the organizers will set new standards on GrosvenorPoker.com.

Grosvenor Goliath Gets New Home

Making the announcement on social media, Grosvenor said the Goliath will take place between August 1 and 10. As well as the £125/$152 main event, there will be 14 side events. However, as it always is, the Goliath will stand out from the crowd thanks to its £100,000/$123,000 guarantee.

Quite how much allure an online version of the tournament will have remains to be seen. Since launching in 2011, the Goliath has established itself as the largest live poker event outside of the US.

From an initial field of 1,765 players, Grosvenor has broken records year-on-year. In 2019, the total number of entries hit 9,300. As well as amateurs and poker pros, famous faces such as David Haye were part of the crowd.

Anteing up as part of a year-long promotion with Grosvenor Poker, Haye was out to prove he could go from novice to competent in 12 months. The retired boxer was an instant target when he sat down but he managed to roll with the punches.

After bobbing and weaving his way through the masses, he eventually hit the cavass in 40^th place. Although he didn’t win, the performance was impressive and an example of how the Goliath can change the fortunes of anyone that enters.

Online Poker Boom Could Help MTT Giant

Online poker has been riding a wave of momentum since COVID-19 lockdowns swept across the globe. In the UK and parts of Europe where GrosvenorPoker.com is active, numbers have swelled.

Activity has gradually dropped as restrictions have been lifted. However, the desire for online entertainment is still strong. Grosvenor and its parent company, the Rank Group, will be hoping this helps the Goliath.

Given the fact accessibility won’t be an issue, the numbers should be strong. Indeed, the buy-in and guarantee are the same as they have been in previous years. Based on these dynamics, the National Online Goliath should do well.

Even if it’s not a record-breaker, it will set a new standard. What’s more, it may pave the way for more live/online crossovers from Grosvenor long after COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.