Ian Simpson Donates Kav Cup Title Prize

888poker ambassador Ian Simpson won the final Kav Cup tournament held as part of the GUKPT Blackpool festival. He donated his £4,950 prize to charity.

The Kav Cup was launched in 2015 by Rick Gilby as a one-off poker night to support Derek "Kav" Kavanagh, who was battling cancer. The first tournament sold out and raised over £7,000 in donations. The event then became an annual fixture, and the entire buy-in fees were passed on to charities. Kavanagh died in 2017.

The 10th and final tournament, held this weekend, attracted 250 entrants. The previous nine tournaments had raised a combined £86,648.42, and the highest annual total was £12,951. The organisers aimed to surpass the £100,000 mark this year. Thanks to the generosity of the players and Simpson, £20,100.25 was raised, bringing the total donations to £104,748.67.

After winning the title, Simpson thanked Gilby and everyone involved in the event. Noting how much money circulates in poker, he encouraged those who could afford it to make a small donation to their favourite charity.

A total of 2,277 players took part in the Kav Cup. Despite the low entry fees, £194,930 was played across the tournaments, and the champions won £46,078 in total.