For many pubs around the Leeds area, poker has been a fantastic way to attract customers during week days when pubs are usually quieter compared to weekends.
According to Tracey Marper, who is the manager of the Old Ball pub in Horsforth, having poker nights during week days has meant that the pub has been able to attract customers on nights where there isn’t a big football game or a weekend to look forward to. This has meant an increase in the pub’s revenue thanks to poker.
Similarly, poker is helping pubs across the city of Leeds. The Station pub in Guiseley also opens up its doors to a poker night on both Sunday and Monday nights. Manager Tony McCaul stated that the pub attracts around 20 more people per night on Sundays and Mondays due to the promise of poker and more customers can only be a good thing for the pub.
Mark Hamblin, a 22 year old from the Guiseley area regularly attends the poker night at The Station pub and says that it’s a “really good way to round off the weekend.”
On the other hand, poker in pubs has not always been a good way to draw customers in. Although the Old Kings Arms pub in Horsforth decided to host a night dedicated to poker once per week, the lure of poker did not attract any more people to the pub other than the ‘regulars’ that already attended. According to Andrew Turpin, who works behind the bar at the pub, they eventually scrapped the poker nights because they were not helping the pub become more profitable
in anyway.
You can listen my short interviews with workers at each of the pubs via the links below. Also take part in the poll below, if your local pub or bar had a poker night would you attend?
Poker Planet 