Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott to be Remembered With the £1m Devilfish Cup
When Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott died in April 2015, after a battle with cancer, the news shocked the poker community.
Players, members of the poker media, and cardroom staff took to social media to share their stories of the legendary Devilfish and offer their condolences to Ulliott’s wife, eight children, and legion of friends.
Jesse and Mickey May, friends of Ulliott for many years, won a European Poker Award for the PokerNews article “Devilfish: A Friend with a Heart of Gold,” a powerful piece of writing that gave an insight into the kind of man Ulliott was.
While most of these articles and comments were looking back at Ulliott’s colorful life, partypoker, Dusk Till Dawn, and the WPT Foundation are looking towards the future with the launch of the inaugural Devilfish Cup, a tournament bearing the name of one of poker’s true greats.
The Devilfish Cup begins on Monday, October 31, 2016, and will be held at Dusk Till Dawn, Nottingham, during the World Poker Tour UK festival. Entry to the Devilfish Cup is £5,000 plus a £300 donation, and all donations, plus three percent of the £1 million guaranteed prize pool, is to be collected then split between the Marie Curie charity, and a trust fund for Ulliott’s youngest daughter, Lucy, for when she turns 16-years-old.
Anpaktita Ulliott, Ulliott’s wife, will present the Devilfish Cup champion a special trophy commemorating the event.
Simon Trumper, a Dusk Till Dawn Director and long-time friend of Ulliott explained the concept behind the Devilfish Cup.
“Rob Yong, owner of Dusk Till Dawn, announced after Dave’s funeral that we would wait a while before announcing plans to honour him. During his last few days, Rob visited Dave and asked him how he wanted to be remembered. He asked us to hold a high buy-in event at the club, as Dave was always proud of his WPT Tunica win. We thought it fitting to replace this year’s High Roller with the Devilfish Cup. World Poker Tour and WPT Foundation have been great, and it is a pleasure to be working with them on this inaugural event.”
The WPT Foundation has helped raise more than $6 million for charities since its creation.
Adam Pliska, President and CEO of the World Poker Tour, said: “We are proud to announce the Devilfish Cup for the partypoker WPT UK festival at Dusk Till Dawn, and to honor and celebrate Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott alongside his family, friends, and fellow competitors. As a testament to the community’s dedication and contributions, WPT Foundation has helped raise more than $6 million to date, and we look forward to supporting another non-profit program of excellence in Marie Curie.”
Another way Dusk Till Dawn is honouring their late friend is by renaming its bar “The Devilfish,” after all, Ulliott was often seen with a drink in his hand, making people blush with his blue jokes, or belting out songs while strumming his guitar.
Anyone wanting to order a double vodka with Red Bull will now have to ask the bar staff for a “Devilfish,” as a tribute to Ulliott.
Satellites for the Devilfish Cup will run online at partypoker, and once they have been finalised, PokerNews will bring you all of the details.
Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!
