Poker Player Ivor Parker, 100, Signs With GGPoker Ahead Of Goliath 2026
A 100-year-old poker player has become one of the world’s oldest professional athletes after signing with GGPoker ahead of the Grosvenor Casinos Goliath 2026 festival. Ivor Parker, from Ab Kettleby in Leicestershire, first picked up a deck of cards at the age of 14 and has now joined Team GGPoker as a full-time ambassador, proving it is never too late to take a seat at the online poker table.
Who Is Ivor Parker?
Parker played his first hand in a pub in Boston, Lincolnshire in 1940, giving him 86 years at the tables.
He has played, in his words, "all over the world, especially during the war", and still believes every successful player needs the same core traits: "patience, resilience, strategy and a love of competition".
His life away from poker was just as steady. Married twice with five children, he worked as a production operative for East Midlands Farmer until he was 98. "I loved the game straight away and I’ve never really looked back," he said. "I think poker has kept me sharp and I’m thankful for that."
Parker kicked off his ambassador role at a VIP event with Grosvenor Casinos on the eve of Goliath 2026, alongside fellow Team GGPoker member Leah Hauer. "Sharing the table with Ivor has been incredibly inspiring," Hauer said. "It shows exactly why poker is such a unique game. There’s always something to learn from the people sitting around you."
Inside The Grosvenor Casinos Goliath 2026 Festival
Goliath is billed as the largest live poker tournament outside Las Vegas, and this year’s festival has drawn more than 6,000 players to Grosvenor Casino Coventry.
The 2026 schedule runs to 25 events, headlined by the famous £200 Goliath Main Event, which carries an estimated £2 million prize pool.
The Main Event’s scale is remarkable for its price: last year’s edition pulled in 12,961 entries, one of the biggest live fields ever recorded, and 2025 champion Paul Worsley turned his £200 buy-in into £316,640. The buy-in has stayed at £200 since Goliath began in 2011, with nine starting flights and satellite routes in from as little as £1.
If watching sparks the urge to play, our guide to online poker tournaments is a good place to start.
Who Are GGPoker?
GGPoker is the biggest online poker room in the world, offering more cash games and larger tournaments than any of its rivals.
As the global partner of the World Series of Poker, it is also the only site where players can win their way into live WSOP events and chase bracelets online.
Its Team GGPoker roster mixes household names with streamers and rising stars, headlined by Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu and WSOP champion Michael Mizrachi, alongside UK and Ireland ambassador Leah Hauer and now Ivor Parker.
How Fans Can Get In On The Action
New players at GGPoker can choose between a rewards package or a 100% matched deposit up to $600, though offers vary by region and change often, so check the current terms on the review page before you sign up. To try tournaments for real prizes without risking a buy-in, look at the latest poker freerolls, a low-pressure way to get a feel for competitive play.
Sharpen Your Game
As Parker says, modern poker is "so much more strategic now". The good news is that the fundamentals can be learned. A sound grasp of when to commit your stack is essential, so our guide to the basics of going all-in is a smart first read.
From there, adding a few advanced moves pays off. Our beginner’s guide to check-raising shows how to build pots and apply pressure, and there is plenty more in our full library of poker strategy guides to work through at your own pace.
Poker Players Worth Following
Part of poker’s appeal is its characters. Beyond GGPoker’s own stable, fans looking to learn from the best can follow all-time greats such as Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey and Michael Mizrachi, whose deep runs and commentary offer a masterclass in reading the game.
For now, all eyes are on Coventry, where a 100-year-old rookie ambassador is proving that the love of the game really is ageless.
