button in Safari888's Ian Simpson Donates Winnings to Charity After Kav Cup Victory
Over the weekend, 888poker ambassador Ian Simpson took down the last-ever Kav Cup event during the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Blackpool festival. Simpson should have been padding his bankroll with a £4,950 cash prize, but the popular pro instead donated his prize to charity.
Rick Gilby created the Kav Cup in 2015 as a one-off poker night for the poker community to show their support for Derek "Kav" Kavanagh, who was fighting a battle with terminal cancer. With doctors giving Kavanagh only months to live, the inaugural Kav Cup was seen as a way to get people together for one last tournament, while raising money for charity.
That first event sold out, and after raising more than £7,000, Gilby decided to run an annual event.
Although Kavanagh was still fighting when the second Kav Cup rolled around in 2016, he sadly passed away in 2017. Determined to keep Kavanagh's memory, his love of poker, and Guinness alive, the Kav Cup morphed into an annual event in which 100% of the registration fees were donated to charity.
This weekend saw the 10th and final Kav Cup. At the time, the Kav Cup had raised £86,648.42 for charitable causes, with £12,951 being the most the tournament had collected in one year. With the 10th edition of this event being the last, Gilby and everyone else associated with the Kav Cup wanted to break through £100,000 in donations.
Thanks to 250 entrants and Simpson's generosity, £20,100.25 was raised during Kav Cup 10 – The Finale, taking the total amount raised in Kavanagh's memory to an impressive £104,748.67.
After winning the final Kav Cup and donating his winnings, Simpson thanked Gilby and everyone connected with the charity event before adding, "Whilst the £100,000 target was hit and the Kav Cup has come to a close, keep charity on your minds, gang. There's a lot of good people doing hard work that need money to keep it going. The money flying around poker is insane. If you can spare a few quid, think of your favourite charity."
Kav Cup Figures
A total of 2,277 players bought into across the 10 Kav Cups, raising £104,748.67 for charity. Despite the low buy-in, £194,930 was played for, and the champions collectively won £46,078.
| Tournament | Year | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize | Money Raised |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KC1 | 2015 | 280 | £24,750 | Adam Southworth | £6,535 | £7,130 |
| KC2 | 2016 | 266 | £25,170 | Amir | £4,880 | £4,680 |
| KC3 | 2017 | 285 | £26,550 | Kevin Dowling | £6,010 | £8,000 |
| KC4 | 2018 | 250 | £22,400 | Chris Woods | £4,768 | £11,863 |
| KC5 | 2019 | 227 | £20,120 | Nick Slade | £5,755 | £10,023 |
| KC6 | 2020 | 237 | £22,000 | Jaycob Hughes | £5,170 | £8,805 |
| KC7 | 2023 | 257 | £18,800 | Bryn Cooper | £5,370 | £12,951 |
| KC8 | 2024 | 250 | £18,520 | Karen Tomczak | £3,650 | £12,029 |
| KC9 | 2025 | 225 | £16,640 | Adam Clark | £3,940 | £9,168 |
| KC10 | 2026 | 250 | £21,080 | Ian Simpson | £4,950 | £20,100 |
Congratulations to everyone connected to the Kav Cup. I'm sure Kav will have doffed his famous Trilby hat and had that infectious beaming smile on his face as the £100,000 target was hit. This train don't stop.
