This article about Power Path qualifier Oliver Hutchins was originally published on Day 2 of the UKIPT Brighton Main Event. Hutchins went on to the final table that event, and we spoke to him after his elimination. You’ll find an edited version of that interview at the end of this article.

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For a variety of reasons, making a deep run in the UKIPT Brighton Main Event is special to Oliver Hutchins.

For starters, the 29-year-old poker pro won his entry via the Power Path, turning $11 into a full $2,500 Silver Pass package, and he loves playing these regional tours.

“Whether it’s in Rozvadov, on the Estrellas tour, or the UKIPT… They’re brilliant,” says Hutchins on Day 2 of the £1,100 Brighton Main Event. “I love the atmosphere. There’s a real buzz.”

But his attachment to the UKIPT goes back much further than the introduction of Power Path.

“A UKIPT title specifically would be…,” he trails off, gathering his thoughts. “You know, when I was getting into poker it was watching the UKIPT on channel 4 in 2011 and 2012, that’s what got me into poker. 

“So winning a UKIPT would mean a lot to the 18-year-old in me who was watching back then, dreaming of playing in an event like that.”

CHASING THE FULL SET

Hutchins lives in Maidenhead and it was there, at his computer, that he won his Silver Pass. He’s played around 30 of the $11 Step 3’s so far, with one pass won. “It’s a great ROI,” he says.

When he’s playing online, Hutchins mainly focuses on playing satellites for live events. Prior to Power Path, that meant jumping in the £109 direct qualifiers. But now, he’s going for the Gold and Silver Passes.

Should he win a Gold Pass soon, he may very well become the first PokerStars player to win a complete Pass set: a Platinum Pass, Gold Pass, Silver Pass, and Bronze Pass. Just the Gold is missing at the time of writing.

Hutchins won his Platinum Pass by winning a £5.50 online qualifier to a special Shootout event, held at the Aspers Casino in London. When he took that down too, he bagged himself a $30,000 to the Bahamas and the PokerStars Player’s Championship (PSPC).

That win gave Hutchins the confidence to leave his factory job and pursue poker full time, and he’s never looked back. In 2022, he enjoyed a breakout live score when he took down an event in Malta for €74,000.

“That really springboarded everything for me and since then I’ve just been travelling,” he says.

UPDATE: 15/9/2023

Hutchins went on to finish fourth in the UKIPT Brighton Main Event, turning his Silver Pass into £23,160. We spoke to him moments after his elimination. Here’s an edited version of what he told us.

I’m disappointed not to go further but I think I played well overall. I’m content. Sometimes there’s just nothing to be done. It is what it is.

The whole experience was really great. I really liked playing against Dominik Nitsche. He’s obviously an amazing player so it’s not great to play against him in the sense that he’s going to own your soul. But it was just a good experience to play against someone that good. Spraggy as well. 

When it got down to the final four players, it was a really nice atmosphere. People were talking a lot, it wasn’t too serious. Everyone was very friendly.

I now hope to win a Gold Pass for EPT Cyprus to complete the set. I’d love to go.

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