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Back in 2015, Rick Gilby started the Kav Cup as a charity poker tournament in honor of Derek “Kav” Kavanagh. Kavanagh was battling terminal cancer and only had months left to live, so Gilby wanted to give Kavanagh one last night with all his friends while raising money for charity. With 100% of the registration fees being donated to charity, they raised £7,000 that night. Luckily, they were able to host Kavanagh the following year for a second edition of the fundraiser before he passed away in 2017.
Gilby set out to reach over £100,000 in charitable donations and, over nine years, they raised £86,648.42. This year, at GUKPT Blackpool, Gilby decided that this would be the final edition of the Kav Cup, calling it: Kav Cup 10 – The Finale.
This year, Kav Cup 10 saw 250 entries and was won by Ian Simpson. After winning the £4,950 top prize, Simpson donated the entirety of his prize, taking the total amount raised in Kavanagh’s memory to around £105,000.
Simpson, an 888 Poker ambassador, celebrated the Kav Cup win with the following message to his competitors: “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 favorite charity.”
After the Kav Cup, Gilby added: “Well, it’s safe to say that I cried like a baby. I literally can’t believe it and thank each and every person that, over the last 11 years, has made the Kav Cup what it is.”
Gilby also called Simpson “an absolute legend” after he donated his winnings. Gilby and Kavanagh’s wife, Janet, decide which charities the money goes to each year.
