Rory Jennings: From Football Pundit to Poker Prodigy

Rory Jennings, a familiar face in UK football media, has made a significant shift in his career, transitioning from football punditry to the world of poker. As a PokerStars ambassador, Jennings has found a new passion that he admits he only discovered five years ago. His introduction to poker came through a project with PokerStars, where he worked alongside fellow creator Adam McKola. “We started working together with PokerStars. It started off just as a professional relationship,” he explained. “But me and one of my good friends, Adam, we kept playing. We kept turning up. We kept coming to the events, and thankfully, yeah, we got the opportunity to remain ambassadors.”

Jennings prefers tournament poker, citing its structure and the prestige that comes with winning an EPT title. “I like the structures,” he explains. “It isn’t about simply winning, it’s also about not losing, which I think suits my game a bit more. I’m not a particularly aggressive player, so it works for me to just try and survive.” He also appreciates the glamour and rarity of winning an EPT. “Winning an EPT title is so rare. There are only four this year… so I think the prestige that goes with it is huge.”

Despite joining the professional circuit relatively recently, Jennings has always been a student of the game. He studies poker by watching videos from players like Spraggy and Brad Owen. “Poker videos far outweighed everything else that I watched this year,” he said, grinning. “I always watch Spraggy’s content. I always watch Brad Owen’s vlogs. I thoroughly enjoy them. I study as much as I can.” Jennings' dream is to win any poker trophy, preferably an EPT. “What I would love more than anything, regardless of what the tournament would be, is to win anything,” he said with a laugh. “The dream is obviously an EPT, but I would just love to win a trophy, even a side event. To actually have your picture taken with the trophy. The cards at the front, the chips all mounted up, that would be the dream.”