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"A Really Stupid Way to Study": Thomas Clack Opens Up on Sponsorship Loss
- Thomas Clack loses Grosvenor sponsorship after online suspension.
- Had a GTO solver open during the Behemoth tournament, admits oversight.
- Historic season included a £217,000 runner-up finish at Goliath.
British pro Thomas Clack has seen his record-breaking 2025 season end on a somber note after being stripped of his £40,000 Grosvenor Poker sponsorship following an online suspension.
The penalty, issued by the iPoker network, came after Clack was found to have a GTO solver open during an online flight of the Behemoth tournament, a move the 2025 National Poker League (NPL) Player of the Year admits was a massive lapse in judgment.
The Defense: Studying vs. Active Cheating
In a series of candid Instagram videos, Clack was quick to clarify that while the software was active on his machine, it was never used to influence his real-time decisions at the table.
I wasn’t trying to use it to cheat. I was just studying with GTO out whilst I was playing.
He explained that his intent was to review hands immediately after they concluded rather than during the action, admitting:
I wasn’t using it to affect my play, but I had it open, which was silly.
Clack further argued that his own sub-optimal play style should have been a red flag to the network's security teams.
Plenty of the hands I played, I didn’t play to the best of theory. You’d think they would see that and be like, ‘Oh, that’s fine.
Despite this, he acknowledged that the network’s decision to suspend him was "understandable" given the strict rules regarding third-party software.
A Historic Run Interrupted
Before the suspension, Clack was the toast of the UK poker scene, amassing a resume in 2025 that few could rival. His runner-up finish in the Goliath for over £217,000 remains the highlight of a year that saw him dominate the NPL leaderboard.
While his live status at Grosvenor Casinos remains intact, the loss of the £40,000 package marks a significant financial and professional blow.
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