Century Club Poker!

As some people know one of my great passions is poker. A lot of people think poker is all about gambling - and so did I when I first started to play. But now after a year of playing I recognise it is definitely a game of discipline, skill - and a certain amount of luck.

I was introduced to poker because I represented World Poker Tour, a television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments that airs on the Travel Channel in the United States, ITV4 in the UKand more than 150 markets globally.

As with all of my clients I took a deep dive into the company and its offerings. To properly represent WPT to the media I had to understand and learn to play poker. I solicited the help of experts - Matt Broughton - Poker Night Live TV presenter and Editor of Flush Magazine helped me enormously, endlessly trying to explain the nuances of the game to me. I was not the best of pupils and it took about 6 months before I understood 'positional play'!

What I didn't appreciate when I first took a dive into playing poker is what a huge impact it would have on my social life. Though the game's popularity has grown exponentially through online, it is also growing in terms of live play - with people having home games, running little leagues or even hosting tournaments for corporate entertainment. Now I regularly play in one big tournament in Brighton once a month and it is by far my cheapest Friday out of the month as you buy in for £20 and bring your own refreshments.

So when my friend Shelley Rubenstein invited me to a tournament she runs regularly at the Century Private Members Club in Shaftsbury Avenue I was delighted to go! I met Shelley through poker. Not only is she a mean poker player but also a very talented TV producer (£50 Says You'll Watch This! Channel 4) and writer. This tournament is definitely for the brave - a £30 with rebuys for the first hour and an optional add-on. So it was with some trepidation that I entered the room of complete strangers who were all probably a lot better at the game than me.

I am not shy but it really was quite intimidating - luckily there were a couple of familiar faces - Kara from Poker Night Live was there and we ended up on the same table - as were Mary and Dean, a couple of very well-known dealers. Unluckily, there were a number of famous faces too..like Hardeep Singh Kohli and Michael Greco...and it was a self-deal! Eek! I can't shuffle for toffee and I shake like a leaf for the first half an hour anyway! Immediately my heart sank - I was going to make a fool of myself!

And I did! I went all-in on about the second hand with nothing and next thing I know the whole table is shouting for 'Chips' so I can rebuy. I have never been as embarassed and went absolutely puce. Once the initial humiliation was over I settled down into it and actually played not too badly. I got talking to more of the people around me and met some really nice people from all walks of life. It actually is an excellent way of networking and I came away with more than a couple of business cards.

However I had a very big day the next day and as the hours rolled by I started to fret about getting home and prepping a few things. That did it for me. I started playing loose and, I admit, I did a ridiculous call at one point which sent a lady at the table into high dudgeon! That call actually paid off but in the end my risky play didn't and I went from being in a very comfortable position to throwing it all away. So the big lesson learned is if you commit to a game stay committed until the bitter end. I am kicking myself today because I know it was all about my attitude. Next time I will plan better and be more dsciplined and you never know I might get in the money!