A Media Person's Musings

Poker Player

Last weekend I took a leaf out of Steve Cody's book and decided to follow one of my own dreams....that of winning a large poker tournament. I entered the Irish International Poker Open, Europe's biggest tournament with 1072 players from 17 countries.

When I arrived at the hall in the RDS in Dublin I was completely overwhelmed. I was lucky to be with a number of my poker playing friends. Had it not been for them I would have probably turned tail and run. The hall was massive and full of players who undoubtedly were a lot better and a lot more experienced than me.

The tournament started at 12pm and by the first break (2 hours later) I had only played two hands (mainly because I was too shaky to push my chips in!). On the last hand before the break I was dealt KK in late position. The betting came around to me and I made a big bet only to be raised by a Frenchman under the gun. He was then re-raised by a Danish Pro. This was all pre-flop. The Frenchman then went all in, the Danish Pro put enough chips in to put me all in and I was left with a huge question...did the Dane have AA? I must have deliberated for about 10 minutes. I could hardly breathe and then I remembered a piece of advice that Matt Broughton the Editor of Flush Magazine gave me before the tournament. He said the best players make the least mistakes. I determined that not going All-In with KK pre-flop would be a big mistake so I pushed all my chips in. The Frenchman turned over AK and the Dane turned over a pair of Jacks so I was in the lead. Just! if an Ace came down on the flop I was out of the tourney after just two hours. I couldn't look so I couldn't tell you the cards that came out but nobody bettered their hand and I won a huge pot, put the Frenchman out and seriously crippled the Dane.

I nearly passed out through the pressure. The adrenaline was coursing through my body so much that I couldn't stop shaking. I then wondered why i do this to myself? The tournament carried on and I kept setting myself small targets. Just get into the last 700, then just to get into the last 500 and so on. I would have been delighted to have finished in the top 250. After all this was a really good field. Finally at 1.30 am and after 13 hours of play I was short-stacked (not many chips left) and pushed All-In with suited connectors 4 5 spades. I was called by a fellow with A 3 off suit. A 4 and a 5 came down in the flop and I had 2 pairs. Then came a 2 - he had hit a straight and I was out. It was cruel but that is poker.

I often argue that poker is a game of skill but it also is a game of luck. This tournament taught me more about the qualities you really need to succeed: concentration, determination, persistence, concentration, discipline and courage. Pretty much the same qualities you need to get on in life in general. I finished in 133rd place, just a few places shy of the money, but I was still really pleased with the way I played and took a whole lot of learning from the whole experience. My friend Stephen Richards came sixth and made 12,000 euros so we all were celebrating in the end anyway.

When Poker Pays!

On Saturday night I played in a live poker tournament. Not a very surprising thing for those of you that know me but this was a charity poker tourney. It was organised on behalf of Vicky's Water Project a great charity that was set up in Vicky's memory after she was tragically killed last year. Her fiance and friends have all been fundraising and the goal is to raise £250,000 to provide fresh drinking water to small communities in Africa.

Playing poker live is always a challenge but this was even more challenging than normal as I was playing 120 people of all skill levels - from beginner to advanced! What was even more challenging was knowing that the more you crashed out and bought back in..the more would be raised for the charity! Consequently in the first hour I played far more loosely than I normally would and re-bought in a couple of times.

A colleague of mine who doesn't play poker very often also played and I gave him a bit of a pep talk telling him to play only the good starting hands. How I wish I had followed my own advice! I crashed out 24th to find him still in and he eventually finished just shy of the final table.

It was a great fun evening and just reinforced to me why poker is such a great game. It is accessible to everyone, a great leveller and on this occasion a brilliant way of raising money.

Viva Las Vegas

Despite my pledge to the contrary my regular postings have been interrupted by a two week trip to Vegas to watch the World Series of Poker. Truly the world of poker has descended on Las Vegas and despite seeing coverage of the event from previous years nothing could really prepare me for the spectacle of thousands of poker players on hundreds of tables playing for 14 hours a day!

I had many friends in the tournament and watching them was truly nail biting and the tension at some points made me feel physically sick. So many people view poker as pure gambling, arguing that it is just the luck of the cards, but never was it more clear to me that it is a game of skill, patience and persistence. Yes luck plays a part ...but doesn't it in any sport?

Yesterday was 'bubble' day - the day when the final 10% (600-odd) cashed. It was pretty gruesome and it played out like chinese water torture as everyone kept their game tight only to climax with the vision of some grown men crying while others cheered. Some people's pain was other people's clear gain.

Now I have 2 friends left in the tournament who have made over $50,000 each and they have at least 3 days play ahead of them if they are going to make it into the big money. One is a semi-retired builder and the other a super-rich broker. Poker really gives a level playing field!

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!