Sheringham's Poker Score, Gavin Smith's Trips, and the Marbella Poker Cowboys
Pick and mix from today's poker column smorgasbord....
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME Great to see soccer genius Teddy Sheringham really taking his poker seriously now. One of the best brains on the pitch is certain to be a star on the felt as he enters the World Poker Tournament event at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and the European Poker Championships later this summer. Teddy’s exclusive association with Victor Chandler gives strength to the rumours that the former England international is looking to invest his talents more and more in poker as his soccer career enters its glorious and apparently unending final phase.
NEW KIND OF “TRIPS” On the subject of the World Poker Tour, congratulations are due to Gavin Smith who has delivered a new meaning to the term “trips” this past season by making no less than three final tables. His victory at last year’s Mirage Poker Showdown in Las Vegas was a tour de force I was lucky enough to witness in person. It just confirms what all experienced poker players know. This is not just a game of chance as the anti-gambling lobby would like everyone to believe, otherwise guys like Gavin couldn’t possibly get to final tables in massive events three times in a row. There IS a genuine skill and tactical component to Texas Hold’em and all styles of poker which is something everyone of us can continually improve on a daily basis with regular online game play.
THE NEW “WILD BILL” Marbella is hot on the heels of Monaco now when it comes to poker-mania and some of the private cash games are awesome and packed with a range of characters that would do Hollywood casting proud. Last Saturday I was at a private game in a villa about the same size as the new Wembley Stadium (only this one had the roof on) inhabited by the usual gaggle of footie stars, Arab royalty offspring (more Armani than Gaddafi) and two guys dressed as cowboys (not the Broke-back Mountain kind). If I can rely on the accuracy of the producers of “Deadwood” one of these guys was authentically dressed as Wild Bill Hickok and I was extremely uneasy finding myself seated directly opposite him. My first few hands were thrown into total disarray as I kept expecting some Ray Winston clone to come in and empty rounds into Wild Bill’s back with enough penetration to reach me and give new meaning to the words “hole” cards. Fortunately everything went off okay. I came away only slightly wounded financially and Bill moseyed off into the sunset with around 20,000 euros having landed a hell of a lot better than “dead man’s hands” all evening. As his steed was an Aston Martin Vanquish S I’m assuming this was a regular occurrence. And noting there were no holes in his back I’m taking him to lunch to see if there are any in his game. If the autopsy’s interesting, you’ll read its conclusions here.
