#186: “Another Million Pound Challenge”

I started this Blog in September 2008, exactly 4 years and 6 months ago. (edit: It actually feels like I have been trying to post this entry for that long as I am using the most frustratingly poor internet signal in the Sherlock Holmes Hotel on Baker Street. It reminds me of my teenage years – when it took 20 minutes to download a nipple.) I was in London for the Full Tilt Million Pound Challenge and I wanted to chronicle my experience. I had been playing online poker for 2 years and doing it for a living for one. Having lost my job as a TV writer (my commission with the national broadcaster was shelved) in Autumn ’07, I began putting serious hours into poker and in the first 12 months had just about kept the wolf from the door. Kiting money between my bank accounts, credit cards accounts and various poker rooms was the norm in those days as I struggled to amass a bankroll from scratch.

I remember thinking that traveling to London for poker made it real. It was ‘really’ my job. I was ‘really’ on a business trip. My relatives and friends were still ‘really’ skeptical but in a way, that was a big turning point for me psychologically. I stayed with my good friend David Block (who was actually responsible for getting me into online poker). Sleeping on the floor of his room in his flat in Fulham, we had a fun few days, playing hallway cricket and catching up. I didn’t win the Million Pound Challenge but I did meet a lot of industry people – the author, lawyer and blogger Michael Craig and pros like Andy Bloch, Joe Beevers and Barney Boatman. Michael and I became correspondents and we subsequently collaborated on some charity work for the American Breast Cancer Foundation. Michael was also responsible for shining a light on me and my dual poker crews, The Dublin Bellybusters and the good people of Badbeatspoker.net.

It was the beginning of my career in the game, a game I played almost exclusively online until late 2011. Then, having moved back to Dublin, I began to adventure out of the house more often, playing regional tours all over Europe as well as becoming a fixture on the UK and Ireland scene. I’m back in London this week. My digs have been upgraded from David’s Fulham floor to his Notting Hill couch/fold-out bed. I’m playing the EPT (a different kind of Million Pound Challenge) and UKIPT Main Events rather than a freeroll. I also participated in a Pokerstars Invitational Tournament which included, among others, Joe Beevers and Barney Boatman. My current poker posse, ‘The Firm’, were well represented in this with Daragh and Dara also making the trip. Catching up with Ross Boatman at the event, Feargal Nealon decribed ‘The Firm’ as ‘The Irish Hendon Mob’. I agreed but added ‘Except we all still have our hair’.

It has been a great few months for all The Firm lads, both online and live (Daragh Davey binked the last Fitz EOM) and it’s really nice that we are starting to get some of the poker spotlight, becoming a more visible group to the media. There’s nothing nicer than getting a bit of coverage on the Blogs, especially if there are photos attached because Jason has nice hair, Daragh has nice stubble, I have nice eyes and Dara has a nice collection of ties.

At the time of writing, Jason is playing EPT Day 1B. I busted Day 1A late last night after a rollercoaster session that I will detail in a future Blog. Dara, buoyed by his deep UKIPT Main Event run and recent heater, is preparing to play the Champion of Champions freeroll tonight having completely obliterated the satelite competition thanks to a recipe of dogged determination, peerless perseverance and some seriously top notch poker. There has been some great results so far this week, with sicko Tom ‘Jabracada’ Hall pipping Neil Raine in a UKIPT TLB that went right down to the wire. Chris Dowling made his 3rd UKIPT Main Event Final Table, ultimately finishing a disappointing 8th but proving to himself and everyone that he is still a massive threat on the big stage. Finally, good luck to everyone else still participating in the festival and a sincere thank you to everyone who bought pieces of my EPT. I didn’t win the Million Pounds this time either but I will be back.