Having assumed a second start day would start at roughly the same time as the first, I sauntered in at 3pm assuming an hour’s grace period before the action got underway, and possibly another meandering yet attention-grabbing speech like that of Andy Black yesterday, which helped whip the international crowd into a frenzy of poker enthusiasm.  But no, the sound of riffled chips echoing through the corridors put me straight immediately - the tournament’s second flight had been battling for an hour, and there were already a few early casualties to be tracked down (in the bar).

Among them lurked Niall Kelly, second out, apparently.  This is worse than first out, who got some kind of prize (yesterday at least) as well as a heartfelt round of applause.  Second out is just out.  It turns out he’d got in a fourth raise preflop with AK offsuit, eventually called by Mateyboy with AK of hearts.

“Two hearts on the flop,” said Kelly, “And I was standing up saying ‘Nice hand.’”  A third followed and he was immediately on the rail.

While posting, small pockets of applause signal the exits of further players, the only ones I caught being that of Noel Gibbons (no details, sorry) and John Frampton.  Frampton got it all in on a flop of 6h Qc Kc holding Ah Kh - only to find his neighbour Michael Donteville having flopped a set with his 6h 6d.  The young Frenchman couldn’t resist an (English language) “Ship it!” as the pot headed his way as the turn and river blanked.

When you look at the European poker “circuit”, there’s almost a two-tier feel to it - Premiership and Championship. If you’re prepared to front up £5,000 to play a poker tournament, or better still, if you can find someone else to front it for you, it’s Leicester Square, Budapest, Amsterdam and maybe even a trip to the Bellagio in between. Well for some. Read more

“Tough times make tough people” preached Benny Binion.
 
Never has this statement been more apt than in today’s economic climate. Boffins using terms like ‘credit crunch’ and ‘economic turmoil’ make me sick. You see, poker players are unaffected by a “recession”. Read more

Maybe they watch too much poker on ESPN but those Ennis boys and girls are going mad for their prop bets lately. Not satisfied with the thrill of taking part in a poker tournament they look to enrich the experience by adding a proposition bet. Only two weeks ago a player turned up to the Ennis 100 game dressed as Napoleon…on a Sunday. Is nothing sacred anymore? Read more

I don’t consider myself to be a man with a violent disposition. Apart from having a generally sunny demeanour, I am too short and way too unfit to look for fights; an ungenerous but dispassionate onlooker might even label me as something of a coward.

So how is it that the cardrooms of Southern England and their mostly disreputable occupants have the capacity, on occasion, to turn me - in my mind at least - into a foul and frothing beast that would cause the Incredible Hulk to cower meekly in the corner? Read more