May 2011 Archives

HE won the San Remo European Poker Tour title last month - and pocketed a cool £828,000.

Now former Warwick Uni student Rupert Elder, 24, has the poker world at his feet.

The economics graduate gave an exclusive Q&A interview to this blog after his amazing win which has catapulted him into the big time.

Q. When did you first start playing poker and why did you take it up?

A. In 6th form when I was 16 or 17, I just really enjoyed it and I liked the idea of gambling.

2. How well were you doing in those early days?

A. Terribly, for maybe the first 3 years I played I was definitely a losing player at small stakes.

Q. What did you study at Warwick Uni? Before poker came along, what did you see as your future career?

A. I studied Economics but I use studied in the loosest way possible since I spent a lot of time playing poker and only ended up with a pass degree. I wanted to be a programmer or a trader but after applying to jobs no one wanted me.

Q. When did you turn pro - and what did your family think of your decision?

A. After graduating, they were fine with it but I think my dad always hopes that I will one day get a "real" job.

Q. Going into San Remo, did you feel you had a good chance of winning? Was your form good?

So I'm down to the final 10 in the £100 Bounty tournament at the GUKPT at Grosvenor Walsall Casino.

But only the top eight players are getting paid - and I'm card dead.

I'm also stuck in the middle of the two chip leaders, so the chance of stealing blinds are looking slimmer than slim.

But as I'm about seventh in chips, I decide to continue to bide my time and squeeze into the money before unleashing my all-ins.

Big mistake!

Within twenty minutes two players are gone and there are now eight of us left. My plan seems to be working and the pounds-signs are flashing...

I'm now about sixth/seventh in chips with a 25,000 stack - about half the average. Trouble is, blinds are now 1,200 and 2,400 with antes at 200 - and rising fast.

But there is hope.

One player is so short stacked I know he will have to push in before me.

I wait, and wait, and wait, but my chips are just dribbling away.

Eventually, he pushes and turns over pockets fives to his opponents 10/9. Yes!

A coin flip and if this comes down on my side I'm guaranteed £200 for seventh, rising to more than £1,300 for first place.

But, of course, the fives hold up.

A few hands later another short-stack goes in and gets called by my big-blind neighbour.

But my heart sinks when the shortster turns over bullets and his chipped-up opponent turns over a pair of tens. Of course the aces hold.

Eventually, with just a pitiful 7,000 left I'm forced to push with A6 - the best hand I've seen in about an hour and a half.

I get two callers - one of then AJ, which hits the Jack on the flop, sending me bubbling to the rail.

I pocketed one £25 bounty from the event but gained much more in experience in how NOT to play the short stack at the final table.

Of course I should have been pushing with my chips with any two cards much earlier, and not allowed myself to be blinded out so pathetically.

This was an excellent GUKPT tournament and I did play well to get to the final table. But I'm gutted to have flopped so badly when I really felt a big win was possible.

Lesson learned...

* For a full list of results at the GUKPT Walsall leg, visit http://www.grosvenorukpokertour.com/