Local Lad Does Good

Author: Simon Dexter

Local newspaper’s can be a great source for news but some interesting stories sometimes don’t get the coverage they might deserve.

The nationals would never pick up on story about a player who finished 187th out of 1,800 in any type of competition but for the Express and Echo it was a nice tale about a local man who is doing well at poker.

It tells the story of a player called Alan Vinnicombe who, although he only finished 187th, still managed to finish in the top ten per cent in the tournament in the World series of Poker.

And the former landlord from a small village has an interesting tale for any aspiring card player.

“Like most people, I started on the internet, entering little tournaments,” he said.

“I started winning four or five tournaments a month, so I moved up to a higher level.”

Vinnicombe turned professional last February and now regularly competes all across the country, Europe and America and relishes the challenge that international competition brings.

He said: “I enjoy playing international events. It’s funny how the national traits come out in the game - the French, for example, can be very flamboyant.

“I travel the world, I meet great people and I love playing the game - I think I’m very lucky.”

The card player, ranked 212th in Europe, and 55th in the UK, believes he could earn a salary of at least £100,000 this year.

One tournament he won in March netted him a £15,000 jackpot.

But rewards do not come without hard graft. He puts at least 60 hours a week into his poker - a game he admits can be mentally gruelling.

With the upcoming Vegas no-limit competition requiring around £6,000 just to take part, Vinnicombe is aware of the risks and put his success down to intuition and the collection of sunglasses he uses to hide his emotions.

He said: “I have a good sense of working out what other people have got. I also have a selection of sunglasses - it’s important not to give anything away.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 17th, 2007 at 12:41 pm and is filed under General Poker. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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