Ex Soap star scoops huge Poker tournament win

Author: Simon Dexter

Former Eastenders actor, Michael Greco, won £100,000 this week when he walked off with a massive regional poker tournament held in Cardiff.

The actor, who turned to poker after a relationship breakdown two years ago, beat off 300 players to land the prize and will now get entry into November’s Grand Final event sponsored by Grosvenor Casinos.

Greco lifelessly played Italian policeman Beppe Di Marco in Eastenders for four years and was famous for his run-ins with the Mitchell brothers.

Two years ago he started playing on the celebrity poker circuit but has recently established himself as one of the leading celebrity players in the country.

The 36-year-old believes his experience of acting has helped his game and says he can usually spot when an opponent is bluffing in a game of Texas Hold ‘Em.

His ambition is to play poker professionally, with his heroes being Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey.

His win at the weekend was the culmination of four days play and gives him that all-important invite to the Grand Final.

A spokesman for the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour said: “The event, which is being shown on Channel 4 later in the year, is the pinnacle of Greco’s poker career which started shortly after his spell on Albert Square.

“Although he has had minor successes in celebrity events, this was his first win in a recognised professional poker event.”

Since leaving Enders Greco has appeared in Celebrity Love Island and was also was a contestant on ITV’s Soapstar Superstar and competed in the Rest of the World team against England in the Soccer Aid match in 2006.

Greco is also a figure of fun on Russell Brand’s Big Brother’s Big Mouth, using his character name, Beppe.

The London-born star does not play in online poker tournaments because he does not own a computer.

“I’d don’t even have an e-mail address,” he said in a recent magazine interview.

Greco is not the first actor to turn poker player, with heartthrob Ben Affleck famously winning over 0,000 in a tournament he entered in 2004.

However, that is were the similarities end between the pair as while Greco is set for a career as a poker player, Affleck’s career goes from strength to strength.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 11th, 2007 at 2:39 pm and is filed under Poker News.

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