Probably been asked this hundreds of times

smilewiper

Hi Neil,

Before I start just want to say far as being an ambassador goes, perfect player for it. Always seem to carry yourself of as a genuine all round nice person. Also seen an old interview on YouTube recently and without a doubt can tell your someone who actually cares about the poker community it self.

As the title says sure you've been asked this a load of times but as a new player who's seeming to fall in love with the game more and more n become slightly obsessed lol. I was just wondering how did you first get into poker? When you started out what stakes was you playing? Just wondering really if you was one of those players we all wish we was. Makes one deposit and never has to reload again lol. Also at what point did you decide being a poker player was the career path you was going to take?

One of the things I love about poker is everyone starts of the same and has the same opportunity. I can't imagine people just started playing the super high stake games. It's just nice to know anyone can deposit and put in the hours playing and studying over years and improve and do well from poker. 

Cheers Neil.

NChanning

 Very kind of you to say nice things Mr Smilewiper...a good way to start the week.

 I wasn't a person who made one deposit and never did again because there was no internet poker when I started...quiet at the back there...we did have central heating, an indoor toilet and rationing had finished.

 I started by going to Reading which was a Grosvenor Casino but which apparently had been called Sargeant Yorke's once as that is what people called it (I bet it was 20 years earlier and it was like "Ginger" Gary in the Vic who has been bald for 20+ years). Every Friday I would go there to play the £5 rebuy NLH...when I was a student and lived in Tooting I still went there as it was a friendly crowd, I knew I had a good edge and it only took me about 45 minutes to get there (speeding was something I used to do way too much of). The Vic tournaments were £10 rebuy and it seemed much more intimidating to go there. Simon Trumper was one of my regular opponents there and at least five of the good players went on to become pros...none of them really survived the internet era though...they were all good enough to be the best at that time but with hindsight I can see they weren't all that good.

 I first went to the Vic because my good friend Keith "The Camel" Hawkins had become a member and when you joined you got a free three course meal in the restaurant. He suggested I could be his +1 and he would then be mine when I joined. If only he'd have known the drinks were free too he'd have really made them pay. We went there for Sunday lunch and followed it with the £10 rebuy comp...you could only rebuy if you lost all your chips and nobody had invented add-ons so I reckoned I could go with £24 and play on £2 blackjack with the £4 to try and get up to £30. In the end £10 was enough but I didn't cash. In those days there was no "juice" or registration fee on tournaments as the Gaming Board didn't allow it.

 I started playing online poker on a tiny site in around 1999. There were usually about 20 players logged on when I started playing and the game was $1/$2 limit hold em. I deposited £50 about three times but getting money on and off was a right hassle and I don't think I ever withdrew. I'm fairly sure they went bust and kept an odd £30 of mine.

 In 2003 I played a tournament with a few people I half knew who had been on Late Night Poker. Up until then I'd considered myself a gambler who had poker as one string to my bow. Once I really thought about how I played and they played I knew I could do it for a living as I was just better than them and they were supposed to be the best. I think going to Vegas and playing against people who were doing this day in, day out for years and competing with them on equal terms really helped me.

 I think you're right. It is great that anyone can do it. I don't think I'm the best player in the world by a long way but I have played with Isaac Haxton, Tom Dwan, Jason Mercier, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey a fair bit and I know that on my day I can compete with the best.

 I also know that if you can find 6 people that are way worse than you and get them to play every day you can make a good living...it's just getting a bit harder to find them now.