My Dad is the reason why I love Texas Ho...

My Dad is the reason why I love Texas Hold ‘em and the reason I started playing. One my oldest memories was toddling in to one of my Dad’s poker nights – I was two or three at the time and I’d just learnt to walk. Not sure what I was doing up. It was way past my bed time. But I walked in and there was all these men crouched around a big old table playing Hold ‘em. And there in the middle of them was my Dad.

A huge beaming smile on his face. I don’t think I’d ever seen him so happy. I found out later he was a terrible player. The world’s worse bluffer. He was just too damn nice. He’d go all in on a pair of 6s and the guy next to him with a flush to King would be just about to fold and Dad would say: “No. Stop. I only got a pair of sixes.” Like I said, just too damn nice. He’d lose all his money every single poker night. They were only playing for nickels and dimes – and they all went back in the glass jar at the end - but still, it was money. But he loved to play – and he sat there that night with this huge smile gazing around the table at his poker buddies.