Scot Plays His Way To Europe's
Top Poker Table July 21, 2004
HE WATCHES with the "Vegas stare" as they fall on green baize, the difference between failure and fortune resting on the turn of two cards.
Tomorrow evening, John Burns will gather those two cards to his chest, in the hope they will lead to a winner’s pot of £250,000.
If the Glasgow man’s skill at "Texas Hold ’em", the classic poker game, can carry him to Friday and the "last table" of Europe’s most prestigious tournament, he could come home a very wealthy man.
And that is not bad for someone who has played poker for only nine months.
But Mr Burns has progressed so well in the highly competitive and specialised field that he has been invited to join the elite.
He won a place in the Victor Poker Cup, the newest and most exclusive addition to Europe’s high-stakes circuit.
The competition, to be televised live on Sky Sports to an audience of millions worldwide, has a prize fund of £500,000.
"It’s win-win for me. I get my 10,000 chips and I get to play the best in the world," said Mr Burns, 33, and he added: "If I lose, I walk away. If I win, I win big."
Victor Chandler, the chairman of Britain’s largest independent bookmaker, offered 14 places in the glamorous event to poker players via the www.vcpoker.com site.
Mr Burns beat the competition to grab his chance at the big time.
He will play against some of the finest players in the world, including Dave "The Devilfish" Ulliott and Noel Furlong, a former world champion.
Celebrity poker players, such as the footballer-turned-actor Vinnie Jones and John McCririck, the horseracing pundit, are also buying in with a £5,000 stake.
The tournament begins today at 7pm and continues through to the final on Friday at Teddington Studios, Middlesex. It is expected to be one of the most-watched poker events in the history of the game.
Victor Chandler said: "The Victor Poker Cup is ground-breaking and gives European poker an event to rank alongside the United States."
Yesterday, as he prepared to leave for the tournament, Mr Burns, who will be dealt in tomorrow said: "I began playing nine months ago. I got the ‘bug’ watching it on late-night television.
"I played cards, but the standard games like ‘brag’ and not a classic poker game," said Mr Burns, whose standard poker "kitty" is £5,000. He added: "The idea is to not let let it run away with you.
"I play with relatively low stakes games on the internet, and I participated against ‘real people’ in an Austrian tournament.
"There is nothing like the atmosphere of sitting at a table and watching your opponents," he said. "That is 50 per cent of winning. Watching for the signs.
"I have a great head for numbers, a good memory and a competitive spirit. This is the chance to play the best.
"If I get through to Friday, I can do it."
