Born to American parents in North London around 25 years ago, I have dual citizenship and speak both languages. My parents ran a U.S-style homegame every week for over twenty years, and I grew up with the regular sounds of chips clinking and people shouting poker gibberish. By age 7 I knew what was going on and joined in as soon as I was allowed to stay up late.
I obtained a Classics degree at Oxford while attempting to teach everyone how to play limit Omaha hi-lo declare which didn't catch on in quite the same way as no-limit hold'em. Eventually I gave up and joined them and was around while the fledgling Poker Society became Joe Barnard's empire. Internet poker and interest in general was growing hugely, which was very gratifying as I found myself just about old enough to sign up and 'practice.'
After a spell of three days working for Hobbs, I was resigned, as it were, and spent the next two years playing online and dealing a couple of days a week at the Gutshot in Clerkenwell. I am now a much better tipper.
I have managed to satellite myself into one WPT event (Paris, last year) and did not disgrace myself in the company of my poker betters, so now I am of course bedazzled by the big-stack-long-blinds structure of the larger events even though I rarely get into them. I have lost money, and occasionally won some back, at Gutshot, the Vic, Brighton, and in the US at the Bicycle, Hawaiian Gardens, Commerce, Tunica, and places dotted around Las Vegas. Love it.
I have always written reviews of things, and reporting on poker was the most fun sort of reporting I could think of so I was delighted when blondepoker requested my services at Walsall and then, excitingly, Las Vegas. I am happily surprised to find myself a regular writer and updater and look forward to hanging out with Team Blonde in the future.
