Phil Hellmuth Jr. Steps in for 'Mad Marty' Wilson

When UltimatePoker.com asked me to appear as an expert on a televised tournament (UltimatePoker.com Showdown) in London, I wasn't crazy about the idea.



"I didn't even play in the last four World Poker Tour events in Paris," I told them, "and now you want me to go to London to shoot three episodes of a TV show?" They said yes, so I replied: "OK – you pay the bills! And can you please make it worth my while by lining up some big-time press over there? The cover of England's biggest newspaper, The Sun, perhaps?" I remembered the media barrage that met Amarillo Slim when he turned up at the Poker Million a few years back; he'd made the cover of The Sun.


UltimatePoker had scheduled a mere 18 hours of work for me on my first day in the UK: seven interviews, two photo shoots (one in which I was putting a golf ball while standing on a poker table!), and then commentary on the televised tournament until 3 a.m. I loved doing the interviews, but was disappointed that none were with mainstream papers or broadcasters.



At 9:30 p.m., 'Mad' Marty Wilson and his girl, Katharine, joined us on the TV show. "Phil," he said, "We need to talk about a possible role for you in a show over here in the UK. We are going out to 78 countries, and this will make you big all over Europe."



"How about we film on Monday?" I responded.



He replied, "I'll make a call right now."



Ten minutes later, they'd offered me $2,000 to film 15 tips for the UK Open. I'm not cheap; I asked for an extra $14,000.



"I'll call my boss," said the woman on the other end of the phone. The answer was not so good: "Barry Hearn says no, but we hope to work with you sometime soon."



"Barry Hearn? I didn't know he was behind this. Tell him I'll do the show for free, but that I want him to see what he can do for me with press coverage. I wonder if he could get me on the cover of The Sun?"


Five minutes later, the phone rang again, and this time it was Barry himself.



"Phil, I can deliver some terrific mainstream press for you."



"Barry, I know you can. I'll do the tips for free on your say-so; you've got a deal."



Barry was back on the phone again within minutes: "You ready to work hard on Monday?"



"Bring it on," I replied, "I'm already working 18 hours today."



Barry said, "OK, now you're making me work tomorrow! I'll line up some stuff for you, including Sky News and The Sun, plus much more."



Thank you, Barry Hearn, the master promoter. I think I'll be doing a lot of commentating for you and Matchroom Sports in the future. And thank you, "Mad Marty" Wilson, for thinking of me as a commentator/tips guy. I owe both of you one; writing an article for Marty's column is a small payback!



Meanwhile, in the UltimatePoker.com show, there are several talented "poker virgins" emerging from the field. The number one contender is Liv, a beautiful 21-year-old recent college graduate, with a major in astrophysics, who seems to be learning the game at an exponentially quick rate. "Liv," I asked, "what kind of grades did you get in school?"



She nonchalantly responded, "I got a first."



I'm from the United States and have never heard of a first, but I knew what she meant. Goodness gracious! Liv may end up becoming the Anna Kournikova of the poker world, with her looks, and her sharp mind focusing on conquering the game.



Another top contender is Lee, and he was my pick to win it that night. He bluffed when his opponents were weak, and he folded strong hands when his opponents were stronger; I know, I was in the truck looking at the holecards.



Then we have Lauralyn, whose natural aggression is great in no-limit hold'em, but it needs to be reined in a bit. I told her, "Too much aggression and you'll finish last, but with controlled aggression, you can win this thing."



The show's psychologist, Dr. Alistair Ross, made a cheeky prediction going into the final: "Someone with a first name beginning with the letter L will win it," he told the presenter, Penny Smith, after listening to me hype these three players.



Then we have Andy, who won the first three heats but didn't seem to have worked on his game since then, despite the $194,000 first prize. Now it looks like the three "Ls" have overtaken him as players.



Finally, there's Mark, who seems like a great guy, but he hasn't quite grasped the fact that he needs to play hands more aggressively. He has patience, which is a great poker virtue, but he folds K-Q and 8-8 in unraised pots! I told him to play some big pots if he expects to win. I also mentioned that 8-8 is on my list of top 10 hands.



Anyway, good luck to all of you Europeans. I'll be back soon!



Mad Marty Wilson is on holiday.