The European Open IV

February was going to be a long and exciting month, with three great poker tournaments being filmed back-to-back-to-back. Government scientists using a series of experiments would not get close to what was going to happen, and it was my job to keep everything under control. The first of the three tournaments was the PartyPoker European Open IV. The celebrity heat was won by Michael Le Vell, whom you might know as Kevin Webster, the car mechanic in Coronation Street. Michael did what his on-screen daughter, Rosie, has been doing for months - run amok. I had absolutely no idea how well he could play - as good as any celebrity I'd seen in these sixhanded formats. You would have thought Mike had been on the circuit for years, as he had more moves than a Swiss clock. We may be glued to the TV when Coronation Street is on, but this guy loves poker with a passion. His heroes are The Hendon Mob, Devil Fish, and Ian Fraser, and mine are Nick Cotton, the Dingles, and Barry Grant; different walks of life, but one love - poker. Michael was devastated when, in his next heat, his jacks ran into kings and the kings did what they were supposed to do - stand up.

Three days later, I received a phone call from Michael while he was out taking his dog for a walk. The poor dog had been out for hours. Michael could not get one of the hands he had played out of his head, and it was driving him nuts. I consoled him, telling him what he did was right. No consolation for the poor dog, however, which had walked more miles than The Proclaimers.

One evening, tournament players and employees turned their thoughts to another competition, Win With Wilson. We all congregated at Nick and Moe's pub, situated in the market square, Waltham Abbey. To play Win With Wilson, you purchase an entry card that has nine different playing cards glued to it. Then, a new pack of cards is shuffled and cut, with the deck turned over one by one. When a card gets called out, if it matches one on your entry card, you cover it up. When your entry card is completely full, you shout out, "Win with Wilson!" But if you don't shout out, "Win with Wilson," you don't win. This causes mayhem, as all of the locals from the pub love the game and join in. Samantha and Phil from Waltham Abbey are usually first in line to purchase cards. With brilliant prizes, who could resist? Some critics would argue that Win With Wilson is no more than a game of bingo. Personally, I wouldn't go along with that, but I do acknowledge that the financial responsibilities in the game are greater than ever before, as we can take up to £15 on any one night. For instance, we were able to announce just before Christmas a profit of nearly £700, and we have been fortunate to have shown that profit for the last few years. Rumor has it that Win With Wilson is sweeping the nation, bigger even than Deal or No Deal. I tend to think that this could be exaggerated; all I know is that it gives me and a few pals a lot of pleasure. Jesse and Padraig swear by it, and the burning question among tournament players and staff every evening is, you guessed it, are we playing Win With Wilson?

But let's get back to the European Open IV. Variety is the spice of life as far as poker tournaments are concerned. These days, youngsters are in the focus, bless them, but it was one of the old school, Nick Slade, who will be the talk of men and women in the clubs and public houses, and even in their own homes. Everyone loves to talk about the tournament game, and this guy was something else. Nick has had a few bad years with one thing and another, but he would not want me to go into that. As I often say, tomorrow is the future because the past is gone. Bad beats don't count anymore, losers make your own excuses. Nick Slade had a point to prove, and boy did he do that. He came to the final table short-stacked, but the first elimination was Finnish star Juha Helppi, who lost to Annette Obrestad within four hands. And then Slade was like a pneumatic drill. He knocked out UK young gun Josh Tyler in fifth place, and then put some incredible moves on Obrestad, knocking her out spectacularly in fourth place. He then put paid to probably the best one-table satellite player in the world, in my opinion, Ian Fraser. Heads up with most of the chips, Nick finished off one of the nice guys in the game, Craig Burgess, who was thrilled to have nursed his short stack so far. Winning the money and the title was overwhelming for Nick, and emotion set in. He could hardly speak as the trophy was awarded, but managed to gather his thoughts enough to thank all of his friends who had stood by him during his rough times. And they know who they are. I can honestly say that I grew to like this guy, and everyone who watched this final will be of the same opinion. Well done, Nick Slade; I hope this night lives in your memory, whenever you're sad or whenever you are blue.

Mad Marty Wilson is a professional gambler and poker consultant for Matchroom Sport.