Shuffle Up and Kneel; All Hail King James

No I’m not referring to the man of monarchy who reigned over the old empire for all those years. Nor am I speaking of Cleveland’s great basket maker, “Lebron James”, who routinely weaves in and around and gets the job done every night for the Cavaliers.

No, no, it’s not them — the James that I’m referring to is none other than WSOP November nine finalist James Akenhead.

That’s right my friends, what the man from London has done in his short poker career is absolutely amazing, and though only in his mid twenties, the young rounder has long been a force to be reckoned with.

For those who don’t know, James exploded onto the poker scene last year when he made a great run in the $1,500 no-limit hold’em event making it through the massive field of 3,929 runners, eventually finishing second only to Grant Hinkle.

Then he goes and backs that up by outlasting another 6,494 players in this year’s $10,000 main event. This amazing feat enabled him to be a part of the new but elite club, which is known as “The November nine”. A club that is now only eighteen strong, but believe me when I tell you there isn’t a poker player out there that has not already prepared their application form in the hope of one day receiving an invite to join this elusive club. I suppose the emphasis is on hope, even though hope is not the greatest strategy is it?

Anyway, my hat is off to James and all the others who managed to do the impossible, making a date with destiny. Granted he may be one of the short stacks at the table and no one can deny the gargantuous task that lies ahead for him, but the reality is that James along with Jeff Shulman might very well be two of the better players left at the table … second of course only in skill to Phil Ivey.

But you never know — anything can happen. We’ll just have to wait and see what’s in store. But one thing is for certain, every player will be bringing their absolute best effort to win this with more than 8 million reason$ to do so!

The clock on the wall is ticking, time is sure to be coming fast and furious, and come the end of that cold night in November, a new champion’s face will adorn the walls of the Rio; money will line his pockets, and his name will be tattooed into World Series of Poker history books, alongside some of the very best in the business.

I’ll leave ya with this, a final note:

To all you poker enthusiasts, come that night in November, make sure your electrical bill is paid up to date and that the auld dog has already been walked. Make sure the kettle is on with some Smarties in the bowl and whatever you do — don’t miss one single second of the main event final table. Come on James – good luck mate, and good luck also too Card Player’s own Jeff Shulman!

Ciaran Big C