Poker Beginnings & The story of how I met Dave Gent

My last blog about Dave Gent’s wedding had me thinking about how we first met. He  has had perhaps the greatest influence out of anyone on my poker career and the story of how I met Dave (geeforce1 on Tilt and sexygee on Stars) is pretty random.

It was 2005 and at the time I was just a $1-$2 full ring cash game grinder on the Tribecca network, who occasionally played the odd tournament. My game was very basic and was based on just being incredibly solid and relying on my opponents to make mistakes to win money. Fortunately everyone was pretty awful at poker back then so my opponents didn’t stop to think that I might have a set every time I check raised them and I still got paid off.

One week I decided to play their Sunday tournament and ran really well to get deep. Unfortunately I went card dead once I was deep and everyone kept stealing the guy on my lefts big blind as he had been disconnected for the last 30 minutes. Eventually I found a hand I had been waiting for (AK) and reraised all in over the top of a Geeforce1 steal. He called me with Ace Queen and hit and I was out in 23rd place for peanuts.

Obviously at the time I was upset and thought it was a terrible call etc but as I started to think about it more It began to dawn on me that I should of been reraising him with weaker hands because there was no way he could of had a hand every time! Obviously very basic stuff now but it was an epiphany moment for me at that time.

Rather than go and sulk over the bad beat, I carried on watching the whole tournament as I was impressed with how he had played.  Geeforce dominated the whole way and ended up winning it for $35,000. I congratulated him in chat and I half jokingly asked him for his email address for some advice never thinking he would actually help me.

Much to my surprise he added me on MSN messenger and became a poker mentor for.  He let me watch his hole cards at the higher stakes games and answered all of my dumb noob questions. Over the next few months I gradually jumped into these games myself when there were softer lineups and this is where I really started to become a pro player.

That summer I qualified for my first WSOP and finally got to meet Geeforce and another guy he had introduced me to, Paul Foltyn or Badpab2, in person. Looking back now it is hilarious as I remember being more nervous about meeting them than going on a first date with a girl you really like, but we all got on great and they were no longer Geeforce andBbadpab to me but Dave and Pab.

Over the years we became even closer which resulted in a big group of us renting out a Vegas house every summer and going on various trips around the world together.

It’s crazy to think how a bad beat could actually help you in the long run.  If I’d won that tournament sure I could have been $35,000 richer at the time, but I might never of became the player that I am today.