Getting The Max: The Poker Community Knows How To Rally For A CauseMaxine Preston Honored In Birmingham With Memorial Poker Tournament |
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Michelle and Max
The stakes were small, just £40. But this game wasn’t about winning and making money. Rather, it was a night of celebration and remembrance.
“The G” played host to a memorial tournament honoring Maxine Preston, a nightly tournament regular who recently passed after a battle with motor neuron disease (MND), better known stateside as Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS.
“Max,” as she was known at the table, made the local casino her second home. Michelle Bricknell-Sheils, who organized the memorial tournament, can still recall the night they first crossed paths about 12 years ago.
“Max and I met at Hill Street,” Michelle recalled. “She was playing in a casino for the first time after making a pub poker final.”
“We got to chatting, I was there for the nightly. I told her she should come back, now that she realized it wasn’t as scary as she thought. She sent me a drink over, I sent one back, and we promised to meet outside the next week. From that moment on, we were firm drinking and poker mates."
The two became inseparable, traveling across Europe to play poker together while knocking back several drinks in the process.
“We took poker as a bit of a laugh and it was always a bonus if we cashed. We would always say, ‘Right! Less drinking next time and let’s try to concentrate.’ That never happened though.”
The memorial featured plenty of reminders of Max’s infectious energy. Some of her favorite sweets decorated each seat, and friends popped bubbly at nearly every table. There were even free drinks for players who won with Max’s favorite hand, K-Q, courtesy of a player named Colin.
“I was pretty numb. It had been so emotional since she passed on Feb. 19,” Michelle admitted. “I just wanted it to go well and for the whole night to be about her.”
Given the buy-in and the fact that we were raising money for MND awareness, I decided to personify the true Max spirit. I wasn’t about to take this tournament seriously.
10-6 suited from under-the-gun? It’s in there!
Hell, some of Max’s friends at the table had literally never played poker before, so I wanted to contribute my good vibes to the party. (However, that didn’t stop one of the regulars from performing an incredibly-obvious angle on one of them… in a memorial tournament!)
The turnout was larger than anyone could have imagined, with the tournament attracting a surprising 137 entries. After buy-ins, add-ons, donations, and more, the tournament raised £1,418, or just under $2,000.
I was also lucky enough to be seated next to my girlfriend, CoinPoker’s Peggy Crawford, and we were taking the night off from our self-induced, month-long alcohol ban. (We’re getting our bodies ready for the Irish Open after all.)
Naturally, I rivered the nuts against her with K-Q and was one of the first players to get a free drink. I had recently flush-over-flushed her in a main event in Slovenia for piles, so needless to say, I’m not on her good side at the moment.
Michelle And Crew Celebrate A Max Win In 2023
K.
“Normally, I would have folded. I hadn’t invested any chips, and I was doing okay. But if I wanted to win, I had to take chances. I felt like a drama queen – I had A-K suited, but I really didn’t want to go out. I called and shouted, ‘One time, Max!’ I was up against A-J and J-10, so I was ahead anyway. The flop came down all spades. It felt like Max was there."
Michelle would end up busting me in 16th place a short time later. As I left the table, I couldn’t help but feel that something almost divine was happening in the casino that night. But seeing as it was already 2 a.m., I wasn’t going to be there to see it.
I couldn’t just cash out, however. I took my £80 min-cash to a slot machine downstairs, expecting to quickly give it back. After just four £5 spins, I banged off a bonus game and hit a ridiculous jackpot for over £1,200.
I then took the remainder to the roulette table and put a fiver on 8, 13, and 22. Boom! I banged off a 13 and walked out of there with about £1,400 in my pocket.
As I left, I thought to myself, “Michelle’s gonna win that tournament, huh?”
Sure enough, when I woke up the next morning, Peggy showed me a photo of Michelle with the trophy in one hand and a photo of Max in the other. It’s one of the most poetic things I’ve ever seen in my poker career.
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As it turns out, Max had Michelle’s back the entire way. With three players left in a blind-on-blind spot, Michelle cracked pocket aces with A-6 offsuit (a 6.5% chance!) She ended up making a four-card diamond flush on the river, which left her nearly even in chips with Herui Liu.
Michelle Wins Memorial Tournament
“He said, ‘I told myself if her and I get heads-up, no matter what the chips are, I will offer her the win and chop the cash.’ He said his mom had also died, and that completely broke me,” Michelle recalled.
Though the £970 was far from her biggest cash, it was the sweetest victory she’ll ever experience.
“As soon as I realized that I’d won, the tears came. Because I genuinely didn’t think for one second that I was going to. I laughed and thought, ‘Max would have absolutely loved this.’ She was one of my biggest supporters in poker and in life.”
Michelle and her family are hoping that this will become a yearly celebration of Max’s unforgettable spirit, which had nothing sleazy, grim, or desperate about it.
“I hope people remember how short life actually is and enjoy it while they can, as we all forget and get bogged down with day-to-day things,” Michelle said. “The tournament represented what a great community the poker world really is and how we all come together when needed.”
I, for one, cannot wait to return to Birmingham in 2026 for the second-annual Maxine Preston Memorial Tournament.
Blaise Bourgeois a WSOP Circuit ring winner, poker journalist, and contributing columnist for Card Player. Find him on Twitter/X @BlaiseBourgeois.
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