There aren't many poker players - especially successful poker players - who have come from a sporting arena in which they previously excelled, plus have been honoured by the monarch of their country. Teddy Sheringham is just such a rarity. A retired footballer who scored over 350 goals in a 23-year career that included his teams winning the Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League, he also played for England 51 times, scored 11 goals and was part of two World Cup squads. His name will be instantly recognised by most British people, especially those into football (soccer to the rest of the world). In 2007 he was awarded an MBE* and then gently drifted into tournament poker, making a splash at the WSOPE and returning results which would make most people, pro or amateur, fairly pleased with themselves.
Now part of the three strong British contingent on the final, Sheringham has more than held his own over five days' play, and it just remains to see if he can bump his average-at-the-moment chipstack into a field-leading one.
Sam Trickett called a Toby Lewis raise to 110,000 in the big blind and then check-called another 110,000 on the flop before the turn and river were checked down.
Lewis turned over against Trickett's and the latter took the pot.
The silence of the final table was broken though, by James Dempsey who shouted, "Go on Toby, take Sam down!" to some laughter from the UK rail.
"Didn't you try and take him on?" laughed Sam back, "Ace-nine?" referring to this hand on day 1A.
Dempsey laughed. "I'm just happy that Sam Trickett knows who I am," he told the assembled crowd.
Jason Lee opened for 85,000 on the button and Sam Trickett called in the small blind. They saw a flop.
Flop:
Both players checked. They saw a turn.
Turn:
Trickett now bet out 125,000. Lee made the call, and they were at the river.
River:
Trickett asked the dealer to spread the pot. He tanked up for a little while, and then pushed a whole stack of orange T25k chips across the line. Lee called - and then looked very surprised and mucked when Trickett turned over .
Trickett's luck looked as though it was changing as his stack increased to around 3 million. Lee dropped back to 690,000.
If Sam Trickett doesn't win today, it won't be for the lack of trying but mostly for an unbelievable amount of bad luck.
A couple of hands before, Martin Jacobson had opened to 85,000 but folded when Trickett 3-bet to 200,000.
Jacobson then opened to 85,000 again and Trickett 3-bet to 200,000 once again. This time Jacobson shoved for around 1.2 million and Trickett immediately called.
Jacobson:
Trickett:
Trickett looked across to us hopefully and said, "I've got win one sooner or later..."
The flop came down and already a fatalistic grin had formed on the British player's face. The turn ended the hand as Jacobson had escaped from a precarious position and after an incidental river, the Swede doubled up to about 2.4 million. Trickett has roughly the same.
Passing the chips across, he ruefully added, "I worked hard for those..."
The Austrian voice of poker to anyone who saw him TD Late Night Poker Back in the day, the dapper Thomas Kremser is on hand to annouce the major action and call attention to potential bustouts. He also helped with the colour up to some more orange 25k chips, bringing a box of them to the table. He sat down to wait for a pause in the action and the dealer dealt him a card! Nice to enter the tournament on the final with 2,500,000 chips, eh...
Just when we thought Sam Trickett couldn't run any worse, guess what happened? He found himself in another spot of gross unluckiness, doubling up Jason Lee in the process.
Lee open-shoved for his last 525,000 and on the button Trickett re-shoved. The blinds got out of the way and they turned their cards over, Trickett about as ahead as a person can be.
Lee:
Trickett:
Board:
Lee flopped two pair, and although Trickett turned a flush draw it never came in, leaving him with 2 million. Lee is back in the game on 1.1 million.
With a flop reading Martin Jacobson check-called a bet of 125,000 against Sam Trickett.
On the turn, the Swede checked once more and Trickett put out a bet of 325,000, once more Jacobson making the call.
The river was a seemingly innocuous and Jacobson now checked for a third and final table. Trickett pulled out the last of his pink 25k chips along with a stack of yellow 5k chips and bet 620,000 leaving himself less than a million behind.
This bet seemed to really worry Jacobson who thought for a full three minutes before releasing his hand. Trickett tilt or a genunine hand, either way he's recovered much of what he lost before.