Sam Trickett is a man who knows a thing or two about working his way up from the bottom of the poker ladder. Whilst he might bash up high roller events for fun these days, it wasn’t always that way. “When I first started playing poker I was a losing poker player and I went through stages where I wouldn’t play full stop,” he tells me.
Climbing the ladder
But on his way up to the very top of the game he’s passed a few other bright young things on the way so is well placed to give advice to those looking to emulate his success. “You need to try and pick good games, don’t play too high, never put yourself at risk of going broke,” says Trickett. “I think players try to go up the stakes a bit too high as quick as possible, but the truth is you’ve got to put in the hard work on your game and gradually move up the stakes rather than taking high risks with your bankroll in these bigger tournaments. “
Suits you Sir
It’s these bigger tournaments where Trickett excels, “I think bigger buy-in events suit my style, you can put a lot of pressure of players in these tournaments and I feel they fold a lot more than they do in other tournaments, which suits my style as I’m an active player who bluffs a lot.”
But Trickett is no saint, he’s well aware of the pitfalls a big win can bring. “ When people do win these big tournaments they feel invincible often for the next few months they don’t play as good, they’re not as hungry, you don’t make good decisions you get sloppy, although maybe that’s just me.” A case in point comes from a tournament Trickett played this March. “I played a £10k high roller yesterday and I was bored out of my mind,” he says matter of factly. “When you win it feels great, but it feels nowhere near as good as it does bad when you lose. When you lose it feels like the end of the world knowing what you could’ve done with the money.
Cash is king
It’s no secret that Trickett has been playing in some pretty sizable cash games, is that perhaps the root of this boredom? “The cash games are so huge, you swing a significant amount every day so I’m more motivated towards those, I don’t think it’ll effect me in the Premier League, I’m determined to do well in this.”
With the Premier League VI being streamed live you’ll be able to see if he becomes the king of this hill.