I have some mega hates in this pro poker lark. Number one is that I hate players who give verbal to the dealer. I know winning is important and there’s a lot of money involved, but how can you blame the dealer? It’s mind-blowing. How many factors go into a hand being dealt? I’ve even seen some people ask for a new deck to change their luck. Don’t they know it’s unlucky to be superstitious?

As an example, in two consecutive WSOP tournaments this year when down to the last 20-odd players I went out with A-A against K-K all-in pre-flop; with both hands the winner became nearly chip leader and yes, you’ve guessed it, on both occasions it was the same dealer.

Did I blame the dealer?