Player Focus: The Camel

The Camel is one of the premier players on the European poker circuit and also one of the game's most authoritative voices

7 March 2007 By James Eastham

"Playing poker seriously is a great life; what is the point of giving up work to do something so risky if you don't enjoy it?"
Keith 'The Camel' Hawkins does more than just win big prizes online and in tournaments. He also offers some of the most sound advice you can find about playing the game.

First of all, he has top-class poker credentials. The Camel has won just under $250,000 on PokerStars since the start of 2005, including some big individual tourney wins. During that time he has finished first (out of 140 runners) in a $100 buy-in, first in a $50 event and saw off a field of 221 to land a $300 buy-in as well. Those three wins alone landed him $43,129. His biggest single prize came in May 2006 when he finished seventh out of 4,492 in PokerStars' $1 million guaranteed event to claim $20,500. Suffice it to say, The Camel has plenty of experience of finishing high in the money in online tournaments.

Offline, too, he has scored some notable successes. Last November he finished fourth in the Masters Classic of Poker event in Amsterdam in November, a result that earned him $155,837. He is a regular on the European poker circuit, having landed decent pots in events in London, Sheffield and Luton dating back to 2003.

All of which makes The Camel eminently qualified to speak about poker, which he does with clarity and good humour on The Hendon Mob's website. One of his articles - "Playing Poker For a Living... Or At Least Very Seriously" contained a dozen insightful tips for the top amateur considering going pro. In it The Camel was not only honest about losing a "five-figure sum" at the craps tables following a poker bad beat; he also neatly summed up the positives of making a living from the game.

He wrote: "Don't become one of those bad-tempered gits who play because they have to, not because they want to. Playing poker seriously is a great life; you will meet some fascinating, interesting, funny and bizarre people. What is the point of giving up work to do something so risky if you don't enjoy it?

"Enjoy meeting new people and seeing new places. And have fun. Poker is the best game in the world, and if you are lucky enough to be playing it for a living, remember that, next time your Aces are cracked by 10-6 suited, the person holding that hand has to go to work tomorrow morning. You have some serious lying-in to do!"

Offline, too, he has scored some notable successes. Last November he finished fourth in the Masters Classic of Poker event in Amsterdam in November, a result that earned him $155,837. He is a regular on the European poker circuit, having landed decent pots in events in London, Sheffield and Luton dating back to 2003.All of which makes The Camel eminently qualified to speak about poker, which he does with clarity and good humour on The Hendon Mob's website. One of his articles - "Playing Poker For a Living... Or At Least Very Seriously" contained a dozen insightful tips for the top amateur considering going pro. In it The Camel was not only honest about losing a "five-figure sum" at the craps tables following a poker bad beat; he also neatly summed up the positives of making a living from the game.He wrote: "Don't become one of those bad-tempered gits who play because they have to, not because they want to. Playing poker seriously is a great life; you will meet some fascinating, interesting, funny and bizarre people. What is the point of giving up work to do something so risky if you don't enjoy it?"Enjoy meeting new people and seeing new places. And have fun. Poker is the best game in the world, and if you are lucky enough to be playing it for a living, remember that, next time your Aces are cracked by 10-6 suited, the person holding that hand has to go to work tomorrow morning. You have some serious lying-in to do!"


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Ready for action - The Camel looking relaxed before live tournament play

28/03/07