Neil Channing: Hail The Champ
What does the poker world have to say about Neil Channing's Irish Open victory? As the tributes pour in, we continue to post them here...
"I taught Neil everything he knows... - Keith 'The Camel' Hawkins"
Do you want to post a testimonial to Neil? Email editorial@pokerverdict.com and we'll put the best ones up here!
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“Neil is not just our sponsored player he is a real part of the team and he is always coming up with ways to help us develop our young business. He has been with us since Day One and we have enjoyed watching his fortunes rise and rise since he first donned the lucky red shirt. We are all incredibly proud and excited on his behalf. Neil was already a PV legend, now he has cemented his place as the first member of our Hall of Fame”- David Gross (MD of Poker Verdict)
“Neil's last longer book was so skewed on this event that he had to win it to stop a huge payout. Congrats to him... finally out of it! I hear there are some good racecourse bookmaking pitches for sale...”
- Roland de Wolfe (WPT and EPT Champ)
“Neil & I have locked horns on one or two occasions recently and he is without doubt a very capable opponent with a relentless right arm; if he has chips he is a royal pain in the arse. His tournament graph had been steadily on the up during the 2007 season & this major title shouldn't surprise anyone. I expect to see him dominate many more big final tables, I just hope he lets one or two of us get into his slipstream.”
- Julian “YoYo” Thew (EPT and twice GUKPT Champ)
“I taught Neil everything he knows. Thankfully over the last 6 months he seems to forgotten all this and become one of the most feared tournament players in Maida Vale. A very well deserved victory, maybe Poker Verdict will reward him with a much needed new sweatshirt?”
- Keith “The Camel” Hawkins (Multiple tournament winner and Pokerstars SitNGo rock)
“Not only is Neil a class act on the poker table, he's also one of the nicest guys in the poker world. I have never seen a better short-handed display of poker aggression. That was the key in helping Neil win the Irish Open. It’s been a long time coming so enjoy!”
- Tony Phillips (GUKPT runner up)
“Congrats to the Chan man, he has helped me and the rest of The Hit Squad countless times in our poker career, whether it be advice, putting us in comps or having a cheeky word with the bouncer that won't let us in the casino for wearing trainers! A truly deserved victory, not just for a great poker player, but also for a great guy''
- Sunny Chattha (Hit Squad)
“Wahooooo! Well done Neil, awesome x”
– Maria Demitriou (Consistent tournament casher)
"Neil has been knocking on the door now for some time, and those who made the mistake of classing him as 'just' a cash player are probably still licking their wounds. You don't have to be a 20-year-old Swede to be a relentlessly aggressive pain in the arse to play with and Neil's style make him one of the players you least want to be sharing a table with."
– Jeff Kimber (GUKPT Walsall Champ)
“Holy s*** chip leader. Take that baby down”
– Facebook wall post, 23rd March, Lucy Kavanagh (Web Manager at Poker Verdict)
"Lucky c***"
- Text message from Barney Boatman (Hendon Mob)
"We all know Neil as being a top class cash player, one of the finest poker has to offer, but now he'll finally be known as a top class tournament player as well as cementing himself in poker history."
- Andy Pyrah ('Long Term Badbeat Admirer')
"Congratulations Neil. What odds a WSOP bracelet next?"
- Andy Ward (WPO Champ)
"It's a miracle Neil hasn't won a huge one before... so it's mavellous to see him get the lot."
- Joe Saumarez-Smith (Old School London Player)
"Yawn"
- John Shoreman (Jealous BadBeat Fan)
"Good shot Neil, well deserved and well played. Never in doubt!"
- Hugo Martin (Blogspotter)
"Poker players normally feel like Gore Vidal, that "Whenever a friend succeeds, a little piece of me dies." But not in this case. This is an incredibly popular result because as well as being a great player - and far more important than that - Neil is such a lovely person. This is so well deserved and I'm completely delighted for him."
- Victoria Coren (EPT Champ)
"I once took a long taxi journey with Neil during which he bent my ear for half an hour explaining, in considerable detail, how PokerStars should run properly scheduled, $200 European-friendly double shoot-out qualifier tournaments to the €10,000 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. Normally, I ignore that kind of advice but I was so impressed by Neil's powers of persuasion that I managed to get the PokerStars qualifying schedule altered to his own personal specifications. Unfortunately, Neil then went on such a rush in the cash games at the Vic that he never quite managed to get round to entering any of these bespoke tournaments. The Grand Final was eventually won by Neil's friend Gavin Griffin. As he cradled his trophy and cheque for $2.4m, I asked Gavin how he'd qualified for the event. "I won one of those $200 midweek double shoot outs," he said. It occurred to me then that maybe the talented and likable Neil was perpetually condemned to be a poker bridesmaid. Happily, I was quite wrong about that."
- Conrad Brunner (Head of Communications, PokerStars)
"Another nobody takes down a major. No but seriously it is about time Neil took down a major tourney, he works hard on his game and the results have now paid dividend. Congratulations to Neil."
- Dan Carter (World Heads-Up Championship Runner-Up)
"Well done Neil great result!"
- JP Kelly (Professional Poker Player)
"Many congratulations to Neil 'Bad Beat' Channing on his long overdue success at the Irish Open. Neil is the only person I know who can put players on tilt in a gentlemanly fashion; and better still his victims do not know they are on tilt. He is a rarity, a top cash game player and now a top tourney face; will we ever hear the end of it. Well done Neill, have long admired your poker prowess." "Well done Neil, was only talking about you last week when you told me to sell the points in that 3-0 game 20 years ago. Have the 800k on Denman at 7-4 for next year's Gold Cup!" "Do you think we could swap Neil for Ram? Perhaps we could just make him the fifth Mobster! A very popular result for my twin, I’m very proud!" "Neil Channing is 100/1 for the Irish Open with Paddy Power. They must be made to pay for this impudence." "Anyone who plays tournaments long enough will eventually win some championship or other .... Then three years will go by - you'll win nothing, lose all your money - and suddenly you'll realise all you've got left is the delusion that you are a champion." ___________________________ More Neil Channing Articles: Neil Channing Exclusive Video Interview Neil Channing Wins The Irish Open 2008 Neil Channing The Sunderland Londoner Neil Channing From Badbeat To Champ
"I remember Neil’s frustration at last years WSOP when he split a big tournament at the Bellagio. He wanted the outright win and lay to rest the burden of not having won a major tournament. His run of tournament results in the last 6 months is right up there with the very best in British Poker and I really think this result will be a platform for further continued success. Already a popular personality he could now become a household name across the globe. Unlike some of our other poker exports I think he will wear the crown with his usual humility. I am hugely excited for him and proud to have known him for so long"
- Warren Wooldridge (CEO, Poker Verdict)
- Roy Houghton (Legendary UK Poker Room Manager)
"Congrats Neil on an amazing performance! Hope to see you soon in Cardiff! /Bo"
- Bo “legato” Sehlstedt (Top Swedish Poker Player)
"Neil is almost part of the furniture on the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour - being amongst a handful of players to have played every single leg. Both a popular and feared played throughout the UK, it's fantastic to see him demonstrate his renowned abilities in Ireland."
- Mike Butlin (Blue Sq Poker Commercial Manager)
- John "Kunkuwap" Tabatabai (WSOPE Runner Up)
- Harry Finlay (Owner of Cheltenham Gold Cup Champion Denman)
"I'm well known in poker for never nipping (good grief I went back to WORK when I really ran badly) and also for being pretty much unnippable. If I ever really needed a few Bob Neil was (and is) one of the very few people I'd actually consider asking. I still wouldn't ask but it's a testament to him that if I did I would"
- Kevin O'Leary (GUKPT Heads-Up Champ)
"A great result for one of the few players that is able to effortlessly bridge the gap between old school and new school, tournaments and cash... We all knew Neil had a big win in him somewhere, great news, good for poker".
- Richard Ashby (Professional Poker Player)
- Joe Beevers (TheHendonMob.com)
"Congratulations! Well done Neil! We are thrilled for you.
This is life-changing and we know it hasn't just been a matter of luck over the weekend but a build-up over many years. We've been there for the Bad Beat stories. Well we remember those schoolday card nights with Keith The Camel and co. Maybe all that careers advice and education wasn't totally wasted! We know how pleased you are to win a big one and have a Title and a Trophy.
Thank you to all your supporters (we follow on-line) - strange, many seem more concerned about your ironing than about your poker skills and achievements!
We are thrilled for Poker Verdict as well, who have been there for him through the 'near misses' and deserve the good times."
- Caroline CC (Neil's Mum).
- Facebook status update, 22nd March, Neil Channing (Irish Open Champ)
- Neil Channing, speaking to Time Out in November 2004
26/03/08
What does the poker world have to say about Neil Channing's victory? As the tributes pour in, we continue to post them here...