I’m only in it for one thing, and it’s certainly not the status.
We had a quick chat with GUKPT Luton winner Dave Clarke at the penultimate leg of the UK Poker Tour… Lucy: Have the extras runners at the London leg made a difference to you?
Dave Clarke: It hasn’t made that much difference to me. They stick in an extra day or two and the prizepool will be bigger with 450 runners so you’ve got a bigger purse at the end of it.
Lucy: When you won the GUKPT Luton was it the money or status that was important to you?
Dave Clarke: I’m only in it for one thing, and it’s certainly not the status. That’s why I don’t play the little comps. If you’re gonna have a run of cards that stand up why not play in a comp where you’re gonna have more money at the end of it? That’s why I don’t play in £30 buy ins, it’s not that I’m being greedy – if you’re gonna stand up, I’d rather stand up in a thousand or five thousand buy in that a fifty!
Lucy: I think you’re a confident player, quite hard to read. Does that sound right to you?
Dave Clarke: Well I think I’m a very relaxed player. I don’t feel intimidated, I don’t let things get to me, I don’t bang the table – I’m laid back. If I get beat I get beat. More often than not your hands will get beat rather than stand up, and you’ve got to get six or seven big hands stand up in a tournament, otherwise you’re out. It’s crucial for them to stand up, for you to get to the last day and then a high place on the final table. During the EPT I doubled up with aces and then soon after had aces and doubled down and I was out! That could have put me with 60,000 chips in the competition – that’s just the way it goes.
Lucy: Well, I know you don’t feel intimidated, but which player have yourespected most throughout the UK Poker Tour?
Dave Clarke: You’ve got a few tricky players about who like to play any cards. You never know where you are with them! But then again, they don’t often make the final table. They often play against big hands with mediocre hands and get knocked out, whereas I know if I go in against a big hand I’ve usually got a big hand to go with it. They’ll play a lot more hands and take a lot more pots down but at the end get themselves taken out. On the other hand, I’ll play a lot fewer hands and take down less pots, but they will be bigger pots. So they will go further as long as they are getting those chips, but as soon as they lose those chips they’ll be out and I’ll go further…
Lucy: Cheers Dave, I know you’ve just been knocked out so I’ll leave you in peace to relax at the bar!
Dave Clarke: Thanks Lucy – you know I’ve been avoiding you all day. I thought if you were any good at your job you’d come and track me down. And you did!
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