BLUFF EUROPE’S POKER ACADEMY LEAVES ITS MARK ON DUBLIN – FINAL DESTINATION, LONDON
Phil “Unabomber” Laak & Alex Rousso head to London’s Casino at the Empire, Leicester Sq
19 May, 2009 (London, UK) - Dublin’s Sporting Emporium hosted the third successful Bluff Europe Poker Academy last Saturday (16 May). The Academy will be making its final stop this Saturday, 23 May at London’s Casino at the Empire.
With Manchester, Birmingham and Dublin legs proving a success, the Academy looks to London for its biggest turn out which will be led by one of the industries most famous poker pros, Phil Laak. So far, attendees of the Academy have been granted a helping hand from a number of poker professionals including Paul ‘Actionjack’ Jackson, Ian ‘Razor’ Fraser, Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliot and Alex ‘Pickleman’ Rousso - all of whom have shared their insight on how to win at poker.
The fourth and final Poker Academy at London’s Casino at the Empire will offer the opportunity to meet, learn from and play against poker legend Phil “Unabomber” Laak. His legendary status in the poker world ensures this last session is one not to be missed.
Report from Dublin
Donnacha “The Don” O’ Dea and Alex “Pickleman” Rousso were joined by a particularly poker savvy group of players for the Dublin leg of the tour. A contingent of local talent from the venue itself – the very plush Sporting Emporium in the heart of Dublin – combined with about a dozen players from Paddy Power.
Seminar leader Alex Rousso was delighted by the overall standard of the class: “once again, the knowledge of the delegates was high, which is good news because it allowed us to tackle some of the deeper, more interesting issues.”
The top two prizes in the tournament were chopped between Sherman Kayer and Paddy Power’s Evan Frisby – each taking down £175.
The delegates’ comments on the day were glowing, with many rating the day as “excellent” value for money. Donnacha O’ Dea was deemed “knowledgeable”, “friendly and approachable”, “excellent”, and “gave an interesting analysis of value betting.” The head tutor was “clear, insightful”, “very informative” and with a “good interactive attitude.”
About the Poker Academy Team London
If you haven’t seen an image of a man doing press-ups at a WPT final table, then chances are you have not witnessed Phil “Unabomber” Laak in action. Even at the felt, you might not see Laak around because he’ll be the one in the sun glasses and hoodie attempting to show as little of his face to his opponent as possible. This led to him being named The Unabomber by his fellow pros because of his similarity to Theodore Kaczynski.
Laak, a former engineer, is a highly jovial person to have around the table known for doing unorthodox things. He will often stand around the dealer to see a turn or river card as soon as is humanly possible. Though he has a WPT title to his credit, his biggest win was in the UK when he won the inaugural William Hill Grand Prix defeating Ram Vaswani, flopping a straight in the final hand to win the £150,000 first prize. It is almost as good as playing Cleopatra Slot said Ram.
Alex Rousso has a PhD in evolutionary psychology and has taught university undergraduates. He ran the family pickle importing business until he started making more money per hour playing poker. He now writes a column for Bluff Europe (as “Pickleman”) and can be found most days online at the PLO cash tables.
There are places available for the final London stop. Tickets are £125 + £25, which includes the tournament buy-in. For more information or to sign-up, visit www.bluffeurope.com/pokeracademy.
Press seats are still available. Please contact Melissa Ross to book seats in London.
May 20, 2009