This weekend I am going to Dallas to enter a foosball tournament. A quick (not really) catch up for those who have not read up to this point:
I play foosball on the American professional tour. I also play events on the international tour when possible. Sadly there isn't enough prize money to justify me playing foosball full time. That is the real dream.
Why play poker?
Its important to keep a firm grasp of what drives you to play poker. Why do you play? For the money? For the love of the game? For that liberating feeling of going to work (downstairs) 4 hours late with no clothes on?
What drives me in poker is the thought of being able to travel whenever I want (within reason). I love travelling, and I love playing foosball. I dream of being able to travel with my wife and daughter, uncovering more of this beautiful world.
Annnnd back to foosball.
Texas State championships
This particular tournament has got me very excited for a number of reasons. This has been one of my favourite tournaments over the last 2 years. It is very well run, with some fun and interesting variations on the bog standard tournaments. Also, the Texas player base is very strong which makes for some excellent competition. A lot of the players don't tour outside of Texas, so they are underranked. This means that the lower divisions are full of very strong players. I have always been a competitive person, so naturally this attracts me. I don't think I've ever shied away from a challenge (in sports).
PrimordialAA
Another main reason I am excited for this tournament is that one of my favourite HUSNG players is also making the trip! PrimordialAA (Bryan Pellegrino) was one of my favourite video makers on HUSNG.com, and is a great success in the poker world. Why is he coming?
I was reading HokieGreg's blog and stumbled across a picture of Primo's house. There were a number of people sitting at a poker table. Then I took a closer look and I saw a foosball table in the background! I am always spotting foosball tables in TV shows / movies, it becomes almost second nature to me, lol.
I posted on Hokie's blog saying I would exchange foosball lessons for poker lessons (If you don't ask, you don't get, right?) and he told me to email Primo as he enjoyed playing foosball. Of course I did, and I made him aware of the tournament in Texas. He lives in Austin, so its relatively close (in American terms!) for him. He told me he was up for it, and is going to play in the Beginner singles category. I can't wait to meet him not only because he is one of my HUSNG heroes, but also because I've heard nothing but nice things about him. Its always nice to meet cool people.
My foosball resume
For those interested in my foosball career..
I have won 3 world championship titles (2 doubles, 1 singles).
I am rated Pro in a ranking system which looks like this:
Pro Master
Pro
Expert
Amateur
Beginner
I am currently on the borderline between Pro and Pro Master, and I anticipate turning Pro Master after the World Championships in September. I will be only the second British foosball player to achieve Pro Master status in the USA.
Me and my father-in-law at the Colorado State championships, 2011 (picture below).
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