Not precisely polymaths, but a tale of a professional snooker player trying to avoid the poker tables, and a former footballer doing the Frankie Dettori.
Red wine and poker don’t mix.
One bottle is ok; you can get through on the buzz, but once you drive the screw into the second cork a barrier comes up, like one of those old wooden ones protecting car parks.
The last time two bottles of red wine met poker I was in Lewistown Hall playing in a £10 rebuy. It was a decade ago. I shared a table with Ryan Day, the Welsh professional snooker player, and he was on me bumper-to-bumper all day. I remember seeing the seriousness of his face in my rearview mirror. Then he was gone. Or was I gone? I found out the next day that the man Day had won the lot.
Ryan Day isn’t the only snooker player who likes a game of poker. I met Ken Doherty at the World Poker Tour (WPT) in Dublin a few years back. Matthew Stephens is a dab hand. PokerStars and BetStars sponsor Stephen Hendry. And Steve Davis follows me on Twitter!
But I have never heard of a professional snooker player who used to be a poker dealer until the name of Elliot Slessor interrupted the peeling of my satsuma this morning.
Competing in the Dafabet Northern Ireland Open, Slessor made it to the semi-finals where he lost against the eventual champion, another man from God’s country, Mark Williams.
Slessor made the headlines, not for beating Ronnie O’Sullivan in an earlier round (I’m sure the Rocket has been all-in a few times), but for telling Eurosport reporters that he was ready to leave snooker in the parking lot, and take up a career as a poker dealer.
“I used to work in a casino as a poker dealer,” said Slessor before continuing. “I assume I would be doing the same thing if I’m honest.”
Barry Hearn, Chairman of the World Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), was Slessor’s lifeline, cutting tour fees. It was a decision, Slessor said saved him five grand a season, and so he thought he would give it another shot.
Slessor picked up £20k for his semi-final performance. Williams beat the Gateshead man 6-2 before beating Yan Bingtao 9-8 in the final. The 23-year-old is currently ranked #82 in the world. My old nemesis, Ryan Day is ranked #16. The bottles of red wine I used to drink are just rank.
Michael Owen And The Three Prince’s
From a professional snooker player trying to avoid the poker tables to a former professional footballer jumping into the saddle.
Michael Owen has been in love with horse racing for many years, but last week was the first time the breeder and owner took on the role of the jockey, finishing second on his mount Calder Prince.
The 37-year-old lost a stone in weight to compete in The Prince’s Countryside Trust seven-furling flat race and was fortunate enough to chew the fat with the Prince of Wales after ending the race with his bits and pieces intact.
“I’m home in one piece,” Owen told reporters after the race.
When pressed if we would see him repeat his performance, Owen seemed unsure, reminding the reporter that he had four children, and didn’t want to hurt myself.
Owen, 37, is one of England’s most beloved former footballers, scoring 163 times in 362 appearances for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle and Man Utd. The Chester lad also scored 40 times in 89 appearances for England.
He retired in 2013.
