Roy Brindley
Encyclopedia
Roy 'The Boy' Brindley is an English
professional poker
player, now living in Wicklow
, Ireland
.
, and worked in a kennels near Dorking
at the age of 17, then moving to other kennels in Lincolnshire
and Essex
before moving to Andover
, where he was a professional greyhound trainer from 1991 to 1995.
Brindley moved to America in 1995 to continue training greyhounds, but moved back soon after. Following some personal crises Brindley ended up living on the street and, by his own admission, he had something of a breakdown aged 28. He once lived off £1 for five days by eating baked beans
at 9p per-tin and bread at 14p a loaf.
winning the 1999 World Series of Poker
(WSOP), Brindley took up poker in early 2001.
In 2002, Brindley won seven ranking tournaments
, and finished second to Kirill Gerasimov
in the World Heads-Up Poker Championship
(WHUPC). At the time of the WHUPC, Brindley had so little cash that he couldn't afford a taxi home and had to walk back to his hotel every night of the tournament. Yet, after finishing second, Brindley was distraught and came close to throwing his €40,000 winnings out of the hotel window.
Brindley also finished third in the 2005 William Hill Poker Grand Prix, second in the Masterclassics of Poker Omaha event in 2006, second in the Paris Open of Poker in 2007 and won the televised Betfair Poker Masters of Europe in 2007. As for titles no Player has won more European ranking tournaments than him despite his relatively short career. As of 2007, his total live tournament winnings exceed $800,000.
In addition to his playing career, Brindley regularly commentates on SKY Sports' Poker Million and acts as an industry spokesman. He is also a regular columnist
for Card Player Magazine and works as a poker journalist for various newspapers.
In 2005 he appeared on the chat show Heads Up with Richard Herring
and Up-Close and Personal with Jesse May
to discuss his life, career and love of poker.
His tell all autobiography, Life's a Gamble, will be published on February 26, 2009 by Transworld. He is managed by Sports Talent Agency
As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $800,000.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player, now living in Wicklow
Wicklow
Wicklow) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. Located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island, it has a population of 10,070 according to the 2006 census. The town is situated to the east of the N11 route between Dublin and Wexford. Wicklow is also connected to the rail...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Early years
Before his poker career, Brindley was involved in greyhound racingGreyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
, and worked in a kennels near Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
at the age of 17, then moving to other kennels in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
and Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
before moving to Andover
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
, where he was a professional greyhound trainer from 1991 to 1995.
Brindley moved to America in 1995 to continue training greyhounds, but moved back soon after. Following some personal crises Brindley ended up living on the street and, by his own admission, he had something of a breakdown aged 28. He once lived off £1 for five days by eating baked beans
Baked beans
Baked beans is a dish containing beans, sometimes baked but, despite the name, usually stewed, in a sauce. Most commercial canned baked beans are made from haricot beans, also known as navy beans – a variety of Phaseolus vulgaris – in a sauce. In Ireland and the United Kingdom, a tomato...
at 9p per-tin and bread at 14p a loaf.
Poker career
After seeing a documentary on Noel FurlongNoel Furlong
J. J. Furlong is an Irish businessman and recreational poker player who won the 1999 World Series of Poker main event.-Early life:Furlong was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland...
winning the 1999 World Series of Poker
1999 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...
(WSOP), Brindley took up poker in early 2001.
In 2002, Brindley won seven ranking tournaments
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
, and finished second to Kirill Gerasimov
Kirill Gerasimov
Kirill Gerasimov is a Russian professional poker player.Gerasimov worked as an insurance salesman in Moscow, and started entering poker tournaments throughout Europe in 2001...
in the World Heads-Up Poker Championship
World Heads-Up Poker Championship
The World Heads-Up Poker Championship is an annual elimination-format poker tournament of one-on-one no limit Texas hold'em matches. The tournament was co-created by Late Night Poker's Nic Szeremeta, PokerInEurope's Jon Shoreman, and gaming journalist Rich Geller.The event has run since 2001 and...
(WHUPC). At the time of the WHUPC, Brindley had so little cash that he couldn't afford a taxi home and had to walk back to his hotel every night of the tournament. Yet, after finishing second, Brindley was distraught and came close to throwing his €40,000 winnings out of the hotel window.
Brindley also finished third in the 2005 William Hill Poker Grand Prix, second in the Masterclassics of Poker Omaha event in 2006, second in the Paris Open of Poker in 2007 and won the televised Betfair Poker Masters of Europe in 2007. As for titles no Player has won more European ranking tournaments than him despite his relatively short career. As of 2007, his total live tournament winnings exceed $800,000.
In addition to his playing career, Brindley regularly commentates on SKY Sports' Poker Million and acts as an industry spokesman. He is also a regular columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
for Card Player Magazine and works as a poker journalist for various newspapers.
In 2005 he appeared on the chat show Heads Up with Richard Herring
Heads Up with Richard Herring
Heads Up with Richard Herring or HUWRH, was a British celebrity chat show written by and starring Richard Herring, who is best known as one half of comedy duo Lee and Herring, the stars of BBC Two shows Fist of Fun and This Morning With Richard Not Judy...
and Up-Close and Personal with Jesse May
Jesse May
Jesse May is an American poker commentator and player.Jesse May was raised in Madison, New Jersey, where he first became hooked on poker playing with friends. In 1988 he started attending The University of Chicago, but he found that classes were clashing with his poker games, and so dropped out...
to discuss his life, career and love of poker.
His tell all autobiography, Life's a Gamble, will be published on February 26, 2009 by Transworld. He is managed by Sports Talent Agency
As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $800,000.