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Poker face Wayne dealt a dream hand to Las Vegas
A SOUTH YORKSHIRE dad is hoping his poker face will earn him $10,000,000.
Father-of-four Wayne Marsh has won a wildcard entry into the World Series Poker in Las Vegas - where he'll take on the most ruthless sharks in the game.
The property developer has been playing online for three years and became semi-professional 18 months ago.
In the last year he's up about 20,000 - but don't mention the 19,000 he lost in January.
"It's swings and roundabouts," says Wayne, who reckons long-term partner Margaret is happy being a poker WAG.
"She's quite good about it - she'll sit on the table for me if I have to nip out, though she'll ring me if there's any difficult decisions."
Despite often playing for four or five hours a night, the pokerman insists he's not hooked.
He said: "I keep account of my profits and losses, it's just like a business to me. I'm not a gambling man and I keep a stringent eye on my betting.
"It's not the healthiest sport in the world and it can take hold of you - but I'm definitely not addicted."
Wayne doesn't play poker for the cash - he's got a plush five-bedroomed house in Forest Grange, Cantley - but for the buzz it gives him.
"Poker is a war - it's like a boxing match that doesn't hurt!" says the 36-year-old. He'll jet to Vegas at the end of July courtesy of pokerstars.com after winning an online competition. His seat at the poker table alone is worth a cool $10,000.
"I've been in training for a while now," he explains.
"I haven't been going out boozing and I've made sure I've got to bed early. I've also been working on my attention and focus. I've been reading about self-hypnosis and zen."
Wayne will also have to curb his tendency to show his excitement when he gets a Royal Flush, otherwise the likes of Joe Hachem, Chris Moneymaker and 6,000 others will have him for breakfast.
So how will his nerves hold when there's $10,000,000 resting on the shuffle of a deck? "I'm pretty cool. I've got the nerve to play poker!" he said.
"The difference between this and other sports is that, with golf for example, you can't just pick up a club and beat Tiger Woods. In poker you can beat the top players because there is a lot of luck involved."
Pokerstars.com has promised him $250,000 if he reaches the final table, and just making the last 800 will earn him a handsome $10,000.
He said: "I do consider myself to be a lucky person. I'm positive and never think I'm beat. If I won the lot I'd spend it on chilling for the rest of my life."
Wayne's top poker tips
Play for fun
Read Tournament Poker Vol 1, 2 and 3 by Dan Harrington
Don't play beyond your means
Don't play drunk
Create a false impression of yourself, or 'advertise', as it is known in the game
Reflect on losses and don't blame anyone but yourself.
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