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Copyright 2004 Express Newspapers
Daily Star
October 4, 2004

HEADLINE: STAR BETS - AT THE TABLES; ADD SOME SPICE TO YOUR CHIPS

BYLINE: Victor Chandler

BODY:

    LEGENDARY bookmaker Victor Chandler is the doyen of oncourse layers and the man that big hitters head for at all of Britain's biggest race meetings.

    This week, exclusively to StarBets, the man who revolutionised off-course betting takes a closer look at what's going on around the poker tables.

    ONLINE poker is now one of the biggest growth areas in internet betting, and I have to say, I'm not averse to playing a few hands of Hold Em' myself.

    I love competing online, but it's at the tables where the action really happens - there's nothing like seeing the whites of someone's eyes before you call their bluff !

    I took part in the recent Victor Poker Cup at Teddington Studios and though my chips disappeared faster than I had hoped it was a tremendously successful event.

    Despite a massive growth in popularity over the last two years, Europe still lacks a land-based tournament to rival those held in the USA.

    The Victor Poker Cup was devised as a flagship competition to rival the US monopoly of big-money poker tournaments, and I'm certainly hoping it will turn out to be the most popular UK poker event ever staged.

    Look out for it later this month on Sky Sports (October 15th and 22nd).

    Qualification for the event - which was the UK's biggest ever televised tournament - was possible from as little as $ 25 through satellite events held on my website vcpoker. com.

    Two lucky players qualified online and were given the chance to rub shoulders with some top professional players and celebrities - it was quite a day for them.

    It's no surprise that online poker has become so popular in recent years.
The internet gives players the chance to take on each other in the comfort of their own homes against people from absolutely anywhere in the world.

    And for many people avoiding the often intimidating atmosphere of smokefilled gaming rooms has encouraged them to take up the game.

    It's still one of the toughest to be successful at - and I've got enormous respect for the likes of Dave 'the Devilfish' Ulliott and fellow columnist Tony Bloom who are two of the few players able to make some decent money from playing.

    I'm going to be offering some expert advice from some leading players in this column from time to time over the coming weeks, so if you've never played online before, why not give it a try.

    And remember, when you sit down at the table or join a game on line, if you can't see the pigeon then it's you!

    Racing takes a back seat this weekend with the transferred fixture from Ascot going down to Salisbury and the World Cup qualifiers taking centre stage on the football front.

    But televised racing fans are in for a bonus with a scheme I have initiated to help cover the cost of my clients' subscription to TV channel Racing UK.

    All you need to do is place a minimum of 10 x GBP 5 bets throughout the month and I'll credit your account with the GBP 20 monthly subscription. It's the least we can do to help our clients follow the action live.

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