by Howard Swains

Simon Young is approaching the final chapter. Having represented PokerStars during five out of six events on season two of the European Poker Tour (EPT), he is now sporting the livery in the World Series main event. Some people do this to pay the rent, others for fun and kicks. Simon, a journalist, calls it research.

Simon Young

The World Series experience is currently scheduled to be the footnote to a poker strategy book, adding a neat conclusion to his year at the top of the game. There have been highs (chip lead in Copenhagen), lows (busted on the feature table by Noah Boeken's 5-2 off-suit) and the unusual (betting in Baden, only to look down and find that the dealer had mucked his winning hand).

However, should Simon go deep here - and consistently improving results suggests there is a chance - there might be a somewhat different focus to Simon's memoirs. The proofs haven't gone to press yet and the book could be easily re-nosed.

The player to Simon's immediate left on table 66 today seems to be more of a short story man than a connoisseur of the the full-length book. I strolled over to wish Simon a pleasant morning (morning in Vegas lasts at least until 6pm) to find our writer peeling off two pink 500 chips and tossing them into the pot. "All in!" snapped his neighbour. Yes, this is level one of a 10,000 chip event. All in is a big, big move.

Time to check the board. It looks for all the world like a battle of the blinds. Simon is in the small, adversary in the big. There's a four, six, king and a nine, two of which are diamonds, exposed.

Simon, of course, mucks and gives up the 1,000, making an early mental note, no doubt. The all-in man shows his five-eight for the straight and Simon sucks it up. This is a marathon not a sprint; War and Peace rather than a comic strip.