Recently, BoylePoker signed Irish poker star Padraig Parkinson. He finished third in the 1999 World Series of Poker Main Event and took down Season 5 of “Late Night Poker,” defeating Korosh Nejad heads-up. He made the final table of a $1,500 buy-in tournament during the 2006 WSOP, finishing third and banking $203,000. Along with Marty Smyth, Parkinson serves as the face of BoylePoker. He sat down with Poker News Daily to give us the inside scoop on his poker career.
Poker News Daily: How did you get started in poker?
Parkinson: I got started a few times in poker. The first time was in Trinity College in the late 1970s. I fell into a poker game there one day and played for four years. We used to play from ten o’clock every morning until seven in the evening in the junior common room and then adjourn to the bar to play bridge until closing time. It was a good all-around education!
Dealer’s choice home games broke out sporadically in the early 1980s, but it was in the late 1980s when I really became involved again, having gotten fed up from working. I discovered the Eccentric’s Club, the Jackpot, and the Griffen in rapid succession. They say when your job starts interfering with your gambling, the job has to go. They’re right. That explains how I wound up broke and jobless in the early 1990s. That’s where my education really began.
I played £10 and £20 buy-in tournaments practically every night in the Griffen and learned how to play for my life. Unfortunately at the time, these tournaments were tough as hell (but good experience for the future). The north side mafia was well represented, as were Macker and Daisy from the Eccentric’s Club and a whole new generation of up and coming Irish players. Those few years struggling almost won me a world championship. The likes of Alan Betson, the Barkers, Andy Black, and Aidan Bennett all came through this school and then went on to make their marks both in Europe and the United States.
I got a few quid together, rolled it up in the cash games, and went off to Las Vegas the year that Dan Harrington won the World Series of Poker Main Event to play against the best in the world with Scott Gray with a joint bankroll of $7,000. Luckily, we got off to a good start.
PND: Talk about poker events like “Late Night Poker,” which you’ve appeared on before. Do players take these shows seriously and what challenges do players face?
Parkinson: “Late Night Poker” will always be very special to me because of the involvement of my friend, the late Rob Gardner, in setting the whole thing up. The strong field that it attracted last year is testimony to the fact that this is one tournament the pros really want to win.
Of course, time changes everything. In the old days of “Late Night Poker,” probably because of its novelty, players used to turn up and stay the whole week, which meant that the atmosphere in both the hotel bar and the green room was in a class of its own. People seem to be busier now and maybe a little more self-obsessed. Hanging around to support a friend doesn’t seem like a natural thing anymore.
Players might seem not to take the newer shows very seriously and instead complain about them being crapshoots and having too much of a luck factor, but that’s just taking out insurance against failure. I promise you that every player I know is trying in these events, both because of the money and in terms of sponsorships.
The Poker Nation’s Cup is a quite extraordinary event relative to most things a poker player might be doing with his time these days. It’s pretty small prize-wise, but it’s amazing how nervous guys can get when they put on that international shirt. All of a sudden, they find that there is something that really matters.
PND: Why did you choose to sign with BoylePoker?
Parkinson: The money! I’m only joking. If I really cared about money, I’d have lots of it by now. To be honest, it didn’t take long talking to Paul and Connor from BoylePoker to talk me into it. Their enthusiasm for the project that they were undertaking was infectious. I liked their ideas and their understanding of what the players really want. The fact that it seemed like there was a strong possibility of a lot of craic along the way sealed it for me.
PND: What do you consider to be your greatest poker accomplishment to date?
Parkinson: Staying solvent for the last 15 years is what I consider to be my greatest achievement. However, coming close to winning the WSOP Main Event was definitely the most fun. Being involved in the Poker for the Homeless project is the most rewarding in a lot of ways. And being lucky enough to play for Ireland, even if it was only poker and I didn’t play it very well, is the kind of thing that you dream about when you’re a kid.
PND: What advice do you have for beginners just getting started on BoylePoker?
Parkinson: Walk first. Run later. Time spent on analyzing your own play and mistakes is time never wasted; time spent telling bad beat stories certainly is. Remembering it is only a game doesn’t mean you’re any less of a competitor.
