Sam Trickett Wins Big At Old Trafford Poker Event

Britain’s most successful poker pro Sam Trickett is also the world’s second highest earning tournament player with a remarkable $19,870,025 in live earnings. Not surprisingly, the 27 year-old is used to playing high stakes events with at least $10,112,001 of his winnings coming via a $1 million buy-in WSOP tournament last year.
Therefore, one might wonder what the high-stakes pro was doing competing in a mere £250 ($365) buy-in tournament at the weekend, until one realises it was being held at Old Trafford in England, seat of the internationally acclaimed Manchester United football club.
Interestingly, Trickett actually started out as a professional footballer but  in 2005 switched over to poker after a knee injury ended his professional career. However, Sam Trickett has continued to follow his favourite football club, Manchester United, ever since and he was not about to pass up the opportunity to compete against some of the club’s legends, including Bryan Robson, Dwight Yorke, Quinton Fortune and Norman Whiteside.
Of course, Sam Trickett didn’t give the poker tournament any less attention than it deserved, despite the meager size of the buy-in, and he would subsequently proceed to plough his way through the 169 player field on his way to winning the tournament outright for $10,000. Commenting on his memorable victory in Manchester, Trickett explained:
“I am really happy to win this event. I played for fun but I felt I really had to win at Old Trafford – I made it my mission!”
Nevertheless, the competition clearly meant more to Trickett than the money and straight after his win he promptly donated the whole amount to Rio Ferdinand’s “Live the Dream Foundation” charity. Still, Trickett didn’t walk away empty-handed and along with the other final tablists, he was given a signed and personalized Manchester United shirt. Later talking about his experience at the PartyPoker ‘Road to Old Trafford Event,’ a delighted Sam Trickett, said:
“I am happy to make a contribution to Rio’s charity. It is a very worthy cause. This has been a great, fun weekend and so much different and more relaxed than any other tournament I have played. I am totally made up for winning at Old Trafford, it has been an amazing experience.”