One Million-Dollar Texas Holdem Poker Tournament - How a Brit Beat the Yanks at Their Own Game!

Lee Biddulph a chef from Thornton Cleveleys near Blackpool, a resort town on the north west coast of England, returned to Manchester Airport from an amateur poker tournament in Costa Rica almost $1m (£567,420) richer after beating nearly 4,000 other players in an amateur poker tournament.

Lee's biggest win was only £28 before the tournament!

This is a striking example of how lucrative poker tournaments can be for the huge number of players that have been created by the online gaming revolution.

Poker Tournaments First 1 Million Win

Lee Biddulph has been playing Texas Holdem for three years, and was one of 3,900 to enter an online contest.

Players were reduced during heats until nine remained who took a seat at the $1m final.

Brit Lee Biddulph faced eight American players in the final.

He won the tournament when he beat Mike Darweesh, a software engineer from Arizona for the main prize and won convincingly.

His success was even sweeter because he started the final with fewer chips - $1.58m to Mike's $2.72m.

Both players had a flush i.e five cards of the same suit, on their final hand, but Lee took the pot with a higher card among his five.

So, What do you need to Win Big Prize Money at Poker Tournaments?

As the above example has shown, anyone can win a poker tournament so long as they have the right knowledge and attitude and here are some tips to win big:

Tip 1. Get the Right Mindset:

Players who win at poker think they are going to win before they start playing. They are prepared to put in whatever work is necessary to achieve their goal, their attitude is - if you think you can win, you will win, and you need the same attitude.

Tip 2. You Never Stop Learning:

Professional poker players know that they need to know the basics of the game, but they also take the attitude that they never stop learning and are constantly trying to sharpen their playing skills.

You need to do the same, read a book a month and you will find you pick up tips on playing you had never thought of before.

Tip 3. Poker Is a Game Of Psychology:

You need to understand that you are competing with other players and need to have the right psychology to beat them. This includes being cool, calm, and playing non-emotionally.

You need to play with courage when you have a good hand and you should only play hands against opponents you think you can beat.

Never play hands for the sake of it, or because you're chasing losses.

Sometimes the cards just wont deal for you and you need to be able to take short-term losses, to make long-term profits.

Tip 4. Practice Makes Perfect:

You won't become a great poker player overnight.

You need to gain experience and this involves practice.

Most of the top poker players have been working on their skills for years and their success is down to hard work and practice.

Start out playing at tables where you feel comfortable and gradually take on harder opponents, as your skills increase.

Poker Tournaments - Getting Started

Not everyone can of course win a million, but the opportunity is there for all, and even if you don't win a million at poker tournaments, there are still plenty of poker players out their who make a living from the game and you can too!