Sam Trickett - the World's Youngest Old School Player?

At 27, he may be the world's youngest old school player. The one who could survive in the Wild West or in 1930’s mafia-ruled Sicily... @Sam Trickett's sheer physical presence and the confidence he exudes command respect and attention. Yet at the same time he’s disarmingly unpretentious, genuine, and approachable.

Europe’s top live poker winner did not learn the game online as most of his generation, and does not have an exotic professional background or degree in advanced mathematics, economics, or astrophysics. He was born in 1986 in Nottinghamshire, UK. When he was 17 years old he was dreaming of making it in football and was really good at it but a knee injury put an abrupt end to any such plans and he had to take a job. As a plumber, earning 80 Pounds a week. Before long his best friend got him hooked on the local pub poker games and so it began, around 2005.

“I never thought I was going to be an international poker superstar. I just saw it as a way to pick up some money quickly. I always dreamed of having nice cars and houses but I never really wanted to work that hard. I could see that gambling might be a shortcut.”

And it was by no means only uphill from there. There were major wins but also very bad losses, debt, lies, family problems, and heartbreak along the way to poker stardom and riches. And the fact that he’s been through it all makes him even more likeable and inspiring for regular poker fans and struggling gamblers. 

Beneath the tough surface and warrior’s built, Sam is a romantic, committed and still in love with the girl he grew up with and first kissed when they were both 14.  

Even during their break-up in 2010, they stayed in touch and now that they are back together Natasha Sandhu is travelling the poker circuit with him.

“Looking back I wouldn’t change anything because this time I appreciate everything,” Sam says in an interview for Daily Mirror. And that applies to his bankroll, that he swears he would never put at risk again, as well as his love life and family, whose trust he will never again gamble away.

"Just realised this pic looks like im pouting! Im obv kissing the dog,haha! Will never catch me pouting."

Sam Trickett is now faced with a new challenge - in a highly publicized deal, he joined Everest Poker and hopes to make a difference as a poker ambassador. He is now playing the WPT Venice Carnival Main Event and of course hopes to win his first WSOP bracelet this year (ideally at the second edition of the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop this summer).

Check out Sam’s earnings since 2007 on RankingHero, as well as the all-time money list.