Dan Carter

Since giving up his studies at 18 to take a shot at poker, Dan Carter has carved out a fearsome reputation as one of Britain’s best young poker talents. Now, aged just 21, he’s already raking in a six-figure salary, primarily through online cash games and live tournaments. He’s yet to take down a major tourney, but after coming fourth in a GUKPT main event last year and finishing runner-up to Jeff Kimber in the Heads-Up World Championship, it’s on the cards…

Early learning

‘Aged 16 I watched my stepdad playing online and set up a play money account for myself. I won some money in a freeroll, and although I went through a cycle of boom and bust, eventually, in the middle of 2005, I spun $25 up to $14,000 in about two months playing cash games.’

‘I dropped out of college after my first year of ‘A’ levels, and my stepdad banned me from playing. It was just before I turned 18 and I think [my parents] wanted me to get a job. All my mates were getting on with their lives, either in college or working. When I was banned I just read loads of books – about 10 in total – that really helped.’

Graduation

‘I gave poker a shot full-time from the middle of 2005 (I turned 18 in August 2005) and just played solidly, rarely leaving the house. I played a ridiculously loose game – it was a mental style that worked for me back then as the games were much softer.’

‘In autumn 2005 I played my first ever live events, in the Caribbean, through a promotion that JetSet Poker (a now defunct poker room) ran. I final-tabled all three events out there, winning one. Back in the UK I had a small cash at the Midland Masters in October 2005, and two months later won a £200 pot-limit event in Luton.’

‘I probably had about a £14,000 roll at that time and was massively under-rolled to be playing £500, £750 and £1,500 tournaments, but I gave it a shot as a one-off. At this point I was making a steady income online too.’

Big break

‘In January 2006 I won what was then the PokerStars $750,000 guaranteed tournament for $102,000. I was actually taking my mum, stepdad and family on holiday the next day. The tournament finished at 7am and I was up at 10am to go on holiday!’

‘I think winning that amount of money so young did affect me; I didn’t spend it or lose it, but I perhaps got too cocky and didn’t have a winning month online for the next nine months.’

‘Fortunately a friend of mine, Matt Dale, who runs Poker.co.uk, had noticed me and began sponsoring me in live events in 2006. I played really badly though and actually told Matt I’d like a break from the sponsorship. I felt under pressure to do well as I didn’t know how long the deal was going to last. I know that in live poker a dry spell can last six months, a year, or longer. Fortunately he stuck by me.’

Turning it around

‘At the end of 2006 I had a couple of small results on the UK circuit and then in 2007 three good results came at once. Between February and May 2007 I finished fourth in the GUKPT main event in Walsall, chopped a side event at the next GUKPT in Cardiff, and then had my best live event result to date when I came second to Jeff Kimber in the World Heads-Up Championship in Barcelona.’

‘I played Devilfish in the quarter- finals. It sounds odd but I probably had more experience playing heads-up than he did because I’ve played a lot online. I did get nervous before the game, but also think I wanted to win more than him. It was just another game, but it’s also a nice brag to say that I beat Devilfish.’

‘I’ve played a couple of EPT events in 2008 and finished 12th at the Dortmund one. In comparison to the GUKPT events I’d say the Grosvenor tournaments have lots of averagely poor players who won’t cause you problems, but won’t spew chips either. In EPT tourneys there are a lot of tough players but also some bad ones who will spew chips. The Scandinavians are the toughest, while the British are the worst of the lot in my opinion.

Cash player

‘Despite a lot of my focus being on tournaments, I consider myself a cash game player; certainly that’s the case online, although when I play live it’s almost exclusively tournaments

‘Cash games, in my opinion, are the way to go if you’re looking to play for a living; there’s so much luck involved in tournaments, whereas cash game success is less reliant on luck.’

‘I put in about 25 hours a week tops and play anything from $2/$4 to $25/$50. In summer I play less tourneys and more golf! But in winter I don’t mind being stuck inside playing.’