YEARLY CHAMPIONSHIP
Three Seasons of Winners
Arnie Ritchie
Yearly Champion
2010 – 2011
Arnie Ritchie has played with the Atlanta Poker Club since Summer Season ’08. He currently lives in Raleigh, NC, and the commute is now too long for him to play often with the APC. Arnie calls the Yearly Championship his “last hurrah!” He wanted to see the players and he wanted to win. As Arnie says, “winning any tournament is an incredible combination of luck and skill. You have to tap dance through so many mine fields just to get to the final table.”
We interviewed Arnie to get his perspectives and to learn more about the man who is always a gentleman at the table.
Who is your favorite poker player, and why?
Phil Gordon…because of his philosophical approach to the game. To me, Phil Gordon looks at poker as if it was a Zen Cohen and then tries to analyze the meaning behind what someone does. Looking at poker that way allows the potential to try and understand what someone else is actually thinking.
Who has influenced your play the most?
Dan Herrington…because of his practical mathematical method of evaluating hand odds and pot odds.
How does APC tournament play differ from tournament play in a casino?
There is always a number of players at an APC game who look at this as simply ‘free poker’ and don’t really care whether they shove all their chips into the middle of the table or not, and that rarely happens in a casino tournament. But in the APC when I play against the serious players, there is very little difference in playing against them and playing a casino tournament.
What is your advice for new players?
Read a lot…Phil Gordon and Dan Harrington.
What have been your goals in the APC?
My goals have been to have a lot of fun, to make new and wonderful friends, and to improve my poker game.
How did it feel to win the Yearly?
A really emotional win for me. Because I’ve moved out of state it is now almost impossible for me to play with the APC on a regular basis, so I knew this was going to be my last opportunity to qualify for the Yearly. To try and do well and try to go deep was really important to me. I was almost out of the tournament in the fifth hand. Greg Ward had pocket Aces and raised in early position with about five callers. That meant that I had to call with my fantastic 3, 5 off suit. The flop came A, K, 5…Greg raised and was called, which meant I had to fold. The turn was a 5, and the river was a 3. Had I been in the hand I would have been gone because Greg’s full house would have beat mine. I don’t care how good or bad a player you think you are, the hand of fate rules.
Arnie says, “I have met more wonderful people, made more friends, and had more good times with the APC in the last two years than in any two year period in my life. I am truly grateful to have had the honor and pleasure of meeting and playing poker with so many wonderful people!”
Arnie Ritchie definitely earned the title of Champion! Arnie has earned a place in the APC Hall of Fame, and in the hearts of the players who know him!
