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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.
Who is your favorite Poker Player? – 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.
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.
Advice for new players? – Read a lot…Phil Gordon and Dan Harrington.
How did it feel to win the 2010 – 2011 Yearly Championship? – 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.
