I just put my hand in my pocket to take out my credit card and as I open my wallet out drops a Hendon Mob card protector, given to me earlier by Joe Beevers. At the time, I was chatting with him, fellow mobster Barny Boatman and Gary Jones. It was a sort-of consolation prize. Barny remembered me from the night before when I had asked him online if he would play the Bellybusters tourney. He was very jovial and self-deprecating about his role as Final Table commentator with Gary and Robert Williamson III the next day - “I’m there more for light relief as I am unable to offer any real poker insights.” Joe, on the other hand, is a very cool customer; very tall, not at all unfriendly but certainly more withdrawn and serious than I expected. It was nice of him to give me this little trinket but it would have been nicer still to have some cards to put under it.

Later on, I was talking with Gary who told me I looked the spitting image of Navan comedian Dermot Moran. My hair was a wee bit on the spiky-disheveled side but beyond that I didn’t see the resemblance. I also wasn’t sure if it was meant as a complement, a friendly jab or a neutral comment. Gary is a groovy, slightly hippie sort of guy so I can’t imagine he was trying to wind me up by telling me that in that moment, I looked like Ireland’s red-wine swilling poet-comedian who abounds in charm but not in sophistication. Luckily, Joe came back over before I got a chance to find out. He unloaded some more Hendon Mob paraphernalia on me and I thanked him, telling him that they would be on e-bay within the hour.

 


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