How to Be Like Matthew Ashton and Become Liverpool’s Next, Great Poker Player

Liverpool is the birthplace of reams of famous people, from musicians such as The Beatles and Cilla Black to politicians such as Bessie Braddock and John Archer, the city has many names to be proud of. A new name on the list has been Matthew Ashton, a professional poker player who was born in the city and has won millions of dollars at the poker table.

Ashton’s story, being born in Liverpool, studying in Sheffield, and going around the world to play poker, has other Liverpool poker players feeling that they could be just as successful. Becoming Liverpool’s next talented poker player won’t be easy, but it can be done.

Practice Online

Becoming a great poker player, like most things, takes work. Ashton began playing poker in 2003, when he was a teenager so he likely had many hours of free time to learn the game and the best poker hands to use against opponents.

Those who don’t have friends and family to help them learn how to play have a way around this though, as they can play poker online. Online poker sites such as Paddy Power allow new poker players to learn together or for more experienced players to prepare for tournaments. The Paddy Power VIP rewards also reward players by looking at how good they are at poker, so the more you play and work on your game, the more you’ll get.

Enter Local Tournaments

One of Ashton’s first poker tournaments was in Liverpool in 2011, where he won £345. Many of the larger UK poker tournaments are in London but there are local poker tournaments in Liverpool that offer good prizes too.

It was in a Liverpool poker tournament that a banker from Manchester was able to win £26,000. Zack Ford, who was 34, beat 229 poker players to win that prize. It may not be the millions of dollars that players like Ashton have won, but it’s a wonderful amount of money for someone who isn’t a professional.

Join or Form a Poker Club

Another good way to become a good poker player is to join or form a local poker club. When playing poker with your friends or people you don’t know, you may be able to learn ideas that guides can’t tell you. It will also help you to read other players and guess their next move.

Finding our creating a poker group is unlikely to be difficult in a city like Liverpool. In 2017, it was revealed that there are 696 social groups in the city’s social economy, but the number of groups that don’t make money and just meet to be social could potentially be much higher.

Liverpool is a city full of big names and games like poker, which allow players to become famous because of live streams and social media, are adding to that. It may not be easy to become the next professional poker player from the city, but with one person reaching success, others may follow.