WHAT A difference a day makes.
On Thursday night, English journalist Vicky Coren was on BBC 1’s Question Time programme to discuss the political goings-on of the nation.
Less than 24 hours later, Coren was one of more than 700 people who turned up at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin to compete in Europe’s longest-running poker tournament, the Paddy Power Irish Open, for a share of a €2.2 million prize pool.
“I’ve been in Ireland for about three hours. I haven’t fully formed my opinion but it seems great,” she said. “It was about 20 minutes from the airport, 20 minutes check-in at the hotel and the rest at the poker table, but that’s where I’m most comfortable.”
Coren leads a double life as a poker player, at which she has won more than €1 million, and as journalist, writing columns for the Guardian and Observer as well as appearing on BBC programmes such as Only Connect and Heresy. But which is her favourite job?
“I think the trick is that if you do several jobs when one of them isn’t going well you just pretend the other one is your main one. That’s the key . . .
“If I do badly in this tournament, what difference does it make? I’m a political pundit on the television and poker is just a hobby for me. Hopping from foot to foot is the way to be.”
The Irish Open has this year attracted a record-equalling field of 708 players. Among them were former professional footballers Teddy Sheringham and Tony Cascarino, snooker player Ken Doherty and former EastEnders favourite Michael Greco.
Three former world champions, including Dubliner Noel Furlong and American Jamie Gold, who scooped $12 million when he won the world championships in 2006, are also participating.
Paul Burke of Paddy Power Poker said about half of the players this year were Irish and that the rest had travelled from places including Australia, Canada and South Africa.
The top 10 per cent of the field will finish in the money, with the last eight players competing at the final table on Monday for a first prize of about €600,000.
