Marty Wilson (1957 – 26 July 2019) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

professional poker player from

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

. His nickname originates from when, as a teenager, he escaped several rival football fans by jumping into a polar bear pit. His extensive career dates back to an early

World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker p ...

visit in 1985. However he first gained public notoriety by finishing runner-up in the £300 Pot Limit Hold-Em event at the Victoria Casino in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He went on to become a regular on the

Late Night Poker ''Late Night Poker'' is a British television series that helped popularize poker in the 2000s. It used "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards. The show originally ran for six series between 1999 and 2002 ...

television series, being one of few players to appear in every series. His only win on the series was in his heat during series 3, where he defeated a field including Surinder Sunar and Pascal "Triple P" Perrault to get his seat in the Grand Final. He went on to finish 4th in the Final, which was eventually won by

Phil Hellmuth Jr Phillip Jerome Hellmuth Jr. (born July 16, 1964) is an American professional poker player who has won a record sixteen World Series of Poker bracelets. He is the winner of the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the Main Event ...

. Wilson's biggest win came in 1998, when he won the Carnival of Poker tournament at the Rio, taking home $171,000. In 2001, during the £300 Pot Limit Hold-Em tournament in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

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he split the pot to take a £7,500 share of the first prize. The next year he won the $150 Pot Limit Hold-Em tournament in Dundee, Scotland, which included a rare final table appearance by Late Night Poker commentator Nic Szeremeta. In 2004 he won the No Limit Hold-Em tournament at the Crown Australasian Poker Championship in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, defeating a final table including Peter "The Poet" Costa, "Barmy" Barny Boatman and "Cowboy" Kenna James. On the trip he found an address book left in his hotel room. He eventually realised it belonged to his brother Michael, who he had not seen in 18 years. He returned to the Crown Championship in 2005, taking the Pot Limit Omaha title as well. In addition to playing tournaments, Marty was also a consultant for Matchroom Sports, the Floor Manager for the PartyPoker Den and an online player for NoblePoker. He also taught several celebrities how to play poker, including

Matthew Stevens Matthew Stevens (born 11 September 1977) is a Welsh professional snooker player. He has won two of the game's Triple Crown events, the Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been a two-time runner-up in the other triple ...

, Barry Hearn, Phil "The Power" Taylor,

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...

, Michael Greco and Helen Chamberlain (who went on to place second in the 2005

Poker Million The Poker Million has been a televised European poker tournament since its inception in November 2000. The final debuted to 30 million viewers and has since remained popular. It was created by UK gaming outfit Ladbrokes with the help of sports pro ...

tournament. Marty appeared on television many times including

and

Heads Up with Richard Herring ''Heads Up with Richard Herring'' or ''HUWRH'', is a British celebrity chat show written by and starring Richard Herring, who is best known as one half of comedy duo Lee and Herring, the stars of BBC Two shows ''Fist of Fun'' and '' This Morning ...

. His total live tournament winnings exceeded $400,000.

Notes

External links

Official Site

Interview

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Marty English poker players British gambling writers 1957 births 2019 deaths People from Wolverhampton