Anthony Gardner knows the feeling of playing for the highest stakes. Having spent a decade playing in the Premier League for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, and Hull City, Gardner has swapped he skills on the pitch for poker. He bagged up 62,825 in chips heading into Day 2, which was good enough for more than double the average stack in the Season XV partypoker World Poker Tour Main Event from Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham, this week’s showpiece tournament.
During a break in action on Thursday, WPT reporters caught up with the former footballer to talk about his passion for the game.
“For me, the competitive element in poker is what I miss most about football,” Gardner said. “The adrenaline rush I get from playing poker is the closest feeling to being back on the pitch. I love to play and do so with a competitive spirit.”
Gardner is extremely focused in every hand he plays, but it’s clear that poker also fits with his outgoing personality. He freely admits that the interactive element of the game fascinates him.
“Meeting people is a big part of it,” Gardner said. “Live poker is a social game. Today, there was a French player next to me. I know a little French, and it was great to talk with him about life. I traveled a lot when playing football, so it comes easily to me.”
Gardner enjoys the buzz of a game of poker, but some may argue that could be satisfied in a home game with friends. Even so, there’s something bigger he’s chasing at the biggest card room in Europe, Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham. It’s the chance of winning the £1 million guaranteed Main Event.
“The prestige of the tournament and the shot of winning big money — it’s exciting,” Gardner said. “People play cash games for their wages, but a tournament is a chance for glory. It adds pressure, and in certain spots, I won’t lie, I get nervous. I try not shake, I have to hold it together — it’s not so different from football.”
To follow Gardner’s quest in the partypoker WPT UK Main Event, click here.