Just like this year’s WSOP World Champion, Bob Bulman came from seemingly nowhere: no Hendon Mob entry, no Facebook page, no London Live appearance – and he’d been as quiet as a teamouse in the Black Belt Poker community. But despite his anonymity, Bob was braced to run rampant through the latest Black Belt Poker League and snap up a title that is second only to the one currently sparkling on the wrist of Puis Heinz.
The eleventh outing for the League was unique in that it offered four star prizes, the only difference being that first place not only earned the overall winner a seat in the Black Belt Nottingham Live, but also a personalised hoodie. This wasn’t Bob’s only carrot though – he wanted the prestige, and the bragging rights of joining one of poker’s most illustrious lists, and despite having virtually already secured his seat prior to the final whistle, he kept on battling for that honour until the very end.
In recent times, Bob has been embraced by the community, and is now a regular poster on the site. He’s also a regular winner at the tables, having added spending money to his seat after taking down this month’s Nottingham Live Freeroll. With victories in a handful of other online tournaments (see this week’s Yellow Belt Freeroll), Bob is in fine form, and perhaps a dark horse to cross the line first at 100:1.
As is customary with our League Champions, Bob was subjected to a mini-grilling from Black Belt Poker’s esteemed editor, and initial digging unveiled a recreational player from Somerset who describes himself as “a country bumpkin on the wrong side of 40”. Like most poker fans who reside in ‘the sticks’, his introduction to the game was via the computer screen as his nearest casino was an hour’s drive away. His initial experience was four or five years back, and he’s been playing ever since, dabbling in “any game going at low stakes online” with the occasional venture into brick and mortar.
Snoopy: What attracted you to the site?
Bob Bulman: I like iPoker sites in general, and Black Belt Poker seemed like a fun place with challenges attached.
Snoopy: That moniker... Are you a Mighty Mouse fan?
BB: My first online name was ‘mousehouse’. It developed into ‘mousebob’ and now ‘myteamouse’. There’s no hidden meaning and it’s all just for fun. There’s no connection to Mighty Mouse either – that was a long time ago!
Snoopy: You sprung to the top on Leg 3. How did the first two legs go?
BB: The first two legs were okay, but nothing special; just high-table finishes. As for leg 3, I guess I must have just got lucky to win that one! From thereon in, I ran well and managed to make the final in leg 4. There’s certainly no secrets to my play.
Snoopy: Any strategy?
BB: Yes. Not to piss my chips away… like I usually do.
Snoopy: Did any players impress you?
BB: I don’t take too much notice of other players in the tournament, only the bad ones. I would say, though, that the top five of six in the final standings encouraged me to keep playing my ‘A’ game.
Snoops: You were virtually safe in the final leg, but did you have a plan to ensure victory?
BB: Yes. By then I'd worked out the points system and knew what I had to do and where to play in relation to others in order to secure the League title. I've never owned a hoodie before and had my heart set on winning one, so was determined not to fall at the final hurdle.
Snoopy: You're now playing the Nottingham Live. What's your live experience?
BB: I didn’t play either of the Black Belt London Live events, so this will be my debut in a Black Belt Poker event. I have played a bit, however, and done okay. My biggest cash is £1,000, so nothing exciting… yet.
Snoopy: Which Black Belt Poker pros are you most looking forward to meeting?
BB: No favouritism here. All of them! :-)
Snoopy: Will the last-longer affect how you play?
BB: I’ll just be focusing on my own play, so it won’t affect how I play very much at all. Good luck to the other guys, though.
Snoopy: In an ideal world, name three poker pro bounties you would pick for the event and be able to play.
BB: Liv Boeree, Tatjana Pasalic and Joanna Krupa [Ed note: do I sense a pattern there?...]
Snoopy: Tell us something about yourself that we don't already know...
- In 2008. I won six 'Rio' jackpot tourneys on iPoker and won $35,000.
- I've ridden a Grand National winner.
- I never bluff.
- I like Guinness.
- I played in the WSOP this year.
Other Interviews:
Phil Ivey
Patrik Antonius
John Juanda
Tom Dwan
Ian Frazer
Annette Obrestad
James Akenhead
JP Kelly
Jason Mercier
Richard Ashby
Richard Ashby #2
Redmond Lee
Sammy George
Roland De Wolfe
Marty Smyth
Jake Cody
Karl Mahrenholz
Paul Zimbler
Kara Scott
John Kabbaj
Jeff Lisandro
Freddy Deeb
Barry Greenstein
Phil Laak
Shaun Deeb
Chris Moorman
Lex Veldhuis
Johnny Lodden
Toby Lewis
Isaac Haxton
Yevgeniy Timoshenko
Jon Spinks
John Racener
Nik Persaud
Michael Piper
James Keys
Alan Hansen
Dusty Schmidt
Jared Tendler
Jose Macedo
Julian Thew #2
Matt Perrins
JP Kelly #2
Eoghan O'Dea
Sam Holden
Sam Holden #2
Sam Holden #3
BBP sponsored pros:
Simon Mairs
Jamie Burland
Kevin Williams
David Docherty
Owen Robinson
Rob Jarrett-Smith
Adam Unwin
David Gentry
Tom Drew
Sam Razavi
Adam Stoneham
Richard Ashby
Jerome Bradpiece
Nik Persaud
League Winners:
Andy Brisland
Mark Ranson
Trevor Ingman
Jamie Burland
Tom Drew