It’s rare to see a Brit turning heads at the nosebleed stakes, but when Richard Ashby emerged as July's biggest winner with a staggering profit of $1,824,074, the poker world suddenly took notice. And if anyone deserved attention, it was Richard, having worked his way through the levels before taking a shot at some of the biggest games his monitor had to offer. He’s an example of someone who has earned their spot near the top, and the plaudits that brings – one of which is his current title of ‘Full Tilt Pro’.
A former Options and Futures Market Maker from London, Richard is as determined as they come, putting in more hours than most and showcasing a genuine mental fortitude that enables him to maintain his focus over long periods of time. Resultantly, he commits few mistakes, and can pounce on those made by others. An unhealthy obsessive, no, committed to his profession, yes, and it’s this dedication that has seen him finally reap the rewards his efforts deserve.
Despite GUKPT and Aussie Millions final tables, the virtual felt is where Richard’s strengths currently lie, and his presence on Full Tilt combined with his recent success have made him hot property with the forums and media publications. Thus, when the opportunity arose to grab a few words with the poker prodigy known as ‘Chufty’, I donned my bulletproof vest, cocked my question gun, and charged right in…
Snoopy: So, where does the Chufty moniker come from?
Richard Ashby: It started at Uni. I used to say “chuffed” a lot. My mates picked up on it and so started calling me Chufty.
S: How did you get into poker? Have you always played high stakes?
RA: I started at my local tennis club, and playing cards with my dad, just for pennies. I think my first tournament was a £10 Stud event. This was when I was around 18 or 19, so about 16 years ago. In general, though, I’ve always played stakes I thought at the time were high.
S: Do you take shots?
RA: Well, I’ve always stretched my ‘roll. My first big break was when I won an Aussie Millions seat several years ago. I was only playing £20 freezeouts at the time and had a ‘roll of a few thousand, so this was really big. When I busted out the first tourney, I put my whole $4,000 on the line in a cash game, and after a few days managed to turn it into $100,000. By the end of the week I was broke. Marvellous.
S: Has much changed?
RA: At the moment I’m playing really quite high, and in the $2,000/4,000 mixed game, you can lose $100,000 in a few minutes. So in this game I’m still kind of taking shots, but I have it more under control now and can be very conservative at times. I think it helps going broke a few times to realise that it can happen.
S: Would you recommend that others take shots?
RA: It depends on their temperament really. Some people are good grinders and can work their way up gradually. Some of these old timers, such as Murray Brown or Paul Parker (sorry, Paul) are really good at it, but a lot of people just aren’t happy grinding and eventually get bored. Guys like Sam Trickett or James Akenhead spring to mind. For players like these, I think it’s important for them to play with a little bit of fear. To get the best out of their game, there needs to be that feeling that they are playing for amounts that they’re not particularly comfortable losing.
Overall, I think you need to mix grinding with the occasional shot at higher stakes. If your mentality for the game isn’t one of hunger, then it’s unlikely that you’re ever going to escalate to those high levels. Sickness is the wrong word, but you do need to be willing to throw yourself in there.
S: Do you get worried about going busto these days?
RA: I don’t feel like I’m going to go busto now, but it’s important not to be arrogant or think you’re somehow invincible, otherwise it can easily happen. It can turn very quickly I have found.
S: Do you tilt?
RA: Yeah, of course, I tilt, but I’m much better at recognising it now than I was before. Also, my style of play fits tilt a little better than say a tight grinder who suddenly loses it altogether. It’s not as damaging to me as my game is very open to begin with. If I do start to tilt, I’ll go and play Limit or something instead.
S: How did it feel to see your name at the top of July’s winners’ list?
RA: It’s always nice to be seen to be winning, especially when you read comments on forums saying you’re just on a heater and you’re a lucky donk or whatever.
S: Are you bothered at all when you read comments like that?
RA: I was at first, but then you realise that most of the people making the comments aren’t really basing it on much and are just jumping on the bandwagon. I think most players get slagged off at some stage. It’s annoying though when you feel you have achieved something in the game and there are people trying to diminish that somehow.
S: What do you think of seeing your results tracked in this way?
RA: I think these databases are great; I like to see who’s winning. When you see people who’ve come through the levels to play high stakes, I think it can actually inspire people and make them realise that it is possible. It might put some weaker players off though if they know their results are going to be tracked and put on public display. These results aren’t always entirely accurate, to be honest, they seem to miss sessions.
S: What’s it like playing for such huge amounts?
RA: It’s a gradual process and you can only compare it to what you were playing before, as that’s what you were accustomed to. To a $2/4 player, suddenly playing $5/10 can feel big, and it’s the same kind of feeling for me, even if the stakes are on a larger scale. Obviously it feels different on those first few times, when you register a big win and you suddenly have x amount more in your account, but you get used to it when you’ve been playing a certain level for a while. You do notice the jump from $25/50 to $200/400 though, as there aren’t many games in between that run regularly. It took a number of shots at $200/400 for me to do well. You can’t get too discouraged though.
S: Are you a lavish spender?
RA: I don’t tend to spend money on big things, I think I’ve only bought a nice TV. I haven’t really spent anything, so no, not particularly.
S: You seem to play a lot of hours. Are you an insomniac?
RA: Ha, no, I’m not an insomniac. I might not play as much as some people think because I tend to start late and then play through the night because that’s when the Americans are online. Perhaps one of my weaknesses is that I don’t take enough breaks, or play shorter sessions, but when the games get good, it’s difficult to quit. I think you should only really stop playing when you’re playing badly. I don’t find playing for long periods that tough, it’s fine if you’re physically comfortable with a good chair, etc. I think when the money is meaningful, it’s a lot easier to play for long sessions as you don’t get bored and can focus a lot easier on what’s going on. The bottom line is that poker might not be around forever, so I want to put in the hours while it’s going well. People might get better, I might get worse, but either way, I want to be financially secure and take advantage of the situation while I can.
S: What do you think of playing on Full Tilt?
RA: I’m not just saying this, but Full Tilt is my favourite site. The truth is that it has the best software and the action is better than anywhere else.
S: How do you feel about playing as ‘Richard Ashby’ rather than under a moniker?
RA: I prefer being unknown, I think there’s definitely an advantage to playing under an alias, especially on sites where you can change your name. With rakeback and being a Full Tilt Pro, though, the benefits outweigh any advantage you might get from being anonymous.
S: How do you beat the Omaha games when there are so many top players around?
RA: Omaha is still a huge action game. Some of the big names play well, but they can tilt. You can do a lot of damage when you tilt in Omaha. There aren’t that many fish around these days, it’s more about catching these guys when they’re having a bad day. For example, Gus is obviously a very good player and unbeatable on his day, but when he’s off his game he’s much more vulnerable than someone like, say, Urindanger.
S: Who do you consider to be the top European Omaha players?
RA: Ben Grundy’s an excellent player. So is Dave Callaghan. David Benyamine is probably the best. He’s a massive gambler, but when he’s on his game, like Gus, he is practically unbeatable.
S: Is there anyone who you really wouldn’t want to play?
RA: I think Phil Ivey is the only player I might sit out against, partly because of his reputation. He’s clearly doing something right.
S: You mentioned Ben Grundy? Are you two competitive?
RA: We’re good friends and have played a lot against each other. We used to put each other on tilt when we took pots off each other, but eventually realised that it was pointless playing in the same games. He is probably the best heads-up player around at the moment. He hasn’t quite made the jump fully to the highest stakes, but I’m sure that if he did, he’d do extremely well.
S: How about durrrr? Would you ever consider taking up the durrrr Challenge?
RA: durrrrr is a very creative player. I recently played him at $500/1,000, it was the first time I’d played that high, but I thought I’d buy in for $50,000 and take a shot. I lost that initial buy-in, but still ended up cashing out for $190,000. I wouldn’t do the Challenge though, he’s too strong heads-up and I’m not good enough.
S: You mention all these large figures. Do you still get an adrenalin rush or have you become numb to it?
RA: Yeah, I still get an adrenalin rush. It’s hard not to when you’re playing those levels. It’s probably the same feeling you get when you win a big pot in whatever level of game you play?
S: Are you a fist-pumper?
RA: Maybe a mini fist-pump.
S: Punched any walls?
RA: No punches yet, but I do get pissed off if I lose a big pot. I can play 10 times $100,000 plus pots in a night, so I do worry about my blood pressure. It can’t be healthy to put that much stress on your body. Of course, it affects me when I lose big, and it’s frustrating, but I’m not one of these guys who bashes the mouse or anything, but at the same time I’m not like your, as you mentioned, Johnny Lodden type, who will just shrug it off and move onto the next hand as if it didn’t happen. It’s when you’re playing three or four tables at once and you lose big pots on more than one table at a time that it can really hurt you. It’s like boxers, they can take a few jabs, but if they get hit numerous times in a short period then they’re going to feel it.
S: Do you have a limit to how much you’ll lose before stopping?
RA: Not really. I’ve been stuck some big amounts in the past and glad I didn’t stop. I’m always checking the cashier to see how I’m getting on. In a way, maybe you shouldn’t do this, but I think it’s important to know so you can register if you’re playing badly. It’s difficult sometimes as you want to get back to winning, but being able to accept a loss is a key skill.
S: Are you playing much live cash these days?
RA: No, not a great deal. I play $5/10 PLO at the Vic, and $50/100 in Vegas, but the games are bigger online.
S: How about Bobby’s Room?
RA: I’ve not played in there. It’s weird, I’m not sure if I’m still kind of star struck or feel that you need to be invited or something.
S: Would you play on High Stakes Poker?
RA: Possibly with the right line-up but I’m not particularly comfortable in front of cameras, so probably not.
S: How important is raising your profile to you? Are you interested in being a poker celebrity?
RA: The celebrity life doesn’t really appeal to me, but it’s nice to be recognised as a good player, especially when you’ve dedicated so much of your life to one thing. I’m also always aware that I could start losing, so I don’t want to be seen passing myself as the ‘Great Chufty’ only for it to all go wrong. It’s still fun seeing your name being mentioned on forums though.
S: Do you think you’re underrated at all?
RA: I think the figures speak for themselves on the tracking databases, so no, I don’t think I’m underrated. It’s hard to be underrated when you win x amount and it’s there for everyone to see. There are some guys who are slightly overrated, tournament winners who do well in one event yet couldn’t beat a small cash game.
S: What are your strengths as a player?
RA: Live you need to be confident, have a front, and be able to make certain moves. Personally, I’m very good at making quick decisions and analysing hands, betting patterns and situations, and these are the skills that online poker brings to the forefront.
S: What are your goals for the next 12 months?
RA: I’m going to keep playing online, but I also want to do well in live tournaments and will be playing EPTs, as well as WSOPE.