I must admit, when I was interviewing Sam Holden midway through Day 6, I didn't envisage him as a future member of the November Nine; although he was just two days away from securing a return trip, Sam was hovering in the bottom third of the chip counts, amid tough company, and participating in his first ever World Series of Poker Main Event. He was clearly bright, undoubtedly talented, and had performed remarkably to reach this stage, but this was unchartered territory for a 22-year old with little live experience - the end was surely nigh.
Sam proved me wrong.
Watching him in action during those latter, and most nail-biting of stages, it was obvious that Sam's nails were mostly in tact. Like many successful players of his generation, he was cucumber cool, impervious to the occasion and nonchalantly watching the action unfold as he seemingly sailed into the November Nine without so much as a murmur. He ended proceedings as the shortest stack (12,375,000 to be precise), but he'd nevertheless survived the most expensive bubble in the game and would be popping back across the Atlantic in November to compete for the $8.7 million first prize.
That day still feels like yesterday, but a lot has changed in the life of Sam Holden: sponsorship, tournaments, media commitments - for him, it likely seems many moons ago. But, as expected, he's taken it all in his stride and remained as down-to-earth as he's ever been, mature beyond his years and refusing to allow his head to expand in correlation with his success. He's also a thoroughly nice chap, and when Black Belt Poker made the call, he was more than happy for us to drop by for a visit.
Tucked up in a cosy apartment in the very heart of the mean streets of Canterbury, Sam lives with his girlfriend Laura and spends his days ambushing the MTT tables online with a smidgen of cash on the side. Prior to turning pro, he studied Forensic Science at Kent University but has temporarily pushed his academic interests aside to pursue a career in poker.
Those are the bare facts. We decided to find out more.
Good luck to Sam in November from everyone at Black Belt Poker.
video: Ed Lao
images: 888.com