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The Great British Poker Tour (Nottingham)
I think the cards kind of dictate how I’m going to play. I think it’s the range of hands you’re prepared to play earlier on. So, I’m just going to try and play the top half of the deck for the first half hour. (Laughs) Having said that, then you’re going to be talking to me an hour after I’ve just gone out and ‘I’ve decided to play seven, eights!’ But no, just be sensible I think.
Why do you play poker?
Well, it’s kind of a hobby really. When I get a wee bit of time, like just now I’ve got some time off between one job (French Film) and another (Primeval 2), then I can go and play a couple of times a week.
I take it seriously, because I’m quite competitive in anything, sadly. I kind of enjoy that I kind of let my competitive side come out a wee bit.
I like the camaraderie and social aspect of it. I like all that. It’s quite exciting; you know it’s an exciting game. It looks as if you just spend hours throwing cards back into the middle, for those moments when you get caught up on something, you’ve made a bet and somebody raises you, that little adrenalin rush I really like.
Does being an actor give you an edge over the poker table?
I keep being told it ought to, but I haven’t quite found out what my edge might be yet.
People say, well surely you must be good at lying and I think ‘Well I can do it on screen, but you know, that’s another character doing that. I’ve always got to be a bit careful with myself ‘cos I don’t know if I’m that good at it. I can feel myself start to blush every now and again and I can feel the pulse at the back of my neck thumping sometimes, when I’m being a wee bit sneaky with a hand. So, I don’t think it gives me any edge at all.
(adpted from an interview with Alex Jones May 2007)