Keith "The Camel" Hawkins: In the Well

[TightEnd]

Thanks very much to The Camel for agreeing to go into the Well. This will run until Sunday, when Keith leaves for Vegas.

The Camel has been a fixture on the poker circuit for a number of years. Cutting his teeth in casinos in Reading in the 1990s, and at various times being an odds compiler and sports gambler, Keith graduated to play in poker events worldwide. He has amassed over $700,000 in live tournament results, and most recently finished 4th in the Amsterdam MasterClassics for $150,000 plus. His live schedule is somewhat curtailed these days though, I assume due to the arrival of his first child Jake in the last couple of years.

Online, predominately on Stars, Keith is reported to have won over $250,000 since 2005.

A much respected and acerbic poker writer, with a regular column on The Hendon Mob and in Cardplayer magazine he also wrote a blog which, while active, was a must read.

To quote from an interview on Poker Verdict

"The Camel is eminently qualified to speak about poker, which he does with clarity and good humour on The Hendon Mob's website. One of his articles - "Playing Poker For a Living... Or At Least Very Seriously" contained a dozen insightful tips for the top amateur considering going pro. In it The Camel was not only honest about losing a "five-figure sum" at the craps tables following a poker bad beat; he also neatly summed up the positives of making a living from the game.

He wrote: "Don't become one of those bad-tempered gits who play because they have to, not because they want to. Playing poker seriously is a great life; you will meet some fascinating, interesting, funny and bizarre people. What is the point of giving up work to do something so risky if you don't enjoy it?"

Keith also supports Queens Park Rangers.


Over to you for questions......

[madasahatstand]

Keith

If you could have any other kind of lifestyle apart from being a poker player, what would you choose to do?

I like your quote about bad tempered gits and playing because you want to. How do you handle bad tempered gits in live games?

Mad

[NoflopsHomer]

Keith, you've always been very strict on your views of players like JJProdigy and ZeeJustin, how do you think that poker and it's community can weed out the cheats? Also what do you think to Bodog signing ZeeJustin, and also (before I hog all the questions) what's your opinion on JohnnyBax signing with UB?

[boldie]

Would you sign with UB yourself? And what is your view on the current "legal" card rooms out there?

[Karabiner]

Hi Keith, isn't it about time you made your annual blog entry ? I for one really miss those ruminations.

Any chance of a Vegas blog this year ?

[The Camel]

Keith

If you could have any other kind of lifestyle apart from being a poker player, what would you choose to do?

I like your quote about bad tempered gits and playing because you want to. How do you handle bad tempered gits in live games?

Mad

Hi Mad,

I have recently been reading some books by an American writer called Charles Bukowski.. he neatly explained why I hated working in the "real" world. (Apologies for the language involved, but in context of his writing it fits in well...)

"The Florida State Department of Employment was a pleasant place. It wasn't always as crowded as the Los Angeles office which was always full. It was my turn for a little good luck, not much, but a little. It was true that I didn't have much ambition, but there ought to be a place for people without ambition, I mean a better place than the one usually reserved. How in the hell could a man enjoy being awakened at 6:30am by an alarm clock, leap out of bed, dress, force-feed, shit, piss, brush teeth and hair, and fight traffic to get to a place where essentially you made lots of money for somebody else and were asked to be grateful for the opportunity to do so?"

My brother fits double glazing for a living.. he works 12 hours a day/ 6 days a week. He gets paid pretty well, but he never gets to see his kids. On Sunday he just dozes in front of the telly, he's so tired after his weeks graft.

I have been extremely lucky. I have been at home seeing my son grow up. I wouldn't have traded that in for the world.

When I was a kid, I was desperate to be a journalist.. I worked a summer at my local newspaper. And I must admit I left disillusioned. According to the main staff reporter  (a guy who had worked in journalism for 30 years+), the editor (an irish woman in her early 30's) was by far the most talnted journalist he had ever worked with. However, as she wasn't a "face" and didn't know anyone on fleet street she couldn't get a job on a National. (She had applied hundreds of times). It is a career where who you know is more important than what you know...

I did fulfill a lifelong dream when the ill fated "Sportsman" newspaper published a double page spread written by me. I was unbelieveably proud.

So, in answer to your second question, if I couldn't be a journo, I would have to work from home doing something (preferably self employed).. I would rather earn less than give up my interaction with Jake, my son.

The large amount of miserable gits at the table is one of the reasonsI have played very little live poker recently (I have only played 3 tournaments so far this year). I can't understand why winning players would moan about bad beats/ bad players etc... If there wasn't bad beats, bad players wouldn't play. And obviously the better player you are, the more bad beat you will suffer.

If you are terrible player, you will never suffer a bad beat, because you will always be going into a pot with the worst hand!

If you don't enjoy playing poker, leave it to us who do, so we aren't inflicted with your gloominess!

[booder]

Hi Keith,,,

Stan Bowles  or Rodney Marsh ?

[The Camel]

Keith, you've always been very strict on your views of players like JJProdigy and ZeeJustin, how do you think that poker and it's community can weed out the cheats? Also what do you think to Bodog signing ZeeJustin, and also (before I hog all the questions) what's your opinion on JohnnyBax signing with UB?

Hi Chris,

I think there should be a zero tolerance policy on cheats. Once a cheat, always a cheat in my book.

It's not like you can cheat by accident, and it's not like stopping JJ and ZJ from playing poker forever will totally ruin their lives. They are very bright kids and will succeed in another profession.

As for bodog signing ZJ, I could never play at a site which condones cheating so obviously. I doubt they will miss me, but I certainly won't miss bodog.

I think the community has done pretty well outing cheats, it is up to the sites and cardrooms making sure they are excluded from playing.

I lost all respect I had for Bax when he signed for UB. He was vocal in his support for ethical poker and yet when the $$$ came calling he took them from a site which had a superuser for 18 months+ and tried to cover it up. For Hellmuth and Duke not to say anything was not a suprise, for Bax to join this site was a great disappointment to me.

[boldie]

Keith, you've always been very strict on your views of players like JJProdigy and ZeeJustin, how do you think that poker and it's community can weed out the cheats? Also what do you think to Bodog signing ZeeJustin, and also (before I hog all the questions) what's your opinion on JohnnyBax signing with UB?

Hi Chris,

I think there should be a zero tolerance policy on cheats. Once a cheat, always a cheat in my book.

It's not like you can cheat by accident, and it's not like stopping JJ and ZJ from playing poker forever will totally ruin their lives. They are very bright kids and will succeed in another profession.

As for bodog signing ZJ, I could never play at a site which condones cheating so obviously. I doubt they will miss me, but I certainly won't miss bodog.

I think the community has done pretty well outing cheats, it is up to the sites and cardrooms making sure they are excluded from playing.

I lost all respect I had for Bax when he signed for UB. He was vocal in his support for ethical poker and yet when the $$$ came calling he took them from a site which had a superuser for 18 months+ and tried to cover it up. For Hellmuth and Duke not to say anything was not a suprise, for Bax to join this site was a great disappointment to me.

Guess that answers part 1 of my question

[vegaslover]

You've been known to have the odd punt in the past, do you still bet regularly?, whether for fun or for profit.

[The Camel]

Would you sign with UB yourself? And what is your view on the current "legal" card rooms out there?

Absolutely no chance of me signing for UB.

I really don't understand this great attraction for poker players to be sponsored. Surely the reason most people give up work to be poker players is the chance to be your own boss, do exactly what you want, when you want and generally stick 2 fingers up at traditional life.

Yet, when you sign to represent a site it's like taking a job.

I was offered a sponsorship deal a number of years ago. It was an excellent offer but one of the conditions was that they had editorial control of my blog. There was no chance of me giving that up!

Now, for the run of the mill players, I guess accepting a deal that helps you carrying on playing poker makes sense.. but why someone who has just won $5mill plus by winning the wsop would want to be told what to do by a poker site, where and when to play... is totally beyond me. They have just earned the right to be their own boss for the reast of their lives and there are giving this up for the price of a few buyins. Unbelieveable.

I play 95% of my online poker on Stars.. they by far the best imo. Their customer service is second to none. I once accused two players of colluding ion a game against me.. they took 2 weeks to investigate, but their respose was an email as long as your arm detailing all the times these two guys had played against each other. They concluded that they could see why I thought they were colluding but didn't believe they were. It was a truly amazing response and although I was disappointed they didn't agree with me, I was massively reassured by their investigation.

I can't see the point of playing elsewhere when I'm so happy playing at Stars.

[The Camel]

Hi Keith, isn't it about time you made your annual blog entry ? I for one really miss those ruminations.

Any chance of a Vegas blog this year ?

Hi Ralph,

Because I don't play so much nowadays I lost the enthuisiasm to write a blog.. I was actually considering restarting it for Vegas (I'm going for 5 weeks.. by far my longest ever trip to Vegas, and I might need something like a blog to keep me sane).

No promises, but maybe the ruminations might restart!

[The Camel]

Hi Keith,,,

Stan Bowles  or Rodney Marsh ?

Hi Booder,

That's easy.

Bowles.

Marsh might have nearly been Stanley's equal on the pitch, but he's proved with his actions off the pitch over the last few years he's an arse who've I got no respect for.

Now, if your question had been "Stan Bowles or Simon Stainrod?". I would have been pondering that one for many hours!!!

[The Camel]

You've been known to have the odd punt in the past, do you still bet regularly?, whether for fun or for profit.

If you call every day regularly, I guess I bet regularly 

Actually, I have made more money betting than playing poker since Jake came along.

I just don't get the idea of betting for fun. Where is the fun in losing?

[Royal Flush]

Would you rather have $200 sent to your stars account or collect £100 in person to see my face?