They are dropping like flies at the moment

[tikay]

Malcolm "The Rock" Harwood.

A good friend WhatsApp'd me to tell me the sad news that Malcom Hardwood passed away last week. He was 86.

Only the older generation will remember him, think his last "Hendon" was almost 20 years ago.

He was associated with the long-defunct A World Of Poker (AWOP.com) for a while, & in fact he & I crossed swords a few times when we were "competing" to run Live Updates. Neither of us learned how to monetize it though so we both ended up burning money. That was soon history, & we got along fine.

He's perhaps best known for being an early - the first? - to promote Ladies Poker in the UK. He organised a big Ladies Tourney at Star City in around 2006, & then went on to run the BetFred Ladies Poker Tour for a while, which ran for several years.

He appeared on Late Night Poker once or twice, & we were both commentators for Poker Night Live, where I got to know him well.

RIP Malcolm.

[EssexPhil]

The Rock was one of the first people I watched. Saw him play many Single Table Tournaments. Tight aggressive style in those days-incredibly tight. Which worked when most of the rest of the table were incredibly loose, many of whom had no idea how to play.

How times have changed.

[RED-DOG]

Malcome was the only player I knew that was tighter than me. I remember he had a Thai wife that played a much more lairy game than both of us. "Bad Girl" Pham was it? or am I getting confused?


RIP Malcome.

[tikay]

Malcome was the only player I knew that was tighter than me. I remember he had a Thai wife that played a much more lairy game than both of us. "Bad Girl" Pham was it? or am I getting confused?


RIP Malcome.

Yes, a little confused I believe.

Malcolm's wife was a Thai lady, Somkhuan. She mainly played Ladies Poker, which was a thing at the time, thanks to Malcolm & BetFred.

"Bad Girl" Pham (Xuyen Pham) was "Smokin Steve" Vladar's wife, those two, along with Thewy, were all sponsored  by Wm Hill for a while. As it happens, Smokin Steve was as tight as they come, too. He came 2nd in an EPT Deauville sidey in which the FT also featured Dave Colclough (RIP) & John Gale (RIP), the super miserable Ivo Donev who I bumped into in Vegas WSOP event this year, & blonderpoker's very own Craig Wildman, aka "I KNOW IT". 

A little weird to look back on the days when every poker player had to have a nickname.  

You were right about Malcolm being super tight though, he really was, hence "The Rock". Most players were at the time.