For those of you who have never heard of me (and hopefully it's because you are new to poker), my name is Dave Colclough, often known by the imaginative pseudonym of 'El Blondie'. I guess, I am now a Professional Poker Player. All I do to pay my bills and put food in my fridge nowadays, is play poker. Tough life, isn't it ?

Not.I am proud to say that I am now sponsored by one of the world's leading betting and gaming groups. Over the next year I will be updating the site with a diary of how I am getting on, telling a few amusing stories from the past, but much more importantly, giving you all a few tips on how to keep hold of your hard earned wonga.

I've been asked by bet365poker to give a brief history, so please excuse any bragging... I started playing poker 19 years ago. A flatmate (Ray Edwards where are you?) gave me a few lessons and a basic strategy on how to play 7 card stud over dinner, and then dragged me off to the Northampton Rubicon Casino to play a £10 7 Card Stud Competition. I suspected a few flaws in his strategy on the first night. Three months later, I had refined it enough to win my first competition.

Unfortunately I worked as an IT Consultant until 2000, and it didn't half get in the way of Poker. Nethertheless, I would try and burn the candle at both ends, regularly playing competitions at Churchills in Stoke, or the Luton , Northampton and Victoria Casinos when working further south. I won my first major championship, the UK Hold'Em Championship at the Park Casino in 1995. At the latest count, 25.2.04, I think I have won 97 Casino Tournaments, not including satellites or online competitions. So hopefully, we will chalk up number 100 shortly.In 2003.

I concentrated solely on Poker, having given up all my previous business interests. And, I was fortunate enough to be voted European Player of the Year for 2003, having broke the record for the amount of final tables reached in ranking tournaments. In the US , I reached 2 final tables in the 2003 World Series of Poker at Las Vegas , finishing 2nd to Eddie Scharf in the Limit Omaha event. I also started playing online tournaments during 2003 and made two final tables in the so called online World Series. The online fields were huge, regularly reaching 1300 players. Yes 1300! So what are you waiting for?

See you next week, when my head has shrunk back to a more normal size,

Dave