An environmental consultant from Nuneton who gave up his football passion for online poker has scooped his second trip to the Caribbean in the space of 12 months.

Dave Duncan won a seat at this year’s Caribbean Poker Classic tournament after triumphing over scores of competitors on the LittlewoodsPoker.com website.

The 43-year-old only took up poker as a hobby seven years ago after his son Henry was diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called lissencephally, which prevented him from being able to go outside the house.

Dave had previously been a keen football player but realised he needed a new hobby, as he was spending all of his spare time inside with his son, and turned to online poker as a way of testing his mental skill.

And what started out as a pastime has now turned into a way of life, with around half of his monthly earnings being won on the poker table.

Dave, who lives in Nuneton with his wife Claire, said: “When I first started playing online, I would only be able to get five or ten minutes play at a time, so it wasn’t a big part of my life. I was looking after Henry a lot and, as I just needed a new hobby to pass the spare time I had, playing a few hands of poker on the computer was ideal.

“But over the years, I’ve become much better and I’m now making good money out of poker. Unlike most other players I’ve met who spend their time competing in standard cash games, I only play in tournaments with a big prize on offer – which makes it quite hard to keep winning.

“Over the past couple of years I’ve been improving steadily and I’m now at the point where I’m making a good wage out of it. Of course I still have my regular job, but around half of my monthly salary is being won on the poker table.

“But the best thing about playing and winning online is when you get to go to tournaments in exotic places. I was lucky enough to win a trip to the Caribbean Poker Classic last year and had the best time there, so I was determined to try and go again this time round.

“Thankfully I was able to win a place there with Littlewoods Poker and I’m absolutely delighted that I get to go back to the Caribbean again. It’s one of the most prestigious events you can go to and I can’t wait to test my skills against some of the world’s best players.”

By winning a £2500 holiday to the sun-drenched event, Dave is one of just a handful of players across the UK who have secured a place at the tournament, which takes place aboard the world’s largest cruise ship The Freedom of the Seas this November.

He will be joined on the Caribbean high seas by former Chelsea and Republic of Ireland player Tony Cascarino and actor Michael Greco, who are the sponsored professionals with Littlewoods Poker, as well as a host of top players from around the world.

Stephanie Sammut, Poker Marketing Manager at LittlewoodsPoker.com, said: “The CPC event is a serious competition featuring some of the best poker players in the world, but the trips always prove to be good fun.

“We’re delighted to be taking Dave to the tournament and wish him the best of luck as he tests his poker skills against professional players on the high seas.

“We’re still giving players who use LittlewoodsPoker.com the chance to join Dave at this exciting event.”

The Caribbean Poker Classic tournament will take place from November 16-23. Players can win packages to the tournament by playing online at LittlewoodsPoker.com every week until the end of September.
For more information about the cruise visit; http://www.littlewoodspoker.com/online-poker/promotions/cpc-2008.htm