Social Director: Following @Samtrickett1 and @Doc_Sands

Topics: Epic Poker League, Social Director, Sam Trickett, David Sands

This week’s Social Director column catches up with a couple poker players who have had banner years in poker: Sam Trickett and David Sands.

Sam Trickett has had a magical year. He recently became the all-time tournament money list leader for all of England with with $6,304,098 surpassing Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott. Trickett, a cash game specialist, has won $ 4,598,038 in 2011 with his most recent win being the €1,000,000 paycheck from the recent Partouche Poker Tour Main Event in Cannes, France.

Cumulative 2011 tournament results leaders:

1) Pius Heinz - $8,823,794
2) Erik Seidel - $6,530,154
3) Martin Staszko - $5,462,876
4) Ben Lamb - $5,352,970
5) Sam Trickett - $ 4,598,038

What differentiates Sam Trickett from those amazing tournament results is that Trickett has also been having great success in the high stakes cash games in Macau. In fact, Asian Poker Portal reported that Trickett enjoyed a $1.8 million winning session this past Thursday while playing with Tom Dwan and a number of Chinese businessmen at the StarWorld Hotel’s Poker King Club.

It is interesting to take a look at Trickett’s tweets over the last few days. They are all so casual. You would hardly believe he was involved in winning millions of dollars, would you?

@Samtrickett1 - Home for a few days, then off to Macau to get involved in Juicy cash games....

@Samtrickett1 - Decided to stay home this wknd and see Tash and my mates. Now back to work, Macau in the morning!

@Samtrickett1 - Its sick how long the games run for here! played 20 hours and had to leave, was a bit jet lagged, sometime i wish humans didnt have to sleep.

@Samtrickett1 - Just had a Chinese for breakfast! Can't b healthy!!!

@Samtrickett1 - Printing.....

@Samtrickett1 - Feel ill, so had to quit the game, feel more ill about that...!

@Samtrickett1 - Slept for about 18 hours, my new personal best......

@Samtrickett1 - Hopefully get 1 more session in before i have to go to Vegas for the Epic poker league Event.

To most, David “Doc Sands” Sands was known as a respected and successful online tournament specialist before 2011. This summer, Sands finished 3rd, 10th, 14th in three World Series of Poker events before he and his long time girlfriend Erika Moutinho captured a lot of fans and coverage for their 29th and 30th place deep finishes in the 2011 WSOP Main Event and identical $242,636 cashes. After the WSOP, David proposed to Erika, but that hasn’t distracted David from continuing his poker exploits. He flew over to France and won a WSOP Europe $2,672 buy-in tournament in Cannes in mid-October for $91,780.

Sunday December 3rd, David decided to play the $5k buy-in Bellagio tournament.

@Doc_Sands - Relaxing w @EMoutinho & Coco while enjoying this LSU/Georgia game. Think LSU will win despite no 1st downs in 1st half. Bellagio 5k at 5pm

@Doc_Sands - Registered Bellagio 5k on time. First orbit euro fish flats my 3b oop w 23s and makes runner runner flush. #badstart #softtable

@Doc_Sands - One orbit later, the guy who got me with 23s asks me to check the score of a soccer game for him on my phone. I obliged. #gettingrunover

@Doc_Sands - Back to 20k after being as low as 8. Floor was nice enough to move our table next to the 1k FT so I can keep an eye on @BigCheese_poker

@Doc_Sands - Made a really nice call the hand before break vs a nit who found his balls and tried to bluff me on turn. He had two outs and bricked. 45k.

@Doc_Sands - 60k headed to 400/800. Think we play three mere levels tonight. Win/Win situation, either I have a big stack or #MaxTinge on football 2mro.

@Doc_Sands - Ended day 1 of Bellagio 5k w 54k. Pretty solid considering I fired only 1 bullet, and got dealt the 2nd best hand alot down the stretch.

@Doc_Sands - 17 left in Bellagio 5k, 9 pay. Just ran AKss into AA blind v blind so I'm pretty short w 40k at 800/1600. #thefightrageson

@Doc_Sands - 190k going to 1.5/3k in Bellagio 5k. 14 left. Played some hands well, then coolerd dempsy blind v blind to double. #foldingtocash #levels

@Doc_Sands - 10 handed at 1 table, 9 pay. I have slight CL w 280k. On dinner now, come back at 3/6k. #mashingsouls

@Doc_Sands - Done for day in Bellagio 5k with 3 left because @Adzizzy didn't wanna play it out. My 1.29M to Dempseys 210k and Matts 220k. #Agameallday

@Doc_Sands - Did a strait chip chop with @Adzizzy heads up in Bellagio 5k with 3.4:1 chip lead. My share about 140k and a diamond:) http://yfrog.com/ke37cyhj

David currently sits 24th in the Global Poker Index and is poised to join Sam Trickett at future Epic Poker League events with continued success like he has experienced in 2011.