Kyle Boyd redefines the romance of poker with Power Pass trip to EPT Paris
He won a Silver Pass from a freeroll ticket and earned the trip of a lifetime to Paris for Kyle Boyd and his new fiancee.
When people talk about the “romance” of poker, it’s usually shorthand for the travel, the extravagance and the quest for riches and glory. But for Kyle Boyd and Katie Wycherley, there’s also a more literal meaning.
Boyd and Wycherley are both usually poker dealers who met while working an event in Edinburgh, Scotland. And after seeing more of each other while working side-by-side on the various poker tours that snake the British Isles and further afield, they started dating.
Then, while on a work trip to the Bahamas, Kyle popped the question and Katie accepted. The romance of poker brought together the soon-to-be Mr and Mrs Boyd.
That story alone might account for their presence here at the European Poker Tour (EPT) stop in Paris, especially when you remember the festival began on Valentine’s Day. But there was one additional reason the happy couple took this trip: Boyd won a Silver Pass through the PokerStars Power Path, earning him entry to the France Poker Series (FPS) Main Event.
Despite actually playing poker only occasionally — the vast majority of his poker experience coming from the dealer’s seat — Boyd cashed in a $0.50 Spin & Go ticket on PokerStars and progressed through the $11 and $109 Power Path steps.
He emerged with the Silver Pass package, which earned him and Wycherley a trip to Paris and put Boyd in an unfamiliar chair.
“I have so much live experience, but on the other side of the table,” Boyd said. “I think I’m comfortable being at a poker table, but it’s going to be fun being on the other side.”
Kyle Boyd: Comfortable at the table, but which side?
A PERFECT STORY
The added romantic dimension of Boyd and Wycherley’s trip to Paris meant the PokerStars TV crew were keen to catch up with the couple at the first opportunity. It also afforded the opportunity for Parker “Tonkaaaa” Talbot to don a red beret and play cupid in a short video clip that will no doubt be making its way on to social channels soon.
PokerStars sent the couple out for a Valentine’s Day meal on the eve of the event, and they also visited the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, and took a trip up to Notre Dame. They thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality.
“I would describe it as so much fun,” Boyd said. “I really had a lot of fun here. The venue was incredible, all the staff have been super friendly. It’s been really nice. Paris itself has been incredible. It’s been a good city of romance for Valentine’s Day.”
Crucially, neither the media attention nor the tourist pursuits could distract Boyd from his business at the poker tables either. Despite describing himself as a “ball of nerves”, the 27-year-old took to live poker with exceptional aplomb.
From a record-breaking field of 4,149 entries, Boyd progressed all the way to 48th place, where he cashed out for €8,710.
“The FPS Main Event was incredible,” he said. “It couldn’t have gone any better really.”
Tonkaaaa, in red beret, plays cupid
On the eve of the event, Boyd had described how a min-cash would represent a terrific achievement. But he actually ended up still playing into Day 3, and only an unfortunate button vs. small blind, aces vs. ace-king set-up ended it there.
“It was surreal,” Boyd said, remembering that his trip had cost him practically nothing. “From 50 cents, it not a bad little spin up.”
WEDDING PLANS
Working on the poker circuit often means punishing hours and somewhat cramped living conditions, but it also guarantees global travel for a fraction of the usual costs. For Boyd and Wycherley, they have visited plenty of glamorous locations together, and Boyd was able to coincide his marriage proposal with a work trip to the Bahamas.
“That was a nice little touch to the trip out there,” he said.
While Wycherley is originally from Scotland, where the couple now live, Boyd is already something of a world traveller, having come to Europe five or six years ago from his native North Queensland, Australia.
And now they’re due to get married, the decision is where to host the nuptials.
“If I win the FPS, maybe it’ll be a couple of weddings,” Boyd said before sitting down, and after the $8K score suggested that some of the money would go on arranging Wycherley’s visa for Australia. “It’ll take some of the stress out of that,” he said.
More immediately, the pair are returning to work at the Irish Open next month, before checking out what future events are on offer.
ANOTHER POWER PATH SUCCESS STORY
Boyd said that his experience as a player has convinced him to perhaps play a bit more, but that dealing remains his priority.
“As a player I was way more stressed,” he said. “I know what I’m doing as a dealer, I know what I’m coming here to do. But here it was a lot more stressful, a lot more nerve-wracking, but more profitable too.”
He added: “I’d like to think I’ll give it a shot in the future, but just now I’m going to focus on work…If I did this job and wasn’t working with Katie it would be very hard because you’d be separate a lot. But it’s nice getting to travel and share the same experiences.”
Boyd’s story, however, is just one more example of how the Power Path offers recreational poker players the chance of a lifetime. Boyd collected a few of the $0.50 tickets online and occasionally played the $11 Step 3 satellites.
The first time he sat down in the $109 Step 4 tournament, he ended it with the Silver Pass and this stunning trip to Paris.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better experience out here,” he said. “PokerStars have treated us so well. It’s been an incredible experience, really, really good.”
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