Louise Ulrick shares the wealth to reunite Bootcamp friends in Prague
After winning the Power Poker Bootcamp in Cyprus, Louise Ulrick opted to split her prize between former adversaries and bring them to Prague
Louise Ulrick became something of a star at the European Poker Tour (EPT) trip to Cyprus in October when she was the winner of the Poker Power Women’s Bootcamp. It awarded her a full qualifier’s package to the EPT Main Event here in Prague.
You might think it would be difficult to become more popular, but Ulrick found a way.
Rather than take the entire €5,300 buy-in to the Main Event herself, Ulrick asked PokerStars if she could split the money between her fellow Bootcamp participants and put them all into the Women’s Event.
“That was what the Bootcamp spirit was all about,” Ulrick said, describing the motivation for her decision.
Louise Ulrick was back in front of the cameras in Prague
FRIENDS REUNITED
PokerStars was happy to make the necessary arrangements and so Ulrick was joined in the Women’s Event here by her adversaries-turned-friends Katie Hopkins, Yvonne Mai, Sabrina Chevannes and Jennifer Larsen, jetting in from North America, Germany and the UK.
They rented an apartment together in Prague and continued their poker adventure, all thanks to Ulrick’s generosity.
“This is exactly what happens when you genuinely support one another,” a delighted Chevannes announced to her social media followers. “EVERYONE becomes a winner.”
Chevannes added: “Our group were the most supportive I’ve ever seen. We genuinely wanted each other to do well and we were all soooo excited to watch Louise Ulrick win the place to Prague. But then something magical happened. Louise wanted us all there.”
Sabrina Chevannes in the Women’s event
STUDENT TURNED TEACHER
Ulrick was, by her own admission, a complete rookie when she started playing in the Bootcamp. “I had never played a hand of poker in my life,” she said. But since that brilliant day in Cyprus, she has become a real enthusiast and is committed to bringing the game to even more people.
She bought herself a chip set and began hosting regular lessons/games at her house, with the emphasis on what life lessons poker can teach you. She has had an incredible response from people who similarly had never dreamt of playing poker. They are learning the game, admiring its nuance and subtleties, and discovering how it can make an inquisitive mind even more flexible.
“I can teach people; I’m an educator,” Ulrick said, referencing her previous career as a maths teacher and her current business as an instructor in the complicated world of Microsoft licensing.
Louise Ulrick tested her mettle in the Senior’s event
Ulrick played the media event here alongside her business partner and travel buddy, who is another poker rookie taking first tentative steps into the game. They agreed that poker can be a very intimidating place to the newcomer, particularly in terms of table etiquette, but stated that it’s an area they can help fellow rookies prepare for.
Ulrick then re-took her seat in the Senior’s Event, into which she invested some of the money from her bootcamp prize. She said the experience playing in an open event like that was “terrifying” but that she was nonetheless enjoying crossing swords with opponents a good deal more experienced than her.
She had Barny Boatman as an immediate neighbour, for example, so there’s not exactly anywhere to hide.
Ulrick alongside an incognito Barny Boatman
LOOKING AHEAD
But Ulrick is also now planning her poker calendar for next year, which will include trips to Paris, Barcelona and back to Cyprus. She says she still considers online poker to be the environment she likes the best, but every further live event brings valuable experience.
Katie Hopkins and Jenny Larsen also made the trip to Prague
With any luck, Ulrick will be a fixture on the EPT for many years to come. And with her commitment to education, who knows how many more people can follow in her footsteps.
