Richard Ashby once confessed that despite an Aussie Millions final table and over $650,000 in live tournament winnings, his live game simply wasn’t up to scratch. Online, his reputation precedes him and he has become one of the most renowned British players at the nosebleed stakes, but live, he still felt he had a lot to prove.
First prize for Event #21’s $1,500 Seven-Card Stud may not have look like much in comparison to neighbouring events, but to Richard, this win was about much more than money, it was about achieving a goal and finding self-satisfaction in his own abilities. It was also about recognition. Whether we like it or not, live players are measured on bracelets; all the greats have one, and now Richard is a member of that elite list.
Seven-Card Stud may have, at one time, been the most popular poker game on the East Coast, but since Moneymaker’s win in 2003, it has taken a back seat to Hold’em and found itself overtaken by other games, such as it’s High-Low sibling. As such, and despite the affordable $1,500 buy-in fee, the event attracted just 408, many of whom may have seen the small field as an opportunity to get their hands on a bracelet.
Seven-Card Stud was actually the first game Richard ever played. When he was 18, he began playing for pennies with his dad and at his local tennis club before venturing into his local casino and playing a £10 Stud tournament. When Stud waned in popularity, Richard ventured into other games, in particular Pot Limit Omaha which is currently his favoured game and the one he appears to excel in the most.
I recall bumping into Richard at the end of a long Day Two. He was tired, but excited about the upcoming final. Despite this being one of the smallest prize pools to date, there was a glint in his eye, and I could sense how much the bracelet meant to him. He was hungry for gold and not even a tough line up that included Sorel Mizzi, Jon Turner and Dan Heimiller was going to stop him. “I think I’m third in chips,” he gleamed. “I’m feeling good, though, and think I have a good chance.”
As expected, the final table was a turbulent affair, and although Richard was the short stack five-handed, he dug his heels in and battled his way to heads-up where he faced Christine Pietsch, a debuting amateur looking to become 2010’s first female bracelet winner and only the 16th in history. However, in the end, it was the 38-year old Brit from Watford who would enjoy victory, the final hand seeing Ashby’s queens in the hole improve to two pair to beat Pietsch’s pair of tens.
“I have played so many tournaments,” he later commented. “You put so much energy into something like this and to make it all the way - it means a lot me to win, so I’m really happy.”
“She [Christine Pietsch] was playing realy well. She was playing very aggressively. She was never scared when I hit three to a flush or made an open pair. She kept on being aggressive. Once the pots started getting big, it was hard to put on the brakes. I got lucky on a couple of pots and she played really well. (On one hand) I was bluffing and she kept on correctly calling me. Then, I got lucky and hit a third deuce and won. That was really the turning point, I think.”
This marked Richard’s ninth WSOP cash with his first coming in 2003 when he came sixth in the $1,500 Omaha High-Low event for $12,640. In taking down this event, he joins a long list of previous winners dating back to Puggy Pearson who won the inaugural event back in 1973. Richard also became the third UK player to snap up bracelet gold this year along with Praz Bansi and James Dempsey.
When we talk about some of the greats back in the UK, Richard’s name is often one that is missed. In many respects, he’s a highly underrated player. He has an incredible work ethic, is knowledgeable in all games, and is one of the few veterans to have shone online, a platform which is undoubtedly dominated by the gifted twenty-somethings of the game. Now, with a bracelet under his belt, he should surely be considered one of the best we have to offer.
$140,467 is a figure that Richard could win or lose online in seconds, but this was about triumph, it was about winning his first bracelet and proving to both himself and everyone else that he’s more than just an ‘online cash player’, he’s one of the best all-round players in Europe. I think he made his point.
1st Richard Ashby -- $140,467
2nd Christine Pietsch -- $86,756
3rd Darren Shebell -- $55,955
4th Dan Heimiller -- $40,544
5th Owais Ahmed -- $29,809
6th Sorel Mizzi -- $22,235
7th Pat Pezzin -- $16,826
8th Jon Turner -- $12,916
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