In the midst of all the madness that comes with ICE, product lead at RISQ Tom Kimsey found himself at SBC and CasinoBeats‘ London Baby event on a rainy Tuesday night.
Kimsey, blind to the pressure, entered the stadium (Café de Paris) with the desire to achieve his dream – being crowned champion of the CasinoBeats tables.
With scenes more dramatic than his beloved Watford beating Leicester in the final minute, Kimsey triumphed against the odds, picking up a Playstation PS4 complete with FIFA 19.
We caught up with the man to see how he celebrated his win and whether or not he’d put his prize to good use (or on eBay).
First of all, how did you find ICE this year?
“This was only my second time at ICE, and once again it was a great experience. With the Launch of the RISQ iGaming Insurance Platform, we found ourselves to be really busy, which is always a great sign.”
Overall how was your experience at the London Baby event?
“I had a great time at London Baby . It’s great to take a step away from the ExCeL centre during ICE, and even better when a free bar is involved!
“The football freestyler was immense, although I fancy myself as a good player when it comes to freestyle… let’s just say it’s not my strongest area!”
So congratulations on winning the PS4 but, be honest here, was it luck or would you consider yourself a gambling expert?
“I suppose it was a mix of the two, I’ve always enjoyed playing blackjack so I know the right plays to make, however, I did take a number of big gambles in which I went all-in.
“I realised that I would need a large number of chips to win a prize. My friends and colleagues know me for being ridiculously lucky, whether its winning competitions or doing well in the casino. Seeing me win the PS4 was not much of a shock to them!
“Blackjack was where the majority of my success came. Although I’d like to think I played the perfect strategy, I’m well aware that putting all your chips, on one hand, multiple times isn’t what the pros would do…”
What was your most memorable moment on the tables?
“After building up a reasonably sized stack of chips, I decided to place them all on the next hand. When this won I tried my luck another couple times… which saw me jump up to over 6,000 chips.
“This was when I realised that I’d have a good chance of winning as the current leader was on roughly 2,000.”
What was your reaction to winning the prize?
“I was buzzing when the email came through. Although I seem to have been blessed with a large amount of luck throughout my life, nothing beats that winning feeling.
“And trust me I’ll 100 per cent be trying to defend my crown if the competition comes round again!
“Growing up, FIFA played a great part in my life. It was a matter of rushing home from school to jump online with your mates in order to find out who was the best.
“I was eight years old when I first started seriously playing the game and I still remember how great it felt beating my older cousins for the first time.”
If you could create your own perfect Ultimate team, what’s your 11 and why?
“My ultimate team would be a combination of pace down the flanks, and strength down the middle. In goal, I’d have Neuer, with Ramos and Van Dijk as centre backs. I’d have Kyle Walker and Marcelo as full-backs as the pace outlets.
“Probably go for a diamond in midfield with Kante playing behind Pogba and Modric, with De Bruyne just in front. Then playing up top it would have to be Messi and Ronaldo.
“I’d love to fit M’Bappe into that team, but with Messi and Ronaldo still at the top of their game, I just simply couldn’t leave either of them out.”
What have you done since with the prize?
“Unfortunately, it’s still sat in its box! I will definitely be keeping it, but since ICE I’ve been on holiday. I went to Rome for four nights, it was really nice to just relax with plenty of food, wine and sunshine!
“Once I have the time, I’ll be taking full advantage of the console, so thank you very much again – winning capped a great night at London Baby”