Amid the hustle and bustle of London’s corporate heartland one shop stands out catering for the Chess, Bridge and Poker population of this thriving city. Located on Euston Road near Great Portland Street tube station ‘Chess & Bridge’ has been serving it’s mixed cliental for 15 years and provides everything the experienced or novice Poker player needs. Graham Clifford spoke to General Manager Matt Read about the store, the industry and the changing face of Poker.

Graham Clifford: While Chess and Bridge are the main focus of the shop, is there a big demand for the poker products?

Matt Read: Completely and the growth in online gambling has actually helped us. Also the increased coverage of poker on television has opened the games to a new audience. We stock everything that a player needs here really from chips, to roulette wheels to books on how to win!

GC: Has online poker affected the shop in any negative way?

MR: Well it’s fair to say we’ve lost a number of our better Chess players to online gaming. Basically online poker is more lucrative than chess and many players have decided this is where they want to concentrate their efforts. As Chess is still our main focus we have lost some sales in this area but it balances itself out overall when more people come in for the poker products. An experienced Chess player can earn £200 in a short space of time on an online poker site whereas a chess class would earn them in the region of just £35.

GC: Do you think Chess players have an advantage when it comes to playing online poker?

MR: Well I suppose they do really. The ability to sit down and keep concentration isn’t as easy as you’d think. Some of these Chess players can be involved in 8 hour games so keeping their cool and focus in a poker game isn’t a problem.

GC: I see you stock a large range of books on Poker and other card games, which are the most popular?

Well it depends on the type of player really. The most experienced and technical players like to go for books such as ‘Super Systems 2’ by Doyle Brunson. Of course Brunson was the first player to earn $1 million in poker tournaments so he comes with a brilliant pedigree. Also popular is ‘Harrington on Hold’em’. Dan Harrington is another hugely successful player and people like to learn how he does it I suppose. Then there are books such as the biography of Anne Duke. It’s a fantastic read for anybody, whether you’re into poker or not.

GC: Do you play on line poker yourself?

MR: Yes I and a lot of the other guys here do.

GC: How would you compare online poker with the real thing?

MR: Good question. Well when I play actual poker I do it for the social aspect side of things with my friends and generally the standard can be pretty average. The great thing about online poker is the speed with which you can get into a game and gain reward. You can decide what standard of players you wish to play against and maybe you can control your stakes more. Both forms are excellent and compliment each other.

GC: Have you ever had any celebrities into the shop?

MR: Well because we’re one of very few shops to stock these products then yes. Recently Hugh Laurie was in. Also we’ve had Gandalf himself Sir Ian McKellen as well as former Bond star Timothy Dalton. Lennox Lewis came in to buy a chess set as well. Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin bought some stuff by Mail order so overall we get our fair share of celebrities really. We also provide Chess sets and other things for films such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

GC: In general how would you describe the profile of your average customer?

MR: We get all types in! From young teenagers to older ladies and gentlemen. Obviously poker attracts the younger audience where as Bridge is almost exclusively for the older player. More women are buying things in the shop but from what they tell me they are usually buying them as presents for their boyfriends or husbands rather than to play themselves.

GC: Finally Matt how would you describe England manager Steve McClaren – as a cautious chess player or a reckless poker one?

MR: Oh I’m not really huge into football but I know most of the lads here aren’t his biggest fans so perhaps he’s more the latter than the former!

IF YOU BUY ANY PRODUCTS AT ‘CHESS & BRIDGE’ AND SAY YOU HEARD OF THE STORE ON WWW.ONLINECASINOPRESS.CO.UK YOU’LL RECIVE A 10% DISCOUNT

Chess & Bridge Ltd., is located at 369 Euston Road, London, NW1 3AR
Tel: 020 7388 2404