Keith Hawkins
Encyclopedia
Keith "The Camel" Hawkins (born 1967) is an English
professional poker
player, based in Middleton Tyas
, North Yorkshire
.
(10p on Snow Knight at 66/1.) He began playing five card draw
at school as a teenager, and was later introduced to Texas hold 'em
by Neil Channing
.
an poker tournament
circuit, with tournament wins in Southampton
, Luton
, Dundee
, London
and Sheffield
.
Amongst these wins was the £1,500 no limit
hold 'em event at the Grosvenor UK Open 2002, where he defeated Jan Sjavik to win the £39,000 first prize.
As of 2007, his total live tournament winnings exceed $700,000.
$1,000,000 guaranteed tournament, for over $20,000. He plays online as The Camel.
's website and also posts on their forum as The Camel. He also posts on the BlondePoker and Two Plus Two forums
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player, based in Middleton Tyas
Middleton Tyas
Middleton Tyas is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located nearby to Scotch Corner.-History:The name Middleton is of Anglo-Saxon origin and it means middle-farm or middle-settlement...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
.
Early years
Hawkins claims he got hooked on gambling after placing his first winning bet on the 1974 DerbyDerby (horse race)
A derby is a type of horse race, named after the Derby Stakes, still run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in England. That was in turn named for Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby, who inaugurated the race in 1780...
(10p on Snow Knight at 66/1.) He began playing five card draw
Draw poker
Draw poker is any poker variant in which each player is dealt a complete hand before the first betting round, and then develops the hand for later rounds by replacing, or "drawing", cards....
at school as a teenager, and was later introduced to Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
by Neil Channing
Neil Channing
Neil Andrew Channing is an English professional poker player and author based in Maida Vale, London. He is the 2008 Irish Poker Open champion....
.
Poker career
Hawkins is a regular on the EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
circuit, with tournament wins in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
.
Amongst these wins was the £1,500 no limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
hold 'em event at the Grosvenor UK Open 2002, where he defeated Jan Sjavik to win the £39,000 first prize.
As of 2007, his total live tournament winnings exceed $700,000.
Online poker
On 14 May 2006, Hawkins finished 7th in the PokerStarsPokerStars
PokerStars is the largest online poker cardroom in the world. PokerStars' satellite tournaments produced the 2003 World Series of Poker champion, Chris Moneymaker. 1983 champion Tom McEvoy, 2005 champion Joe Hachem, 2009 champion Joe Cada and 2010 champion Jonathan Duhamel and others also represent...
$1,000,000 guaranteed tournament, for over $20,000. He plays online as The Camel.
Poker writing
Hawkins writes regular articles for Card Player Magazine and The Hendon MobThe Hendon Mob
The Hendon Mob are a group of four professional poker players from London, England:* Joe Beevers* Barny Boatman* Ross Boatman* Ram VaswaniThe name of the group was first publicised by the Evening Standard newspaper in September 2000....
's website and also posts on their forum as The Camel. He also posts on the BlondePoker and Two Plus Two forums
Two Plus Two Publishing
Two Plus Two Publishing is a private company established and owned by statistician and poker player Mason Malmuth. The company publishes books on poker and gambling written by professionals in the field such as David Sklansky, Dan Harrington, Bill Robertie, Collin Moshman, Ed Miller, Ray Zee, Sunny...
.
Personal life
Outside of poker, Hawkins has one son, Jake, born 30 September 2005. He supports Queens Park Rangers F.C.Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...