Former Eastender Greco on his passion for poker

IF THERE is a word that defines the decade, surely it is celebrity.

Celebrity Big Brother, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Celebrity Weakest Link, Celebrity Dancing on Ice . . . the list goes on.

We are bombarded with celebrity - and poker is not immune.

Celebrity poker tournaments featuring celebritycontestants lured into a studio to peddle their sponsor's brand or enhance public awareness is nothing new. The problem is most do not have the first idea of what poker is all about.

I once commentated on a celebrity pro-am event, where a former footballing icon passed a pair of aces pre-flop, leaving half of his chips behind in the pot. His reasoning: "I had to pass, I knew he [his opponent] had a better hand than my pair of ones." Suffice to say, this piece of film was incinerated before it landed on the cutting room floor.

But there have been some rare exceptions. Actor Tobey ‘Spiderman' Maguire, snooker legend Steve Davis and Post columnist Tony Cascarino have more than proved their worth when pitched among tournament professionals.

Actor/poker player: Michael Greco

  PICTURE: Mirrorpix  

However, I doubt any of them play with the passion of former EastEnders actor Michael Greco. By his own admission, the 39-year-old had "absolutely no idea" when he was thrust into a television studio to play poker. Yet, in a few years he has become a renowned player, well and truly shrugging off his celebrity cloak.

Surrey-born actor Greco, who played Beppe di Marco in the London-based soap for four years until 2002, got involved in a collection of "forgettable" celebrity television shows after leaving EastEnders.

Despite describing playing alongside the likes of Diego Maradona, Gianfranco Zola, David Ginola, Dunga and Ruud Gullit in a charity football match at Old Trafford as "the best 90 minutes of my life", it is poker that dominates his time,and he plays the game with a passion that few possess.

When he is eliminated from a tournament, a harsh, derogatory comment towards his conqueror can occasionally follow. Caught in the heat of the moment, he can storm from the tournament room like a rabid bulldog looking for a fight. This does not endear people to him, but this is his only fault. Or is it a fault?

Poker is not about making friends, it is about success, and he has had more than his fair share of that. Soap opera fame, being voted as the sexiest man on British television and, recently, poker success, does not appear to have affected him.

That success includes a £97,000 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour leg win, and a World Series of Poker and a European Poker Tour (EPT) final-table appearance. Just last month, he won €25,000 for finishing 71st in the Monte Carlo EPT Grand Final, and he has enough other results to embarrass many higher-profileprofessionals.

Does he see himself as a poker professional or an actor? "They are both passions of mine and I enjoy them both," he says. It's a vague answer, so I probe deeper.

Money aside, what would do it for you most, a role in a Hollywood blockbuster or being on the final table at the WSOP main event?

"As much as I love poker and would love to make the WSOP main event final table, I think having a role in a Hollywood blockbuster would come top every time," he says. "If you said actually winning it then that's different. People don't really remember people who made a final table, but they will always remember the winner and you go down in poker folklore."

Greco could soon be on his way to LA, where the offer of a film role is on the table. Should it not work out, he can always divert to the Holy Grail of poker, the World Series in Las Vegas, which begins next Wednesday.

Last year, he made a final table in a pot limit hold'em tournament at the Series, but he describes it as "a disappointing moment".

"Not one British player came to support me at that final table, while every other player at the table had support. I felt very let down. I would always support my fellow players in Vegas as I think it's only right that we stick together. Jealousy is what I despise most in the game I love."

Celebrity does have some benefits. Michael Greco is aware of the notoriety attached with a former prime-time soap acting role.

EastEnders was at its peak when he was in the show, attracting up to 21 million viewers, and he thinks his standing can help to change the perception some people have of poker.

"I'm not advocating gambling as tournament poker is not gambling," he says. "It's like bridge or chess where people can have a sociable evening for as little as £1, and I don't think most people understand that.

"As well as wanting to continue to learn poker and adapt to the surrounding players, I want to be an ambassador for the game I love."

There is no saying if Greco will be playing as much poker in five years' time as he does now. But one thing is for certain, even given the lead role in a Spielberg picture, he will never turn his back on it.

People never give up this great game. Once you have tried it, it can run deep through your veins.