I’m Scotland’s top poker player, I like watching Celtic play at the table

NIALL FARRELL has made MILLIONS from poker.

But during a particularly bad spell he had to borrow money off his girlfriend and if it wasn’t for “sheer blind randomness” it could all have ended in tears (or much worse).

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The 36-year-old is Scotland‘s top poker player and he’s sat at tables in glamorous locations such as Las Vegas and Monte Carlo.

But Farrell, a Celtic fan, can’t resist watching his beloved Hoops even when the stakes are at their highest.

Featuring on the BBC documentary The Four Rules of Poker Kings, Farrell can be seen watching a live stream of a Celtic match on his phone whilst the cards are being dealt.

And another scene shows him stepping off a helicopter wearing a retro Celtic jersey.

Going back to the start of his poker career, which began during university when he studied law, he felt he was on the cusp of a sharp rise to the top early on.

But the cards humbled him quickly.

He said: “I don’t know if it’s maybe a little bit of arrogance or just confidence or something.

“But I think if I spend time at something and I enjoy it, which is really crucial for me, that I will get quite good at it.

“I thought I was quite good quite quickly but I was wrong and I was soon humbled when I started.

“But then you kind of get humbled and then you can start building up again.

“Roughly by the time I graduated, I was at the point where I was like, OK, I’m going to try and do this professionally and give it a go.”

Even after going professional, Farrell still had his fair share of setbacks.

It was at this point he borrowed some cash from his partner.

But his luck at the table spiralled downwards and he was forced to give himself a two-week deadline to turn it around.

He admits that it was “sheer blind randomness” – or “cosmic force” that led to him scooping a jackpot of almost £25,000.

Farrell said: “I was very close to quitting. I was having a bad spell.

“I’d borrowed money off my girlfriend at the time as well.

“I could pay my girlfriend back and kind of went from strength to strength.”

Despite being in profit to the tune of almost £3million, Farrell is content with a relatively calm family life – even if he can’t get a mortgage.

Indeed, he ranks a $500 steak as his most obscene purchase.

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“You’re making a great living but you’re not Warren Buffet-ing about the place. I’m quite easily contented. I have a nice house, my family is looked after and if I want to go to the pub and have a pint, I don’t need to worry about it.

“My Tesco bill has doubled but I’m not flying private jets.”

And how did he get involved in poker in the first place?

“I’ve always been quite good with numbers in general,” he said.

“A lot of it’s just quite deep maths, which is kind of less glamorous than James Bond makes it look.

“There’s also an element of psychology too, especially when you’re playing live.”

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