Liam Flood, Ace-Rag merchant extraordinaire.

You know what I realised last night? In all the years of playing poker and watching it on TV, I've never seen Liam Flood turn over a hand. Never! Can you recall a hand he's shown? I can't. All the way through Late Night Poker and beyond, he's never revealed a hand and we've always just presumed he knew what he was doing because he wears a sharp suit!!

Well I'm here today with a world exclusive to correct that notion! For years now we have been duped but finally I can reveal the shocking truth... Liam "The Gentlefish" Flood has been raising on muck, FOR YEARS!!

Last night at the Paddy Powers launch of their International Grand Slam event (see our front page for details). There was a game for journos and professionals. Falling into neither category, all the same I sat myself down at my seat and started to play. Badly. Or at least, I made good calls and got crap cards. Finally I had to take my second load of chips and proceeded to lose two thirds them on KK.

So with 550 in chips I find AKs and Ken Doherty raises it to 500 before me. That means little as he's raised every time he's come in but he isnt doing it on complete rags. All the same, I'm happy to take him on with big slick. I raise all in for 550. A mere 50 more which obviously indicates I'm going to be called and I know it. Mr Flood takes a long hard think about it and then puts his 400 chips on the line...

... with A7o.

Shocked? I know I was. A fallen hero. A myth destroyed. The God's have clay feet!! I was astounded, not you understand at the shockingly poor play but at the board when it came with not one but *two* sevens on it.

And did he apologise for the outdraw? Express a ficker of regret or remorse? No, he cackled, raked in the pot laughing and went back to slaggin' Nikki!

"Gentleman" me arse!