The British are coming in poker terms
The Americans have long rolled out the term “The British Are Coming” throughout their history, obviously kicking off with the War of Independence. Since then, it has been used in a more light-hearted tone, usually to warn or advise the good people of the United States that a new influx of British people are set to take over a particular place or area of interest.
The most obvious example would have been in the 1960s when everyone went mad for British music, led by The Beatles. The lovable mop-tops were obviously the main act to cross the pond but acts like the Dave Clark Five and Hermann’s Hermits also made a splash in America. The fact that the latter two acts mentioned made a reasonable impression on the US market whereas many bands with talent haven’t probably says a lot about the American’s taste in music but they did take to the mop tops so it’s not all bad when you look at the big picture.
This time it’s the Poker Brits causing concern
So here we are in 2011 and the phrase is being rolled out once again but this time it refers to poker. Americans like to think that whatever they do in life, they do it biggest and best and there is no doubt that this is a nation that loves its poker. It is fair to say though that there have been a few envious glances at the talent that is coming from the UK and the number of top poker prizes they appear to be racking up.
Population size doesn’t mean poker winners
With a population size of between 55 and 60 million compared to over 300 million, it is easy to see why there are not as many British poker players winning as US players but the numbers are probably a lot tighter than they should be.
The last season of the WSOP saw five bracelets taken by British players, the most claimed by any nation outside of the US and even though the new season is very much in its infancy, British poker players are performing very well once again. Two bracelets have already been claimed by Britannia and there have been very few final tables where there has not been a British representative. All of this has ensures that more observers are keeping an eye out for British players and you can expect the impact of the Brits to keep on coming throughout this campaign.