On April 22nd, U.K. player Daniel lucky_scroteCarter (pictured) made his mark on the online poker world. How? Carter chopped the PokerStars Sunday 500heads-up and walked away with $65,000. As a result, he’s achieved his highest position ever in the PocketFives Online Poker Player Rankings at #583 worldwide and is the top dog in all of Gloucestershire. PocketFives caught up with Carter for a victory lap of sorts.

PocketFives: Thanks for sitting down with us. Talk about the decision to chop with PokerStars member never4getbet. How did the negotiations go?

Daniel Carter: The player I had heads-up was a bit of a novice and I originally declined a deal. I think every pro out there hates to say no because you feel like you are under more pressure to win. Eventually, he managed to get about 60% of the chips in play and once again offered an even chop, which I snapped up.

PocketFives: Can you talk about the other players at the final table, a group that included fellow PocketFives members MistheMan, rickwaa(pictured), and derrickrose25?

Daniel Carter: It was a great final table with an interesting mix of players. Generally, it was soft. It had a couple of PocketFivers with some decent results such as derrickrose25 and rickwaa. These two played fairly tight and straightforward, which wasn’t a bad strategy at this final table. They also didn’t really get the chance to accumulate any chips, so I didn’t get to see a lot of their game.

PocketFives: Does it feel good to lodge your first big win of 2012?

Daniel Carter: It’s a massive relief. You always hear people moaning about how they are running bad. Well, that was me until that Sunday. I was often having days of playing awful because I couldn’t get any momentum. A lot of people know how it feels when you have had a dirty cold streak and then you get something going, only to be busted just shy of the final table in some disgusting cooler or beat. It can really mess you up mentally, so massive props to the top grinders who manage to keep their cool.

PocketFives: What are your thoughts on the rumored PokerStars buyout of Full Tilt?

Daniel Carter: It’s awesome, of course. I had no money on the site, but some of my friends had vast sums, so it could be a relief for them. It will be interesting to see what happens if Stars has a bit of a monopoly on the online poker business.

PocketFives: You’re the top-ranked PocketFiver in Gloucestershire. Talk about the state of poker in Gloucestershire and the U.K.

Daniel Carter: I can’t say I’m overly proud of being #1 here, as there aren’t a lot of grinders in my county. There is no live scene in Gloucestershire. We have no poker in casinos here, and the town I live in, Cheltenham, has no casino at all. Many gamblers may be aware that we have the Gold Cup held here and some other big meets at the Cheltenham Racecourse. I think a casino here would be perfect, as you’d get some super high games running during the meets.

PocketFives: Who or what has been the most influential on your game so far and why?

Daniel Carter: I’ve never really looked at anyone and tried to mimic their play, but I have always tried to discuss poker with lots of people I think are good. Years ago, I was talking to all the wrong people because I used to think they were good, but it just turns out they were beating the games in 1997 and still had some money left. I have discussed a lot of poker with John johne147 Eames. We know each other’s games pretty well and I always listen to what he has to say.

PocketFives: Where does the user name lucky_scrote come from?

Daniel Carter: Oh dear, where to begin with this? I spent a lot of time on the golf course in my youth, so I was spending time with people older than I was. So, someone started calling me a “scrote.” It wasn’t really a nickname that stuck, but when I was trying to think of a user name, I started with “golferscrote“.

Eventually, I thought I’d go with “lucky_scrote” because people used to always moan about how lucky I was. I was playing a very laggy game in 2004 and 2005 that others didn’t understand.

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