One of the most recognisable faces in British poker, Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott, died on 6 April at the age of 61, following a battle with colon cancer.
Ulliott had been diagnosed with terminal cancer in February and, despite the severity of the illness, had remained typically upbeat, cracking jokes and keeping positive.
“It is hard to believe that a good looking, smooth talking guy like me can get this response from dying,” he told the Hull Daily Mail. “If I had known I would have done it a long time ago. It is a hand that life has thrown at me. All my life I have had rubbish hands and I have managed to turn them around. It is what I am good at and this is no different."
In 1999, Ulliott was one of 40 players to appear in the first series of Late Night Poker, the first poker show to use hole-cam technology. He won his qualifying heat against a field that included Charalambos "Bambos" Xanthos and Ross Boatman to advance to the Grand Final, which he dominated against players of the stature of Surinder Sunar, Joe Beevers, the late Liam Flood and Dave Welch. Ulliott went on to win the heads-up confrontation, against Peter Evans, and the £40,000 first prize.
Ulliott's win was watched by more than 1.5 million people (a huge figure for Channel 4 and the programme's timeslot) with TV producers and viewers lapping up his suit, shades and wise-cracking table talk. His personality at the table was part of the reason for the renewal of the series, which went on to run for five more, with Ulliott appearing in them all.
Prior to his appearance on Late Night Poker, Ulliott earned a World Series of Poker bracelet in 1997 and beat Phil Ivey to the World Poker Tour Jack Binion Open in 2003. All told he amassed career tournament earnings of more than US$4.6m.
Away from the table, he also found time to pen a best-selling book, Devilfish – The Life and Times of a Poker Legend, which traced his journey from safe-cracking jailbird to champion poker player.
The poker world has been quick to pay tribute to one of British poker's most legendary figures, who inspired a generation to take up the game and played a huge part in popularising it worldwide.
After news of his death broke on social media, poker pros and friends immediately published messages in honour of his memory, with Phil Hellmuth, Erik Seidel and Doyle Brunson asking for his immediate inclusion in the Poker Hall of Fame.
“In his heyday, Ulliott was in poker’s premier league,” said The Independent’s poker correspondent Nic Szeremeta. “On the table he cultivated an aggressive image and thrived at being the centre of attention. At a time when the winnings were not as large as they are now, the Devilfish remains certainly the most influential Briton in poker, if not the highest earning.”
His friend and fellow UK poker player Andrew "Giddy" Perendes said: "I never have any remorse about many things, but I'm missing Dave already. Poker is not poker without the name Devilfish."
Ulliott leaves behind his wife Anpaktita, and his eight children Kerry, Lucy, Paul, David, Chris, Steven, Mike and Matthew.
