New BBC documentary to feature top Scottish poker players

The entertaining BBC documentary, from Scottish BAFTA- winner Greg Clark with voiceover from actor John Hannah, follows David and Niall Farrell as they travel the globe taking part in poker tournaments.  

Despite any preconceived notions viewers might have, David, from Coatbridge, says he hopes they will see "two people that aren’t afraid to go against the grain of life".  

David, 37, first got into poker when he was around 19 years old when he was attending university. 

READ NEXT: Work begins to demolish 02 ABC in Glasgow despite objections from campaigners

(Image: Danny Maxwell)

When he was in his third year, he decided to take some time out of education, planning to return the following year, but instead he got "heavily into poker" and it's been his full-time job ever since. 

By the time he was 21, after building up his knowledge over a few years, he qualified to go to Las Vegas and play in the World Series.  

While David enjoys the "money and freedom" that comes with playing poker professionally, he also enjoys the "mental challenge" of the game.  

"It’s like a contact mental exercise you never fully learn," he says.  

"I’ve been doing it for 15 years and I played last week in Barcelona and I had to create and entirely different strategy from what I was used to because of how my opponents were playing. 

"I’m playing the European Poker Tour in a couple of days and I don’t know how that’s going to go – I could get knocked out or I could go on to win seven figures.  

"That level of excitement is another good factor behind it."

(Image: Danny Maxwell)

David’s parents were initially sceptical about his unique career choice, but by the time he was 22 he had already paid to take his dad to Vegas and Australia on all expenses paid trips, which he says was a "nice little way to convince them".  

Getting the chance to feature in The Four Rules of the Poker Kings came "at a good time" for David.  

He explained: "I’ve been of the belief for the last couple of years, especially since we’ve come out of the pandemic, that I can play on the elite level.  

"I’ve done a lot of work on my game in recent years and I feel like I’ve been on an upward trajectory and the documentary gave me a chance to show that and get a bit of mainstream coverage. 

"It was good for me the closing scene was me winning the Irish Open but it showed the authentic version of being a poker player where it isn’t just a straight path of you show up to a tournament, earn money, and you repeat it again in a month or two."

Producer and director Greg, 52, says he was inspired to make a documentary following the rollercoaster lives of professional gamblers as it was a world he didn’t know much about.  

He said: "It’s an exciting world. Most people are working in a nine to five world where they’re just paying their mortgage and paying their bills and people want to see worlds that are not their own.  

"These guys live by their own rules, they don’t have a boss, they don’t care what you think about them and that’s very freeing and attractive.  

"It’s a secret world with really interesting, compelling characters. 

"I’m not interested in poker – I'm interested in people living unusual lives."

READ NEXT: Union says bin hubs have sparked new spate of Glasgow fly-tipping

Greg Clark (Image: Supplied)

Greg, who grew up in Pollokshields, was diagnosed with cancer during the filming of the documentary which delayed the film’s release.  

He has since been given the all clear.  

"Releasing the documentary is like I’ve won a poker tournament myself," Greg says. 

"The first thing that goes when you’re ill is your creativity but then when I started to feel well again I watched some of the footage and thought ‘it’s actually good’.

"I try and made very interesting documentaries where you find out something and it doesn’t feel like school.  

"It’s a window into a weird world."

The Four Rules of the Poker Kings is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.