Teaching that Image is Everything
Image is everything, or so they say. In poker, cultivating a certain image can go a long way in helping players establish themselves in the public eye. Think Charlie Carrel��s multifarious wardrobe or Qui Nguyen��s raccoon hat while winning the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event. Outfits or accessories can often define a player, as they do for Ken Aldridge of Pleasant Garden, North Carolina.
Nicknamed ��Teach�� for his days teaching the youth of the nation, Aldridge��s poker attire almost always consists of a yellow hat, matching yellow jacket, and a shiny gold bracelet. It��s no regular bracelet though, but rather a coveted WSOP bracelet from 2009 when he topped a field of 1,459 players to win the $1,500 No-Limit Hold��em Six-Handed event for $428,259, his largest career score.
Aldridge has also finished runner-up to Will ��The Thrill�� Failla in the 2011 World Poker Tour Legends of Poker Main Event for $365,800, and placed fifth in the 2015 WSOP Event #21: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship for $97,122. All things considered, Teach, who is in action here on Day 1a, has $1,291,179 in live tournament earnings, which puts him 11th on North Carolina��s all-time money list.
If he cashes the Main Event for $12,500 or more, he��ll crack that State��s top ten money list. It��ll also mark his seventh cash here in the Bahamas. His previous best at this stop was a sixth-place finish in the 2013 PCA Event #18: $5,000 No-Limit Hold��em for $44,460.