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.