Karl Mahrenholz

Name: Karl Mahrenholz

Age: 24

Hometown: London

Nickname: The Mantis

Started Playing: On Holiday in Greece in 2000. Played with friends for matchsticks.

Favourite starting hand: Resisting the obvious answer, this is not something I really put too much emphasis on. I see so many people making bad calls with their “favourite hands” just because it once won them a big pot.

Poker Achievements:

Recent results include:

Bio:

Having started playing live poker seriously in 2006, Karl has recently left his job in the city to concentrate on playing poker professionally. Karl has enjoyed strong results both in online and live tournaments over the past two years and recently established himself amongst the top UK players with strong finishes in the GUKPT, most noticeably finishing heads up with team mate Praz Bansi in the inaugural tour event at Bolton. Karl can be found playing at the biggest events across both Europe and America with team mates Praz Bansi, James Akenhead, Jim Kerrigan and brothers Sunny and Chaz Chattha, collectively known as the Hit Squad.

Sponsorship Status:

Karl joined Blue Square as a sponsored player in May 2007. He is yet to play in his first event as a sponsored pro as his deal focuses around EPT events taking place later in the year. He is spending the summer in Las Vegas in his quest for a WSOP bracelet to match that of his friend and fellow Blue Square pro Praz Bansi.

Advice for Beginners:

Don’t play too high too soon, both in cash play and tournaments. Money management is the single most important thing whilst playing poker. As for play itself, resist the urge to play too many hands but those that you do, play them aggressively and decisively without fear of losing.

Email: karl@bluesq.com