Sinem ‘Sin’ Melin Interview
Monday, 18 November 2013
We catch up with one of Full Tilt's new pros.
Age: 25
From: London
Career Highlights: Several 2013 final tables in prestigious tournament series such as the UKIPT and GUKPT.
Previous Screennames?
BigBluffChick on Stars – BigBluff was the name of my brother's poker club. Lots of people on the circuit used to say “you’re that chick from Big Bluff!” when they would see me in different poker venues, so it just stuck. My name on FTP was chickin1, because one of my very old friends who I originally started playing online poker with used to call me chicken.
How did you get started in poker? When did you decide to go pro?
I got started in poker at Big Bluff, where I used to work as a waitress. The club had poker games running and I would be serving everyone drinks and saw everyone having fun playing, so it got me interested. Whenever I had the chance I would try and jump in a game. I never really made a decision about going pro – I'm self employed, so can make a lot of time for my poker commitments. Once I really started to make poker my main focus of making a living I got sponsors/stakers here and there which allowed me to play at a higher level.
Have you ever set yourself a poker ‘challenge’ of any kind?
Not exactly, but I have been challenged to beat my longest ever live cash session which was 48 hours long. Hope to do this at some point before the end of 2013!
Have you ever made any interesting prop bets?
I was playing a team event online where, over a period of weeks, you built up a chipstack for live events. Between the team we agreed whoever was the worst performer would have to wear a donkey outfit… somehow I was the worst, which meant when it came to the live tourney I was sitting there as a donkey.
Which variant of poker do you specialise in?
I specialise in NLH MTTs and cash. I also enjoy 4/5/6 Omaha cash games a lot.
Where is your favourite location to play poker?
I love poker all across London as it has some of the best selection of games on offer in the world, and my favourite place in London has to be The Hippodrome.
Who is your poker idol?
I have so many – Luke Schwartz, Jake Cody, Gus Hansen, Barny Boatman, to name but a few. They are all friends of mine, so I'm able to chat poker with some of the best players in the world which can only help my own game.
Can you tell us a strange fact about yourself?
Well, I wouldn’t say it’s strange but it is rare – I have an identical twin! So when she comes out to a casino and walks into a card room, everyone thinks she is me if I'm not with her. When we got announced as FTP ambassadors, I flew to Ireland straight away for the UKIPT. That Friday night my sister went to a casino in London and everyone was congratulating her, hugging her, etc. She kept saying “I'm not Sin, I'm not Sin” but a lot of the guys thought it was me just playing a joke. In the end, she just took it in her stride and received quite a few congratulations drinks from the other players… cheeky!
Join Sin at the Full Tilt Poker tables with a 100% first deposit bonus of up to $600 as well as entry into freerolls where £50,000 can be won.