Charlie Carrel Explains How He Made £3m in Poker

Charlie Carrel has experienced one of the fastest climbs in poker history. Funding his career with just £10, Carrel has made £3 million in live tournaments over the past four years.

So how did an 18-year-old make so much money in a tough poker climate?

Carrel recently revealed how during an appearance on How’d You Get So Rich?, a UK show hosted by Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan. Below, you can see the biggest reveals that he made during the program.

Carrel Played 16 Hours per Day

It’s no secret how Carrel become such a good poker player. In fact, all it took was playing the game from sunup to sundown.

“I had no life for a very long time,” he said. “For about eight months, I was playing 16 hours a day, seven days a week.”

While Charlie says that there were temptations to deviate from this lifestyle, he’s avoided these urges.

“I had better options in my social life,” said Carrel. “But it was because I realised poker could be such a massive opportunity and it could be life-changing and my way out of a nine-to-five, I took the gamble and it paid off.”

Carrel’s gamble really paid off when he switched from online games to live tournaments. Just one year into playing live tourneys, he won the EPT Grand Final along with €1,114,000.

Bankroll Management

Every poker player knows that bankroll management is important in poker. Even still, some players have a tendency to spend above their means once they start having success on the felt. But not Carrel, who, despite winning millions, isn’t chasing the finer things.

“I would probably never buy an expensive car because I don’t think I could ever justify it to myself,” he said. “I don’t have an emotional attachment to money.”

Rather than buying fancy cars or a huge house, Charlie would like to put his money towards social causes one day.

“I have a drive to make money because I want to do some good in the world,” he said. “I recognise exactly how important money is and what I could potentially do in the world if I am smart about it.”

One of the few things that Carrel has spent big on incudes a trip to Amsterdam for he and his friends.

“I always told myself and my friends if I won something big I was going to take them to Amsterdam, and it was the most insane trip I have ever had,” he said.

“We barely left the hotel because it was so amazing, and I spent an amount of money I would not like to say. But we had what all of us have described as the best time of our lives. It was worth it for the memories.”

More Success Ahead

Carrel’s winning ways haven’t slowed any in 2017. He kicked off the year by winning the PokerStars Bahamas Championship $100k Super High Roller along with $1,191,900. Charlie also closed out 2016 on a strong note, winning a combined $1,103,631 in November and December.

The interesting thing about Carrell is that he’s only been playing poker for four years. And based on what he’s shown over the first few years of his career, we can expect more great things to come from him.